Categories: Recipe

Replacing Milk

Published by
James marcus

Substitutes for Milk/Dairy Ingredients

Be aware that some brands and varieties of “non-dairy” products (especially soy cheeses) may contain casein (a milk protein) or are made in production facilities on equipment shared with dairy.

Substituting for Butter

One of the easiest substitutions to make is for butter: simply use a dairy-free margarine instead. However, you may need to do some searching and taste-testing to find the best dairy-free margarine available in your area, as a good margarine can make a big difference in many recipes. For baked goods, try to find a dairy-free margarine with a low water content and high fat content (e.g., stick of margarine usually contains less water than a tub of margarine). Margarines with high water content may affect your baked goods.

Substituting for Yogurt, Sour Cream, and Cream Cheese

Soy-based, coconut-based, and pea-based “yogurt,” “sour cream,” and “cream cheese” products are available. These generally work very well in recipes.

Substituting for Cheese

Dairy-free cheeses are a bit of a challenge. If a child is old enough to remember “real” cheese, you may want to wait a while before introducing a milk-free version. Younger children will usually adapt more easily. Soy cheeses do not taste or melt like traditional dairy cheeses. In some cases, soy cheese will not appear melted, but will in fact be melted inside. There are now milk-free and soy-free cheeses available from several brands. They are available in shreds, blocks and slices. These milk-free and soy-free cheeses also melt much better than milk-free cheeses of the past.

Milk-free cheese may not work well in recipes for cheese sauces. If you would like to make a dairy-free “cheese sauce,” check our Safe Eats® recipe database for “cheese sauce” recipes based on nutritional yeast.

Substituting for Milk

There are a number of commercially-produced cow’s milk alternatives made from soy, coconut, rice, potato, oat, almond, hazelnut, cashew, hemp, flax, sunflower, and even macadamia. Most of these are available in a few different flavors (such as “original,” “vanilla,” “chocolate,” and “mocha”). All of these milk beverages can be substituted 1-for-1 in recipes.

Note: Goat’s milk is not considered a safe alternative for people allergic to cow’s milk.

Substituting for Sweetened Condensed Milk and Evaporated Milk

You can make your own sweetened condensed milk substitute by making a “safe” evaporated milk and adding sugar. Evaporated milk is milk that has water content reduced by 60%. Simmer any quantity of soy or rice milk in a pan until it reduced by 60% to get evaporated milk. Approximately 3 cups of rice or soy milk will leave 1 cup of evaporated milk left at the end. Be careful not to scald it. For sweetened condensed milk, mix one cup of evaporated milk with 1-1/4 cups of sugar. Heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Cool. It will yield 1-1/2 cups of evaporated milk substitute. It will keep in the refrigerator for several days.

Another alternative for evaporated milk is to substitute coconut milk 1:1 in the recipe. This will impart a coconut flavor to the recipe, so it works in some recipes but not all. There are also commercially available sweetened condensed or evaporated milk alternatives.

Substituting for Buttermilk

You can make your own buttermilk substitute by mixing one tablespoon vinegar plus 1 cup milk alternative such as rice milk or soy milk.

Substituting for Light Cream, Sweet Cream, or Heavy Cream

Substitutes for light cream: light (or “lite”) canned coconut milk, soy creamer, coconut-based creamers, almond-based creamers

Full fat coconut milk can be substituted for heavy cream. A coconut milk substitute will impart a coconut flavor to a recipe, so it will work for some recipes, but not all.

Dairy-free whipped topping can be used as a substitute for sweet cream if used straight out of the carton and not whipped.

Updated December 2022.

James marcus

Garden Courte is a blog written by [James Marcus], a passionate gardener and writer. She has been gardening for over 20 years and has a deep understanding of plants and how to care for them. In her blog, she shares her knowledge and experience with others, providing tips and advice on gardening, plant care, and more.

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Published by
James marcus

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