Can You Use Condensed Milk Instead of Milk?

As condensed milk have a longer shelf life, there is a high chance that you can always have a sealed can of condensed milk in your pantry, but can you replace the condensed milk with the regular one? Let’s find out!

So, you found a recipe calling for the milk, but you just noticed that you don’t have the fresh milk in your fridge? Can you substitute the fresh milk with condensed milk? If yes, then in what proportions? Or maybe there are other better substitutes for the regular milk that you should use in your recipes?

Some ingredients can be substituted while cooking, but others are not.

Quick Note: When we are trying to substitute an ingredient, we must understand why this specific ingredient is used. Is it used to share with the rest of the ingredients its flavor? Texture? Color?

Only after that you can find the best substitute for it.

So, is it possible to use condensed milk instead of milk? If so, how do you make it right not to spoil the dish and get the same taste as if you will use regular milk?

I would say that it depends.

Can You Substitute the Milk With Condensed Milk?

You can’t get the same result if you substitute regular milk with condensed milk. They are two completely different ingredients with different tastes, consistency, and level of sugar.

What Is Sweetened Condensed Milk?

It is hard to find someone who has never tasted sweetened condensed milk. Every child must remember their childhood where condensed milk occupied a certain place.

Even if you look at Winnie-the-Pooh, you will find mentioning condensed milk in the story. It is not a surprise, as this kind of dessert is so tasty and sweet.

Condensed milk appeared many years ago in our world. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was known all over Europe and then spread to other countries.

This is how the story of condensed milk goes as sweetened milk liquid appeared a bit later when one Englishman decided to add sugar to condensed milk to make it tastier.

In other words, the sweetened variant is a product made of milk with adding some sugar as a preservative.

What Is the Difference Between Them?

Nowadays, you can find various types of milk, such as plant milk, unsweetened condensed milk, etc. What is the difference between them?

At least what is the difference between milk and condensed milk?

Milk is a white liquid that we get from cows or goats. This product is considered to be rather nourishing. Newborn babies are always fed with milk, as it has many useful health elements.

Besides, milk is rich in calcium, essential for building children’s bones. Even an adult should drink a glass of milk daily to keep the right calcium level in the body.

The main difference is consistency. Condensed milk can be got by evaporating water from traditional milk. To make condensed milk at home, you need to evaporate water and add sugar.

The next difference is the level of sugar. If you have ever drunk milk from cows or goats, you know that it has only a slight taste of sweetness. In comparison, condensed milk is characterized by a high sugar level and is used more often for desserts.

The traditional level of sugar to make condensed milk is about 40%. It makes the product thicker and more concentrated.

Also, it is worth mentioning that you can find condensed milk with different levels of sugar in it. You should consider this when replacing regular milk with condensed milk.

How to Turn Condensed Milk Into Fresh Milk?

Condensed milk is quite tasty if you need regular milk and you don’t have it under your hands. Is it possible to convert sweetened condensed milk into regular milk?

It is quite interesting to discuss, as some people say it is impossible, while others claim that there is nothing complex in it. Let’s see what can be done about it.

The first thing you can do to do a milk trick is to add water to condensed milk. If you have 1 cup of condensed milk, you must add the same amount of water.

Sometimes, people are recommended to add regular milk into condensed milk. It will work the same way as water.

So, you can convert sweetened condensed milk into regular milk by adding some water. At the same time, you should understand that you won’t get regular milk as it was.

It will be a bit different. It will contain more sugar, and it will have a different texture.

The water was evaporated from the milk beforehand, so it is rather hard to make molecules work as they have been doing in regular milk.

Best Solution to Replace Milk With Condensed Milk?

If you don’t drink or use often the regular milk, but you need it from time to time in some recipes, I recommend you to buy dry milk. You can keep the dry milk for a more extended period in your pantry, and when you need it, you can mix it with water, and you will get nice fresh milk in just a few minutes.

Can You Use Canned Milk in Place of Regular Milk?

If you want to use canned milk instead of regular milk, you should keep in mind several things:

• Consistency;
• Sweetness;
• Thickness.

You must read the recipe carefully when you want something new. Sometimes it is written in the recipe why we are adding the regular milk and what we can replace it with.

At the same time, you should remember that canned milk has another consistency. Probably, you won’t get what you want due to this fact.

Another problem is the sweetness of canned milk. The amount of sugar is somewhat more significant in canned milk. It can spoil the dish if you add too much-canned milk. So, make sure you control the amount of canned milk you are trying to substitute for regular milk.

The possible way out is to add less than regular milk.

Also, keep in mind that the canned milk’s thickness is also different compared to regular milk.

Some dishes require regular milk because it is more liquid.

It will be hard to replace regular milk with canned milk. You can only mix canned milk with water to get something close to it.

It is a possible solution, but it won’t give the correct result.

The best way is to follow the recipe and use the ingredients that are stated there.

Other Substitutes for the Condensed Milk

There are several variants of products that can be used instead of condensed milk. Some people can use almond milk by adding some sugar in it.

It is a good solution for those who have problems with lactose intake. You can also pay attention to coconut milk. Plant milk is also good for people who can’t stand lactose.

Probably, the last and the least popular substitute for condensed milk is dry milk. When there is no way out, it is possible to use dry milk.

You should know that it won’t be too fat when adding water. You can use these substitutes in this or that way if you don’t have condensed milk.

By adding some sugar, the problem can be partially solved. Nevertheless, condensed milk is one of the best things invented in cookery.

Bottom Line

So, when trying to substitute regular milk with condensed milk, you should consider that you will get different results as these two ingredients have a different consistency, taste, and level of sugar in them.