Use Greek Yogurt When You're Low on Your Favorite Dairy Ingredients. If you're low on dairy ingredients, don't fret. Greek yogurt can substitute milk, sour cream and heavy cream.
Combine equal parts Greek yogurt and milk for a substitute closer to heavy cream's thickness. Be sure to add it while your dish is off the heat to avoid curdling, and don't use it for whipping. Best for: sauces, soups, some baking.
Yogurt can be used to thicken sauces much like heavy cream. You will need to add some starch to keep it from curdling because yogurt lacks the fat of heavy cream. Whisk in two teaspoons of cornstarch or one tablespoon of flour for one cup of yogurt before adding it to hot liquids.
Yogurt: I recommend using full-fat plain Greek yogurt here to take advantage of its natural creaminess. That makes the curry rich and creamy enough so you can choose to skip adding the heavy whipping cream later.
Yes, all yoghurts curdle when boiled.
Substituting Butter and Milk for Heavy Cream
To make 1 cup of heavy cream, melt 1/4 cup of butter and slowly whisk in 3/4 cup milk. This works for most baking or cooking recipes that require heavy cream, but it will not whisk into stiff peaks.
You can make a stand-in for the heavy cream called for in a recipe where it will be mixed with other ingredients. Melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter in a large glass bowl and gradually whisk in 3/4 cup whole milk or half and half. You'll end up with 1 cup of a cream substitute.
Greek yogurt may be primarily a wholesome breakfast staple, but it's also an incredible tool when it comes to baking. It can be used, just like other dairy products, to make moist and tender cakes, biscuits, breads, and more.
Yogurt may seem like an odd addition to your bowl of pasta, but seeing as it's practically as creamy as cream, it's a smart choice. The tang of yogurt also provides a nice balance of flavor, which you don't get from cream.
Don't expect it to act just like regular yogurt – chiefly, don't bake with it unless it's thinned out and don't heat it quickly or the concentrated milk proteins will separate from the remainder of the whey, never to unite again. Temper it before adding it to a warm dish, and only then, right at the end.
A smart trick to avoid yogurt from curdling is to add a smart portion of gravy to the yogurt and whisk it in. This act is called 'Tempering'. Further, you can add the tempered curd to the hot gravy/curry. It enables a slow rise in temperature, thus preventing curdling.
Our creamy, tangy Greek Yogurt is a great substitution for sour cream or other high-fat cream in soups, sauces and stews. But heat can cause yogurt to separate, so whisk it in off the heat at the end, gently re-warming the dish over low heat if necessary, but not letting it simmer or boil.
Plain Fat-Free Yogurt is so versatile that it can be used to tenderize meat, add thickness to sauces (instead of heavy cream), replace some mayonnaise and sour cream in dips, and serve as a base for salad dressings and marinades.
Plain Greek yogurt (full fat) is also a great substitute for heavy cream in pasta. If you are looking for a more healthy alternative to heavy cream in pasta, Greek yogurt is an excellent option.
Greek yogurt, like regular yogurt, can be temperamental in the presence of heat. If you're using it in cooking, it will curdle if you cook it over high heat, says Krieger, who suggests using low heat or stirring Greek yogurt into sauces at the end of cooking for texture and creaminess.
Its creaminess helps keep baked goods moist. Its tanginess imparts a crave-worthy, old-fashioned flavor. Its acidity helps activate baking soda, which can make baked goods fluffy and light. It can step in for sour cream, mayonnaise or crème fraîche, bringin the same tangy with less guilt.
And it does make a good garnish (we've done that here and here). But if you have a recipe that calls for cream, you can often substitute yogurt for a lighter overall dish. Of course, yogurt is not cream. It is thicker and has a tanginess to it that will change the taste of your soup.
The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.
What Do Vegans Use Instead of Heavy Cream? Fortunately, nearly any plant-based milk can be made into a heavy cream substitute. Nut milks, including hemp milk, oat milk, coconut milk and soy milk can all be used as the base for a heavy cream substitute with the addition of the right fats.
You can easily use half and half in place of cream on its own for a lower-fat option, or add in 1 or 2 tablespoons butter per 1/2 cup of half and half to make up for the missing fat.
Evaporated milk works well as a heavy cream substitute in sauces or soups calling for whole milk. In the making of evaporated milk, regular cow's milk is pressure-cooked until it sheds about half of its water content, making it thicker in consistency. For a healthy substitute, try evaporated skim milk.