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If you’re a new home chef, you may wonder about the difference between evaporated milk vs. condensed milk. Knowing what makes each ingredient different is the key to creating delicious home recipes.
If you’re making a dessert and grab the wrong can, you’ll end up with an unsweetened (or oversweetened) dish. Keep reading to explore more about the topic of evaporated milk vs. condensed milk!
What Is Evaporated Milk?
Evaporated milk came into play after sweetened condensed milk in the late 1800s. It’s a concentrated milk variety that can sit on the shelf without refrigeration, unlike regular milk.
This canned milk is made by heating milk until part of the water content evaporates, creating concentrated milk.
Creating evaporated milk was a way to offer a shelf-stable substitute for regular milk.
What Is Condensed Milk?
Condensed milk is also called sweetened condensed milk. Like evaporated milk, fresh milk is heated until some water content evaporates.
However, instead of canning the milk at this point, condensed milk producers add sugar. This concentrated milk has been a pantry staple in the U.S. since 1861.
As a side note, there is no such thing as unsweetened condensed milk; it’s always sweetened.
The Differences
While evaporated and condensed milk share similarities in their creation process, a few differences help distinguish each product.
Below, you’ll find the differences between evaporated milk vs. condensed milk.
Process
While most of the process is the same, there are key differences when creating each type of canned milk.
The first difference is the sugar added to condensed milk. The second section of the process that’s different is heat sterilization.
Since sweetened condensed milk has a high sugar content, it doesn’t require sterilization. Evaporated milk, on the other hand, does.
Flavor
When considering evaporated milk vs. condensed milk for a recipe, it’s important to note the difference in flavor that you will be incorporating into your dish.
During the sterilization process for evaporated milk, a caramelized taste develops. Sweetened condensed milk does not offer this same flavor.
Color
Adding sugar into condensed milk helps create a lighter color than you see in evaporated milk. However, sterilizing evaporated milk produces lactose and protein, which make a tan color.
Sweetness
There is a significant difference in sweetness between evaporated milk vs. condensed milk. Evaporated milk is unsweetened, whereas condensed milk contains about 55% sugar, so it has a much sweeter taste.
Consistency
Finally, the consistency that each canned milk offers to recipes is different.
For example, evaporated milk creates a lighter texture in dishes. In contrast, sweetened condensed milk provides a luscious, creamy consistency to dessert recipes.
Uses
Since evaporated milk lacks sweetness, it’s an ingredient you can use in savory or sweet recipes. On the other hand, condensed milk is typically only in sweet recipes such as baked goods, desserts, and sweet drinks.
The Similarities
There are a few similarities between evaporated milk and condensed milk, including:
Ingredients
Both start with fresh milk and become concentrated shelf-stable milk.
Process
In both cases, these canned milk varieties have their water content reduced by about 60% by simmering fresh milk.
What Can You Create With Evaporated Milk?
Many recipes use evaporated milk; here are a few dishes you can use it for at home:
Tres Leches Cakes
Evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream are in this tasty Mexican cake.
Pumpkin Pie
Using evaporated milk for the filling helps create a delicious, creamy consistency.
Rice Pudding
Adding evaporated milk to rice pudding provides a rich and creamy texture.
What Can You Create With Condensed Milk?
Like evaporated milk, there are quite a few ways to use sweetened condensed milk, such as:
Vietnamese Iced Coffee
This iced coffee is a traditional drink in Vietnam, and it’s typically sweetened with condensed milk.
Fudge
You can make fudge at home with only two ingredients – melted chocolate and sweetened condensed milk.
Brigadeiros
These sweet treats are a traditional Brazilian dessert made from condensed milk, chocolate powder, and butter.
Can You Substitute One for the Other?
Simply put, evaporated and condensed milk do not work well as substitutes for each other due to the difference in sweetness.
However, there are some recipes where you can use either ingredient with a few tweaks.
For example, swapping evaporated milk into recipes that call for condensed milk is easier. In addition, you can add sugar to the recipe, offering a similar taste.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk Taste the Same?
No, they have quite a difference in taste. Condensed milk has a sweet flavor, while evaporated milk has an unsweet, light caramel taste.
2. Is Evaporated Milk Better than Condensed Milk?
The answer to this question varies depending on the recipe you’re creating. For example, some recipes work better with evaporated milk (like pumpkin pie and tres leches cakes). At the same time, other dishes are best with condensed milk (such as fudge).
Substitutions
Evaporated Milk
If you’ve run out of evaporated milk, there are some quick options you can use instead. For example, you can substitute evaporated milk with regular milk (after simmering and reducing the water content), vegan evaporated milk (made from coconut milk), half and half, heavy cream, or prepared powder milk.
Condensed Milk
Like evaporated milk, condensed milk has quite a few available substitutes. If you run out of condensed milk, you can use canned cream of coconut, coconut milk (simmered with sugar), or evaporated milk (with sugar added).
Alternatively, you can also create your own condensed milk by simmering milk until the water content reduces and then adding in sugar.
The Takeaway
While evaporated and condensed milk are concentrated canned milk, they each provide a different flavor and consistency to recipes.
These pantry staples come in handy when creating various recipes at home. Keep both on hand to create tasty, sweet, and savory dishes.
Comment below your favorite ways to use each type of concentrated milk!
Other Guides You May Also Be Interested In:
- Pad Thai vs Pho: What Are the Differences and Similarities?
- 10 Health Benefits of Kimchi You Probably Didn’t Know
- How Much Rice to Cook Per Person?
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