5 Uses for Half-and-Half (Other than in Your Coffee)

updated Nov 30, 2023
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Half-and-half is one of the most versatile ingredients in your refrigerator. You might only use it every morning in your coffee, but it is a handy milk substitute in baking, makes pasta sauces creamier, and can add flavor and body to gravies and pan sauces. It’s not as heavy as cream yet more rounded than plain milk, and it keeps for a while, too.

If you somehow find yourself with a surplus of half-and-half, you can freeze it for future use (into ice cube trays for easy-to-use tablespoon portions) or you can try one of these five ways to use up a little or a lot of half-and-half.

Uses for Half-and-Half

1 / 5
Make Panna Cotta

For this, you need more than a half-used pint languishing in the fridge, but not much else. Panna cotta requires just a bit of sugar and unflavored gelatin to make one of the world’s most beloved chilled desserts.

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2 / 5
Chocolate Ice Cream
I'm not saying this is the best chocolate ice cream ever (I haven't tasted them all yet), but it's a close contender.
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3 / 5
Scrambled Eggs in the Microwave

The recipe below is for scrambled eggs in the microwave, but we sometimes also add a little half-and-half to our eggs as we scramble them on the stovetop. Add a few tablespoons to the beaten eggs and then cook slowly over low heat (which is better for making creamy eggs — half-and-half or not).

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4 / 5
Alfredo Sauce
A dose of dairy is the secret to 5-ingredient, everyday Alfredo sauce.
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5 / 5
Starbucks-Style Sweet Cream at Home
Love Starbucks' Sweet Cream for iced coffee? Here's how to make it yourself at home.
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