Eliminating dairy does not imply giving up taste or satisfaction. Whether your dietary preferences are vegan, lactose-intolerant, or you just want to cut back on dairy, there are many great substitutes that taste just as good—if not better!
Passionate supporter of healthy eating Juliette Parker offers some of her best dairy-free substitutes to maintain creamy, rich, and flavourful dishes.
Creamy Milk Substitutes
Finding a decent milk substitute is one of the main worries for those cutting dairy. Luckily, plant-based milks have advanced a great distance. For porridge or coffee, almond milk is light and faintly nutty. Excellent for lattes and smoothies, oat milk has a naturally sweet taste and creamy texture. For those who enjoy full-bodied richness, coconut milk—the sort found in cartons rather than cans—is a great choice for cooking and baking.
Delicious Dairy-Free Cheeses
Fans of cheese, relax not too much! There are now shockingly many choices in the market for dairy-free cheese. Perfect for spreads and dipping, cashew-based cheese is creamy and tangy. Pasta, popcorn, and sauces taste cheesy, umami from nutritional yeast. Plant-based mozzarella and cheddar prepared from coconut oil or cashews have a gooey texture and superb taste for melting on pizzas and sandwiches.
Yogurt & Ice Cream Without the Dairy
Try coconut, almond, soy-based selections if you enjoy yoghurt. Usually including probiotics for intestinal health, they are equally as creamy as conventional yoghurt. Regarding ice cream, there are many amazing dairy-free brands abound. While “nice cream” made from bananas is a quick homemade dessert that’s both healthful and enjoyable, oat milk ice cream is smooth and decadent.
Butter & Cream Alternatives
Spread avocado, nut butters, dairy-free margarine instead of butter on toast or baking. Olive or coconut oil will replace butter quite easily in cooking. Excellent substitutes with the same rich richness when you run out of heavy cream for sauces or coffee are coconut cream, blended cashews, silken tofu.
Why Go Dairy-Free?
Reducing dairy, according to Juliette Parker, can help with digestion, smoother skin, and general wellness. Plus, you won’t even miss the dairy given the abundance of incredible substitutes now on offer!
Changing to dairy-free substitutes means exploring a whole new universe of mouthwatering, plant-based substitutes rather than forfeiting taste. Try these changes to see how simple (and delicious) it is to go dairy-free.
