You usually should not swap condensed milk for evaporated milk directly, because condensed milk is very sweet and much thicker.

Key differences

• Evaporated milk is just milk with much of the water removed; it is not sweetened.
• Sweetened condensed milk is also reduced milk, but with a lot of sugar added, making it much thicker and very sweet.

When a swap can work

• In savory recipes (soups, sauces, casseroles, mac and cheese): do not use condensed milk; it will make the dish unpleasantly sweet.
• In desserts (pies, flans, puddings, fudge): you can sometimes use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk only if you:
  • Greatly reduce or remove other sugar in the recipe.
  • Expect a richer, denser, and sweeter result even after adjustments.

Better alternatives

If a recipe calls for evaporated milk and you don’t have it:

• Use regular milk or half-and-half: for 1 cup evaporated milk, use about 1¼ cups regular milk gently simmered until reduced to 1 cup.
• In many baked goods, you can often use heavy cream or a mix of milk and cream instead, adjusting liquid slightly for thickness.

If you tell what recipe you’re making, an exact yes/no and how-to for that specific dish is possible.