From my baking shelf
Dairy-free ingredients I use
These are the dairy-free ingredients I test with, from milk and butter to cream cheese and chocolate.
My dairy-free picks are vegan, too. For a particular bake, check the brands linked in that recipe.
Milk
My milk picks for batters, fillings, and frosting.
- Silk Original Unsweet
Creamy, neutral, and consistent in batters, fillings, and frostings.
- Ripple Original
A creamy option that helps batters and frostings emulsify smoothly.
- Oatly Barista Edition
A richer oat option that works well when creaminess matters.
Butter
These are my butter picks. Look for sticks when the recipe calls for them.
- Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks
Reliable for baking and sturdy buttercream.
- Violife Plant Butter Sticks
A strong option for buttercream and baked fillings.
- Earth Balance
Useful in recipes where structure matters.
- Miyoko's
Rich, flavorful, and helpful in the right bake.
Plain unsweetened yogurt
Match the style in the recipe: regular and Greek-style yogurt have different consistencies.
- Forager Unsweetened Plain Yogurt
Smooth, mild, and dependable in cake batters and loaf batters.
- Silk Plain Unsweetened Yogurt
Another plain, mild option that behaves well in baked goods.
- Forager Unsweetened Plain Greek Style Yogurt
One of my Greek-style choices when that is the style listed in the recipe.
- Tezza Plain Unsweetened Greek Yogurt
Another Greek-style choice used in my recipes. Keep to the yogurt style listed in the recipe.
Sour cream
Violife is my first choice, with Forager as another option.
- Violife Sour Cream
My first choice for sour cream.
- Forager Sour Cream
My second choice and another good option when Violife is not available.
Cream cheese
The recipe matters here. My picks for frosting, baked cheesecake, and no-bake cheesecake are different.
- Philadelphia Plant-Based Cream Cheese
A dependable choice for cream cheese frostings, icings, and cake batters.
- Violife Supreme Cream Cheese Block
My pick for no-bake cheesecake and the frosting on my Carrot Cinnamon Roll Lava Cake.
- Tofutti
My only recommendation for baked cheesecake.
Cream
My cream picks for fillings and buttercream.
- Country Crock Heavy Plant Cream
Silky, creamy, and dependable in buttercream and fillings.
- Silk Heavy Whipping Cream Alternative
A smooth option for loosening buttercream and fillings.
Sweetened condensed milk
I prefer the oat version. The coconut version is another option when you want that flavor.
- Nature's Charm Sweetened Condensed Oat Milk
Thick, glossy, and dependable when condensed milk affects set and sweetness.
- Nature's Charm Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk
Works well if you want a coconut note.
Chocolate
The two chocolate chips I use in my Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Donut Loaf.
- Guittard 46% Cacao Semisweet Chocolate Chips
My semisweet chocolate chip pick for this loaf.
- Guittard Super Cookie Chips
My second chocolate pick for this loaf. Made without milk ingredients, but on equipment that also handles milk chocolate.
Egg substitute
Most of my recipes are already egg-free. Where a recipe specifies JUST Egg, I use the liquid product and the amount listed.
- JUST Egg
The liquid egg substitute used in my recipes that call for it.
Marshmallows & mallow
My pick for marshmallows and marshmallow fluff.
- Dandies
My go-to for marshmallows and mallow.
Nutritional yeast
A recipe-specific addition for my dairy-free Limoncello Cheesecake Mousse filling.
- Foods Alive Nutritional Yeast
I use the unfortified version in the amount listed in that recipe.
Hazelnut spread
For this route, look for the dairy-free jar.
- Nocciolata Dairy Free Hazelnut Spread
The dairy-free version of my favorite Nutella-style spread.
Making the whole recipe vegan?
Use the recommended dairy-free ingredients and organic cane sugar, plus the egg substitute where the recipe calls for one. Nearly all of my recipes are egg-free already, and every gluten-free recipe is egg-free.
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