Evaporated milk

Canned milk that has been heated to remove about 60% of its water, leaving it thicker and slightly caramelized, with no added sugar.

Evaporated milk: A small glass pitcher of creamy pale evaporated milk and a plain unlabeled silver can beside it
  • Baking ingredients and additives

Evaporated milk is made by simmering milk under reduced pressure until much of the water evaporates, then canning and heat-sterilizing it. This gives it a creamy texture and a faint cooked flavor. It is different from sweetened condensed milk, which has a large amount of sugar added.

It is the traditional choice for pumpkin pie filling, fudge and the frosting of German chocolate cake, and for tres leches cake together with condensed milk. Mixed with an equal amount of water, it can stand in for regular milk.

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Sources

Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.

  1. 21 CFR § 131.130 - Evaporated milk, Legal Information Institute, Cornell University (21 CFR)