How to Replace Dairy in Almost Any Recipe
Are you lactose intolerant, trying to eat less dairy or wanting to try veganism but don’t want to give up your favorite foods? Don’t worry, even if you can’t or don’t want to consume dairy products, you can still enjoy foods like cheesy casseroles, mac’ n cheese, creamy pasta sauces and even desserts or lattes that you usually make with dairy. Here are a few ways you can replace dairy in almost any recipe!
Blend Your Own Cashew Cream
Cashew cream is a vegan cook’s secret weapon. Soak cashews for four hours, then blend with water, and you’ve got a delicious non-dairy choice to use in place of real cream for your recipe.
Sprinkle Some Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast (also called nooch) has a cheesy taste and smell, plus it contains several B vitamins. Forget the parmesan cheese shaker and sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top of your pasta instead.
Try Nut Milk or Soy Milk for Desserts and Lattes
Coconut milk, almond milk and cashew milk are great substitutes for dairy milk in sweet baked goods or lattes. You can find many different brands of these nut milks at almost any grocery store that you can substitute for dairy milk. Just remember that using coconut milk will give your recipe a slight coconut taste; using almond milk will give a slight almond taste, and so on for any nut milk. This can work well for some desserts and coffee drinks. But if you want a more neutral taste for your baking, opt for soy milk instead.
Choose Oat Milk for Savory Dishes
Oat milk is the most trendy milk right now for dairy substitution. Unlike nut milk, oat milk has a very mild taste, so it’s also an excellent choice to replace dairy milk in savory recipes like casseroles, alfredo sauce and mac n’ cheese.
Try Vegan Butter, Cheese and Yogurt Substitutes
With veganism becoming ever more popular these days, it’s easy to find pre-packaged substitutes for almost any dairy item you can think of. Whole Foods Market, Trader Joes and your local health food store is sure to have different brands of vegan cheese, vegan yogurt, vegan butter and even vegan cream cheese that you can easily swap for the dairy versions in most recipes.
Are you interested in replacing dairy products with vegan alternatives? Try measuring the vegan ingredients for your recipe with our Spring Chef Stainless Steel Measuring Cups and Spoons!