Need to go dairy free and don’t know what to spend your hard earned cashola on? Gong dairy free can be a very expensive endeavor trying to find good tasting alternatives. Some products are way and beyond better then others for sure. Choices are largely made on personal preference in regards to texture, after taste, creaminess, etc.
If you don’t find a particular product that you like, don’t be discouraged–there is usually a different one that will fill the ticket. The items listed below are not the only great tasting options out there. For each type of dairy free item, there are usually 2 or 3 very nice options.
Once you find the brand item that you like, it’s worth gathering when it’s on sale. We try out new brands and flavors when we stumble across them at Grocery Outlet. That allows us to experiment without breaking the bank. For example: a small single serving container of dairy free yogurt can set you back anywhere from $2 to $3.50 for just one serving. I have frequently found different brands at Grocery Outlet for 50 cents. That’s a very big difference and enables us to try it out without rueing spending the money to do it.
Where to find dairy free alternatives?
The items listed below have the specific location where we find them in our area but they are not the only places to find them. You can find quite a selection of dairy free alternatives at the following stores:
- Rosuaers Huckleberry section
- Fred Meyer / Kroger natural food section
- Winco produce section and dairy section
- Grocery Outlet cooler section (changes often)
- Walmart gluten free section
- Thrive Market online
- Amazon
- Costco dairy free milk cases usually by the cooler sections
- Trader Joe’s
- Beems Nutrition store in Yakima
- Mill Creek Natural Foods in Union Gap
Thai Kitchen Full Fat Coconut Milk
Thai Kitchen coconut milk has been a dairy free staple for quite some time. Very versatile, it can be used in place of half and half as well as heavy cream. If you keep a can unopened in your fridge, the cold cream at the top of the can then be whipped up at a moment’s notice for dairy free whipped cream as well.
We like to use canned coconut milk in curry, as a cream soup base, in instant pudding mix, or in homemade ice cream.
There is a large difference between brands in the thickness and cream content so you may find that you prefer a certain brand over others. New Thai’s full fat usually is characterized by approximately 3/4 can full of thick coconut cream and 1/4 separated coconut water. A case of 6 cans is usually easy to find at Costco, Walmart, or Winco.
Oui Dairy Free Yogurt
Oui Yogurt is awesome as a regular yogurt but they have done an outstanding job with their dairy free line also. What we appreciate is that there is no carrageenan in it since that irritates by daughter’s stomach. Excellent taste and creaminess.
Their flavor choices of mango, strawberry, raspberry, coconut, or pumpkin caramel are slowly cropping up at places like Fred Meyer and occasionally at Grocery Outlet. Once in awhile you will find the glass jars with a floral pattern on the glass. Having a reusable glass container is another win for Oui.
So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Whipped Cream
Man, who can resist whipped cream? I love to use whipped cream for a lowfat topper on frozen blueberries or just plain with a few Lily’s Chocolate chips thrown on top. So Delicious whipped cream does a good job with texture and flavor and works wonderfully in homemade eggnog.
It stays fluffy (which can be a problem for spray style dairy whipped cream). It does have a very slight coconut undertone but not an overly pronounced flavor.
You can find it at Walmart right next to the Cool Whip and sometimes at Winco. Well done, So Delicious. There is a spray can version but it tends to clog easily so we stick to the frozen version.
Oatly Dairy Free Ice Cream
We stumbled across Oatly ice cream when we were in a Grocery Outlet and decided to give the strawberry flavor a try. Man was that good! My daughter promptly stated it was her favorite diary free brand of all time, even over Ben and Jerry’s. Wow! Oatly then popped up at Walmart and the chocolate is just as good.
One of the things about some dairy free brands of ice cream is that they lack a certain “depth”. Maybe trying to be too healthy or something and cut out the necessary fat. Oatly has that depth and they nail the creaminess factor.
Miyokos Pepper Jack Shreds
Dairy free cheese is the monster challenge for dairy sensitive people. Oh- so- lovely real dairy cheese just can’t be beat with it’s creamy melty texture and dairy-ness. Dairy free alternatives have come a long way and I hope they continue to improve. This is the ONE dairy item that I rue not being able to deep dive into but it is definitely one of the top dairy items I need to avoid.
I was pleasantly surprised that this particular Mioykos flavor option had a nice bite and actually melted in my tortilla. Hmmm, maybe I can do this one. Since the pandemic, it’s been a bit of a challenge to find it. In the past, I have found it at Winco in the produce coolers and at Rosauers.
Violife Strawberry Cream Cheese
This dairy free cream cheese hits the spot! With just the right undertone, the folks at Violife have a winner. This cream cheese is not slimy and doesn’t have a weird after flavor either. Perfect on a fresh warm bagel.
Follow Your Heart Parmesan
Follow Your Heart Parmesan has captured the sharp taste and hard texture of grated parmesan. Wonderful as a topper on your salad, soup, or sandwich. I love to add a sprinkle of this on hearty cold weather stews with a bit of Tajin seasoning, warm weather pasta dishes, or chicken salad. Good job Follow Your Heart.
great alternatives, Im yet to try oatly ice cream. I love using dairy free milks.
Yes, we like to use coconut milk or almond milk as a substitute. Currently trying to lower our almond consumption so doing a bit more of coconut milk.