We use these daily, weekly, every time we need a swap. These are my tried and true favorites when it comes to living dairy-free. I also chose most of these because they were easy to find in my local grocery stores and affordable (most of them). They are listed by food replacement and indicated by where I buy them. I live in Central Virginia, so you may have different grocery stores around you and a different set of available products. Let me know if you have any I should try and add to the list!
Milk Alternative
Almond Breeze: Kroger, Giant, Whole Foods, Amazon, Wegmans, (just about anywhere)
-Unsweetened Original for baking, cooking, cereal
-Unsweetened Original or Unsweetened Vanilla for Protein Shakes
-Original Chocolate for Milk shakes or ice cream (do not try to sip a glass of Unsweetened Chocolate!)
Reasons we love it: We can buy in a large quantity for weekly consumption or stock-up on a great price when the small shelf stable boxes go on sale. Our grocery store runs a sale on these about once a month. They do not have carrageenan (google it if you don't know what that is) in them as of a few years ago. It mixes well, boils well, freezes well, just a great all purpose milk.
https://www.bluediamond.com/brand/almond-breeze
Butter Alternative
Earth Balance Vegan Sticks: Kroger, Fresh Market
Reasons we love it: They come in sticks, like normal butter baking sticks, which is helpful for baking when you need to soften your butter. They also come in tubs, but we much prefer the sticks! My husband also likes to keep a stick of butter in a glass case in the fridge for toast, frying, etc. This butter melts well, incorporates while baking well, tastes just like the real stuff on bread and baked potatoes. I'm not completely sure my husband has figured out that it's not real milk butter yet.
https://earthbalancenatural.com/product/organic-coconut-spread/
Cheese Alternatives
Kite Hill: Whole Foods, Wegmans
-Ricotta Cheese
-Cream Cheese Plain
Reasons we love them: stuff tastes like the real thing. I have passed it off as the real stuff several times before. Their products are made with almond milk, which I love! They are slowly expanding into the market.
http://www.kite-hill.com/where-to-buy/
Tofutti: Kroger, Whole Foods
-Cream Cheese
Reasons we love this: It is a lower cost version to the Kite Hill brand. It tastes great and when we lived in Georgia and our Whole Foods closed, it was my only option!
http://www.tofutti.com/dairy-free-cheeses/cream-cheese/
Lisanatti Almond Cheese: Whole Foods
-Cheddar Style
-Pepper Jack Slices
Reasons we love these: Real tasting dairy free cheese is super hard to find. I'm not talking something that tastes similar, I'm talking that tastes like you are actually eating cheese. I wouldn't say this is sharp cheddar, but it makes a great Mac N cheese and grilled cheese and those really is all I want out of life being dairy free! These can be tricky to find and I don't suggest eating them plain, but they do not taste like chemicals or artificially concocted food by any means, so that is a win in my book!
http://lisanattifoods.com/
Daiya Cheese Shreds: Wegmans, Kroger
-Cheddar Style
-Mozzarella
Reasons we love these: They are fantastic for nachos, quesadillas, pizza, grilled cheese, casseroles, etc. If you are melting it, it is fantastic. Any other dairy free friends out there missing ooey gooey cheesy things? Yeah, this is the product for you! (But I don't recommend trying to eat without heating unless you are the furthest thing from a texture eater!)
Sour Cream
Tofutti Sour Cream: Kroger, Whole Foods
Reasons we love it: this is one of the only sour creams that I have found on the market for dairy free living. It is also affordable and I get no complaints from my husband which means he cannot tell a difference on taste.
Heavy Cream/Yogurt
Kite Hill (we use the yogurt)
-Plain: best for cooking and sauces
-All other flavors great for eating
Reasons we love this: anytime I see Heavy Cream called for in a recipe, I have started using Kite Hill's plain yogurt instead. Depending on the thickness of the sauce or dish, you may have to dilute with a little Almond milk, but not only has this been a great dairy-free alternative, it has also been a great fat and calorie cutter. The taste is not affected much and the richness of the dish is still maintained. We love these yogurts for smoothies and just sitting down with a cup of yogurt for a snack! There are other dairy-free yogurt brands out there, but these are definitely our favorite.
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