Evaporated milk is somewhat similar to condensed milk, but it is unsweetened. About 60% of the water is removed from fresh milk then it is stored in cans. But are there any gluten substances in evaporated milk? Can people with gluten sensitivity consume evaporated milk?
Evaporated milk is completely gluten free. It is made of fresh milk and with natural ingredients that contain no sugar. Evaporated milk is safe to drink for celiacs, and you won’t experience any side effects.
Are you on a no gluten diet and looking for full details on evaporated milk and its gluten status? If yes, you’re in the right place. Keep scrolling through this guide to know everything about the topic in question.
Table of Contents
- 1 Is Evaporated Milk Gluten Free?
- 2 What Is Evaporated Milk And How Is It Made?
- 3 Different Brands’ Evaporated Milk and Their Nutritional Facts
- 4 Is Evaporated Milk Healthy?
- 5 Difference Between Evaporated Milk And Condensed Milk
- 6 Common Alternatives To Evaporated Milk
- 7 Recipes With Evaporated Milk
- 8 Takeaway
- 9 Most Common Queries About Evaporated Milk
Is Evaporated Milk Gluten Free?
Evaporated milk is highly concentrated canned milk made from cow’s milk. Evaporated milk is completely gluten free as there are no additives with gluten substances. Besides, the gluten from the animal feed is broken down in the cows’ digestive system; hence it’s not present in the final product.
There are no added ingredients in evaporated milk that include gluten. For instance, gluten is present in malt, barley, wheat, oats, etc., which are not there in evaporated milk.
It is basically a highly concentrated canned milk with less water content. Apart from it, there are no additional ingredients that can add gluten to it. Therefore, if you have celiac or are gluten sensitive, you don’t have to avoid it.
What Is Evaporated Milk And How Is It Made?
When fresh milk is heated, and 60% of its water is evaporated, it’s called evaporated milk. The boiled and concentrated milk is homogenized, sterilized, and finally canned. Evaporated milk has a great shelf life, and you can store it for up to a year.
People have been using evaporated milk since the 1800s as the recipe was developed to use as an alternative to fresh milk. Currently, you can find three varieties of evaporated milk- full fat, low fat, and skim evaporated milk.
As said earlier, you can store canned milk for up to a year or even longer. But if you find the canned evaporated milk turning dark yellow or brown, it’s stale, and you’re not supposed to use it.
Can you use evaporated milk as a substitute for normal milk? Yes, you can. But you have to dilute the milk with water for the same purpose. For one can of evaporated milk; you need one and a half can of water.
Evaporated milk is a good substitute for fresh milk for oats, cereals, coffee, hot chocolate, etc. Can you make evaporated milk at your place? You certainly can. Here is how you can prepare your own evaporated milk.
There is no rocket science to making evaporated milk. All you’ve to do is put the milk in a large saucepan and let it simmer. You’re not supposed to let the milk boil. You should let it simmer slowly and let the quantity decrease.
For instance, if you have a quarter saucepan of milk, it should reduce to 12 to 14 ounces.
Also Read:- Is Aunt Jemima Syrup Gluten Free?
Different Brands’ Evaporated Milk and Their Nutritional Facts
As evaporated milk is highly concentrated and has reduced water content, it usually has high calories and more fat content than regular cow milk. In a real sense, evaporated milk has twice the number of fat, carbs, and protein as raw milk.
Evaporated milk comes in three varieties: full fat, low fat, and skim milk, and in the table below, I have listed down the nutritional facts of all three of them.
| Calories | Carbs | Sugar | Protein | Fat | |
| Whole fat evaporated milk | 338 | 25g | 25g | 17g | 19g |
| Low fat evaporated milk | 232 | 28g | 28g | 19g | 0.5g |
| Skim evaporated milk | 197 | 28g | 28g | 19g | 0.5g |
You get different brands of evaporated milk in the market. Here is a list of a few best ones, along with their nutritional facts.
1. Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk (check product)
Ingredients
- Milk
- Dextrose
- Dipotassium phosphate
- Carrageenan
- Vitamin D3
Nutritional Facts per 2 tablespoon
| Calories | 40 |
| Total fat | 2g |
| Saturated fat | 1.5g |
| Cholesterol | 10mg |
| Sodium | 30mg |
| Total carbs | 3g |
| Fiber | 0g |
| Total sugars | 3g |
| Protein | 2g |
2. Iberia Eagle Brand Evaporated Milk
Ingredients
- Dextrose
- Dipotassium phosphate
- Carrageenan
- Vitamin D3
Nutritional facts
| Calories | 40 |
| Total fat | 2g |
| Saturated fat | 1g |
| Cholesterol | 5mg |
| Sodium | 25mg |
| Total carbs | 3g |
| Fiber | 0g |
| Total sugars | 0g |
| Protein | 2g |
3. Great Value Evaporated Milk
Ingredients
- Dextrose
- Dipotassium phosphate
- Carrageenan
- Vitamin D3
Nutritional facts
| Calories | 40 |
| Total fat | 2g |
| Saturated fat | 1g |
| Cholesterol | 5mg |
| Sodium | 25mg |
| Total carbs | 3g |
| Fiber | 0g |
| Total sugars | 0g |
| Protein | 2g |
4. California Farms Evaporated Milk (check product)
Ingredients
- Dextrose
- Dipotassium phosphate
- Carrageenan
- Vitamin D3
Nutritional facts
| Calories | 40 |
| Total fat | 2g |
| Saturated fat | 1g |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Sodium | 30mg |
| Total carbs | 3g |
| Fiber | 0g |
| Total sugars | 3g |
| Protein | 2g |
Is Evaporated Milk Healthy?
Because evaporated milk is highly concentrated, it has higher calories and fat content than fresh cow’s milk. If you are buying the full fat evaporated milk, it contains twice the amount of fat, carbs, and protein as its regular equivalent.
But because of its highly concentrated cooking procedure, evaporated milk is also high in vitamins and minerals; let’s have a closer look at these-
Carbohydrate and protein
You get around 17.1g of protein per serving from evaporated canned milk. It sums up to 35 to 37% of your daily protein requirement.
Besides, per serving of canned milk gives you 25.3g of carbs. Men need about 325g of carbs, and women need about 225g of protein per day.
Calories and fat
You get around 340 calories from one cup of evaporated milk. The fat content for one cup of evaporated milk is 19g. Both these numbers are higher than fresh cow milk, and the reason is less water content in the milk.
Vitamins
Canned evaporated milk has vitamin A, vitamin C, varieties of vitamin B, vitamin E, and K. Out of these, the amount of Vitamin D and K are less, but the rest of the vitamins fulfill your daily vitamin requirements.
Minerals
You get 658 mg of calcium from one cup of canned milk. It is enough to fulfill 50% of the daily calcium requirement of adults aged between 18 to 42 who need around 1000mg of calcium every day. Canned milk also provides iron, potassium, zinc, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, etc., which are great for your health.
Difference Between Evaporated Milk And Condensed Milk
The preparation methods of both evaporated milk and condensed milk are the same, and both have reduced water content. However, there are things that set evaporated milk and condensed milk apart from each other. Below are the parameters that set them apart-
- Evaporated milk has a caramelized flavor, but condensed milk does not have it.
- Condensed milk is sweetened with added sugar but evaporated milk does not have any added sugar; hence it is unsweetened.
- Evaporated milk has a caramel color, but condensed milk is lighter in the shade.
- Condensed milk is more dense and creamy, while evaporated milk is lighter.
Common Alternatives To Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk also has various substitutes. If you don’t like canned milk for some reason or need an alternative to it, here is a list of options especially curated for you.
1. Horizon Organic Skim Milk (check product)
This is a healthier version of evaporated milk. Increase the quantity to use it in recipes in place of evaporated milk.
Ingredients
- Organic Grade A nonfat milk
- Vitamin D3
- Vitamin A Palmitate
Nutritional facts
| Calories | 90 |
| Fat | 0g |
| Saturated fat | 0g |
| Cholesterol | 5mg |
| Carbs | 13g |
| Sodium | 130mg |
| Fiber | 0g |
| Sugars | 12g |
| Protein | 8g |
2. MALK Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (check product)
Ingredients
- Organic almonds
- Himalayan salt
- Filtered water
- Natural vanilla flavor
Nutritional facts
| Calories | 110 |
| Fat | 10g |
| Saturated fat | 1g |
| Carbs | 2g |
| Sodium | 75mg |
| Fiber | 1g |
| Sugars | 1g |
| Protein | 4g |
3. MALK Unsweetened Almond Milk (check product)
Ingredients
- Organic almonds
- Himalayan salt
- Filtered water
Nutritional facts
| Calories | 100 |
| Fat | 9g |
| Saturated fat | 0g |
| Carbs | 2g |
| Sodium | 75mg |
| Fiber | 1g |
| Sugars | 1g |
| Protein | 4g |
Recipes With Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk is a great ingredient to add to recipes. Canned milk gives a really creamy thick texture making your dishes taste even better. The couple of dishes I am going to mention are my personal favorites, and I can’t resist them any day.
1. Coconut Cream Pie
Ingredients
For the pie crust
- 1 ⅓ cups of all-purpose flour
- ½ cup toasted sweetened coconut
- ½ tbsp salt
- ½ cup vegetable shortening (cubed and chilled)
- 3 to 6 tbsp iced water
For the filling
- 2 cups evaporated milk
- 2 cups sweetened coconut
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For the topping
- ¼ cup icing sugar
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 cup toasted flaked coconut pieces
Cooking direction
Making the crust
- Take a large bowl and mix flour, salt, and toasted coconut
- Mix until the dough is well kneaded
- Add about 3 tbsp of cold water and mix again using a fork. The dough should be moist
- Once done, wrap the dough using plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
Making the filling
- Take a saucepan to medium heat and mix evaporated milk and coconut.
- Stir occasionally and cook until the mixture comes to a boil.
- Take another bowl and whisk eggs, flour, and sugar
- Add some evaporated milk and coconut mixture into the egg and whisk again
- Keep adding the evaporated milk gradually and continue whisking
- Transfer the entire mixture into the sauce and cook in medium heat again
- Continue cooking till the mixture gets thicker and comes into a pudding consistency
- Add vanilla extract and give another stir.
- Cover it with a plastic wrap to prevent any crust formation and let it cool.
Baking the pie
- Preheat the oven at 400°F
- Take the dough and keep it on a pie plate
- Flute the pie edge as you like and place a parchment paper
- Now place a heavy object over it
- Bake the pie for about 20-25 minutes
- Take out the dish from the oven and remove the parchment paper and weights.
- Put it back in the oven and back for another 12 to 15 minutes
- Let the pie cool entirely before you add the evaporated milk mixture onto it.
- Beat icing sugar and cream and add over the milk mixture and refrigerate.
- Serve chilled and enjoy!
2. Baked Ravioli
Ingredients
- 500g frozen cheese or meat ravioli
- 2 tbsp canola/vegetable oil
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- ¼ tbsp dried chili flakes
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 can low fat evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 ½ cups grated mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
Cooking direction
- Preheat the oven at 350°F
- Grease an 8×8 baking dish
- Boil the ravioli as per package directions and drain it
- Take a sauce and put it on medium heat
- Add oil, onions, garlic, dried basil leaves, and chili flakes and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Add flour and cook for another 3 minutes but ensure that the flour does not burn.
- Add the whisked low fat evaporated milk and bring it to boil
- Add tomatoes and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Now add the boiled ravioli and mozzarella cheese mix well.
- Trader the ravioli into greased baking dish
- Add parmesan cheese from the top
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, and your baked ravioli is ready to enjoy!
Takeaway
Evaporated milk is completely gluten free and is safe for celiacs to have. It’s a great source of vitamin, protein, and other nutrients. I have mentioned one of my favorite canned milk recipes, which you can try as well.
Let us know your thoughts on evaporated milk and how you like it!
Also Read:- Is Maple Syrup Gluten Free?
Most Common Queries About Evaporated Milk
What is evaporated milk used for?
Evaporated milk is a great addition in different dessert recipes like pie fudge and in salad dressings, pasta, etc.
Is evaporated milk and condensed milk the same?
What is the best substitute for evaporated milk?
Regular cow milk, skim milk, heavy cream, powdered milk, etc., are excellent substitutes for evaporated milk.
Can celiacs have evaporated milk?
Yes, celiacs can have evaporated milk as there are no gluten substances in it.
