Half-and-half vs Milk
Half-and-half is half whole milk, half cream, so it lands around 10 to 12 percent fat against whole milk's 3 to 4. That extra fat makes sauces silkier and baked custards richer. To approximate half-and-half, stir about ¾ cup whole milk together with ¼ cup heavy cream per cup. Whole milk works in most recipes; reach for half-and-half when you want a richer mouthfeel without going all the way to cream.
At a glance
| Ingredient | Grams per cup | Type | Key trait |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half-and-half | 242 g | Dairy & Fats | Roughly half whole milk, half light cream (10–12% fat). Measure cold. |
| Milk | 240 g | Dairy & Fats | Milk is very close to water in weight — one cup is about 240 grams. Whole, skim and low-fat all weigh within a gram or two of that. |
How to swap half-and-half and milk
- 1 cup half-and-half = ⅔ cup whole milk + ⅓ cup heavy cream (Serious Eats)2:1 milk-to-cream ratio matches commercial half-and-half fat (~10–12%).
Full conversions: Half-and-half converter · Milk converter. More swaps: Half-and-half substitutes · Milk substitutes.
More comparisons
* Conversion figures are typical average weights for one US customary cup (236.6 ml), based on the King Arthur Baking Ingredient Weight Chart and cross-referenced with the U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central database. Actual weight varies with packing, brand and humidity — see our methodology.