An easy weeknight recipe and more, delivered once a week. If you’re looking to replace heavy cream with a lower-fat or dairy-free alternative, healthy sour cream desserts of substitutes are available. Try options like a soy milk-olive oil combo, evaporated milk, and coconut cream. Heavy cream is considered a staple ingredient — and for good reason.

It’s used in a wide variety of recipes, including soups, sauces, homemade butter, ice cream, and sour cream. Sometimes called heavy whipping cream, it’s made from the high fat part of fresh milk. When fresh milk is left to stand, a heavy cream rises to the top and can be scraped off. However, because heavy cream is high in fat and contains dairy, it may not be a suitable option for everyone.

This article reviews 10 of the best substitutes for heavy cream. Combining milk and butter is an easy, foolproof substitution for heavy cream that’ll work for most recipes. The butter adds extra fat to the milk, making its fat percentage similar to that of heavy cream. Keep in mind that this substitute works well for cooking and baking recipes in which heavy cream is used to add flavor and creaminess. However, it will not whip the same way that heavy cream does.