Dairy is probably the most debated-about food in the paleo blogosphere. Some say it’s cancer-causing, some say the protein in it is harmful, while others regard raw, grass-fed dairy as a superfood.
My personal opinion of dairy is fairly favorable provided it’s raw and grass-fed; however, my dad is quite allergic to casein and so my mother and I have to modify recipes to exclude all dairy products. I thought it would be fun and informative to share our tips for doing this. I’ve also made an easy-reference guide for dairy substitution for you guys to print for your fridges.
Before I launch into my tips, please note that my dad can tolerate ghee, and we use that in place of butter. Making this substitution may be sufficient for many people, even though ghee is dairy-derived. However, I did not include ghee in the substitution chart because I wanted to strictly eliminate all dairy products.
Dairy Fat
Substituting other things for dairy fat is really pretty easy. Often it’s just a matter of using coconut oil instead of butter. However, butter tends to add a rich flavor to dishes cooked with it that can be lost by substituting coconut oil, and many people dislike coconut oil. For earthy, savory dishes such as stews, a pastured animal fat is a good sub because it retains that rich undertone. Tallow and lard are good choices. However, these fats may be too heavy for a poultry dish, in which case I think some chicken fat (shmaltz) or duck fat would be good choices. We universally use ghee to cook meats and poultry, but some may not tolerate ghee. If you’re craving butter on your paleo bread, try coconut butter. Delish!
Cream
Cream for coffee, tea and the like can easily be replaced by coconut cream (the fat from the top of the can) or almond milk. Cream sauces are delicious made with coconut milk, and ice cream is delicious made with any nut milk or coconut milk. Mom makes a delicious beef stroganoff with coconut cream that doesn’t taste like coconut at all.
Milk
Milk for or any savory application can be replaced almost universally by any nut milk, or coconut milk.
Cream Cheese
The most common substitute for cream cheese that I’ve seen is cashew cream, but I’ve also seen people make their own coconut cream cheese. Cream cheese frostings may be best replaced by a different recipe that doesn’t use any cheese. Nut cheeses are also a good option.
Cheese
Cheese is probably the thing that is hardest to replace. I have been successful in substituting nutritional yeast for cheddar in baked goods or on salads. Just remember that nutritional yeast is potent should really be treated as a seasoning, not a 1 for 1 substitution. I’ve seen recipes where people use nut cheese on pizza, but I haven’t tried it. I also once saw a recipe that used ground brazil nuts instead of parmesan. There’s definitely options! I’d love to try to make a cheese sauce with coconut milk and nutritional yeast. Jane’s Healthy Kitchen blog has a recipe for for faux cheddar that looks legit.
Dairy Ferments
Fermented foods like yogurt and kefir can be made with coconut milk and eaten just like regular dairy products.
How to Make Recipes Dairy Free:
Shared at Fat Tuesday, Allergy-free Wednesdays, Fight back Fridays, and Pennywise Platter.
