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What Is Half and Half?

Question:
What is half and half?
Do you ever wonder what is half and half? That’s all it’s called, whether you see it in a container in Starbucks or in the dairy case at your local grocery store. Not too much of a description, right?

Answer:
Half and Half is actually just what it says… that is if you fill in the names of the ingredients are actually inside the container! Half & Half is half Milk and half Cream! That’s it.

What Is Half and Half?

The fat content, which is really what defines any cream product, is between 10-12% in half & half. Whole milk has about 3.5% butterfat while light cream has between 16-29% butterfat.

So, when milk and cream are combined together in equal portions you get a smooth cream that, when added to coffee, gives you a richer creamier cup of coffee than if you just added plain milk.

The calorie count of Half and Half is about 40 calories for a one ounce serving. That’s about the serving size most often used, since it is most commonly used in a cup of coffee.

Since half and half ranks low on the butterfat content scale, it is not often used in cooking or a likely ingredient for culinary purposes. Not too many recipes call for it because it really doesn’t perform as well in cooking or baking as other creams do. It is often seen in Quiche recipes though.

NOTE: Half and half will not hold a peak if whipped and it will not thicken your sauces if added to them. Yet some baked goods, for instance quiche, will call for half and half.

What is Half & Half

Additional Information

To make half and half at home you can blend 1 part whole milk with 1 part light cream or check our substitution table for more ways to substitute for half and half.

To find out how long half & half lasts, check out our half & half page

To find out how long other foods are good for, please visit the Dairy, Drinks, Fruits, Grains, Proteins, Vegetables and Other sections of Eat By Date or use the search function below.