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In this post I’m sharing my favorite list of dairy free baking substitutes. It was hard going dairy free, because I love to bake. 

When we went gluten and dairy free nearly 8 years ago, grocery store aisles didn’t have pre-made gluten/dairy free baked goods, and I made nearly everything from scratch.

If not milk, what?

I tried (and failed) at many recipes because I wanted to find the best dairy free substitutes. It was a long trial-and-error process.

The good news

The good news is, you don’t have to make the same mistakes I did, because below I have put together a list of my favorite, go-to substitutes for cooking and baking.

Here are my favorite substitutes for dairy:

Milk 1:1 replacements
Almond milk
Cashew milk
Coconut milk
Rice milk
Personally, I like using rice milk best because it doesn’t change the flavor of what I’m making. It has a consistency like skim milk.

Buttermilk
Add 1 TBSP of lemon juice to 1 cup of dairy-free milk

Butter
Vegan butter substitute like Earth Balance (1:1)
Shortening (1:1)
1/2 cup of fruit puree to 1 cup of butter (bananas, applesauce, prunes)

Get a free printable of the best dairy free baking substitutes

Thinking about going dairy free? Read our post about going gluten and dairy free, or check out our recipe section.

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