Cream and milk are dairy products that come from mammals. In the United States, these products usually come from cows, although humans also consume the milk and cream of goats, sheep, and buffaloes. Milk and cream have notable differences, mostly stemming from the amount of fat found in each.

- __Milk__: Milk is sold in grocery stores as a beverage and a cooking ingredient. It contains a sugar called lactose, as well as calcium, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. Different varieties contain different levels of milk fat. Skim milk (or nonfat milk) contains no fat at all. Low-fat milk contains one or two percent milkfat. Whole milk contains roughly three-and-a-half percent milk fat. Plant milks (like almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, and coconut milk) are distinct from dairy milk and cannot be made into related products like cream or butter.
- __Cream__: Cream is made out of butterfat that is extracted from raw cow's milk. There are many types of cream on the market. All are milk products with varying amounts of fat. <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream","linkCopy":"Sour cream","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>Sour cream</a> is a very light cream with approximately twelve to sixteen percent butterfat, but it also contains a bacterial culture to produce an acidic flavor. Light cream (also called single cream) has roughly twenty percent butterfat. Whipping cream (sometimes called light whipping cream) has thirty percent butterfat. Heavy cream (also called heavy whipping cream) has thirty-six to thirty-eight percent butterfat. Crème fraîche has roughly forty-two percent butterfat. Double cream has forty-eight percent butterfat. Clotted cream (also called Devonshire cream or Devon cream) has fifty-five to sixty percent butterfat.
While used for many of the same purposes, coffee creamer and half-and-half are distinctly different. 

- __Half-and-half__: Half-and-half is equal parts whole milk and light cream. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes it as having at least ten-and-a-half percent butterfat, although some brands offer higher fat content.
- __Coffee creamer__: Creamer is not real cream but rather a cream substitute made of evaporated milk solids, corn syrup, and various additives used as preservatives. A coffee cream substitute can be handy when fresh milk is not available.
Home chefs often buy cream for a cooking project, but then end up with more cream than their recipe calls for. Consider some ways to use your leftover cream.

1. __Ricotta cheese__: You can turn heavy cream into [ricotta cheese](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-homemade-ricotta-cheese-tips-and-3-ingredient-recipe) by boiling it with salt and lemon juice.
2. __Salad dressing__: Try using cream and buttermilk to make a rich ranch dressing.
3. __Mashed potatoes__: Add a small amount of cream to a [mashed potato recipe](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pureed-and-mashed-potatoes-with-thomas-keller).
4. __Soups__: You can make a cream-based soup from scratch or add a splash of cream to an existing soup.
5. __Whipped cream topping__: Use whipped cream atop ice cream sundaes, pies, eggnog, and fruit compotes.
Milk is an essential ingredient in many recipes. 

1. __Ice cream__: Despite the name, most [ice cream recipes](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vanilla-ice-cream-recipe) use whole milk, not cream.
2. __Cappuccino__: The key to a delicious [cappuccino](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cappuccino-coffee-guide) is foamed milk on top of an espresso.
3. __Macaroni and cheese__: You can make [macaroni and cheese](https://www.masterclass.com/articles/wolfgang-pucks-homemade-mac-and-cheese-recipe) richer without adding a significant amount of fat if you add milk to the mixture.
4. __Baked goods__: An untold number of baked goods recipes call for milk.
5. __Creamed spinach__: Milk is the key ingredient in the bechamel sauce base for a perfect creamed spinach side dish.
You can substitute regular milk for cream when you are trying to lower the fat content and overall calorie count of your meal. Take note that milk has fewer fat solids than cream, so it will be more watery and less viscous, and it will also taste notably less rich.
Become a better baker with the [MasterClass Annual Membership](https://www.masterclass.com). Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Dominique Ansel, Joanne Chang, Gordon Ramsay, Chef Thomas Keller, Mashama Bailey, and more.
Cream and milk are both dairy products, and both are commonly sold pasteurized in US grocery stores. Yet the two have notable differences, ranging from their fat content to their uses in cooking.

Cream and milk are both dairy products, and both are commonly sold pasteurized in US grocery stores. Yet the two have notable differences, ranging from their fat content to their uses in cooking.

Cream vs. Milk: What’s the Difference Between Cream and Milk?

Cream and milk are dairy products that come from mammals. In the United States, these products usually come from cows, although humans also consume the milk and cream of goats, sheep, and buffaloes. Milk and cream have notable differences, mostly stemming from the amount of fat found in each.<ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Milk: Milk is sold in grocery stores as a beverage and a cooking ingredient. It contains a sugar called lactose, as well as calcium, riboflavin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin A, vitamin D, and vitamin B12. Different varieties contain different levels of milk fat. Skim milk (or nonfat milk) contains no fat at all. Low-fat milk contains one or two percent milkfat. Whole milk contains roughly three-and-a-half percent milk fat. Plant milks (like almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, and coconut milk) are distinct from dairy milk and cannot be made into related products like cream or butter. </li><li class="">Cream: Cream is made out of butterfat that is extracted from raw cow&#39;s milk. There are many types of cream on the market. All are milk products with varying amounts of fat. <a href='https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream' target='_blank' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-sour-cream","linkCopy":"Sour cream","category":"automated-link"}' automatic='true'>Sour cream</a> is a very light cream with approximately twelve to sixteen percent butterfat, but it also contains a bacterial culture to produce an acidic flavor. Light cream (also called single cream) has roughly twenty percent butterfat. Whipping cream (sometimes called light whipping cream) has thirty percent butterfat. Heavy cream (also called heavy whipping cream) has thirty-six to thirty-eight percent butterfat. Crème fraîche has roughly forty-two percent butterfat. Double cream has forty-eight percent butterfat. Clotted cream (also called Devonshire cream or Devon cream) has fifty-five to sixty percent butterfat. </li></ul>

Cream vs. Milk: What’s the Difference?

While used for many of the same purposes, coffee creamer and half-and-half are distinctly different. <ul class="mc-m-4 list-styled"><li class="">Half-and-half: Half-and-half is equal parts whole milk and light cream. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) describes it as having at least ten-and-a-half percent butterfat, although some brands offer higher fat content. </li><li class="">Coffee creamer: Creamer is not real cream but rather a cream substitute made of evaporated milk solids, corn syrup, and various additives used as preservatives. A coffee cream substitute can be handy when fresh milk is not available. </li></ul>

Half-and-Half vs. Coffee Creamer: What’s the Difference?

Home chefs often buy cream for a cooking project, but then end up with more cream than their recipe calls for. Consider some ways to use your leftover cream.<ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Ricotta cheese: You can turn heavy cream into <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-homemade-ricotta-cheese-tips-and-3-ingredient-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-homemade-ricotta-cheese-tips-and-3-ingredient-recipe","linkCopy":"ricotta cheese","category":null}'>ricotta cheese</a> by boiling it with salt and lemon juice. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Salad dressing: Try using cream and buttermilk to make a rich ranch dressing. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Mashed potatoes: Add a small amount of cream to a <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pureed-and-mashed-potatoes-with-thomas-keller' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-make-pureed-and-mashed-potatoes-with-thomas-keller","linkCopy":"mashed potato recipe","category":null}'>mashed potato recipe</a>. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Soups: You can make a cream-based soup from scratch or add a splash of cream to an existing soup. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Whipped cream topping: Use whipped cream atop ice cream sundaes, pies, eggnog, and fruit compotes. </li></ol>

How to Use Cream

Milk is an essential ingredient in many recipes. <ol class="mc-m-4"><li class="mc-my-4"> 1. Ice cream: Despite the name, most <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vanilla-ice-cream-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/vanilla-ice-cream-recipe","linkCopy":"ice cream recipes","category":null}'>ice cream recipes</a> use whole milk, not cream. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 2. Cappuccino: The key to a delicious <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cappuccino-coffee-guide' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/cappuccino-coffee-guide","linkCopy":"cappuccino","category":null}'>cappuccino</a> is foamed milk on top of an espresso. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 3. Macaroni and cheese: You can make <a href='https://www.masterclass.com/articles/wolfgang-pucks-homemade-mac-and-cheese-recipe' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com/articles/wolfgang-pucks-homemade-mac-and-cheese-recipe","linkCopy":"macaroni and cheese","category":null}'>macaroni and cheese</a> richer without adding a significant amount of fat if you add milk to the mixture. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 4. Baked goods: An untold number of baked goods recipes call for milk. </li><li class="mc-my-4"> 5. Creamed spinach: Milk is the key ingredient in the bechamel sauce base for a perfect creamed spinach side dish. </li></ol>

How to Use Milk

You can substitute regular milk for cream when you are trying to lower the fat content and overall calorie count of your meal. Take note that milk has fewer fat solids than cream, so it will be more watery and less viscous, and it will also taste notably less rich.

Can You Substitute Milk for Cream?

Become a better baker with the <a href='https://www.masterclass.com' target='_self' class='mc-text--link' data-mc-segment-trigger='true' data-mc-segment-event-type='Article Page Click' data-event-obj='{"textTag":"p","href":"https://www.masterclass.com","linkCopy":"MasterClass Annual Membership","category":null}'>MasterClass Annual Membership</a>. Gain access to exclusive video lessons taught by the world’s best, including Dominique Ansel, Joanne Chang, Gordon Ramsay, Chef Thomas Keller, Mashama Bailey, and more.

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Cream and milk are both dairy products, and both are commonly sold pasteurized in US grocery stores. Yet the two have notable differences, ranging from their fat content to their uses in cooking.

Cream and milk are both dairy products, and both are commonly sold pasteurized in US grocery stores. Yet the two have notable differences, ranging from their fat content to their uses in cooking.
