Are there recipes you wish you could make but you’re not sure how to make them work with the list of allergies your family is avoiding? Maybe it’s your grandmother’s recipe for the perfect chocolate chip cookie. It could be your great-uncle’s homemade rustic bread printed out on an index card with authentic smudges and stains splashed on it.
As we noted in our previous Recipe Rebuild 101 article regarding eggs, if you’re cooking for someone with allergies, you’ve got two options. You can seek out recipes already written to avoid specific ingredients, or, you can experiment with the standard recipes you already have by substituting safe options in the ingredient list.
If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves and try your hand at adapting a recipe to make it dairy-free, we’ve got some tips to help you get started.
How to Start
Remember, this is an experiment. You may not get it right on the first try. The milk incorporated in one recipe may have one task and yet the same measured ½ cup could be for an entirely different purpose in another recipe. You may not be able to identify what influence this particular ingredient has on this particular recipe until you try a change and find out it didn’t quite come out the way you had hoped. It’ll take a little trial and error to get it right.
The Job Matters
There’s more than one reason to incorporate dairy into a recipe. First, let’s start with the obvious – a cup of milk has a different purpose than a stick of butter, which is also different from a handful of shredded cheese. While we’re going to touch on the different options available to substitute those individual forms of dairy, that’s just the start of the story. Some recipes use milk as a means to hydrate, others for structure of the dish, some for browning and flavor, and others for chemical activation. Butter can play a similar role, but it may also help with leavening or emulsification.
If the milk in your recipe is intended to add moisture and hydration, try these substitutes in a 1-1 ratio (1 cup of dairy milk = 1 cup of substitute):
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Oat milk – thick and a bit sweet. It’s a good substitute for baking. It works in both sweet and savory dishes and is most similar to low-fat or fat-free milk.
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Soy milk – can be a little thinner in consistency, but this substitute is also high in protein. Opt for the unsweetened variety for savory dishes. It can influence the taste of your dish, so make a trial run to make sure you’re happy with the final product before using it for your next potluck or evening with company. It’s also not a good option for those with soy allergies.
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Coconut milk – its high fat and water content make it a good substitute in soups and curries. It can influence taste, so again, give this substitute a trial run and make sure you’re happy with the final dish.
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Rice milk – thin and lightly sweet, rice milk is a versatile substitute for dairy milk.
If the milk in your recipe is intended to lend structure and tenderness, try these substitutes:
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Canned coconut milk – If your recipe calls for heavy cream, pull out the can of coconut milk. The thick sweet cream will add fat and moisture to your baked goods to keep them soft and tender.
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Soy milk – the structure of soy milk is similar to dairy milk, so soy makes an even swap.
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Oat milk – If you’re looking for a naturally sweet swap that creates a tender crumb in your baked goods, try oat milk.
If the milk in your recipe is intended to help lend color to your crust, try these substitutes:
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Pea Milk – Products like “Ripple” pea milk are high in protein and contain natural sugar content that comes close to dairy milk. This makes it an ideal substitute to brush on top of dough to help your breads develop the beautiful golden crust you’re aiming for.
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Soy Milk – If you’re not avoiding soy, this is another option that closely mimics the same protein and sugar content in cow’s milk to produce the browning effect you’re aiming for.
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Thinner “milks” + Maple Syrup – You don’t need to stock a fridge full of different milks for different jobs. Adding a little maple syrup to your oat milk or other substitute can help amplify their ability to generate that beautiful golden crust.
If the dairy in your recipe is buttermilk, try this:
Buttermilk in a recipe is more than just a flavor twist. Buttermilk is acidic and as such, it reacts with baking soda to create lift and lightness in your dish. If you’re avoiding dairy, you can mimic this simple bit of baking chemistry by mixing a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice or white vinegar with about a cup of plant-based milk. Mix it gently and let it rest for several minutes before using.
If the dairy in your recipe is butter, try this:
Butter plays a few different roles in recipes and which substitute you use will depend on how the butter is being used.
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Cold, solid butter for flaky layers and tender baked goods – look for options that remain solid at cool temperatures. Best picks include vegan butter sticks, vegetable shortening, and chilled coconut oil. Work quickly with these ingredients, though, as they tend to soften and break down faster than traditional butter.
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Softened butter – You’ve got a few more options for softened (but not melted!) butter swaps. Try vegan butter sticks which closely mimics traditional butter in fat-to-water ratio. Coconut oil is another option, but it can add a coconutty flavor to your recipe if you’re using unrefined oil.
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Melted butter – Yes, coconut oil and vegan butter can be melted and used as a direct substitute here too. You can also use vegetable oil or olive oil. Applesauce and other mashed fruits might also work.
