In Hong Kong, where I lived until I was 14, evaporated milk is an essential ingredient. At cha chaan tengs—Hong Kong-style diners—it’s used to make Hong Kong milk tea, the city’s signature beverage of strong black tea and evaporated milk. Bakers incorporate the canned dairy into the fillings of Hong Kong-style egg tarts. Some cooks add it to scrambled eggs, and at dim sum parlors, it’s a key ingredient for “ma lai go” (“Malay cake”), soft, fluffy sponge cakes steamed in bamboo baskets.
I first encountered the ingredient as a child, when my parents ordered mango pudding—a classic Cantonese dessert—at a Chinese restaurant. The jiggly sweet came with a tiny pitcher of evaporated milk, and my parents instructed me to drizzle it all over. The creaminess of the canned dairy complemented the mango’s tart, fruity notes, resulting in a balanced bite that wasn’t too sweet. When I got older and began cooking for myself, I started incorporating the ingredient into my own cooking, too, using it to add richness to beverages, sauces, stews, and desserts.
Unlike fresh whole milk, which contains just over 3% milk fat, evaporated milk typically contains 7.5 to 9% milk fat. It’s made by reducing milk until about 60% of the water has evaporated, leaving behind a concentrated product that’s shelf-stable once cooled and canned, making it a practical option in places with limited refrigeration. In Hong Kong, milk wasn’t a regular part of the local diet until the territory became a British colony in the 1840s. And even once milk was introduced—with no local dairy farms and little access to refrigeration—fresh milk was a luxury, so people turned instead to evaporated milk, which was introduced in the 1920s and became increasingly popular in the 1940s.
Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez
Today, evaporated milk is a staple in my pantry. A splash rounds out the tannins in black tea and enhances the roasted flavors of hojicha, a toasted green tea. It’s the secret to smooth, velvety cheese sauces, and I use it to make my family’s favorite gooey stovetop macaroni and cheese. It gives soups and stews extra body—like Serious Eats contributor Fatima Khawaja, I make my chicken and dumplings with evaporated milk, which makes the meal even richer and more comforting.
And, of course, we can’t forget about the desserts: I love using evaporated milk to make leche flan (Filipino baked custard), chewy New England-style ice cream, and tres leches cake. It may be a humble can of milk, but it’s mighty—and with so many delicious ways to use it in everyday meals and special occasion dishes, you can see why I never leave the store without it.
