Dairy-free

Dairy-free food contains no milk and nothing made from milk. That rules out milk from cows, goats, sheep and buffalo, and butter, cream, cheese, yogurt, whey, casein and lactose. People cook dairy-free because of a milk allergy, because they are vegan, or by choice. Eggs are not dairy.

Substitutes

• Milk: oat, soy, almond or rice milk. Unsweetened, plain versions work best in savory cooking.
• Cream: full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream, or a thick oat or soy cream.
• Butter: olive oil or a neutral oil in cooking, and a plant-based spread or block in baking.
• Cheesy flavor: nutritional yeast, white miso or a little lemon juice.
• Buttermilk: 250 ml (1 cup) plant milk with 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar, left for 5 minutes. Use it where a recipe asks for buttermilk.

Check that a substitute suits everyone you cook for. Soy, nut and coconut products bring their own allergy risks.

Common mistakes

• Using ghee or clarified butter. Most of the milk protein is removed, but not all, so they are not dairy-free.
• Using lactose-free milk. It is still cow's milk with the sugar broken down.
• Trusting the word "non-dairy". In the US, products sold as non-dairy, such as some coffee creamers, can contain caseinate, a milk protein.
• Missing hidden milk in bread, crackers, sausages, chocolate, mashed potatoes and anything brushed with butter.

In recipes

A recipe marked dairy-free should contain no milk-based ingredient at all. On packaging, read the ingredients list as well as any claim on the front. In the EU and the UK, milk must be emphasized in the ingredients list, and the US lists it as "milk" in the ingredients or a "Contains" statement. Watch for these words: milk solids, skimmed milk powder, whey, casein, caseinate, lactose, butterfat and cream.

There is no legal definition of dairy-free in the US, and labels such as "may contain milk" are voluntary everywhere. If you avoid dairy because of an allergy, read the full label each time you buy a product and talk to a doctor or dietitian about what is safe for you.