What is the best milk substitute for cream based soup?

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tparkin
tparkin Posts: 126 Member
in Food and Nutrition
There are so many alternatives out there, soy milk, rice milk, coconut milk. What is the best substitute when making soup?

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  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
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    Why exactly are you substituting? Do you want something non-dairy... lower in calories, lower in fat, what? I like using heavy whipping cream since you don't need a lot. But that's just me.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    I think coconut milk is creamier, but I've never used it to make soup. Rice is starchy, so I wonder if that would make it thicker too. Sorry I don't have an answer, but I'd like to see what others have to say.
  • cjjohnson
    cjjohnson Posts: 32 Member
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    I actually like to use light sour cream. It adds a little something extra to the taste also, and alot less calories. It all depends on what you making though.
  • DizzieLittleLifter
    DizzieLittleLifter Posts: 1,020 Member
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    nonfat lactose free milk ? it's sweeter but has the same amount of calories. You can 1/2 the milk with water and add corn starch to thicken? I'm not sure what you are making or why no milk. LOL
  • Behavior_Modification
    Behavior_Modification Posts: 24,482 Member
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    This is not by any means lowfat, but have you ever made roux? This is what I used years ago when I was a prep cook. You melt butter (or margarine) in a frying pan on very low heat and quickly whisk flour into the butter to make a thick substance. Then when your soup is super hot, you quickly whisk it into the soup and it thickens up.
  • tparkin
    tparkin Posts: 126 Member
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    I'm trying to take out the dairy.
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
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    Try coconut milk and if you need to thicken it you can add either some tapioca flour or agar agar.

    Here's a recipe that uses coconut milk (you can use it as a reference).

    Butternut squash soup (vegan)
    1 - 10 ounce package frozen squash, thawed
    2/3 cup unsweetened light coconut milk
    3/4 cup water
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon dried parsley
    1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
    1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
    salt and pepper, to taste

    Directions:

    1) Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Place soup in a saucepan and warm over medium heat. Enjoy!

    Makes: 2 servings, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 5 to 8 minutes
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    I'm trying to take out the dairy.

    Best thing I ever did for myself. Congrats on that decision

    I have discovered that Toffuti Better than Sour Cream and cream cheese are wonderful. I used the sour cream in ranch dressing and it was wonderful. I bet it would work well in soup with a little soy, coconut or rice milk. I would choose the milk based on the other flavors in the soup. Rice milk would probably have the least strong flavor, then soy milk (I prefer the light because the flavor isn't as intense), then coconut would add a nice flavor that would be hard to cover up if you don't want the flavor. You know what I mean?

    Everything will take some experimenting to get it right. I have found it fun to experiment. Just make small batches at first so you don't waste if it doesn't come out as good as you hoped.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
    Options
    Try coconut milk and if you need to thicken it you can add either some tapioca flour or agar agar.

    Here's a recipe that uses coconut milk (you can use it as a reference).

    Butternut squash soup (vegan)
    1 - 10 ounce package frozen squash, thawed
    2/3 cup unsweetened light coconut milk
    3/4 cup water
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon dried parsley
    1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
    1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
    salt and pepper, to taste

    Directions:

    1) Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Place soup in a saucepan and warm over medium heat. Enjoy!

    Makes: 2 servings, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 5 to 8 minutes

    I figured youd have a good answer!
  • TheMaidOfAstolat
    TheMaidOfAstolat Posts: 3,222 Member
    Options
    Try coconut milk and if you need to thicken it you can add either some tapioca flour or agar agar.

    Here's a recipe that uses coconut milk (you can use it as a reference).

    Butternut squash soup (vegan)
    1 - 10 ounce package frozen squash, thawed
    2/3 cup unsweetened light coconut milk
    3/4 cup water
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon dried parsley
    1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
    1 tablespoon green onions, chopped
    salt and pepper, to taste

    Directions:

    1) Place all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Taste to adjust the seasonings. Place soup in a saucepan and warm over medium heat. Enjoy!

    Makes: 2 servings, Preparation time: 15 minutes, Cooking time: 5 to 8 minutes

    I figured youd have a good answer!

    When you've been a vegan (and an experianced chef) you learn to improvise and cook with multiple ingredients. I can use a roux, tapioca flour, arrowroot, corn starch, and agar agar to different degrees in the same recipe, lol. I did culinary thoughout highschool and had to learn the 'traditional' way of cooking and I believe that my teacher was greatful to have a vegan in the class to share non-tradional ways of cooking and some pretty wild ingredients.

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