Which Dairy-Free is the best Faux Dairy?

And the answer iiissssssss (drumroll).... NONE!

Only because there is not a solo Dairy-Free Replacement that wins best in show for every category. Today I'm going to be honing in on my two favorite dairy-free replacements for Milk that I've discovered thus far.

Before we just dive right in, let's take a minute to think about the diversity of milk/cream and all the ways it is used. I like to view it as if there are two sides to it. Milk has a sweet side and a savory side. It has the ability to go into any recipe and play a lead role in creating harmony no matter what the ingredients are. This is something that, after going Dairy-free, I found was hard to find a replacement for. Because every DF milk I tried, it was missing an element or wasn't playing well with some of the other ingredients. Through much trial and error I came across two DF replacements that were able to take the roles, individually, of the sweet and savory sides of regular milk.

The first DF Milk of choice that gets a shoutout is:

Califia Farms - Oat Barista Blend

This Barista Blend hits close to all the sweet points in regular milk. The Barista Blend works great as a replacement in baking or for cereal. Any recipe that is on the sweeter side is complimented by this DF replacement greatly. It can be used for things like: cookies and cakes, rice pudding, pancakes, and even to make vanilla steamers (or anything you would like to froth). Now, you may wonder, Why the barista blend? Can I just use regular oat milk? And the answer is... Yes. You can still use a regular oat milk for all of the things above. This oat milk, however, I personally preferred over the others because of its consistency and its flavor. Other oat milks weren't as pleasant to taste and they were more watered down than the Barista Blend, which didn't hold up as well in the long run while baking. The only downside for using oat milk is, it does not transfer over to savory well. Do yourself a huge favor and never let oat milk anywhere near a savory dish. It will instantly turn a dish bitter when mixed with the wrong things; such as a stock or cheese. But, no worries. That is where our second DF replacement comes in!

The Second DF Milk on the list is:

Elmhurst - Unsweetened Milked Cashews

This second DF replacement isn't on the top of the list for flavor, but that ends up being its biggest strength. To just have this on its own, I would not give it a 5 star review; because it almost tastes like nothing. So, why use it? This flavor of "nothing" is the perfect element when trying to create a savory dish that has a creamy consistency as if you used milk or cream, without creating a conflicting flavor like oat, almond, or coconut milk does. This goes great for making alfredo/cheese sauces, chowders, creamy pasta sauces, and even for biscuits n' gravy! It is as versatile as you want it to be for any dish you think just needs a hint, or a lot, of creaminess.

These have been the biggest finds that helped in recreating recipes the way I remembered them; before my journey of changing how I eat.

There are so many options and things to keep experimenting with!

If you have come across some other good ones, share your finds here or in the forum!