Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
More and more people are going fully vegan, or turning towards more plant-based options in lieu of animal products. In particular, as we learn more about the health effects of dairy, people are turning towards plant-based dairy alternatives.
When I first went vegan in May 2017, my biggest concern was cheese. Luckily, the vegan cheese landscape has changed dramatically since 2017.
Whether you want to eat fully plant-based, or you’re lactose intolerant, or you simply want to reduce inflammation in your body, here are my personal favorite plant-based dairy alternatives.
Cheese
There are SO MANY good vegan cheeses nowadays, and more and more new brands enter the market every day. I try out a new vegan cheese every time I see one, so I will try to update this list as I find new favorites.
Melty Cheeses
My favorite cheese to melt on pizza, quesadillas, and anything else that calls for melted cheese is Violife Mozzarella Shreds.
Violife’s Mature Cheddar block is also delicious, both melted and eaten plain.
Cream Cheese
From what I can remember, I think KiteHill’s almond-based cream cheese is the most true-to-original cream cheese. They also have other flavors, like scallion and everything.
My personal favorite is probably Monty’s cream cheese. Monty’s is a small, female-owned company. The cream cheese is made with fermented cashews. It’s thick and tangy, and honestly would make a really nice substitute for chèvre.
True-To-Type Cheese
The Uncreamery makes amazing cheeses in different styles that taste true to the cheese variety they mimic. The Dill Havarti REALLY tastes like havarti, the Brie is truly better than any cow-Brie I’ve ever had, and the Truffle Brie is just divine.
One thing to note with their cheese is that the texture is not exactly like dairy cheese. It’s a little bit…softer? If you’re sensitive to textures, this could bother you. But if you melt it, add it to a sandwich, or with toast, you really won’t notice.
For the Cheese Board
The afforementioned Violife makes a feta that tastes exactly like middle eastern/Mediterranean cheese. I turned my non-vegan parents on to it, and it is the only cheese they eat now. They’ve also turned all of their friends on to it. Non-vegan & Middle Eastern approved, you really can’t go wrong with this cheese for anything that requires feta, or any other brine-y cheese.
Cheezehound makes some amazing mini cheese wheels that are perfect for the cheeseboard. I love their White Truffle Ramp-coated cheese, but they are honestly all really lovely.
Not Like Cheese, but Good
I am obsessed with Miyoko’s cream cheese, but I really don’t think it tastes like cheese. It’s super tangy, very fermented, and really lovely if you are into that flavor profile. However, I don’t think it tastes like cheese.
I do not recommend their shredded cheese, sticks, or slices. But if you love a fermented, tangy, flavor profile, check out their cream cheese.
Yogurt
Before I give my answer, I need to disclaim this: I grew up in an Iranian household, where we eat tart, thick, unsweetened yogurt. Think something similar to Greek yogurt. So when I look for yogurt, it’s never the sweetened, fruity, liquid-y, yogurts that people often have for breakfast. The yogurt I like is thick and super fermented.
Coconut yogurts are very good replicas for this. When the yogurt ferments, the coconut flavor goes away, and super-tart fermented flavor replaces it.
My favorite brands are Anita’s, Coyo, and Cocojune. Coconut cult is also excellent, albeit far more expensive.
Butter
I almost never eat butter, but if I need it for a recipe, Monty’s is my absolute favorite. Monty’s butter uses only 4 ingredients: cashews, almond oil, coconut oil, and water.
If I can’t find Monty’s, I use just plain organic coconut oil. It has the same texture as butter, so it tends to work well as a replacement.
Milk
Truthfully, I don’t consume milk almost ever, but when I do, the brand Malk is my absolute favorite. Their plant-based milks have absolutely NO additives. I’m particular to the UNSWEETENED oat or the cashew varieties, but they have many options.
Plant-based milks can have a lot of additives, namely carrageenan, which can cause digestive issues for some, and sugar, which is highly inflammatory. I would recommend looking at the ingredients and seeing what the ingredients are. Ideally, you want the only ingredient to be nuts/seeds/grains & water, perhaps with a little salt.
Cream
Whether I want to substitute heavy cream, whipping cream, or evaporated milk, my answer is always the same: canned coconut milk. NOT the stuff you buy in the refrigerated section, NOT anything low fat. The full fat canned coconut milk that you would find either in the baking section, or the international section.
To hear more on food, diet, diet culture, and intuitive eating, listen to episode 63 on iTunes, Spotify, and everywhere else you listen to podcasts.
