Milk vs. Cream: What's the Difference?
Edited by Harlon Moss || By Janet White || Published on December 5, 2023
Milk is a nutrient-rich liquid food from mammals; cream is a thicker dairy product made from milk.
Key Differences
Milk, a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals, serves as a primary source of nutrition for newborn mammals before they're able to digest other types of food. Cream, on the other hand, is the fat-rich layer that rises to the top of milk before homogenization, known for its thicker consistency and higher fat content.
Milk is universally recognized as a rich source of calcium and protein, necessary for bone health and physical growth, respectively. Cream, while also containing calcium and protein, is sought after for its high-fat content, contributing to its rich taste and texture used in culinary arts.
Milk is often consumed directly as a beverage or used as a component in various recipes, from breakfast cereals to baked goods. Cream, because of its thicker consistency and rich flavor, is more commonly used in smaller quantities for cooking or baking, adding richness to dishes or creating delightful desserts.
Milk, due to its nutritional composition, is considered a staple in many diets worldwide and is often encouraged for consumption by various health organizations. Cream, with its higher calorie and fat content, is generally regarded as a luxury item in culinary practices and is used more sparingly in everyday diet.
Milk can undergo several processing methods, including pasteurization, to kill bacteria and homogenization to prevent the cream from separating. Cream is usually extracted from milk before these processes, retaining its high-fat content and distinctive properties that set it apart from milk.
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Comparison Chart
Fat Content
Lower fat content
Higher fat content
Consistency
Thinner, liquid
Thicker, more viscous
Usage
Beverage, cooking ingredient
Often for cooking, adds richness
Nutritional Value
High in calcium, protein
High in fat, used sparingly for nutrition
Process
Undergoes pasteurization, homogenization
Extracted before homogenization
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Milk and Cream Definitions
Milk
Any liquid resembling milk in appearance.
The chef added coconut milk to the curry for extra flavor.
Cream
The thick, fatty part of milk that rises to the top.
He scooped some cream off the top of the fresh milk.
Milk
A whitish liquid containing proteins, fats, lactose, and various vitamins and minerals that is produced by the mammary glands of all mature female mammals after they have given birth and serves as nourishment for their young.
Cream
A soft, spreadable substance, often used for cosmetic or medical purposes.
She applied the cream to her skin.
Milk
The milk of cows, goats, or other animals, used as food by humans.
Cream
To beat ingredients, usually sugar and fat, until smooth and fluffy.
She creamed the butter and sugar together for the cake.
Milk
Any of various potable liquids resembling milk, such as coconut milk or soymilk.
Cream
The best part of a thing; the elite.
He's the cream of the crop in his field.
Milk
A liquid resembling milk in consistency, such as milkweed sap or milk of magnesia.
Cream
The yellowish fatty component of unhomogenized milk that tends to accumulate at the surface.
Milk
To draw milk from the teat or udder of (a female mammal).
Cream
Any of various substances resembling or containing cream
Hand cream.
Milk
To draw or extract a liquid from
Milked the stem for its last drops of sap.
Cream
A pale yellow to yellowish white.
Milk
To press out, drain off, or remove (a liquid)
Milk venom from a snake.
Cream
The choicest part
The cream of the crop.
Milk
To draw out or extract something from
Milked the witness for information.
Cream
To form cream.
Milk
To obtain money or benefits from, in order to achieve personal gain; exploit
"The dictator and his cronies had milked their country of somewhere between $5 billion and $10 billion" (Russell Watson).
Cream
To form foam or froth at the top.
Milk
To obtain the greatest possible advantage from (a situation).
Cream
To have an orgasm.
Milk
To get the greatest effect from (a line or scene in a play, for example).
Cream
To be excited or delighted about something.
Milk
To yield or supply milk.
Cream
To remove the cream from; skim.
Milk
To draw milk from a female mammal.
Cream
To take or remove (the best part)
Creamed off the highest-paying jobs for her cronies.
Milk
(uncountable) A white liquid produced by the mammary glands of female mammals to nourish their young. From certain animals, especially cows, it is also called dairy milk and is a common food for humans as a beverage or used to produce various dairy products such as butter, cheese, and yogurt.
Skyr is a product made of curdled milk.
Cream
To take the best part from
Creamed the whole department to form his management team.
Milk
A white (or whitish) liquid obtained from a vegetable source such as almonds, coconuts, oats, rice, and/or soy beans.
Cream
To beat into a creamy consistency.
Milk
An individual serving of milk.
Table three ordered three milks.
Cream
To prepare or cook in or with a cream sauce.
Milk
An individual portion of milk, such as found in a creamer, for tea and coffee.
I take my tea with two milks and two sugars.
I take my tea with two milk and two sugar.
Cream
To add cream to.
Milk
The ripe, undischarged spat of an oyster.
Cream
To defeat overwhelmingly
Creamed our rival on their home court.
Milk
Semen.
Cream
To damage severely; destroy
My camera got creamed when I dropped it.
Milk
(transitive) To express milk from (a mammal, especially a cow).
The farmer milked his cows.
Cream
Vulgar Slang To have an orgasm in (one's pants, for example).
Milk
To draw (milk) from the breasts or udder.
To milk wholesome milk from healthy cows
Cream
The butterfat/milkfat part of milk which rises to the top; this part when separated from the remainder.
Take 100 ml of cream and 50 grams of sugar…
Milk
To secrete (milk) from the breasts or udder.
Cream
The liquid separated from milk, possibly with certain other milk products added, and with at least eighteen percent of it milkfat.
Milk
(transitive) To express a liquid from a creature.
The Australian government has a team that regularly milks various snakes for venom to use creating serums and antivenoms.
Cream
The liquid separated from milk containing at least 18 percent milkfat (48% for double cream).
Milk
To make excessive use of (a particular point in speech or writing, a source of funds, etc.); to exploit; to take advantage of (something).
When the audience began laughing, the comedian milked the joke for more laughs.
Cream
(tea and coffee) A portion of cream, such as the amount found in a creamer.
I take my coffee with two cream and three sugar.
Milk
(of an electrical storage battery) To give off small gas bubbles during the final part of the charging operation.
Cream
A yellowish white colour; the colour of cream.
Milk
To single-mindedly masturbate a male to ejaculation, especially for the amusement or satisfaction of the masturbator rather than the person masturbated.
Controlled milking can actually establish and consolidate a mistress’s dominance over her sub rather than diminish it.
Cream
(informal) Frosting, custard, creamer, or another substance similar to the oily part of milk or to whipped cream.
Milk
A white fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young, consisting of minute globules of fat suspended in a solution of casein, albumin, milk sugar, and inorganic salts.
Cream
(figuratively) The best part of something.
The cream of the crop
The cream of a collection of books or pictures
Milk
A kind of juice or sap, usually white in color, found in certain plants; latex. See Latex.
Cream
(medicine) A viscous aqueous oil/fat emulsion with a medicament added, used to apply that medicament to the skin. (compare with ointment)
You look really sunburnt; you should apply some cream.
Milk
An emulsion made by bruising seeds; as, the milk of almonds, produced by pounding almonds with sugar and water.
Cream
Semen.
Milk
The ripe, undischarged spat of an oyster.
Cream
(obsolete) The chrism or consecrated oil used in anointing ceremonies.
Milk
To draw or press milk from the breasts or udder of, by the hand or mouth; to withdraw the milk of.
I have given suck, and knowHow tender 't is to love the babe that milks me.
Cream
Cream-coloured; having a yellowish white colour.
Milk
To draw from the breasts or udder; to extract, as milk; as, to milk wholesome milk from healthy cows.
Cream
To puree, to blend with a liquifying process.
Cream the vegetables with the olive oil, flour, salt and water mixture.
Milk
To draw anything from, as if by milking; to compel to yield profit or advantage; to plunder.
They [the lawyers] milk an unfortunate estate as regularly as a dairyman does his stock.
Cream
To turn a yellowish white colour; to give something the color of cream.
Milk
To draw or to yield milk.
Cream
(slang) To obliterate, to defeat decisively.
We creamed the opposing team!
Milk
To give off small gas bubbles during the final part of the charging operation; - said of a storage battery.
Cream
To ejaculate used of either gender.
Milk
A white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings
Cream
To ejaculate in (clothing or a bodily orifice).
Milk
Produced by mammary glands of female mammals for feeding their young
Cream
To rub, stir, or beat (butter) into a light creamy consistency.
Milk
A river that rises in the Rockies in northwestern Montana and flows eastward to become a tributary of the Missouri River
Cream
(transitive) To skim, or take off by skimming, as cream.
Milk
Any of several nutritive milklike liquids
Cream
To take off the best or choicest part of.
Milk
Take milk from female mammals;
Cows need to be milked every morning
Cream
(transitive) To furnish with, or as if with, cream.
Milk
Exploit as much as possible;
I am milking this for all it's worth
Cream
(intransitive) To gather or form cream.
Milk
Add milk to;
Milk the tea
Cream
The rich, oily, and yellowish part of milk, which, when the milk stands unagitated, rises, and collects on the surface. It is the part of milk from which butter is obtained.
Milk
A white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals.
She poured the milk into her coffee.
Cream
The part of any liquor that rises, and collects on the surface.
Milk
A plant-based liquid resembling dairy milk in color and consistency.
He bought almond milk for his morning smoothie.
Cream
A delicacy of several kinds prepared for the table from cream, etc., or so as to resemble cream.
Milk
To exploit or draw a resource from.
They milked the company's generosity for all it was worth.
Cream
A cosmetic; a creamlike medicinal preparation.
In vain she tries her paste and creams,To smooth her skin or hide its seams.
Milk
To draw milk from the udder or breast of an animal.
She milked the cows in the early morning.
Cream
The best or choicest part of a thing; the quintessence; as, the cream of a jest or story; the cream of a collection of books or pictures.
Welcome, O flower and cream of knights errant.
Cream
To skim, or take off by skimming, as cream.
Cream
To take off the best or choicest part of.
Cream
To furnish with, or as with, cream.
Creaming the fragrant cups.
Cream
To form or become covered with cream; to become thick like cream; to assume the appearance of cream; hence, to grow stiff or formal; to mantle.
There are a sort of men whose visagesDo cream and mantle like a standing pool.
Cream
The best people or things in a group;
The cream of England's young men were killed in the Great War
Cream
The part of milk containing the butterfat
Cream
Toiletry consisting of any of various substances resembling cream that have a soothing and moisturizing effect when applied to the skin
Cream
Make creamy by beating;
Cream the butter
Cream
Put on cream, as on one's face or body;
She creams her face every night
Cream
Remove from the surface;
Skim cream from the surface of milk
Cream
Add cream to one's coffee, for example
Cream
A pale yellow, off-white color.
She painted her room a soothing shade of cream.
FAQs
How is cream typically utilized in recipes?
Cream is used to add richness and flavor due to its high-fat content.
Is drinking milk essential for healthy bones?
Milk is a good source of calcium and vitamin D, important for bone health.
Is cream available in different fat percentages?
Yes, cream comes in varieties like half-and-half, light, and heavy, based on fat content.
Why is cream used in coffee?
Cream is used to add richness and flavor to coffee.
Does milk contain lactose?
Yes, milk contains lactose, a type of sugar found in dairy products.
Can I whip all types of cream?
No, only heavy cream or whipping cream can be whipped effectively.
What is milk primarily used for?
Milk is primarily used as a beverage or a source of nutrition.
Can milk be sourced from plants?
Yes, there are plant-based alternatives like almond or soy milk.
Are there lactose-free milk options?
Yes, there are lactose-free milk options available.
How long does milk stay fresh?
Milk generally stays fresh for 5-7 days past the "sell by" date if refrigerated.
What is the purpose of sour cream?
Sour cream is fermented cream used as a condiment or in baking.
Does cream have a shorter shelf life than milk?
Yes, due to higher fat content, cream can spoil faster than milk.
Is raw milk safe to drink?
Raw milk can contain harmful bacteria, pasteurization is recommended for safety.
Can you freeze milk for later use?
Yes, milk can be frozen, but texture and taste changes may occur upon thawing.
Is all milk pasteurized?
Most commercially available milk is pasteurized, but raw milk is available in some areas.
What is clotted cream?
Clotted cream is a thick cream made by indirectly heating full-cream cow's milk.
Can milk be used in skincare?
Yes, milk is used in skincare for its hydrating and exfoliating properties.
Is there a vegan substitute for cream?
Yes, coconut cream is a popular vegan alternative.
Is cream cheese actually a type of cream?
No, cream cheese is a soft, mild-tasting cheese made from milk and cream.
Can I use cream as a milk substitute?
Cream can be used, but it's richer and has more calories than milk.
About Author
Written by
Janet WhiteJanet White has been an esteemed writer and blogger for Difference Wiki. Holding a Master's degree in Science and Medical Journalism from the prestigious Boston University, she has consistently demonstrated her expertise and passion for her field. When she's not immersed in her work, Janet relishes her time exercising, delving into a good book, and cherishing moments with friends and family.
Edited by
Harlon MossHarlon is a seasoned quality moderator and accomplished content writer for Difference Wiki. An alumnus of the prestigious University of California, he earned his degree in Computer Science. Leveraging his academic background, Harlon brings a meticulous and informed perspective to his work, ensuring content accuracy and excellence.
