I need cheese alternative suggestions

kirdyq
kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have given up dairy - well, mainly milk and cheese - and I'm feeling MUCH better.

However, I have so many recipies that call for cheese/dairy products.

What would you suggest to substitute for the following ingredients? I am so new to this, I have no idea where to begin.

Shredded cheeses
Sliced cheeses
Sour cream
Cream cheese

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'd still love to make some of my old casseroles/soups/main dishes and recipes, but I just want to keep the cheese out!!!

Replies

  • BrigFowler
    BrigFowler Posts: 9
    My favorite cheese alternative is Lisanatti almond milk cheese -- use for shredded, sliced, etc. http://www.lisanatti.com/


    Sour cream -- it's been 5 years and I still haven't found a substitute. However, if you're using it in recipes, you can try making your own cashew cream. It behaves the same way.

    Cream cheese - if using in recipes, then try Vegan Gourmet. It's very OK. Otherwise, use cashew cream with less water.

    http://talronnen.ca/recipes/cashew-cream/ <-- cashew cream
  • kirdyq
    kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
    Do you get these items in health food grocery stores?
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Only one I have for ya is sub plain Greek yogurt for sour cream. I've swapped it out in baking, dips, and on the table for taco night with no complaints from my family. I realize this is still dairy, and I'm not sure if you've given it up for a dairy intolerance or because of going vegan, but my hubby is very dairy intolerant and can still do yogurt without an issue.

    Just get a good quality yogurt, preferably not fat free - the Fage full fat or 2% is nice and creamy.
  • Cynduck
    Cynduck Posts: 255 Member
    My daughter isn't able to eat dairy anymore. It makes her very sick now. She doesn't like most of the cheese substitutes. She can do goat cheese though and uses that for most things. You can get hard cheese to shred or soft cheese that she uses instead of cream cheese (I even created a goat cheese cheese cake and it was better than the regular one!)

    Not sure if goat cheese is included in the cheese you are giving up though so this may not help you.

    I use water instead of milk in a lot of recipes. Even works the same in scrambled eggs so that they are light and fluffy like if you made them with milk. I haven't had a problem substituting water for milk in a recipe yet. We even do it for corn bread.
  • pobalita
    pobalita Posts: 741 Member
    these taste very close to the real thing and can be found at a regular grocery store:

    cream cheese - tofutti "better than cream cheese"
    sour cream - tofutti
    shredded cheddar - diaya - this melts like real shredded cheddar, too

    this isn't exactly the same as the real thing, but good:
    parmesan substitute - try sprinkling on some nutritional yeast

    I have not yet found a dairy free sliced cheese that is even close to tasting good. I have made a couple of soft "goat cheeses" from cashews and they are pretty aweseome.
  • kirdyq
    kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
    I will give some of these a try. I have given milk/cheese up due to GI issues. I've also found that my skin is looking extremely clear after giving it up.

    I suspect that I am able to tolerate dairy to some level, but previously it was making up a significant part of my diet - I was drinking a ton of milk and mainly snacking on cheese. You know how they say "everything in moderation." Well, I was not being moderate with dairy and I was paying for it.

    I'm giving my system a rest away from it for an extended period. Then, I may start eating it again just once or twice a week to see how I tolerate it.

    If anybody else has been through this, I'd love to hear how you dealt with it.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Avocado
    Olive oil and salt
    Pine nuts

    There's an ingredient added to dairy/meat substitutes called carrageenan which is an intestinal irritant. So you might want to be aware of that in your quest to overcome digestive issues. One of many articles:
    http://www.prevention.com/food/healthy-eating-tips/carrageenan-natural-ingredient-you-should-ban-your-diet
  • veggiebuckeye
    veggiebuckeye Posts: 115 Member
    Daiya.
  • climbing_trees
    climbing_trees Posts: 726 Member
    Silken tofu!
  • TabithaRose87
    TabithaRose87 Posts: 44 Member
    Good for you, I myself, can't imagine a world without manufactured yellow american cheese...even though I am pretty sure, if I stop eating it or at least GREATLY reducing my intake, I will feel much better, I don't even like any other cheese...just yellow american...Lawd help me, what our alternatives to it that won't make me want to turn my head in disgust? (super picky)
  • TheRealParisLove
    TheRealParisLove Posts: 1,907 Member
    I wouldn't try to find a substitute the cheese item for item, but try to recreate the flavor profile in another way. For instance: cream cheese is fatty, tart and smooth. Try working with a puree of navy beans, lemon juice, salt and olive oil to create a similar flavor profile. Use as a spread on toast, dolloped on omelets, and blended into savory dishes like soups and casseroles.

    Nut butters will work well as substitutes for cheese in both sweet and savory dishes. Almond butter is my favorite for cookies and brownies.

    There are, of course, soy versions of most dairy products, but I don't recommend them. Those items are highly processed and are now being researched as having negative health impacts similar to trans fats.

    Some foods are just going to have to be drastically altered. Pizza is pretty good w/o cheese when drizzled with olive oil and herbs.
  • dellaquilaa
    dellaquilaa Posts: 230 Member
    I use Daiya cheddar on occasion if I'm craving a grilled cheese, and their moz isn't too bad either. I also use equal parts of mixed nuts + nutritional yeast as a pizza topping and sprinkle it on spaghetti
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    Why have you given up dairy? Is this for weight loss reasons?
  • SamanthaD1218
    SamanthaD1218 Posts: 303 Member
    I am a cheese FANATIC but I have been eating vegan because my cholesterol is just way too high. I shop at Stop & Shop, where I can get all the following items:

    Cream Cheese - Go Veggie! Cream Cheese substitute (comes in flavors - plain, garlic and chive, strawberry... I put this on my boyfriend's bagels and he has no idea it isn't real)

    Sliced Cheese - Go Veggie! has American cheese, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese... I really like these because not only are they good cold, they melt really well (yummy grilled cheese!). I've tried a lot of cheese alternatives that taste like plastic or don't melt well, but these are amazing.

    Shredded Cheese - Go Veggie! also has shredded cheeses in the above flavors. It doesn't melt as well as the sliced cheese, but tastes pretty good and will melt if you do it carefully.

    (Clearly I have a favorite brand here haha)

    Parmesan Cheese - Nutritional yeast is a must. I also give this to my boyfriend (I put it in a glass shaker) and he has no idea it isn't actually Parmesan cheese. It sounds kind of gross (at least to me it did), but now I love it on my pasta, popcorn, potatoes - you name it!

    2uz3z7r.jpg

    I haven't found a sour cream alternative yet, unfortunately. Hopefully one day!
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Here's a cream cheese recipe I LOVE, it's totally vegan.
    1 1/2 C Pine Nuts
    1 1/2 C raw sunflower seeds (the hulled ones)
    3/4 C fresh lemon juice
    3 Cloves Garlic
    1 3/4 tsp salt (I much prefer the unrefined salt!!)
    freshly ground black pepper to taste

    Soak the nuts/seeds overnight. Drain. Use a good blender. blend all ingredients until very smooth, adding a bit of water if necessary.
  • BigAlNyc
    BigAlNyc Posts: 20 Member
    I will give some of these a try. I have given milk/cheese up due to GI issues. I've also found that my skin is looking extremely clear after giving it up.

    I suspect that I am able to tolerate dairy to some level, but previously it was making up a significant part of my diet - I was drinking a ton of milk and mainly snacking on cheese. You know how they say "everything in moderation." Well, I was not being moderate with dairy and I was paying for it.

    I'm giving my system a rest away from it for an extended period. Then, I may start eating it again just once or twice a week to see how I tolerate it.

    If anybody else has been through this, I'd love to hear how you dealt with it.

    I have switched my father to cabot vermont cheddar (it is lactose free) and it does does not bother his GI track like milk or other brands.
  • GingerLolita
    GingerLolita Posts: 738 Member
    I gave up dairy a few months ago due to health reasons. I've been reducing slowly since the summer, but my new year's resolution is to have absolutely no dairy. I've found that cheese substitutes are unsatisfying and mostly devoid of nutritional value.

    Soft silken tofu works well as a substitute for ricotta cheese in tofu - plus, it doubles as the protein source. I suppose this could be used instead of many other soft cheeses, but I haven't tried it.

    Cutting out shredded and sliced cheeses has helped my weight loss/maintenance efforts. Question if you really need to replace them with processed, often high-fat alternatives.

    I've never been a big sour cream fan, but since many people use (Greek) yogurt, I suppose you could get some plain non-dairy yogurt to use; some brands like So Delicious and Silk make Greek varieties.

    I put peanut butter on my whole wheat bagels instead of cream cheese. It's high in protein and healthy fats. But bagels are a rare treat for me. Soft silken tofu may work here too, but you'd probably want to add some sort of flavor - whatever you like in your cream cheese!

    I'd also like to share that raw vegan pesto is the best thing that's happened to me since I gave up dairy. Whole Foods carries the Seggiano brand one with only four ingredients that I am obsessed with - olive oil, cashews, pine nuts and basil.
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I'm lactose intolerant, and I mainly take lactase chewables. I just love dairy :) I even keep some in my purse so I can still have it when having to grab a snack.

    I can eat yogurt without adding lactase, and there is a nice soft cheese you can make by fully draining yogurt or Greek yogurt for a long while. Get better instructions by Googling 'yogurt cheese' or similar. It really works and is yummy. It definitely subs for cream cheese very well.
  • pianochick5254
    pianochick5254 Posts: 97
    If a recipe calls for it, I wouldn't use it. A lot of people just replace what they took off their plate with something similar but in a lot of cases that can run up your grocery bill and your calories. I would just suggest going without. However, if you need to there are milk substitutes like soy, hemp, rice, and almond and they are usually very delicious. Also there is dairy free sour cream, cream cheese, whipped cream, shredded cheese, sliced cheese, yogurt, basically anything dairy. You should be able to find it in your organic section of the grocery store. For things like parmesan and stuff you can use nutritional yeast powder. Check out some vegan recipes for cheese sauces and things of that nature. They will have boatloads of recipes for homemade faux dairy items.
  • kirdyq
    kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
    Thanks everyone for your responses! This newbie really appreciates all the info!! :happy:
  • judyamk
    judyamk Posts: 79 Member
    There are millions of recipes out there on the net that you do not use cheese!!! I know I know because I am a cheese lover. also !!!! My brother David introduced me to all kinds of cheese some I never new existed I had to stop I could not just have the size of a dice piece, but rather a palm size piece!! so it was hard for me to back off. Greek yogurt may be a substitute the dish will not taste as good as the cheese one, but remember it is all about getting healthier!!
    Judy
  • Fit_Natasha
    Fit_Natasha Posts: 83 Member
    Thanks everyone for your responses! This newbie really appreciates all the info!! :happy:
    .

    If you gave up milk because of GI issues, try using fermented milk products (plain yogurt, kefir, labnan, etc.) They works totally different for GI than milk and actually can be beneficial for G (unless you can't tolerate lactose). If it is not lactose intolerance, try goat cheese. Goat milk has different protein structure than cow milk and much gentler for the digestive system (in old times, when there were no baby formula, babies were fed with goat milk, because it closer by structure to human breast milk than cow milk). I would go this way rather than using processed vegan products. If you completely cant' use diary, than just stop using old recipes and search and try something new without cheese.
  • Fit_Natasha
    Fit_Natasha Posts: 83 Member
    Good for you, I myself, can't imagine a world without manufactured yellow american cheese...even though I am pretty sure, if I stop eating it or at least GREATLY reducing my intake, I will feel much better, I don't even like any other cheese...just yellow american...Lawd help me, what our alternatives to it that won't make me want to turn my head in disgust? (super picky)

    I've never seen this in any country around the world -- yellow coloring added to the cheese. It looks gross! France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Australia (you name it!) produces tons of the cheese of different variety for centuries, and none of them came with the idea to add ugly yellow chemical to the cheese. I never can understand what was the purpose of doing it in America? Other than it looks ugly yellow, it taste nothing like cheese at all.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,674 Member
    Good for you, I myself, can't imagine a world without manufactured yellow american cheese...even though I am pretty sure, if I stop eating it or at least GREATLY reducing my intake, I will feel much better, I don't even like any other cheese...just yellow american...Lawd help me, what our alternatives to it that won't make me want to turn my head in disgust? (super picky)

    I've never seen this in any country around the world -- yellow coloring added to the cheese. It looks gross! France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Australia (you name it!) produces tons of the cheese of different variety for centuries, and none of them came with the idea to add ugly yellow chemical to the cheese. I never can understand what was the purpose of doing it in America? Other than it looks ugly yellow, it taste nothing like cheese at all.
    Just follow the money.
  • kirdyq
    kirdyq Posts: 165 Member
    You know what is funny...I had done some food sensitivity testing about a year ago due to the GI issues. Annatto is a natural food coloring used in a lot of cheeses to color them yellow/orange. I was sensitive to annatto and had to avoid it for a while. Made me wish they'd just leave the coloring alone!
  • Fit_Natasha
    Fit_Natasha Posts: 83 Member
    You know what is funny...I had done some food sensitivity testing about a year ago due to the GI issues. Annatto is a natural food coloring used in a lot of cheeses to color them yellow/orange. I was sensitive to annatto and had to avoid it for a while. Made me wish they'd just leave the coloring alone!

    Good to know about annatto. The good thing that there are tons of good cheeses that are natural white/off white color.

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