Below is a delicious and intriguing list ofrecipes with half and half. It is a diverse roundup that answers the question, “what do I do with this half & half before it goes bad?”
Well, there’s an alfredo pasta sauce, vanilla iced coffee, chocolate cream pie, and even easy praline pecans. Wow! You’ll want to pin this page for later!
So stay tuned until the very end, and we’re sure you’ll find something to love!
Let’s get to it!
If you like this post, check out our best amazing chicken sauces and our meatball recipes post.
Jump to:
- 16 Best Recipes with Half and Half
- FAQ’s
- Which Recipes With Half and Half Are You Ready to Try First?
16 Best Recipes with Half and Half
The following 16 half and half recipes are easy and delicious. There are myriad options below, covering everything from sauces to candy. You know, sometimes half and half is great if you want to lighten up recipes that need heavy cream. Other times half & half can be used, for example, to make a dessert or soup a little richer.
By the way, we think that all of these options are great whether it appears first on the list or last.
Easy Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo is a versatile sauce that tastes great and takes just a couple of minutes to make. Sure, you’ve probably had it in a pasta dish.
But did you know you can also use alfredo as your pizza sauce?
And we’ve also seen it used as a French fry dipping sauce and even as an ingredient in spinach and artichoke dip.
While most alfredo sauce recipes call for heavy cream, this one from the lovely and talented Erin of Delightful E Made uses half and half. So, it’s less fatty and has fewer calories than other alfredo sauce recipes, but not at the sacrifice of flavor.
Visit Delightful E Made for the recipe.
Creme Brulee French Toast
French toast is a delicious and decadent traditional breakfast as is. But this leveled-up Creme Brulee French Toast from Sam of The Culinary Compass is something else. It’s truly breakfast for dessert – what you would expect to see on the menu of a hipster cafe.
If you’re familiar with standard French toast, you know that you dip bread in a cinnamon seasoned custard mixture and cook in a frying pan. Well, this version is a bit different. It sees you soak the bread in that eggy mixture overnight.
Then, sprinkle the soaked bread with brown sugar and bake until the sugar is gooey and bubbling. Finally, top with macerated strawberries and enjoy the best French toast you’ve ever had!
Visit The Culinary Compass for the recipe.
Vanilla Iced Coffee
While this vanilla iced coffee isn’t specifically a half and half recipe, we included it on the list because it is a fantastic resource that links out to many different coffee and tea recipes where you can use half and half as the creamer.
On the page, Sara of Life’s Little Sweets shows you how to make the drink using the pour-over method, but you can use your coffee-making technique of choice. In addition, she links to her vanilla extract recipe, simple syrup recipes, and many other pages on her site. You are sure to find something useful.
Visit Life’s Little Sweets for the recipe.
Quiche Lorraine
Before jumping into the how-to’s of it all, Toni of Boulder Locavore shares a little history of this German dish. She reminds us of a time when quiche was trendy and had a cultural impact.
This expertly prepared recipe starts with “blind baking,” an important step to avoid a soggy crust. But blind baking is a misnomer, really. As Toni hilariously points out, you don’t need a blindfold for this step.
Then comes the filling, which requires eggs, bacon, cheese, and a healthy quantity of half and half. Finally, you bake and enjoy this classic dish.
Visit Boulder Locavore for the recipe.
Easy Chocolate Cream Pie Recipe
This chocolate cream pie recipe from Christi of Love From The Oven is an easy no-bake dessert, great for those summer days when turning on the oven is a no-no. Better still, it can be made in advance and frozen for up to three months.
This simple chocolate pie starts with an oreo cookie crust that requires just two ingredients. Next, Christi shows you how to make that delicious, silky custard filling. Finally, pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate to let it set.
Finally, serve it with whipped cream and chocolate shavings for a dessert perfect for using up half and half.
Visit Love From The Oven for the recipe.
Quick Southern Banana Pudding
According to Amy, The Blond Cook, this banana pudding will become the dessert you turn to when in a jam and need a quick sweet dish to rescue you. It features common ingredients you can easily find at your grocery store and some you already have.
But what makes this banana pudding recipe different than others?
For one, even though this recipe calls for boxed pudding mix, it has you replace most of the milk with half and half. This step will make your taste-testers think they’re eating pudding made from scratch.
She also gives you an amazing tip to help you prevent the bananas from turning brown. And finally, the meringue topping gives it that signature Southern touch.
Visit The Blond Cook for the recipe.
Creamy Chicken Thighs
Chicken thigh recipes are the best! So, when we saw that these creamy chicken thighs from Tania of Cooktoria were made with half and half, we had to put them on the list.
Mmmm! Whatchicken dinnercould be better than these pan-fried chicken thighs absolutely smothered in a rich, creamy sauce?
To start, season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Then you pan fry those thighs, sautee the veggies, make the cream sauce, and simmer. Easy! Finally, serve over rice or potatoes for a comfort food dish all will love.
Visit Cooktoria for the recipe.
Homemade Eggnog Recipe
Eggnog is a holiday drink that is as polarizing as liver, okra, or licorice candy. Some people love it, and some hate it. Not many people are in the middle about it, though.
But if there is one complaint about the holiday elixir I hear more often than others, it’s the raw eggs component.
Well, Deb from Just Short Of Crazy solved that problem by developing this no raw eggs eggnog recipe. Instead of raw eggs, this half and half concoction has you combine the ingredients and cook them in a saucepan.
So, plan in advance so you can cool the drink and serve it to your favorite eggnog lovers.
Visit Just Short Of Crazy for the recipe.
Easy Chicken Corn Chowder Recipe
A while back, a pregnant Christina of It’s A Keeper found herself craving this easy chicken corn chowder recipe. And so, it was to be, for we all know that pregnancy cravings are to be obliged at all costs.
Luckily, you don’t have to be preggers to enjoy this half and half loaded soup.
This easy soup is full of everything you love about comfort food. There’s chicken, a rich and creamy base, bacon, cheese, and just so much flavor. So, if, like Christina, you find yourself at home on a cold rainy day, let that carton of half and half remind you to make this recipe.
You won’t regret it.
Visit It’s A Keeper for the recipe.
Easy Praline Pecans
Praline pecans are a Southern favorite originating in France. And this easy praline pecans recipe from Kelly of The Suburban Soapbox is near and dear to her. It reminds her of someone special. And she reminds us of that special quality food can have.
Good food is tied deeply to our memory. It can instantly take us back to good times.
You start by heating ingredients, most of which you probably have on hand, like half and half, in a saucepan and stir until the mixture reaches the necessary temperature. Next, drop a tablespoon at a time of the mixture onto a parchment paper and let it cool into praline pecan candy.
Mmmm! A decadent treat and the stuff memories are made of.
Visit The Suburban Soapbox for the recipe.
Cheesy Garlic Spaghetti Squash
This cheesy garlic spaghetti squash from Kathryn of Urban Foodie Kitchen is easy, comforting, and an ideal fall meal.
While you may be familiar with the spaghettified squash noodles concept,chances are you’ve not come across all the tips you’ll find in Kathryn’s recipe post.
You start by cutting the squash (there’s a tip to make this part easier), then you season it with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil and bake. Next, scrape the squash to make the “spaghetti” and combine it with the rich and creamy cheese/half and half mixture.
Finally, bake the squash again and serve this fantastic vegetarian meal all will enjoy.
Visit Urban Foodie Kitchen for the recipe.
Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup
You’re missing out if you’ve never had broccoli cheddar soup from Panera. We don’t eat there often, but when looking for a quick meal that’s not burgers and fries, sometimes good ole’ Panera fits the bill. And their broccoli cheddar soup is a must.
But making this copycat version from Emily of Zen And Spice has its benefits. For one, it’s undoubtedly cheaper. Secondly, you get to control the ingredients and quantities. And third, it’s easy.
This magical cheesy concoction starts with a roux featuring half and half. And the rest is just chopping and simmering veggies and adding that wonderful cheese. The best part is that you can easily double the quantity and have leftovers that taste just as good the next day!
Visit Zen And Spice for the recipe.
Pumpkin Beer Cheese Soup
Before getting into this flavorful fall soup Sarah of Whole And Heavenly Oven proclaims Wisconsin’s (her home state) culinary superiority. And the need for quality dippers for hearty soups like this one. Well, we certainly agree with the latter.
As Sarah puts it, you’ll need to up your “pumpkin game” as it calls for roasting a pumpkin for this half and half recipe. Nope, canned stuff won’t work this time. You’ll also need beer and lots of delicious cheese.
Serve this soup to your favorite hungry folks, and make enough for seconds (or thirds).
Visit Whole And Heavenly Oven for the recipe.
Simple Sausage And Broccoli Pasta
This sausage and broccoli pasta dish from Natasha of Salt of Lavender is what weeknight dinners are supposed to be, easy, tasty, and filling. And boy, does this 30-minute meal check all three boxes.
But what we really love about this easy weeknight recipe is using half and half over more decadent (read: fattier) heavy cream. While lots of creamy pasta dishes call for heavy whipping cream, this one uses lighter and cheaper half and half.
Natasha’s simple and delicious pasta dish calls for cooking the pasta, cooking the sausage and broccoli, and making an easy creamy sauce. It’s so simple you can make it blindfolded, but don’t.
Visit Salt And Lavender for the recipe.
Penne Vodka Sauce
In this very informative post, Katya of Little Broken shares a shortcut and lighter version of traditional vodka sauce. This one uses jarred marinara as the base instead of homemade. And half and half instead of heavy cream.
It’s for those among us, i.e., most of us, who simply don’t have the time to make it entirely from scratch.
From start to finish, it’s a 30-minute sauce that’ll become the star of the show for your pasta. And if pasta alone isn’t enough, add grilled chicken or shrimp for a more robust meal.
You’ll also find answers to your burning questions, like why you need to use vodka or other alcohol in your tomato/cream-based sauces and how long it takes for the alcohol to cook off.
Visit Little Broken for the recipe.
Chocolate Martini co*cktail
You’ve probably heard “shaken, not stirred” references in popular culture. Well, before Beth of the Small Town Woman blog gets into this decadent chocolate martini recipe, she explains why it’s best to shake it. And it makes complete sense.
This six-ingredient martini is an easy, decadent co*cktail you’ll want to make for your next gathering. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream!
It starts with a grated chocolate rimmed glass. Next, you add the drink ingredients to your martini shaker, including half and half. Give it a shake, shake, shake. And before you know it, you’re sipping on an adults-only dessert.
Visit Small Town Woman for the recipe.
FAQ’s
What Is Half & Half?
Half and half is a mixture of 50 percent whole milk and 50 percent heavy cream, hence half & half.
How To Make Half & Half?
If you don’t have half & half or it isn’t available at the store, you can make it at home by mixing equal parts whole milk and heavy cream.
Is Half & Half Expensive?
Half & half is cheaper than heavy cream and more expensive than whole milk.
Where To Buy Half and Half?
You should be able to find half & half at any of your local grocery stores.
Why use half and half?
Half & half makes an excellent creamer. But you can also use it in dishes that require cream to make the dish lighter, like thiseasy alfredo saucefrom Delightful E Made. On the other side of the coin, you can also make a dish richer by substituting milk for half & half in recipes that call for milk, like thisquick Southern banana pudding.
Which Recipes With Half and Half Are You Ready to Try First?
Is it the easy alfredo sauce, the vanilla iced coffee, or is it the pumpkin beer soup? Maybe it’s something different entirely. Perhaps these recipes inspired you to come up with something completely original. Let us know in the comments.
And if you like this post, you love our best amazing chicken sauces. You’ll never eat boring chicken again! Some use half & half.
