Light cream(also referred to as coffee cream, single cream, or table cream) is a dairy product and a great way to sweeten up your coffee, hot chocolate, or make your cream soups and sauces even creamier.
If you don’t already have it in your home, don’t immediately run to the store, here are some substitutes that you can use instead.
Light cream substitutes are
- Heavy Cream/Heavy Whipping Cream
- Coconut Cream
- Half-and-Half
- Melted Butter
- 2% Fat Milk
- Canned Evaporated Milk
- Pureed Tofu
- Cashew Cream
- Whole Milk
To learn more about these substitutes, continue reading the rest of this article.
Light Cream Substitutes
Heavy Cream
You can use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream as a topping for your desserts like ice cream, pies, and even coffee, and hot chocolate.
Heavy cream has the highest fat percentage of all the dairy products on the market, 30-40 percent fat to be exact. Light cream has a lower percentage; less than 30% fat.
Coconut Cream 
Coconut cream is a thick cream made out of coconut milk. At the market, you can mostly find canned coconut cream but, if you search at the more equipped stores, I’m sure you can find other varieties.
Full-fat coconut cream has a deep, coconut flavor, and a very rich, creamy texture, perfect for those who are on a diet regimen or are looking for a vegan substitute for light cream.
You can use it as a creamer for your coffee, add it to your different Asian dishes, blend it in with your smoothies, soups, etc.
Half-And-Half
An alternative that you should definitely consider if you don’t have light cream is half-and-half. Why is it called half-and-half? Well, it’s pretty obvious. It’s half milk and half heavy cream.
The texture of this dairy product is thicker and creamier than milk but lighter and less rich than heavy cream.
You can use half-and-half cream in your coffee, to make delicious panna cotta, cream pie, cook up some nice and creamy scrambled eggs, and many other uses.
Melted Butter
Sometimes fixing yourself a little easy homemade substitute for light cream can do the trick. Simply melt some butter in a pan(for the fat content of the light cream), and let it cool off at room temperature.
Combine the room temperature butter with some milk and there you have it, the easiest light cream recipe for when you’re in a hurry. You can use this cream in recipes like pancakes, pasta sauces, or soups.
2% Fat Milk
Because of its high saturated fat content, 2% milk is a good light cream substitute. While not considered to be the healthiest variety of milk out there, 2% milk is a source of protein, calcium, Vitamin D, etc.
You can use it just like you would use regular milk/cream; add it to your coffee, tea, pancake mix, bake with it, cook with it, etc. You can also use it as a heavy cream substitute.
Canned Evaporated Milk
This canned product is a milk product that can be made with either skim milk or whole milk. Condensed, or evaporated canned milk is made by removing 60% of the water from the milk, leaving mostly the fat content while the water content is almost non-existent.
You can expect canned milk to be sweet, very thick, and syrupy. People often use condensed milk to make desserts and sweeten their coffee.
Pureed Tofu
A dairy-free, vegan light cream substitute is pureed tofu. Choose a soft variety of tofu to mimic the lightness of the cream and mash it to look like a puree. You can use it as a thickener or cream in soup, stews, or sauces.
[Related Article: 17 Amazing Tofu Substitutes That You Must Learn Today!]
Cashew Cream
Finding cashew cream faster than you can find light cream is a bit of a stretch, I’ll admit it, but hey, if you happen to have cashew cream left from previous cooking recipes and you don’t know what to use it for, then you will feel glad that you read this.
Cashews have high nutritional values and are good for heart health. You can use it instead of coffee creamer, in soups, sauces, and it makes a great sour cream substitute.
Whole Milk
Whole milk is a type of milk that hasn’t been stripped out of its fat content. This milk has 3.5% fat and it’s slightly thick, good for when you need a little bit of a creamy texture in your sauces, soups, coffee, and desserts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Light Cream Substitute For Pasta
If you don’t have light cream for your pasta you can use coconut cream, canned or condensed milk, or 2 percent fat milk.
You can also add melted butter in whole milk and use it for adding some creaminess in your soups, or light sauces.
Healthy Substitute For Light Cream
Pureed tofu, coconut cream, low-fat milk, and cashew milk are the healthiest varieties for light cream.
Can You Substitute Heavy Cream For Light Cream
Yes. You can substitute heavy cream for light cream and vice versa. Heavy cream has a higher percentage of fat than light cream, actually, it’s considered to be one of the higher-fat creams, but it does make a decent light cream substitute for many occasions.
Light Cream Substitute For Soup
If you don’t have light cream to add to your soup, you can use full-fat coconut cream, homemade light cream with butter and milk, half-and-half, and as a dairy-free and vegan variety, you can use pureed tofu.
What Is Considered Ligh Cream
Light cream is any type of cream that has above 18 percent fat but less than 30 percent fat. This is usually used as a coffee creamer, but you can easily whip it and use it in your dessert recipes, or add it on top of some cut-up fresh fruit.
How Can I Make Light Cream
Start by combining 3/4 cup milk with 3tbsp butter. Add 1 cup of canned, evaporated milk to the buttermilk mixture and mix it all well.
You can pour it into a jar and refrigerate it for future uses. The light cream will be a great use for making cheese sauces, creamy soups, and baked desserts.