The Best Substitute For Evaporated Milk In Pumpkin Pie

Have you found yourself in one of those instances that for whatever reason you don't have one specific ingredient a recipe calls for and it's nowhere to be found in the grocery store? These instances seem to be a common happening with the evaporated milk that is called for in pumpkin pie. While many pumpkin pie recipes call for it — even Julia Child swore by adding evaporated milk — it's completely possible to substitute it out and still achieve the same delicious result.

Evaporated milk is simply dairy milk that's been heated to evaporate about 60% of its water content, resulting in a creamy ingredient that has a thicker consistency than regular milk. What's more, evaporated milk has a slightly caramelized flavor from the natural sugars within the milk being heated and concentrated together. So, in knowing these characteristics of evaporated milk, acceptable substitutes would be any ingredient that has a similar taste and consistency. 

Cream, half and half, or a combination of the two are going to be the best replacements for evaporated milk since they're naturally creamy, comparably thick, and slightly sweet. If you don't happen to have or can't find either of these two substitutions, any kind of milk will also work (whole to skim). You'll need to mix cornstarch into the milk, though, to create a thicker consistency.

If you stumble upon a pumpkin pie recipe calling for evaporated milk and you're dairy-free or vegan, both lactose-free milks and plant-based milks can work as substitutes. Cornstarch will  need to be added to these milks as well in order to achieve the right thickness. Additionally, it's best to use plant-based milks that are unsweetened, unflavored, and run slightly on the thicker side, such as soy, oat, or canned coconut milk over something like a sweetened vanilla almond milk. Otherwise, you run the risk of your pie becoming too sweet or overpowering the warm spice notes with vanilla flavor. Although evaporated milk does have underlying sweet, caramelly notes, it's not noticeable enough when combined with the other ingredients. However, adding salted caramel to your pumpkin pies can be life changing. 

Evaporated milk can be substituted in a 1:1 ratio with any of the substitution ideas previously mentioned, with the addition of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to any regular milk, lactose-free milk or plant-based milk. Substituting evaporated milk isn't just limited to pumpkin pie recipes, either. If you find yourself without the ingredient in other sweet or savory recipes that call for it, you can still apply any of the suggested substitutions with favorable outcomes.