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If you are new to managing a dairy allergy, you are most likely searching for dairy substitutes for cooking and baking but also eating alone. From cheese slices to yogurt to milk, dairy is a nutritious and easy to obtain source of protein and other nutrients. Are you wondering how you will ever find dairy substitutes that even come close to the real thing? While the dairy substitutes that I have found are often different in taste and texture than dairy products, they work just as well in recipes and are often fortified with calcium and other nutrients found in dairy. Many of the dairy substitutes that I use are soy based which, unfortunately, is not helpful to those of you with a soy allergy AND a dairy allergy. For substitutes that are soy free, please visit the soy substitutes page. Also, if you have a substitute to add, please contact me and let me know! Following are some dairy substitutes that I have found to be useful for cooking, baking and just plain enjoying:
Milk
Soy, rice, potato, almond, oat and coconut are all possible substitutes for cow's milk. If you aren't dealing with a soy allergy as well, soy milk is a good option. It tastes pretty good (my son loves it!) and, when fortified, contains roughly the same amount of calcium and vitamin D (two very important nutrients, especially for children).
Rice milk is also often fortified and, like soy milk, can usually be found at the regular grocery store.
Potato milk is available in specialty food stores in powder form. Vance's Foods DariFree Original Powder Gluten-Free Beverage is the brand that I have tried. It works well as a substitute in cooking and baking. Like other milk substitutes, it is fortified with calcium and other nutrients. When I first heard about it, I checked it out at the specialty food store and was shocked to see how expensive it was. It wasn't until I was craving dairy free hot chocolate that I broke down and bought some. Once I had purchased a whole canister, I discovered that it does last quite a while, in fact, the whole 19.5 oz canister makes 6 quarts of milk. When compared to soy milk, Vance's is slightly more expensive per quart but not as expensive as you might think (soy milk is about $1.55/quart and Vance's is about $1.74/quart). The great thing about Vance's is that it doesn't need to be refrigerated and, when mixed at different concentrations, can be used in place of other dairy products (for example, see evaporated milk below).
Half and Half
I've used Vance's Darifree as a half and half substitute in many recipes and it works well. Just follow the directions on the canister: 1/3 cup Darifree to 1 cup hot water. Evaporated Milk
Evaporated milk is just concentrated milk (with about 60% of the water removed). For an easy substitute, use Vance's Foods DariFree Original Powder Gluten-Free Beverage. Rather than mixing it as milk, mix 1/2 c. of the powder with 1 c. of hot water. I used this substitute in this Dairy Free Fudge recipe. Sweetened Condensed Milk
Sweetened condensed milk is just evaporated milk with sugar added. To make your own dairy free version, make 1 c. of evaporated milk (recipe above) and, over medium heat, dissolve 1-1/2 c. of granulated sugar in the mixture. Margarine
When searching for a dairy-free margarine, be sure to examine the product labels carefully (as always). The first "dairy-free" margarine I bought said "dairy-free" on it but, after looking at the label more closely at home, I discovered that it contained a "milk derivative". Due to FALCPA labels should list any of the top 8 allergens in a product. However, it is best not to rely on that entirely. Here are some dairy free margarines to look for:
- Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread - I've used it in cooking, baking and as a spread and it works well as a butter substitute. They have several products which you can find more information about here.
- Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine - This was an exciting discovery for me because 1) it was at the regular grocery store, 2) it comes in sticks and 3) it's inexpensive. I especially like it for baking and it seems to work well in recipes in place of butter. As always, be sure to check labels because Fleischmann's has other margarines that contain dairy.
Sour Cream
If you're missing sour cream and can have soy, you're in luck! Your specialty food store should have a selection of dairy free products including sour cream. I couldn't imagine that non-dairy sour cream would be very good but it turns out it stuff isn't half bad. The texture is not the same as real sour cream but mixed into a recipe or dolloped onto a hot dish like Chicken Tortilla Soup it tastes pretty good.
Cream Cheese
Like sour cream, I thought we would just do without cream cheese but I also discovered soy cream cheese available at the specialty food store. Again, the texture is a little different but, blended with other ingredients, it works just fine. I use it in the filling in this Fruit Pizza recipe.
Cheese
Cheese must be pretty difficult to duplicate using dairy free ingredients because I haven't come across one that I love quite as much as the real thing. The good news, however, is that there are some decent options that can be used for cooking (pizza!) and mixed with other foods. You can find reviews of the cheeses I have tried on the Allergy Free Food Finds page.Amazon.com Ice Cream
Ice cream happens to be one of my favorite foods! One of the first things I bought when I found out that my son was allergic to dairy was an ice cream maker attachment for my stand mixer. If you have a dairy allergy and love ice cream, I would highly recommend an ice cream maker so you can concoct your own "safe" ice creams. You can also make your own sorbet this way which is another great ice cream substitute. Sorbet is basically frozen fruit and fruit juice (but remember, not all sorbets are the same so always read the label!). FYI - sorbet is not the same thing as sherbet which is more likely to contain dairy and eggs. Again, read labels carefully! Check out the Allergy Free Recipes page to see my dairy AND soy free ice cream and sorbet recipes.
Frosting
Dairy free frostings are easy to find at the regular grocery store. The one that I currently use is Pillsbury (be sure to check labels though because they could change and there are a lot of different types). I've had the cream cheese(!), chocolate and vanilla frostings and all are dairy free (but do contain soy). If you can't get to the grocery store, check out the Allergy Free Recipes page for frosting recipes.
Yogurt
If you're a yogurt fan, check out soy yogurt (I've had Silk brand). I think it tastes just as good but it is more expensive (like soy milk). Try using it as a dip for fruit or buy plain and use it to make a dressing for creamy salads like this Crunchy Apple Coleslaw recipe.
Chocolate chips and baking chocolate
If you only have a dairy allergy and have no issues with nuts, you should be able to find baking chocolate like semi-sweet and bittersweet at the regular grocery store. I have found them but they always have the "may contain nuts" line so we can't use them. If nuts are an issue, try Enjoy Life Foods Gluten-Free Chocolate Chips. They are made in a nut free facility, are dairy free and soy free and they work well in cookies, muffins, sauces and frostings. You can use them just like you would semi-sweet chocolate chips. Get a spoonful of Sunbutter (a great peanut butter substitute), sprinkle some of these chocolate chips on top and you have a little bite of heaven. Yummy!
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