Dairy Alternatives

Introduction

The dairy industry has a particularly high ecological footprint in terms of greenhouse emissions, deforestation, water use and water pollution, soil degradation, species extinction and habitat loss. On top of that recent more people are becoming aware of the welfare issues, not only for the cattle and their calves, but for the many farmers and dairy workers around the world. Dairy is even contributing to food scarcity and job loss as industrialization increasingly puts small scale farmers out of business, into poverty.

The good news is that our ancestors were making animal-free alternatives out of almonds and soy thousands of years ago, and these recipes have only got better! These alternatives are much gentler on the environment, and tend to avoid the cruel conditions commonly found on livestock farms. 

This Page

Here you can explore some of our favorite brands and recipes, maybe even discover new types of "dairy" through this page's more regional foods.

Ingredients for Dairy Alternatives

Base Ingredients For Cheese

This is not a full list but consists of examples we have tried and enjoyed.

Heavy Cream Alternatives

Base Ingredients For Milk

The following are listed (more-or-less) from more sustainable, healthy, and ethical, to less sustainable and less ethical based on graphs and articles about ethics problems that some are creating. 

Soy Beans 

High in protein with relatively low land and water use, with about 1/3s of the emissions required to produce dairy. Legume including soy help to fix nitrogen in soil which can help improve soil health if the plants are raised organically and without synthetic fertilizers.

While soy is currently the second greatest driver of deforestation, we can safely say that vegans won't be adding to defore

Hemp 

Hemp requires fairly little water to produce (but more than soy), and the plant can provide other resources including fiber for very sturdy textiles, paper. construction materials, medical ingredients, and even hemp-based plastics. The plant's roots help improve soil health while absorbing heavy metals, and other problematic chemicals.

Oats  

Has the most neutral flavor and is know for being creamy. This is generally considered closest to dairy as far as experience, but if you want more protein in your diet, consider mixing or alternating it with legume- or nut-based dairy alternatives.

Hazelnuts

Hazelnuts help absorb carbon from the atmosphere and use less water than almonds.

Almonds

Almonds are a popular nut for milk, and much more water efficient than dairy, however most of the world's almonds are grown in California amid an ongoing drought/desertification of the region, so it is best to try and use locally raised almonds if possible.

The following choices are generally better than dairy (environmentally speaking), but have some fixable problems that we felt should be discussed:

Rice

Rice Milk uses less water than almond milk to produce, uses less land, but produces more emissions, particularly in the form of methane. Methane in agriculture mostly comes from animal products, and is much more powerful than other types of greenhouse gas such as carbon and ammonia. From the data seen during our research, rice is the greatest non-livestock agricultural source of methane.

Coconut

Coconut is a very fatty milk, and is an important part of many cuisines. However the flavor can ruin some dishes such as mashed potatoes. Despite assurances that coconuts are harvested ethically, every plantation investigated in Thailand found that endangered monkeys who were bred in captivity or taken from their families as infants are being abused and used to harvest coconuts. Coconut uses fairly little water, and the trees absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

Cashews

Cashews use a fair amount of water, but less than dairy, and the trees help absorb atmospheric carbon. They create extremely tasty milk which is prized for the amazing cheeses, ice creams, and other dairy alternatives it can create. However cashew production is particularly brutal on prisoners and underpaid or unpaid workers who lose fingers to the toxic chemicals that protect that cashews in their pods. It is possible to find ethically produced cashews. If you buy cashews or products with cashews, look for the Fair Trade label.

Flavorings & Colourings

Dairy Alternatives

Butter

You can buy "vegan butter" in a stick just like regular butter (most people can't even taste a difference!), but margarine and vegetable lard can also be used.  You can use the same amount in recipes, but might need to add some salt if using lard instead of margarine or butter. 

Ghee

Vegan ghee is also an option which generally comes in a glass jar, and may need to be mixed up before use, if the heavier parts have separated and sunk to the bottom of the container. Vegan ghee is generall the most expensive, followed by vegan butter and margerine generally being the most afforable. Not sure where vegetable lard falls.

Cheeses

This section has some brand and recipe suggestions, plus other helpful tips. 

You can also check out: 

Blue Cheese (& Brie)

This can be home made, but a growing number of companies are now offering brie and blue cheese which can be found in some deli and cheese sections of popular groceries. Even dairy-lovers have found these irrisistable.

Blue Cheese Sauce

Companies including Daiya and even some store brands now offer bottles of vegan blue cheese sauce, ranch dressing, and other delicious sauces which could previously only be found with egg and/or dairy ingredients. 

These have been great on salads, burgers, pizzas, and more, but be careful to check the expiration date. These don't seem to go bad in the same way that dairy products do, but instead become too thick to get out of the bottle, while developing an unpalatable plastic-like flavor.

Cottage Cheese

Many cottage cheese recipes involve cashews, but I haven't tried these due to the ethical issues of cashews. 

This simple tofu-based cottage cheese recipe requires two kinds of tofu. You want to blend a block of silken tofu to make the wet, creamy half. The other block of tofu can be firm, extra firm, or (if you want) super firm, and all you need to do is press the water out, and hand crumble the block. The nutritional yeast gives it the cheesy flavor and lots of nutrients including B12. The recipe doesn't mention pepper, but black pepper adds a nice touch if you like to use cottage cheese in sandwiches or lasagna.

Feta

This is probably the easiest type of cheese you can make. No blending, not cooking, just press the water from your tofu block, cut it into small cubes, and mix the following ingredients: 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tbsp fortified nutritional yeast, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp iodized salt, 1/4 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1 tbsp olive oil or other plant oil. 

Mixing all the non-tofu ingredients into a paste/juice before adding to tofu cubes can help ensure more even distribution of the flavors.

This recipe makes around 4-5 servings, and goes great on salads, pizza, or even in a sandwich. 

Medical Substitution 

If you have weed oil and don't like how it tastes in sweet edibles like chocolates, then you may prefer it in this savory recipe: 

Just exchange the 1tbsp of plain (olive) oil for 1 tbsp of weed oil, and the herbs will help disguise the marijuana flavor.

Gouda 

This can be found plain or smoked in a growing number of deli and cheese sections at popular groceries.

Paneer


This is the most complex recipe listed here, as you'll need a cooking pot and spoon for stirring, nut bags for straining, and additional containers to catch the liquids/solids that you need to separate.

The two recipes listed here have been tried and enjoyed though they use slightly different ingredients and techniquies.

Ricotta

This is the type of cheese used in pasta dishes such as lasagna, as well as sweet treats. Some companies make it and sell it in tubs just like the dairy version, but it can be very difficult to find. The store bought kind is probably best for deserts and sweets, but you can easily make your own with simple ingredients including hummus, tofu, and nutritional yeast.

Shreds & Slices

These are among the easiest types of vegan cheese to find. So Delicious, Daiya, and even store brands have been competing to make tastier, meltier cheeses, so while they once tasted like plastic, they are constantly improving. Some companies like Vevan even specialize in melty cheese (warning, this brand kinda sucks if you want to munch on raw slices like you can with other brands, but once heated the cheese is THE BEST melted cheese we've found).

The Secret to Melting Vegan Cheese onto Burgers

Shreds and slices can be incredibly stubborn when you try to melt them onto a burger. If you are frying your burger up in a frying pan, then make sure your burger is (or burger are) cooked all the way through, then top with cheese, then immediately cover with a lid (a glass lid is best as it'll help you see when your cheese has melted). You may want to throw in a handful of water or two to help create some steam, which helps the cheese melt even faster.

Cheese Sticks

These can be found both breaded and un-breaded. Some shops sell the un-breaded kind in packs with dairy-based cheese sticks, or sometimes in the vegan cheese section depending on how your local groceries are organized. They come in a plastic pack with individually wrapped sticks so they can be easily added to a lunchbox.

If you want but can't find breaded cheese sticks, you can make your own by dipping cheese sticks in egg replacer and panko bread crumbs (you'll want to add seasoning if the panko isn't already seasoned).

Breaded cheese sticks can be found in the frozen aisle, ready to be toasted in an oven. They often come with packets of sauce such as marinara or garlic sauce. 

Curd Rice

Custard & Flan

You will need:

Turning Custard to Flan

Seasonal Treats

Advent Calendars

Most advent calendars contain dairy, but the ones in this section contain a variety of items from vegan chocolates to gelatin-free gummies, snack bars, and even personal care items.  

Eggnog

A growing number of companies offer this around the November-December holiday season. They come in a variety of strengths with some having a strong spice profile and others being very mild. Some are pleasantly creamy while others have an almost raw-egg consistency. 

They can be a festive addition to hot drinks or alcoholic cocktails.

Some brands also offer eggnog flavored ice cream.

Whipped Cream

You can buy this an a spray can with the dairy, or you may find an alternative in plastic tubs in the frozen desert aisle.

Whipping Cream

This can often be found next to the dairy version, and works exactly the same way in recipes.

Additional Resources

We don't always have the luxury of time to make our own dairy alternatives, just to avoid supporting giant corporations. If you want to avoid online shipping or your local groccery chains, the following buttons link to some directories of alternative business models that may offer some tasty dairy-free products or other useful ingredients.

Vegan Milkman services are known for offering milk, but some offer other types of food ranging from vegan cheese and yogurt to general groceries such as vegetables and bread.

Community Supported Agriculture programs generally focus on crops, but sometimes offer processed foods made from items that could have otherwise spoiled. For example if all their strawberries don't sell, they may sell the extras later as jam. 

Among zero-waste businesses that offer edible goods, you may be able to find items such as milk, butter, and cheese sold in refillable containers. 

One of our local farmers' market vendors sells vegan cheese in a jar, and gives discounts when you bring your empty and cleaned jar back.

You may also be interested in:

This page explores issues surrounding food security, and gives suggestions on reducing our impact through diet. First exploring which types of food are the most wasteful, and which alternatives can improve our health while helping the environment. While dietary choices play a large part, other actions are also discussed including steps cooks and menu planners can make to help others make more informed choices.

Understanding how and when to use certain types of egg alternatives can be a huge game changer in the kitchen.

Our cooking methods page explores how different cooking methods can impact energy use, emissions, and water. The page includes calculators and more.

This page included information about methods which may be able to reduce your food storage's ecological impact. Modern refrigeration has a heavy ecological footprint, but electricity-free alternatives can keep foods fresh using techniques our ancestors used before we harnessed refrigerant gases.

Tools & Apps

Finding Safe Food

As a gluten-free vegan, I've found the best way to find food is to search with both of the following apps, and see which restaurants pop up in both. Then check out their online menu's/reviews to see if the foods overlap. If that info isn't available, calling the restaurant often clears up any lingering safety questions.

Diet Tracking

People with dietary restrictions are at higher risk of nutrient deficiencies, and even more so when we are very active. To be on the safe side, it helps to use a diet tracker, and the one bellow is the best I've found so far.

Infographics

Grants & Funding

International