17 Easy Recipes that Use a Lot of Milk before Expiration

Anyone else finding their toddlers and school-aged kids on a milk strike? Lately our little ones have lost interest in milk, chocolate milk, and strawberry milk, instead favoring water. More now than ever in our own lifetimes, we as parents are working hard not to waste food.

With the craziness of the pandemic, we once ended up with an extra gallon of milk, so I pulled together a ton of leftover milk ideas and thought they might be helpful to others as well. Personally, I needed to find recipes that use a lot of milk, STAT!

I figured I may not be the only one with some extra milk in the fridge. So, I decided to compile a list of recipes that use a lot of milk for us all to refer to now and again.

Simple Ways to Use Up Milk before it Expires

Has anyone found the balance to how much milk to buy with kids in the house? I swear, either we run out a few days early or we’re pouring it down the drain a few days late. Well, not anymore!

Today, we’ve come up with a solid plan not to waste any more milk in our home. First, a few super simple and maybe even obvious uses for leftover milk…

• Enjoy a bowl of cereal for breakfast.
• Make some oatmeal for breakfast. (Or a more advanced baked apple oatmeal!)
• Make chocolate milk for an after-dinner snack.
• Heat up some hot cocoa with the kids, just for fun!
• Mix up some delicious pudding.
• Better yet, check your recipe and make some pudding pops in the freezer!

These may be the easiest leftover milk recipes ever, using just one other ingredient or in some cases two or three.

These also may be the quickest ways to use leftover milk with the least preparation, but they may not use up the great quantity of milk you have on hand. If you are looking for recipes that use a lot of milk, keep reading.

Recipes that Use a Lot of Milk

When you have a quart or more of milk to use, you need the serious recipes. I’m talking one cup of milk or more. Try these recipes to use a lot of milk in time before it expires.

Homemade Mac & Cheese

Pour enough milk to coat the bottom of a Pyrex pan. (Could be a cup, depending on your pan size.)

Cut up chunks of Velveeta and spread throughout the pan. Heat up in microwave or oven until you can blend them into a smooth cheese sauce.

Add noodles and toss. Mix in shredded cheddar and colby jack blend, cubes of Gouda, and bacon bits if desired.

Top with panko breadcrumbs, more shredded cheese, and a few more bacon bits on top. Bake until melty inside and golden on top!

Smoothies

Mix frozen fruit (like pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries), a banana, and milk in a blender. (I love my Ninja!) Toss in some kale greens or baby spinach for a healthy kick.

Enjoy one of these to start your day on a vibrant note. I know this is a post about recipes that use a lot of milk, but I just wanted to note that coconut milk is SO delicious in a smoothie! (heart eyes)

Mashed Potatoes, Mashed Potato Casserole, or Shepherd’s Pie

Mashed potatoes themselves may not need a TON of milk, but you can get creative.

Consider mixing up a healthy sized mashed potato casserole with grilled chicken breast, corn, and other veggies. Cook it up in the oven until it gets nice and toasted on top.

You could also make a mashed potato casserole with cheddar cheese and bacon bits in the style of the beloved twice-baked potato.

Finally, you can’t go wrong with a hearty shepherd’s pie, chock full of beef and vegetables and topped with buttery mashed potatoes.

Pancakes or Waffles and FREEZE them

Worth their weight in gold, my go-to for using up leftover milk will be pancakes. My kids devour them every time and I can’t keep them in the fridge long enough to stretch more than a day or two at most.

I think I’ll use up at least two cups of milk making homemade pancakes or waffles and then freezing them in gallon-sized zip-top bags for easy toasting at a moment’s notice.

I could do waffles as well, but our waffle maker only makes one waffle at a time and takes a couple minutes a pop. We’ll also probably do breakfast for dinner one night to use up some more of this milk!

Milkshakes Without Ice Cream

I am not sure how I feel about milkshakes without ice cream, but we have a lot of leftover milk. It may be worth a shot to try this recipe for a vanilla milkshake without ice cream.

(Although of course I will be adding chocolate or Oreo cookies to mine!) Truthfully, we may have to go this route more than once.

We’re down to our last half-container of Turkey Hill Cookies and Cream ice cream. I think my kids will understand. (Of course, traditional milkshakes are also fantastic and still call for a respectable amount of milk!)

Homemade Ice Cream

More likely, we will spend a little time making our own homemade ice cream as we try various recipes that use a lot of milk. Fortunately, I also have some heavy cream in the fridge. I was eyeing it for scones, but I think the homemade ice cream will be more memorable.

We even have a mix for Cookies and Cream homemade ice cream. As a bonus, we’ll get to use the ice cream maker attachment my cousin got us for my KitchenAid mixer! I think this is the recipe I’ll try after we use up the mix.

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Baked Goods Like Scones and Cinnamon Buns

While I prefer heavy cream in my scones, I’d much rather sub milk than go without or toss it. However, my mom’s sticky buns recipe is above and beyond one of my favorite baking recipes that calls for milk.

I’ll post it when I get around to it, as this was a high school cross country team staple snack after meets, right alongside orange slices and grapes.

Last Resort for Leftover Milk

Finally, when all else fails, did you know that you could freeze milk?! It’s completely possible and practical. You can freeze the milk in an airtight container or in an ice cube tray with a lid.

Just be sure to leave a little room for the milk as it expands when freezing.

This is a wonderful last resort, or a great first resort if you’re just plain exhausted these days. Save your milk for another date and use it up for other cooking and baking projects as needed.

There are likely dozens of sauces, soups, and other recipes that will call for a little milk here and there.

Do you have other recipes that use a lot of milk? Please share them in our comments below so we can all avoid wasting the milk our stubborn kids refuse to drink some days. 🙂