Thank goodness there are great substitutes for dairy these days. What used to be just dairy alternatives has expanded into really tasty vegan cheese, yogurt and more. But with all the options on the shelves these days, you might be wondering, “Which one should I choose for cereal? What about desserts?” I get it…it’s like the wild west out there.
Buy your favorite dairy-free products
Since Julia is dairy and grain free, I have had the opportunity to try many different alternative brands and products to dairy in my cooking. For those of you looking for a quick, digestible list of some of the best plant-based milk substitutes, this is the post for you!
A quick note: When adding any of these to hot liquids, it’s best to do so near the end. Most of these plant milks, if boiled or boiled for a long time, will separate and become grainy.
The best dairy alternatives for soups and smoothies: Good Karma flax milk
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I use this one for sweet dishes or fruit-based smoothies. The potentially lumpy nature of flax milk is best when cooked or blended, so I’ll use it for a dessert or fruit smoothie, as the texture added by the frozen fruit goes really well with it.
I use this for savory dishes where I would normally use milk. Especially soups, but also as part of the base for vegan cheese sauces.
The best dairy alternatives for shakes and cereals: Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla or MALK unsweetened almond milk
I use Almond Breeze unsweetened almond milk for protein shakes and cereal bowls.
I know the almond milk gummies can be a little hard for some, so as an alternative I like MALK brand almond milk, which has very few ingredients but can be a little grainier.
Best Cheese and Yogurt Alternatives for Dips and Dips: Kite Hill
Kite Hill ricotta is great for cooking in sauces or thick soups (like Broccoli Cheddar Soup). It also works great in desserts where you want a slightly thicker consistency or as a base for sauces.
I use this in place of sour cream as a dressing as is, or I’ll mix it into dressings where you can use sour cream or mayo. It adds good consistency and flavor to mashed potatoes, and cooks evenly in sauces.
The best alternatives to butter and cheese for pizza, casseroles and soups: Miyoko cream products
Miyoko’s Creamery makes my favorite products in general. The flavors are great, the textures are great, and the ingredients are usually simpler than other brands.
I use this as well as regular butter. It’s a great spread on toast, whipped into mashed potatoes or melted as a dip for shrimp and crab. It’s fantastic mixed with garlic and lemon and tossed into herbed noodles. I’ll often use it in tandem with duck fat for a little more depth of flavor.
I use this similar to the Kite Hill ricotta, but while it is more sweet friendly, this one prefers savory IMO. It’s great crumbled and melted on pizza, but it also cooks incredibly smoothly in sauces and soups, especially when using an immersion blender.
I use Miyoka’s cream cheese for baked sauces, casseroles, and sometimes desserts. Combine with Kite Hill ricotta to stabilize the texture and retain the cream cheese-like feel when cooked.
Anywhere you want cheese grilled, I use this. Pizza and nachos especially. It is also great for adding as a creamy thickener to sauces and soups.
The best dairy alternatives for dressing
In the last category, I have a few of my favorite dairy-free products that I can add to savory and sweet dishes.
I love this one for cold desserts. It’s great to use as a topping for a fruit salad or even a scoop over baked blueberry crumble. Mixed with a little orange juice and honey, it’s great.
These are my favorite bits to add to salads or as a topping. Anytime you want to sprinkle grated cheddar on something, this one works great. It doesn’t melt super smoothly unless whisked into a hot liquid.
These bits melt quite well and are great in creamy sauces, dips and pastas. I’ll be using it in tandem with Miyoka’s mozzarella on pizza and nachos. Or add it to cooked vegetables and stock with some Kite Hill ricotta for a super tasty nacho cheese dip.
So here it is! Let me know your favorites in the comments.