What Is Milk, skim and How Can I Use It?

If milk, skim has turned up in a recipe or caught your eye at the store, here's what you need to use it with confidence and how to choose it, cook it, store it, what to substitute, and 620 recipes to try it in.

What is milk, skim?

Skim milk is cow's milk with the fat removed, usually under 0.5% milkfat, which is why it is also sold as fat-free milk. Take the cream out and what is left is the protein and milk sugar and calcium, with almost none of the richness.

You can see the difference in the glass. Skim pours thin and watery and carries a faint bluish-gray cast, because the fat that made whole milk look opaque and white is gone.

In cooking that thinness matters more than the color. Skim does some jobs well and others poorly.

Where Skim Milk Works

For drinking and cereal and most baking, skim is a fine one-to-one stand-in for richer milk. Quick breads and muffins and pancakes barely notice the missing fat, since the recipe gets its richness from the butter, oil, or eggs instead.

It is the natural pick for lighter cooking, which is why it shows up in dishes built to cut fat. A crustless tuna quiche and a tray of heart healthy biscuits both lean on it to keep things lean without losing the milk.

Where It Falls Short

Sauces are where skim shows its weakness. A béchamel or cheese sauce made with skim comes out thin and watery, because there is no fat to give it body or a coating mouthfeel. Bump up the roux or fold in a little cheese to make up what the milk cannot.

It also will not foam. Steam skim for a latte and you get loose, weak bubbles instead of a thick cap, since fat is part of what holds milk foam together.

And it scorches readily. The fat that buffered the milk solids from the heat is gone, so skim catches and browns on the bottom of the pot faster than whole milk. Keep the flame moderate and stir often.

Substitutes

Any other milk swaps in one-to-one and gives a richer result. Low-fat 1% or 2% is the closest in body; whole milk thinned with a splash of water lands near skim while adding a little richness back.

To stretch what you have, ⅓ cup of nonfat dry milk powder whisked into a cup of water rebuilds a cup of skim. Unsweetened plant milks like soy match the thin, pourable texture, though they brown and taste differently.

For anything that needs body, like a cream sauce, none of the lean options help much. Reach for whole milk or add cream instead.

Buying and Storing

Cartons are labeled by fat, and skim sits at the bottom marked skim or fat-free or nonfat. Pick by date and give it a sniff at home, since milk can turn before the printed day.

Store it near 38°F (3°C) at the back of the fridge, not in the door where it warms each time you open it. Opened, use it within about a week and trust your nose over the label.

Skim freezes better than richer milk, for up to about 3 months, because there is little fat to separate. Even so, shake thawed milk well and save it for cooking rather than a cold glass.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Where to find milk, skim: Milk, skim is usually found in the dairy section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

Food group: Milk, skim is a member of the Dairy and Egg Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

牛奶，脱脂

British (UK) term

Milk, skim

en français

lait, écrémé

en español

leche, descremada

How much does milk, skim weigh?

Related

Dairy and Egg Products

Recipes using milk, skim

There are 620 recipes that contain this ingredient.

Chilled Green Pea Soup

Chilled green pea soup blends sweet frozen peas with thyme, onion, and minute tapioca for a velvety low-fat, low-calorie soup that works hot or cold. The tapioca thickens without flour or cream. Five minutes of standing time, twenty minutes total cook.

Graham Wafers

These homemade graham wafers are crisp, lightly sweet, and perfect for snacking, crushing into crumbs for pie crusts, or pairing with spreads. Made with wholesome graham flour and a touch of vanilla, they bake up golden and delicious in just minutes.

Old-Style Wheat Biscuits

Old-style wheat biscuits: tender, fluffy whole-wheat biscuits made with canola oil and a quick buttermilk substitute. A homestyle baked good ready in 30 minutes flat.

Berry Dutch Baby

Puffy, golden berry Dutch baby pancake baked with fresh raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. This dramatic oven pancake rises sky-high in 25 minutes for a stunning weekend brunch.

Dave's Light Pumpkin Pie

Dave's light pumpkin pie uses artificial sweetener, skim milk, and nonfat evaporated milk for a holiday-classic flavor with significantly less fat and sugar. Thanksgiving dessert you can serve guilt-free.

Pancakes (Prodigy)

Classic pancakes from a small-batch base of flour, milk, egg and a touch of sugar. Tender, golden discs that hit the griddle in 20 minutes flat. The kind of weekend stack that needs only butter and maple syrup.

Very Creamy Corn-Potato Soup

Creamy corn-potato soup pureed thick with skim milk, dry milk powder, mustard, garlic, and a touch of honey. Low-fat vegetarian chowder that tastes richer than its calorie count suggests.

Mini Pancakes with Berry Sauce

Light mini pancakes made with yogurt and egg whites, served with a homemade cornstarch-thickened berry sauce. A leaner brunch stack that doesn't taste like a compromise.

Golden Breakfast Orange Pancakes

Whole wheat orange pancakes use fresh orange juice and zest in a half-whole-wheat batter boosted with wheat germ. Bright, fluffy and high-fiber. Ready in 20 minutes for a healthy weekend breakfast.

Best Ever Pumpkin Muffins

Pumpkin muffins with cinnamon, golden raisins, and walnuts. Lightened up with skim milk, canola oil, and extra egg whites for a tender crumb without the butter weight.

Breakfast Lemon Pancakes

Lemon pancakes lightened with club soda and whipped egg whites. Tiny silver-dollar size, fragrant with fresh lemon zest, fluffy as a cloud.

Eggless Banana-Chocolate Bread

Eggless banana-chocolate bread is a soft yeast loaf, not a quick bread: mashed banana and melty chocolate pieces baked into a tender, sliceable bread. Egg-free and lovely toasted for breakfast.

Favorite Chewy Spice Cookies

Chewy spice cookies are low-fat molasses cookies sweetened with applesauce, scented with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, then drizzled with lemon icing. Holiday spice cookies without butter or eggs.

Favorite Chewy Spice Cookies

Chewy spice cookies are low-fat molasses cookies sweetened with applesauce, scented with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, then drizzled with lemon icing. Holiday spice cookies without butter or eggs.

Favorite Chewy Spice Cookies

Chewy spice cookies are low-fat molasses cookies sweetened with applesauce, scented with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice, then drizzled with lemon icing. Holiday spice cookies without butter or eggs.

Mocha Chip Muffins

Low-fat mocha chip muffins with cocoa, instant coffee, and semi-sweet chocolate chips. Applesauce replaces most of the oil for a tender, fudgy crumb under 100 calories per muffin.

No Fat Banana Muffins

No fat banana muffins use mashed banana, egg whites, and corn syrup instead of butter or oil for tender low-fat breakfast muffins flavored with cinnamon.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

Whole-wheat raspberry muffins folded with fresh berries and lemon zest, crowned with a brown-sugar pecan-cinnamon streusel. Hearty breakfast muffins that lean nutty and lightly sweet.

Very Moist Pumpkin Pie

A very moist, custardy pumpkin pie spiced with cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove. Lightened up with sugar substitute and skim milk for a lighter slice on the Thanksgiving table.

Creamy Corn & Bell Pepper Chowder

Creamy corn and bell pepper chowder: a low-fat skim-milk chowder with sweet corn, red bell peppers, scallions, and shallots. Pureed corn gives it body without heavy cream.

Breakfast Broccoli Bread Pudding

Make this light yet delicious savoury bread pudding before you go to bed. Then put it in the oven when you get up next day. You breakfast will be ready while you are enjoying your morning coffee.

Cornbread

This is plain cornbread, not a corn flavored cake, so don't expect it to be fluffy or sweet. It's great with black-eyed peas, new potatoes, green onions, sliced tomatoes, and buttermilk, i.e., your basic Southern farm fare. It's also very nice cold, broken into bite-sized pieces in a glass of cold milk and eaten with a spoon.

Delicious Berry Breakfast Pancakes

Whole wheat berry breakfast pancakes made light with fluffy egg whites and skim milk, sweetened with a little honey, then topped with creamy ricotta, fresh berries and maple syrup. Ready in about 20 minutes.

Scrumpdilly Berry Muffins

Berry muffins with whole wheat, bran, and fresh strawberries or blueberries. A high-fiber, low-fat breakfast bake sweetened with strawberry yogurt and crowned with crunchy pecans.

Comfy Corn & Potato Chowder

Corn and potato chowder simmers red potatoes, sweet corn, carrots, and celery in vegetable stock with a splash of sherry, then blitzes a cup of soup smooth to thicken the broth naturally. No cream, all comfort.

Fruity German Oven Pancakes

German oven pancake (Dutch baby) with a dramatic puffed shell, golden edges, and a fruit-filled center. Made with skim milk and egg substitute for a lighter version of the classic.

Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins

Chocolate chip mini muffins meet bright orange zest in a lighter bake using skim milk, canola oil, and egg substitute. The classic chocolate-orange pairing in two-bite form.

Pumpkin Light Pie

Light pumpkin pie with a fluffy chiffon-style filling on a graham cracker crust, sweetened with sugar substitute and lifted with whipped egg whites. The lower-sugar pumpkin pie for the holiday table.

Chewy Oatmeal Spice Cookies

Lower-fat chewy oatmeal raisin cookies use applesauce and egg whites in place of butter and yolks. Spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, ready in 40 minutes. Drop cookie or 9x13 bar pan option.

Bo's Low Fat Berry Muffins

Low-fat berry muffins studded with fresh raspberries and warm cinnamon, finished with a tart lemon glaze. A lighter breakfast bake with crisp tops and tender, fruit-flecked crumb.

Wake - Up - Smell Coffee Cheesecake

Love this lower-fat cheesecake. It well satisfied my cheesecake cravings but without giving me too much guilt afterwards. LOL.

Cheddar & Hot Chili Sauce Swirl Bread

Cheddar cheese and hot chili sauce give this bread incredible flavor, just eating the bread itself is delicious enough!

No-Cholesterol Fruit-Filled Muffins

Quick and easy Bisquick muffins filled with fruit jam. Ready in a flash and contain no cholesterol.

Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate-Raspberry Sauce

Chocolate Pancakes with Chocolate-Raspberry Sauce recipe

Breakfast Baking Mix Pancakes

Low-fat pancakes from biscuit baking mix with egg white, skim milk, and fat-free spread. Quick breakfast pancakes ready in 15 minutes with no special ingredients.

100% Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Nut Muffins

Whole wheat muffins loaded with chocolate chips, walnuts, and a hit of orange zest. A nuttier, hearty bake with no white flour, finished with a glossy chocolate spread.

Yummy Meatballs with Milk Gravy

Beef meatballs in a creamy milk gravy with sherry, thyme, and Worcestershire. A lighter take on Swedish-style meatballs using yogurt as binder. Serve over egg noodles or pasta.

Apple Butter-Streusel Muffins

Apple butter streusel muffins fold smooth apple butter into a wheat germ batter, topped with a cinnamon-sugar streusel for crunch. A low-fat breakfast or snack muffin in 25 minutes.

Layered Ham & Potato Casserole

An easy classic combination of diced ham, potatoes and cheese with a tangy sauce.

Breakfast Apple Raisin Muffins

Apple raisin breakfast muffins kept moist and tender with unsweetened applesauce and just a little oil, lightly sweetened and studded with plumped raisins and cinnamon. A make-ahead, freezer-friendly breakfast.

Breakfast Strawberry Oatmeal Muffins

Strawberry oatmeal muffins built with instant oats, cake flour, fresh diced strawberries, and egg whites for a low-fat, breakfast-friendly muffin sweetened with brown sugar and warmed with cinnamon.

Low-fat Chocolate Muffins

If you're looking for a light yet tasty snack, these delicious muffins are perfect for you!

Peanut Butter Apple Muffins

Peanut butter apple muffins are high-fiber whole wheat muffins with chunky peanut butter, applesauce, oats, and wheat germ. Hearty breakfast or after-school snack with protein and fiber in every bite.

Egg White Honey Pancakes

Light egg white honey pancakes with whole wheat flour and skim milk. Cholesterol-free breakfast topped with optional bright orange-mandarin sauce.

Smores Cake

Smores cake layers fluffy graham cracker sponge with toasted miniature marshmallows and mini chocolate chips broiled until bubbly. Low-fat campfire-flavored cake without leaving the kitchen.

Quick Bread Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Muffins

Cinnamon chocolate chip muffins made with the quick bread method. Mix, scoop, and bake in under 35 minutes. Works as muffins or a loaf, with warm spice and melty chocolate in every bite.

Moist Breakfast Blueberry Muffins

Low-fat blueberry muffins with applesauce in place of butter, sweetened with sugar and maple syrup, and lightened with whipped egg whites. A moist tender breakfast bake under 150 calories per muffin.

Glazed Plum Bundt Cake

Glazed plum bundt cake with chopped fresh plums, walnuts, cinnamon, and a warm brown sugar glaze. A late-summer fruit cake with juicy plum pockets and a tender, oil-based crumb.

Raspberry Creme Brulee

Light custard made with skim milk and egg substitute bakes over fresh raspberries in custard cups, then gets topped with caramelized sugar for a low-fat crème brûlée.

Cheddar & Dill Cornbread

Delicious cornbread, and the texture was great. I used whole wheat flour, and the bread still came out soft and fluffy. Used 2 large eggs instead of 3 egg whites, 2% milk, and 2% yogurt instead of fat-free version, which definitely gave the cornbread a richer taste. Served it with homemade kale, potato and white navy bean soup. A delicious and hearty meal.

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