Dairy Product Substitutions

Okay. Say you want to make banana bread using the recipe I posted a few days ago. The problem is that no one sells casein free sour cream in your area. What can you do?

Fortunately, Jane Zukin has a solution. Jane is the author of The Dairy Free Cookbook which contains lots of dairy free recipes (NOTE: recipes are not necessarily gluten free). But more importantly, her book includes the following recommended substitutions for different milk ingredients found in recipes:

When Recipe Calls For:
1 cup milk

Substitute With:
1/2 cup milk substitute + 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup juice + 1/2 cup water
1 cup water

When Recipe Calls For:
1 cup milk (for baking)

Substitute With:
1 cup water + 2 tablespoons cf margarine

When Recipe Calls For:
1 cup milk (for yeast dough)

Substitute With:
1 cup ginger ale

When Recipe Calls For:
1 cup buttermilk

Substitute With:
1 cup milk substitute + 1 tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup milk substitute + 1/2 cup water + 1 tbsp vinegar

When Recipe Calls For:
1 cup sour milk

Substitute With:
Same as buttermilk substitute

When Recipe Calls For:
Light cream

Substitute With:
Milk substitute

When Recipe Calls For:
Heavy Cream

Substitute With:
Milk-free whipping cream or meringue

When Recipe Calls For:
Sour Cream

Substitute With:
cf yogurt
Mayonnaise + 1 tbsp sugar

When Recipe Calls For:
Cream Cheese

Substitute With:
Mayonnaise

Again, common milk substitutes include soy milk, rice milk, and almond milk.

For the milk free whipping cream, I found the following recipe on http://www.allergygrocer.com/:

Soy Whipped Cream

1/2 cup soy milk
1/4 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup safflower oil
1 tbsp honey
pinch of salt

In a blender, combine soy milk and vanilla. Keep blender running and gradually add the oil until the mixture becomes very thick. If necessary, add a little more oil. Blend in honey and salt.

I am sure other creative people have found other substitutions that make for delicious recipes. I will post any more that I find.