3 Dairy Alternatives

Hello my lovelies!

This isn't exactly a meal prep recipe but I wanted to write for those like me who are lactose intolerant who love dairy but don't want to eat dairy every time we're craving cheese or ice cream. This is also for those ones who aren't lactose intolerant but don't want to feel bloated all the time after they eat a bowl of ice cream or a thick rich milkshake. When I went vegan for two weeks last year I found some great alternatives to dairy when I was making creamy sauces and stuff like that.

In the picture above there are also other simple ways to replace dairy with non-dairy options if it's not mentioned below.

Dairy-Free Milk

So one of the most common alternatives I found was dairy-free milk. There are different types of dairy-free milk out there but I found almond milk to be the most common among them. It has twice the amount of calcium as normal milk and it tastes great too. It also has fewer calories so if you drink a lot of almond milk it won't really mess up your calorie count. There are also different types of dairy-free milk such as cashew milk, coconut milk, soy milk, rice milk, etc. Now they are a little bit on the pricier side but your body will thank you when you're not constipated and bloating. Or for those like myself who are lactose intolerant your intestines will thank you.

You can make smoothies, milkshakes (with vegan ice cream of course), and you can use it to replace milk in pancake recipes, cake recipes, and plenty of other recipes that use dairy milk.

Dairy-Free Ice Cream

Now this one is for ice cream lovers everywhere! There are certain companies like So Delicious, who is a dairy-free company who makes various products using dairy-free options. The one thing they are well known for is their dairy-free ice creams, which are quite delicious. They also make yogurts which I've used to make vegan cream cheese which didn't turn out too bad (used too much of it). Now like regular ice cream it is filled with calories so beware of your ice cream consumption. If you don't want to go out and buy your own you can make it yourself and put your own twist on it.

Here is a recipe by Gemma Stafford who runs the channel Bigger Bolder Baking.

Her recipe does not require an ice cream machine, you just need a stand mixer. You can also use a hand mixer as well if you don't have that.

Cashew Cream

Another great alternative I found is cashew cream! I use this to make 'alfredo' sauce when I don't want to use parmesan cheese. This is something you can easily make at home and the most expensive part about this is the cashews. All you do is soak some cashews in boiling hot water. Now the longer you leave them soaking, the smoother your cashew cream will be. I normally soak mine overnight because I like mine nice and smooth. Afterwards, you put it in the blender with some water and blend away! Now if you want it a bit thicker use less water, if you want it runnier then use more water. This stuff is so versatile and there are plenty of recipes out there that use cashew cream. You can make savory dishes and ever sweet dishes with this so go get some cashews and give it a try, I promise you'll love it.

If you guys need a visual on how to make it, Fit Couple Cooks has an amazing recipe for cashew cream.