20 Best Evaporated Milk Recipes to Turn Any Dish Into a Creamy Delight
From mac and cheese to homemade tres leches!
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Got a can of evaporated milk in the back of your pantry? Well, now is your chance to use it! While it might not be as popular as a can of condensed milk (which is the key to making homemade dulce de leche), evaporated milk recipes are just as versatile—and maybe even more so depending on who you ask! After all, when comparing condensed milk vs. evaporated milk, it all comes down to sweetness. A can of evaporated milk contains milk that's been heated until 60 percent of its water evaporates. It's creamy, but unsweetened, so it can be used for both weeknight dinner recipes along with homemade cakes, muffins, and pies.
Here, you’ll find out just how handy a can of evaporated milk can be! On the savory side of things, evaporated milk is great for making creamy comfort food dishes, like mac and cheese. Plus, you can use it for nacho cheese sauce, one-pot chicken and rice casserole, and Southern creamed corn. Looking for an easy dessert recipe that uses evaporated milk? One of the most popular evaporated milk recipes is a classic tres leches cake, which is made with three types of milk: whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. You'll also find German chocolate cake, pumpkin spice muffins, and so many more ways to use evaporated milk! So grab your electric can opener and read on!
Tres Leches Cake
"Tres leches" literally translates to "three milks," including whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Ree Drummond also likes to add in a bit of heavy cream for good measure!
Get Ree's Tres Leches Cake recipe.
Pumpkin Spice Muffins
You can enjoy these muffins for breakfast, dessert, or an afternoon snack! They're moist and tender, but best of all, they're topped with cream cheese frosting!
Get Ree's Pumpkin Spice Muffins recipe.
Crock-Pot Mac and Cheese
Since evaporated milk has less than half the water content as regular milk, it makes this mac and cheese extra rich and creamy. Just dump everything into the slow cooker and let it do its magic!
Get the Crock-Pot Mac and Cheese recipe.
German Chocolate Cake
Evaporated milk is used in the filling for this German chocolate cake. It's a gooey, sweet combination of coconut and chopped pecans.
Get the German Chocolate Cake recipe.
Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
In just 30 minutes, you can have the easiest and creamiest mac and cheese ever. This recipe proves it!
Get Ree's Instant Pot Mac and Cheese recipe.
Lemon Blueberry Pancakes
These pancakes are light, fluffy, and loaded with blueberries. They also have a bright, citrusy flavor from the lemon zest and juice.
Get Ree's Lemon Blueberry Pancakes recipe.
Caramel Apple Pound Cake
This tender pound cake has a decadent topping that makes it perfect for fall occasions! The rum-infused sautéed apples and caramel icing will satisfy anyone's sweet tooth.
Nacho Cheese Sauce
This game day dip only takes 10 minutes to make! It's cheesy, melty, spicy, and great for serving up with your favorite tortilla chips!
Tres Leches Cupcakes
These adorable treats are like mini, individual tres leches cakes. It's a fun twist with a coconut-y frosting.
Air Fryer Doughnuts
No more standing over a hot pot of oil! This recipe makes tender glazed doughnuts right in your air fryer. They're just like the kind from your favorite bakery.
Southern Creamed Corn
This 30-minute side dish can be made with fresh or frozen corn so it really is do-able all year-round. To give it even more flavor, the recipe calls for garlic, paprika, cumin, and cheese!
Key Lime Fudge
If you're a fan of key lime pie, then you'll love this easy homemade fudge. It has all the sweet-tart flavor in a fun pop-in-your-mouth form.
Caramel Brownies
Surprisingly, this brownie recipe uses boxed cake mix for the batter! When combined with evaporated milk, butter, vanilla, and caramel it makes for an irresistible bite!
Instant Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Whole wheat pasta and cauliflower make this dish a healthy choice for dinner, but don't worry, it still has an ultra-creamy sauce that will make everyone forget about the healthy ingredients.
Get the Instant Pot Cauliflower Mac and Cheese recipe at Well Plated by Erin.
German Chocolate Cookies
All the flavors of a decadent German chocolate cake—in cookie form! They're basically thumbprint cookies filled with German chocolate filling.
Get the German Chocolate Cookies recipe at A Cookie Named Desire.
Pumpkin Tres Leches
This autumnal twist on tres leches embraces the season of pumpkin spice. You might even want to serve it as an alternative to pumpkin pie.
One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice
This recipe puts pantry ingredients and frozen veggies to good use. It's not just creamy, delicious, and budget-friendly, but it's a quick and easy dish, too.
Get the One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice recipe at Foodie Crush.
Pumpkin Dump Cake
It doesn't get easier than a dump cake made with store-bought cake mix! A few additional ingredients, like pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, and spices, make it a decadent dessert.
Chocolate Walnut Fudge
Not only does this rich chocolate fudge make a delicious dessert for chocolate lovers, but it also doubles as an edible food gift during the holiday season. Just wrap it up in a pretty tin to give to friends and family.
Get the Chocolate Walnut Fudge recipe at The Domestic Rebel.
Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie
Fresh sweet potatoes give this old-fashioned pie a smooth custard-like texture. It's also loaded with flavor from browned butter and warm spices.
Get the Old Fashioned Sweet Potato Pie recipe at Britney Breaks Bread.
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