Looking for a way to substitute dairies in your diet? You came to the right place! Keep reading! It is easy and accessible!
Personally, I find that dairies are essential in cooking. Many of my favorite dishes have either cream, milk or cheese. So for me, it is very important to know how to replace them. There are many options of vegetable milks (no animal milk) that are mainly from nuts and cereals. Some are better for cooking, while others are better for drinking and it will all come down to what taste you like the most. My preferences? I love to drink almond milk, cook with coconut milk, substitute cheese with tofu and use cashews as cream. Try it for yourself! Here is a list of ideas for dairy replacements:
| Milk | Soy Milk, Almond Milk, Rice Milk, Hemp Milk, Cashew Milk, Coconut Milk, Peanut Milk, Flax Milk. There are some “grain” milks from oats, rice, rye, quinoa, spelt and einkorn wheat, but they are lower in proteins and higher in carbohydrates compared to cow milk. Common milk replacement brands are: Silk®, Blue Diamond®,
So Delicious Dairy Free®, Living Harvest Tempt®, Pacific Naturals®, Good Karma®, FlaxUSA®, Rice Dream®, Organic Valley®, Kirkland®, 365®, Thai Kitchen®, Goya®… |
| Cream | Soy Cream, Cashew Cream, Coconut Cream. |
| Butter* | Vegetable oils like: coconut oil, canola oil, olive oil, sesame oil, hazelnut oil, avocado oil, grape oil, sunflower oil or No-trans fats Margarine spreads, for example: Country Crock®, I Can’t Believe is Not Butter®, Earth Balance® (NOT Smart Balance) |
| Buttermilk | Homemade Vegan Buttermilk: Soy or Almond milk + 1 tbsp. of white vinegar or lemon juice (MIX) |
| Yogurt* | Look for Vegan yogurt recipes or buy Soy Yogurt like Whole Soy & Co®. Cultured Coconut Milk or Cultured Almond Milk like So Delicious Dairy Free®. |
| Sour cream* | Greek Soy yogurt, Tofutti® Non-Hydrogenated “Better than Sour Cream” |
| Homemade Vegan Sour Cream: 16oz of Silken Tofu + 1 tbsp. of Olive oil + 4 tsp. of lemon juice
OR 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar (or 2 tsp. more of lemon juice instead) + 1 tsp. of brown sugar + 2tsp. of salt. Blend all together until smooth and creamy and put in the refrigerator for about 1 hour to thicken. |
|
| Cheese, cream cheese, cottage, ricotta* | Silken Tofu for cream cheese and crumble for ricotta or cottage. See also commercial vegan cheeses like: GoVeggie®, Follow Your Heart®, Daiya®, Tofutti® Non-Hydrogenated “Better than Cream Cheese” |
| Creamer* | Silk® Creamer (vanilla, original or hazelnut) |
| Ice cream* | Soy based, Rice based and Nut based Ice creams like So Delicious Dairy Free®. |
REPLACEMENT OPTIONS BY DISH TYPE
Savory dishes (Creams, mashed potatoes, sauces, salad dressings, curry, stroganoff, etc.)
- Plain Almond Milk
- Plain Soy Milk
- Coconut Milk
- Cashew Milk
- Plain Flax Milk
- Original or plain Hemp Milk
Savory creamy dishes (soups, curry, stroganoff, Alfredo sauce…)
- Unsweetened coconut milk or cream
- Cashew cream
Cheesecakes
- Tofu
Sweet dishes (cereal, desserts, smoothies, etc.)
- Rice Milk (it is naturally sweet!)
- Almond Milk – any flavor (plain, vanilla, chocolate, etc.)
- Soy Milk – any flavor (plain, vanilla, cappuccino, chocolate, etc.)
- Flax Milk (plain or vanilla)
- Coconut Milk (sweetened, unsweetened, vanilla)
- Hemp milk (original, vanilla or chocolate)
Since we’re talking about vegan replacements, if you are interested, here are some options to substitute meat, broths and sugar:
| MEATS* | Protein Equivalents: | Tofu and soy products or Vegan dairies above, legumes (beans, lentils, chickpeas) or nuts (cashew, almond, peanuts, walnuts…) best if combined with a cereal (e.g. Rice and beans, hummus and pita bread, minestrone soup…) |
| To replace the taste*Best brands out there | Gardein®, Quorn®, Yves®, Light Life®, 365® (Whole Foods), Vitasoy®, Amy’s®, Wildwood®, etc. | |
| BROTHS | Vegetable broth or water with herbs. | |
| SUGAR* | Best: Stevia, Truvia®, Sweetleaf, Agave and Whey Low. Other (not the best but better than plain sugar): Splenda®, Honey and Brown or Cane sugar. | |
*All the commercial brands listed are suggestions of the best “considered” options of Vegan products available. Most products are Organic, have No-trans Fats, are GMO free, MSG free and some are Gluten free. It is still recommended to consume moderate amounts of processed foods. Most can be found at Publix and Target, some even at Wal-Mart.
