Non-dairy alternatives

[Rani]

I've finally decided to make the dairy to non-dairy switch and was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions as to what brands you prefer as alternatives to butter, yogurt, cheese, etc......

I've tried a couple different brands of soy milk, Silk and Nature's Promise. So far, I prefer Nature's Promise for my coffee but still there's something "off" about the taste as opposed to the usual milk lattes I've been used to having every morning so the search continues.

And how does soy yogurt compare in taste to milk yogurt?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

[SeaSiren]

I think most things are a aquired taste. I remember reading somewhere that you had to be exposed to a food lots (not sure how many) before you enjoyed it. I didn't particularly like coffee or beer in the beginning. So, whereas the soy may taste a little different give it time and you will not like the old milk and yogurt.

I prefer the silk by the way. :p

[bluegrrrl79]

I've heard it depends on what type of milk you drank too, for example if you drank skim or 1%, perhaps rice milk would taste better to you because it's more watery and sweet, where as soy milk is thicker and has more of a taste. Personally I like both, though for chocolate, it HAS to be chocolate Silk! All others pale in comparison! I've had Silk yogurt, but I'm not a fan of yogurt in general so I'm not the best person to ask about it. As far as cheese, I eat rice cheese, I think it tastes better then soy cheese. Or I make my own fake cheese with nutritional yeast(though I find most recipes for it taste way too strong to me, I like the one I made myself). Tofutti soy cheese pizza is awesome, tastes just like the real thing, except their packaged cheese tastes awful. No idea why. And Tofutti Better Then Creamcheese is ok, it's also one of those have to grow on you a bit things. After having it a few times, you'll like it more. I personally dislike soy ice creams.

[DeathOfDecadenc]

you might want to do a search on this board - there are a lot of posts and these things i believe- they would probably be helpful

[veggirlie]

If it's the beany taste that's bothering you, it might help to add some vanilla essence to your lattes, or to use vanilla-flavored soymilk. Silk also makes some excellent creamers, so you could give them a try if you can find them. Also, you could experiment with other types of 'milk' -- almond milk, hazelnut milk (mmm! The Pacific brand hazelnut milk is supposed to be really good), oat milk, etc.

Butter -- Earth Balance or Soy Garden

Yogurt -- I've heard Wildwood yogurt is really good. You could also try Whole Soy, which many people seem to like.

Cheese -- Homemade vegan cheeses are by far the best, and even my omni friends love them. However, I think it might be better to get used to a diet without cheese first, because no substitute is going to taste *exactly* the same, and you may end up very disappointed. I'd advise you to go without cheese for at least a few months (for instance, get accustomed to the idea of cheeseless pizzas, find salty snacks to replace cheese, etc.) before you start experimenting with substitutes.

Hope this helps! :)

[Rani]

Thanks for all your replies!

I realize that I'm never going to find an exact match in terms of taste to cow milk products so I guess it's just a matter of finding something I can live with.

I don't know what it is about the soy milk that I don't like. I don't mind it on my cereal, in fact it was quite good. But in coffee, it just tasted funny. I guess I'll try some of the other milks and see if any of those are better.

Earth Balance margarine seemed to catch my eye. I like that it's nonhydrogenated.

I'll have to do a search for the homemade vegan cheeses.

Oh, and I did have my first cheeseless pizza the other night and it was delicious!

[SeaSiren]

I use Silk Soy Creamer in my coffee. Tastes wonderful!

[winking_turtle]

I didn't eat dairy yogurt but I really, really like Silk yogurt. Vanilla to go with morning granola. Lime or lemon for a delish afternoon snack. I like all the flavors I've tried of theirs, but those three are by far my favorites.

[brahmacharya]

Earth Balance, yeah, it's all that. You can bake with it too. I had macadamia nut butter on a bagel and I can't stop talking about it.

My omni b/f has forever chosen almond milk over cow milk. That is a ringing endorsement, I'd say.

I'm in Canada and just recently discovered this amazing mozzarella soy cheese that is actually vegan called Vegan Gourmet. Threw it on a lasagna and oh my god...

[GTChick01]

I prefer Silk's Soy Vanilla yogurt over regular yogurt any day! I always mix it up with some fresh berries.

I also like Silk's Creamer (Hazelnut) though it's hard to come by in my area.

As for soy milk, I like Silk's Plain. The vanilla is just too sweet for me. I don't like it in cereal though... go figure. I haven't tried almond or rice milk yet.

And unfortunately I haven't a cheese that I like. I've just been trying to avoid cheese altogether. :-/

[rincaro]

I've given up on cheese. I do make a killer cheez sauce from one of Bryanna Clark Grogan's book that is to die for on pizza, tacos, burritos, and on chips or crackers. I even spread some on a veggie burger the other day. Yummy!

I prefer silk - vanilla or light vanilla. Or chocolate almond breeze.

For butter it's earth balance all the way.

Yogurt makes my belly hurt vegan or not.

[Rani]

Well, I'm still making my way through the Silk soymilk. This stuff just tastes way too chalky or something in my coffee. Great on cereal though. I don't get it. Anyway, I got Pacific Almond milk to try next so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Has anyone here tried Soymage Parmasean (sp)? I saw it in the HFS and was curious to know what it tastes like.

[shagginabit]

Well, I'm still making my way through the Silk soymilk. This stuff just tastes way too chalky or something in my coffee. Great on cereal though. I don't get it. Anyway, I got Pacific Almond milk to try next so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Has anyone here tried Soymage Parmasean (sp)? I saw it in the HFS and was curious to know what it tastes like.


I've tried the Soymage Parm, and I really like it. The taste can be overpowering though, so use in moderation. :)

[rincaro]

I make my own parmesan. 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp. of salt. Grind in a coffee grinder or blend until fine. I do mine in my magic bullet. But don't blend it too long or you'll get paste. I use it on pasta, on salads, in pesto recipes, etc. Very good, and very good for you!

[Cinnamon toast]

I make my own parmesan. 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup of toasted sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp. of salt. Grind in a coffee grinder or blend until fine. I do mine in my magic bullet. But don't blend it too long or you'll get paste. I use it on pasta, on salads, in pesto recipes, etc. Very good, and very good for you!

Just bought my first bag of NY, some fresh sesame seeds and I'm going to try your parmesan recipe! Sounds delish!

Thanks.

[rincaro]

Actually I have to give credit where credit is due. It's either from Garden of Vegan or How It All Vegan (I can't remember which) by Tonya Barnard & Sarah Kramer. But it's the yum!

[colorful]

Rani - have you tried Pacific Soy milk? It is the yummiest. Especially the vanilla. Starbucks used to use it but they recently switched to Silk. (personally I'm a Silk drinker because I can get a good deal on it at Costco, but for the taste I'll take Pacific anytime).

Earthbalance is wonderful, bakes wonderfully, tastes good.

For yogurt I like WholeSoy, Silk, or Trader Joe's brand. All of them taste pretty similar to me, but the Silk yogurt is the only one that is fortified with as much calcium as dairy yogurt.

Ice Cream - Soy Delicious & Soy Cream are my two favorites. Tofutti Cuties are these delectible little soy ice cream sandwiches that you MUST try.

Cream Cheese - Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese tastes so much like the real thing I've fooled omnis with it.

Sour Cream - Tofutti Sour Supreme, same comment at with the Cream Cheese.

*disclaimer: Both the Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and Sour Supreme have a lot of hydrogenated oil, so use them sparingly! However, they truly are the best substitutes because any others I've tried don't even come close as far as taste and texture!

[nut cutlet]

I've finally decided to make the dairy to non-dairy switch and was wondering if anyone had any good suggestions as to what brands you prefer as alternatives to butter, yogurt, cheese, etc......

I've tried a couple different brands of soy milk, Silk and Nature's Promise. So far, I prefer Nature's Promise for my coffee but still there's something "off" about the taste as opposed to the usual milk lattes I've been used to having every morning so the search continues.

And how does soy yogurt compare in taste to milk yogurt?

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
Well done! I love the Provamel Yogurts. Sainsbury's free from Soya Milk is also good. It all tastes a bit different at first but you soon get use to it.