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For the past few years, I have been pulling together the best dairy-free substitutions for cooking and baking that actually work! These substitutions are also easy to come by and don’t require anything expensive or hard to find.
I have been baking dairy-free for many years now and it has become second nature to me!
Many of my readers know a little bit about my husband’s health situation. He was very sick for many years and eventually lost his colon. He did pretty good for a few years, until 2014 when he developed a strange reaction to anything dairy related. Basically, he has to avoid it at all costs.
It is amazing how many items you eat or buy that have dairy in them. All of his favorite foods were centered around sweets that had butter or milk, even foods with cheeses were some of his favorite dishes. I started recreating dairy-free options for him at home so he could still enjoy his favorite things.
It all started with this dairy-free pumpkin pie recipe I shared last year, and now I have tried out just about everything.
Many of my readers are in the same boat and cannot have dairy. I wanted to share with you my BEST dairy-free substitutions that you can start using for pretty much everything in the kitchen. Almost everything can be purchased at the regular grocery store and a few I buy on amazon for minimal costs.
First, let’s check out the list:
The Best Dairy-Free Substitutes for Baking and Cooking
MILK
Although there are so many dairy-free milks on the market today, these three are the best options for baking. I have found that any recipe that calls for milk, like a cake, does best with almond milk most. Cashew is also really creamy and coconut milk is always a good substitute. The best part, is it is a 1:1 ratio, so you don’t have to change the recipe at all.
HEAVY CREAM (ALSO FOR SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK)
I tried some other tips I read about years ago for substituting heavy cream. I didn’t have much luck until I went with full-fat canned coconut cream. It is pretty much the exact same and works great in recipes! If you don’t like coconut, read my notes below 🙂
EVAPORATED MILK
A key ingredient for that pumpkin pie I mentioned! This works the exact same with canned coconut milk. Full-fat or light coconut milk work just as good for most recipes. You don’t even notice a difference in baking!
BUTTER
There are two methods I typically use for butter substitution, coconut oil and vegan butter. Most vegan butter will work just like regular butter. Although, I don’t like it as much in cookies. The key to using coconut oil is using it in the solid state. If it’s hot where you are (like it always is in Texas), I pop it in the fridge to harden up. The science behind doing this is to create a similar texture without sacrificing the fat. Just like in these delicious coconut oil chocolate chip cookies!
BUTTERMILK
When you make cornbread or ranch dressing, you need buttermilk. Buttermilk is chemically a sour milk, so the easiest method is to create the same thing with dairy-free milk. I have used this with all milks mentioned above with lemon juice. I used to do this with regular milk when I needed buttermilk, but ran out. I decided to try it with these dairy-free milks and it works great!
YOGURT
Sometimes you need to add yogurt to cakes or maybe you just want to eat it. For eating it plain, coconut yogurt is the perfect substitute. Frozen coconut yogurt is also a great substitute for frozen yogurt. My husband has lived off that for years! He used to be a HUGE ice cream fan, and coconut yogurt has been a great substitution. For baking, you can sub coconut yogurt or applesauce equally. I have used applesauce in so many recipes and it is the perfect addition.
CHEESE
I saved the hardest for last. Cheese is really the most difficult to recreate. There are many dairy-free cheeses on the market made from almond milk and also vegetables. We can never find them at the store where we live and the few times we do, it is pretty expensive. My husband wasn’t a fan of the soy cheese either. I try not to use many soy products in general.
The best one we have tried is definitely nutritional yeast. It has the same cheesy texture and taste, especially on things like pasta.
Baking and cooking dairy-free doesn’t have to be hard, you just need items that have the same scientific texture in your recipes. This list can replace almost any dairy product in your recipes!
If you have any questions email alexis @ chemistrycachet.com for more details!
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Wow, this is great. I actually was just looking up something last week while making a recipe and saw applesauce listed. This is really helpful, thank you for sharing!
These are all such great subs for dairy! I’ve tried many different things, but this is definitely the best list 🙂
What quality you put in your work. Love you, mom
You’re so sweet! I enjoy working hard to share the best info 🙂 Love you!
I LOVE THIS SUBSTITUTION CHART!!! That will eliminate a few of my questions to you… I agree with your mom – the quality of your work and research – wonderful! All the best, sweet friend! 🙂
Thanks so much Laurie! I appreciate that 🙂
This is so great! I always wondered what to use instead of heavy cream since it seems to get used in every kind of sauce imaginable these days! Love this! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes
Thanks girl! Oh I know, it seems like dairy pops up in everything. I have run into the heavy cream problem too, this substitution works great!
Love this list! I can’t believe how much dairy is in every day products and recipes!
Green Fashionista
It is amazing! So many things you buy in a package or bake at home involve dairy!
Saving this to my Handy Tips board! And I also wanted to mention that the Wednesday “To Grandma’s House We Go” link party just started over at grandmashousediy.com and I thought you might be interested in joining it, thanks!
Thank you! I would love to join you, heading over now 🙂
Pinning! This is so helpful!
Thanks Lisa! Hope it comes in handy for you!
I love this list! I am pinning this one to save for reference later! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
Thanks girl! Hope it comes in handy for you 🙂
Thank you so much for this! I am pinning it. I have a number of family members who have issues with their sinuses because of dairy and sugar. So, we are cutting back on those things more and more.
Thanks Helen! This has really helped us out so much since I started eliminating dairy for my husband!
Very informational! Thanks for sharing with us on the Homesteader hop!
Thank you!! 🙂
What great tips! There are so many that have problems with this, it’s great to know for when they are coming over! 🙂 Thank you for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty
Thanks Jamie! It is really helpful to keep around for dairy-free people!
This is such great information! Definitely pinning this for later reference! Thanks for sharing with us at Merry Monday this week!
Thanks Marie!
Actually, in Canada, there are many really good substitutions for dairy items ie, NutriWhip is an excellent sub for heavy cream and it tastes great; Gay Lea makes dairy free sour cream and cottage cheese; Liberte has excellent dairy-free greek yogurt; President’s Choice has excellent marble and old cheese – taste like real cheese and are great for casseroles; any soy milk produces the same baking results as regular milk, except in puddings; Rudolph’s makes really good dairy-free breads in a variety of types; Bulk Barn carries 2 kinds of dairy-free chocolate chips and belgian chocolate wafers for baking or snacking; plain & flavoured cream cheese from Better than …; Colemans has really good, creamy ice creams and ice cream treats. Label is always a necessity but enough products are available so that you can feel almost “normal”.
Thanks so great you have all those options! It definitely makes things easier 🙂 We live in a rural area in Texas, so I don’t have any options like that nearby. But it is nice having some regular items I keep around all the time to swap in for dairy 🙂
This is so great! My boyfriend doesn’t eat dairy at all so sometimes it’s hard to find stuff to bake for him and try not to do the same things over and over. Usually if I make a cake that has eggs in the recipe, I boil linseed and use the water from the linseed. It thickens and has a very similar texture. Now thanks to you I can start baking more stuff now! Thanks
Thanks Charlotte! I hope you can find some of these tips useful! They have really come in handy for us 🙂
Thank you for this list! What is a good substitute for half and half in a recipe? Thank you,!
Hi Joann, I usually use full fat canned coconut milk for half and half too. It does well in almost everything! Especially for baking 🙂
The “Honest Stand” makes a fantastic vegan cheese sauce. The nacho cheese is my favorite, they also have a blue cheese, an Alfredo, and a smoky cheese. I can’t seem to find another cheese that I like, especially shredded etc. I will typically just go without. I also find that mayonnaise gives a creamy texture if you can have eggs. Avocados also give a creamy texture if you blend it up very smooth. I’m not a big baker, but I do a lot of cooking. Thanks for the chart! Pinterest has been a great resource for dairy free recipes.
There really are so many neat recipes out there without dairy in them! And many great products on the market today. My husband can’t have dairy, so I have been trying different substitutes for him over the years. He is so picky about texture more than anything! So glad you stopped by today. If you are interested, we posted our easy dairy-free sugar cookies today 🙂
Thank you so much for this post! My daughter has been lactose intolerant probably her whole life, but we didn’t realize it until she was 3/4. She is now 10. Although we have pulled most milk products from her diet, we haven’t done all. This was so helpful as we are now changing everything over for our entire family.
Hi Katie! I am so happy this post was helpful for you and I hope you can continue to make good changes for your family. I haven’t done dairy in years for RA, but my husband had a tough time when he started having issues with dairy. It is so helpful to know how to switch things out for baking and cooking 🙂
I can’t find the “notes” on your ideas if we don’t want to use coconut… I like it but I don’t want the flavor in every recipe that calls for heavy cream, etc. Thoughts?? Thanks!
Out of all the options I have tried over the years, coconut is one of the only things that makes recipes turn out almost the same without dairy. There really isn’t another healthy substitute for that. The good news is, you don’t even know it’s coconut! My husband doesn’t like coconut at all. The taste, scent or texture he dislikes. He never knows I use it in cooking or baking though, so I am able to keep making all his favorites without the dairy 🙂 The canned coconut milk especially doesn’t really have much taste or scent. Coconut cream has the most “coconut” flavor so I typically don’t use that one as much. Hope this helps! Thanks Angie!
Hi Alexis, this is a great article. I will share it on my FB page soon. Above, you said that if people don’t like the flavor of coconut to read in the notes below. I don’t see any notes below. Am I missing something? I would love to have a non coconut replacement. Thanks for all you do!
Thanks Laura!! I double checked and it looks like the term “notes” was just in the comment above from a reader. I don’t have any additional notes in this article, just the items you see above. Out of all the options I have tried, the coconut products I have here are really the best and only way to mimic dairy in a recipe for baking. My husband is dairy-free, but he really hates the taste of coconut, so all of these substitutions don’t really have that coconut scent or flavor. I use refined coconut oil for baking which has no taste or odor. The only coconut product that will have a coconut flavor is coconut cream. Other than that, you can swap out any dairy for the items listed above and it is a great match 🙂 Hope this helps!
Boardshead and. All Fairlife (at the grocery) milk including the chocolate milk is dairy free. I have noticed it’s mainly the yellow cheddars, With boars head imported gold label swift being lactose free also.
That’s great they have dairy-free with that brand! My husband can’t do any dairy derived foods due to the A1, so even lactose free is bad for him. But I love all the great options they have today!
I am very impressed with your article and with much appreciation for the upcoming holidays. How do I use the nutritional yeast in recipes replacing cheese? Are there other ways to use this as well? Thank you for your time.
Thanks Rowena! So glad you enjoy it! Nutritional yeast works well in dishes like casseroles or sprinkled on top. It is a powder like consistency, it reminds me of Parmesan cheese! I have made meat casseroles, sprinkled some inside, then allow it to melt in. It will turn creamy with a cheese flavor. It would be hard to replace it in things that use large amounts of shredded cheese though.
Thank you! My granddaughter is highly allergic to dairy and it is hard to make yummy things without dairy. Can’t wait to try the cutout cookie recipe for Christmas !
Hope you enjoy using some our tips! They have been so helpful for my husband!
This is so helpful! In my journey to great health I have had to say goodbye to my beloved dairy. I am on a KetoDiet and so many recipes are full of dairy and it just does NOT work for me! This helps so much. I will look forward to learning more from you.
Thank you again!
Mary
It is definitely hard to cut out dairy, but these tips have really helped us. My husband doesn’t even miss it anymore! I hope it will help you too 🙂
My husband and I are giving up dairy because of all the cruel ways they treat dairy cows and their newborns! Inhumane….. Previously we have tried to make a “rue” (for a gravy sauce )with flour and almond milk and it did not work. Any ideas? Julie
You definitely need a fat source. We use olive oil when making a rue, it works great with almond milk and flour plus seasoning
What would you use cheese wise for a lasagna. Would that be just a vegan cheese. Or what do you do for breakfast. Everything I look at has eggs. I’m getting really frustrated. I keep eating the same things, and then I cheat and pay the price. I just came across the list so that will definitely help.
I have found shredded vegan cheese at the grocery store made from vegetables. I personally don’t like it, but I have used it for my husband and he doesn’t mind. I usually just use the nutritional yeast in place of cheese. It won’t be like traditional shredded cheese, but adds the nice flavor.
I was diagnosied allergic to cow’s milk last year fortuately it is not sEvere enough to be liFe threatening but I feel much better whem milk is eliminated. I have avoided Many foods because I could not figure out a substitute. I am looking forward to trying out these substitutes.
I hope these tips can help you!
Alexis, Thanks for your tips. I also live in a rural area and have been looking for a sour cream substitute. Do you have any recomendations?
The closet thing I have used is plain Greek yogurt (no flavor or sweeteners). It is best when using it in a dish like on tacos. The texture is very similar, the taste is slightly similar. You can also mix it up with some spices to go along with your dish to make it have more of a matching flavor.
Our local grocers only carry the dairy free coconut yogurt that isnt sugar free, but i’ll keep the Greek yogurt in mind.
My store carries a dairy-free Greek yogurt made with almond milk and it is really good. One brand is So Delicious, the other is a local one. I hope you can find a good one 🙂
MY husband and I both have IBS and Gerd (acid reflux). Do you know if these substitutions are ok for both conditions. I love to cook and bake THINGS he likes but unfortunately they all contain dairy. Having both conditions makes it almost impossible to cook anything. Sometimes what is ok FOR one is not ok for the other. Thank you for this.
My husband has GERD and all of these are fine for him. I am not sure about IBS, but this helps with many types of bowel issues, so it should be fine for that too.
We recently found out our 11 year old has mild milk & egg allergies. The poor kid reads the ingredients on every box of snack cakes on the shelf at the grocery store, just to be disappointed that everything has milk and/or egg in it. I told her I’ll find recipes to bake with out milk and egg and I stumbled upon your list. This list is awesome. Thank you so much for creating it to share!
I hope this helps!! So glad you found out website 🙂
GREAT INFORMATION!, TRYING TO DO A KETO DAIRY FREE DIET.
These are great options for dairy-free!
Thanks for all the info.
You mention coconut yogurt, how do you make it?
Pam
I buy it at my local grocery store. They have a few brands, I like the So Delicious
I love these.. but any tips for non coconut ideas I am super allergic to coconut and dairy.. I know I am a mess..
You can usually find an almond or cashew substitute for most of these. Cashew milk, cashew yogurt. Those are very popular for dairy-free baking. The only thing you will have trouble replacing is the coconut oil, but many people will add in cashew cream. If you are also allergic to nuts, you might have to find products that are already packaged as allergy friendly. Like baking mixes or cooking mixes. Brands like Enjoy Life Foods are all free from all allergens including nuts and coconut. If you can have regular nuts, I would recommend trying cashew or almond products 🙂
My son is allergic to dairy, ALL NUT AND EGGS!
He’s my you youngest off 4, it’s been SO hard after raising 3 kids that have no allergies to have to adapt. Thank you so much for this list, unfortunately I can not use Almond/cashew milk but could use coconut,
Coconut is a great substitution for dairy!
I have bern been using kefir as a buttermilk sub. Pancakes, waffles, biscuits, cakes… it all comes out great. It is not dairt free but 98% lactose free, which is close enough for us and may be another option for others.
Thanks for sharing! We can’t do any type of dairy due to the A1 protein, not the lactose. But people who are lactose intolerant have good luck with it 🙂
Hi.. Thank you.. Great tips??
Wonder if you have any egg substitute in cooking and baking.
Looking forward to your reply.
Yes, we have a post for egg substitutes here.
The coconut cream sub for heavy cream completely changed the flavor of my Alfredo. It made it really sweet and gross.
Coconut cream is pure coconut. I prefer to use refined coconut oil for dishes like this because it doesn’t have a coconut taste.