If you need to be gluten free AND dairy free, don’t despair! There are some truly amazing vegan and lactose free cheeses, yogurts, creams, desserts … to choose from! (and yes, there’s a difference between vegan, dairy-free and lactose free products!)
What you’ll find in this post:
- How to Read Labels — CAUTION: Not All Dairy Free Products are Also Gluten Free
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Cheeses (shreds, slices, cream cheese and more)
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Butter Substitutes for Baking
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Milks
- Is Oat Milk Gluten Free? Which Oat Milks are Safe for Celiacs?
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Heavy Cream
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Canned Milks
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Yogurt
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Creamer & Nog
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Sour Cream & Ricotta
- Best Dairy Free & Vegan Gluten Free Mac & Cheese
- Best Dairy Free and Vegan Frozen Desserts
For more information on what it means to be dairy free and the reasons why you may want to try going dairy free for your health, hop to my article on lactose intolerance, milk protein allergy and casein.
From vegan ricotta to vegan cream cheese to vegan yogurt to vegan artisanal cheeses, mac & cheese and ice cream … you can find just about anything you need now, dairy-free! I’ve linked to a ton of our family favorites, but more are being added every day — lucky us!
I update this post regularly, as I attend trade shows and find new products to share. Some photos below are from trade show floors and depict products that are coming to market soon, so be on the lookout! Follow along on my Instagram Stories and Highlight reel with my favorite brands and products as I share!
What are your favorite dairy-free products? Leave a comment and let me know!
CAUTION for Gluten Free Consumers about Dairy-Free Alternatives: Some Dairy-Free Cheese Contains Gluten
When it comes to dairy substitutes, cheese is where it’s at, so that’s where this list will begin. What would a good cheesesteak be with out the cheese? A slice-a pizza be without hot, melty cheese? A cheeseboard be without the … well, you get the idea.
I’ve found some great dairy-free substitutes for you for all these things and more, starting with my favorite: PIZZA! Even buffalo mozzarella is now deliciously dairy free (Miyoko’s Creamery) and melty shreds are getting better and better. But not every product from these vegan brands is necessarily ALSO gluten free (even Miyoko’s, which makes some products using standard, aka not gluten-free, oats).
Let me repeat: NOT all of the new dairy-free products on the market are both vegan and gluten free. Always read labels!
An example of a vegan product NOT suitable for gluten free consumers is this plant-based mozzarella from Whole Foods which contains wheat:
ALWAYS, always, always read every label!
Best Gluten Free & Dairy Free Cheeses & More*:
(check ingredients to ensure they suit your particular dietary needs — not every item pictured below is recommended as safe for celiacs and not every item is vegan.)
Best Dairy-Free Cheeses: Shreds, Slices, Cream Cheese, Soft Cheeses, Sticks & More
Vevan® – made by artisan cheese makers in Wisconsin. Vegan, coconut and potato-based cheeses with probiotics. Cheddar, Mozzarella and P’ Jack Shreds; Uncream Cheese, Mozza Bites and Snax.
So Delicious® Cheese Alternatives — Shreds, Slices, Spreads. Coconut-based. Shreds come in Mozzarella, Cheddar and Mexican flavors. Certified Gluten Free from GFCO.
Forager Project® — cashew-based vegan cheeses (Vegan Parmesan, Vegan Mozzarella, Vegan Jack and Vegan Queso Fresco)
Violife 100% Vegan Cheeses — all coconut oil based and nut-free (contains coconut, potato, corn) shreds, slices, cream cheese, feta, parmesan block, plant butter, dips, cream cheese, cocospread and more.
Parmela Creamery™ Slices and Shreds — cashew-milk based
Good PlanEt Foods™ cheese slices and shreds — coconut oil based and nut-free (contains potato and tapioca). Also new Smoked Gouda and Smoked Cheddar Wheels, Snackable Wedges and Snack Packs. Also NEW Olive Oil Based shreds, blocks and cubes are AMAZING! And they even melt like regular cheese! Highly recommend!
Daiya™ Cheddar and Mozzarella-Style shredded & sliced dairy-free cheese (*note: my family only likes the “Cutting Board Collection”), vegan cheeze sticks, Cream Cheese Style Spread (soy-free) — I find when using this cream cheese alternative in recipes like cream cheese frosting, it requires additional sugar, whereas other brands do not
Field Roast® Vegan Chao Slices – made with soy; no gluten free claim is made and Field Roast does make other grain products containing gluten.
Miyoko’s Creamery™ Artisan Cheese Wheel and other spreads — cashew based
Miyoko’s Creamery™ Cashew Milk Mozzarella (traditional mozzarella di bufalo-style pictured on pizza, above). Also liquid Pizza Cheese — starts melted so it stays melted! Seems weird, but it actually works and is pretty delish.
Miyoko’s Creamery™ Farmhouse Cheddar and Pepperjack — NOTE: made with oat milk and no gluten free claim is made; I do not recommend this product for anyone with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity due to the cross-contamination risk from oats.
Follow Your Heart® Slices (Gouda; Pepperjack; Provolone) & Follow Your Heart® shredded vegan Parmesan & Follow Your Heart® Cream Cheese Alternative (soy)
GO Veggie!® Lactose Free or Vegan shredded cheese, cream cheese, blocks, bars, parmesan, slices & GO Veggie® Vegan Parmesan; Parma! Vegan Parmesan
Treeline™ — cashew-based soft cheeses, cream cheese and aged artisanal cheeses as well as vegan goat cheese. For more on my most recent review of Treeline products from Natural Products Expo East, check out my full article here.
Kite Hill™: almond milk cream cheese, yogurt, ricotta, soft-ripened artisanal cheeses
Tofutti® Better Than Cream Cheese; Sour Cream; Ricotta; American Style Slices (soy) — more affordably priced and often easier to find than other brands.
Armored Fresh: a fermented almond product line that really does taste like cheese! Their cheese cubes are super portable for lunch boxes and other snacking — kid-approved! Also slices, shreds and spreads. (some products contain carrageenan)
Spero Sunflower Cream Cheese Spreads – multiple flavors from smoked salmon to strawberry to cheddar and of course, plain, all vegan; also sunflower goat cheese.
Lisanatti Foods® Almond Mozarella or Cheddar-Style Shredded Cheese; Rice Cheeze Sticks (only lactose-free, not dairy-free/vegan)
Nuts for Cheese fermented cashew cheese in amazing artisanal flavors from vegan Blue Cheese to Smoked Gouda to Brie! Also Nuts for Butter fermented cashew butters. No starches or gums or fillers.
Also check out Plant Based News: Best Brands of Vegan Cream Cheese (all of my choices are in there, too!)
Best Dairy-Free and Vegan Butter Substitutes for Baking
In general, stick to sticks for baking. You can remember that rule of thumb, right? Tubs contain “butters” that are meant to spread, which is not ideal for most baking. Look for sticks which are made for baking.
Earth Balance® Vegan Buttery Sticks & Soy-Free Buttery Sticks (my preferred baking products)
Earth Balance® Coconut Spread (vegan & soy-free)
Melt Organic Butter sticks and spread (Jules note: DO NOT USE FOR FROSTING!)
Miyoko’s Kitchen™ vegan butter (Jules note: this product does not contain preservatives and will grow mold quickly, so use soon after purchase!)
Country Crock Plant Butter Sticks
Best Dairy Free and Vegan Milks
There are new vegan “milks” popping up all the time! Just always read the ingredients to ensure they are right for you. Some are found in the refrigerator case, some are found in aseptic containers on regular store shelves.
Milkadamia has a full line of vegan nut-based milks, as well as seasonal nut-based vegan milks and nogs that are quite delicious. Their creamers are spot-on, as well.
So Delicious® Coconut Milk Beverage
Pacific Foods (almond, hemp, soy, hazelnut, coconut, cashew, oat)
OWYN Protein Drinks, Vanilla Milk and Chocolate Milk
Silk Almond, Cashew, Coconut or Soy Milks (or oat)
Forager Cashew Milk (or oat)
Good Mylk (almond, hemp and oat milks — oat milk is confirmed purity protocol)
Siggi’s Plant-Based Drinkables (probiotic coconut drinks with gut-friendly probiotics)
Is Oat Milk Gluten Free?
Good question. Oats are naturally gluten free, but they are an inherently risky ingredient for anyone living gluten free for medical reasons (celiac, gluten sensitivity, etc.). Read all about how cross-contamination with gluten grains is rampant in oat crops, and how to find the safest gluten free oats — aka “Purity Protocol Oats.” Those manufacturers making a gluten free claim but not using purity protocol oats are less safe than those using purity protocol oats, so it’s important to know the difference, but the choice is yours about whether these products meet your particular dietary needs. When in doubt, contact the manufacturer directly.
Oat milk is the next BIG THING. Plant-based folks and anyone wanting more nutritious milk on their cereal is hopping on the oat milk bandwagon, so there are lots of oat milks out there. Did you know oat milk has double the fiber of other plant-based milks like almond and soy! And that cow’s milk as no fiber?!
But if you’re celiac or need to eat gluten free for medical reasons, stick with only oat milks from manufacturers which use purity protocol oats or at least those which are using certified gluten free oats.
Hop to my extensive post on Which Oat Milks Are Gluten Free.
Best Dairy Free and Vegan Heavy Cream
Califia Heavy Whipping Cream — gluten-free claim; ingredients: Water, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Fava Bean Protein Isolate, Acacia, Natural Flavor, Xanthan Gum, Gellan Gum. Buy on Amazon.
Country Crock Plant Cream — gluten-free claim; ingredients: Plant Milk (Water, Lentil Protein), Plant-Based Oil Blend from Coconut And Canola Oils, Sugar, Modified Corn Starch, Sucrose Esters of Fatty Acid, Natural Flavor, Mono & Di-glycerides, Salt, Guar Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Locust Bean Gum, Beta-Carotene (Color).
Let’s Do Organic Heavy Whipping Cream — gluten-free claim; ingredients: Organic Coconut, Filtered Water.
Mementa Organic Coconut Whipping Cream — gluten-free claim; ingredients: Organic coconut milk, water, organic guar gum.
Nature’s Charm Coconut Whipping Cream — gluten-free claim; ingredients: Coconut Cream (coconut extract, water), virgin coconut oil, coconut sugar, guar gum.
Silk Heavy Whipping Cream — gluten-free claim; ingredients: Filtered Water, Coconut Oil, Sunflower Oil, Faba Bean Protein, Guar Gum, Sunflower Lecithin, Natural Flavors. Buy on Amazon.
Violife Just Like Heavy Whipping Cream (for professionals): gluten-free claim; ingredients: Lentil preparation (water, lentil protein), plant-based oil blend from coconut and canola oils, sugar, modified corn starch, sucrose esters of fatty acid, natural flavor, mono and di-glycerides, salt, guar gum, sunflower lecithin, locust bean gum, beta-carotene (color)
Best Dairy Free and Vegan Canned Milks
Sweetened Condensed Organic Coconut Milk — Let’s Do … Organic
Sweetened Condensed Milk – Mementa (ingredients: Organic coconut milk, organic coconut sugar, water and organic guar gum.)
Unsweetened Organic Coconut Milk — Native Forest (also comes in Curry flavor)
Vegan Evaporated Milk — coconut milk from Nature’s Charm
Sweetened Condensed Milk — coconut milk from Nature’s Charm
Best Dairy-Free and Vegan Yogurt
Kite Hill Almond Milk Yogurt and Kids’ Yogurt Tubes
Silk Almond, Soy or Oat Milk Yogurt (note: this oat yogurt not certified gluten free)
Green Valley Organics® Lactose Free Yogurt
Culina Coconut Yogurt — maple syrup sweetened
Siggi’s Plant-Based Yogurt (plant-based coconut, macadamia, and pea protein blend with 3x more protein and 35% less sugar than leading yogurt alternatives)
Ayo Organic Almond Yogurt — made by 4th generation California almond farmers, this farm-to-spoon organic yogurt tastes amazing! Loaded with probiotics and non-GMO, gluten-free, vegan ingredients. Carrageenan-free; soy-free.
Best Dairy-Free and Vegan Creamer and Nog
So Delicious® Coconut Milk Creamer (or oat milk)
Laird Superfood has powdered creamers and now liquid Superfood Creamers as well. Vegan (coconut milk-based) and gluten free, and of course come in pumpkin spice flavor, but they include three functional mushroom ingredients (Lion’s Mane, Cordyceps and Chaga) as well as aquamin and other plant-based minerals.
Ripple Half & Half (pea protein)
Nutpods Almond + Coconut Creamer
PicNik Vegan Creamer (0 grams sugar)
Good Mylk Almond Creamer (or oat)
So Delicious® Vegan Holiday Nog – seasonal
Silk® Vegan Nog – seasonal
Bhakti® Holiday Spiced Vegan Nog -seasonal
Best Dairy-Free and Vegan Sour Cream & Ricotta
Follow Your Heart® Sour Cream Alternative (soy)
Forager Project Sour Cream (coconut and cashew milk based)
Tofutti® Better Than Sour Cream (soy; non-hydrogenated)
Vegan Gourmet®/Follow Your Heart Sour Cream (soy)
Green Valley Organics® Lactose Free Sour Cream (not dairy-free or vegan)
Good Karma Sour Cream (made from coconut, tapioca and pea protein)
Kite Hill Almond Milk Ricotta Cheese
Treeline Cashewmilk Ricotta Cheese
Tofutti Better than Ricotta (soy based)
Best Dairy-Free and Vegan Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
Annie’s® Homegrown Vegan, Gluten Free Mac and Cheese
Healthy Vegan & Gluten Free Mac and Cheese recipe
Banza Chickpea Pasta Plant Based Mac
Daiya Cheddar Style Deluxe Cheezy Mac
Best Dairy Free and Vegan Frozen Desserts:
So Delicious Coconut Milk, Cashew Milk, Almond Milk or Soy Milk Ice Cream
So Delicious® Minis
So Delicious® CocoWhip Coconut Whipped Cream
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*some items may include affiliate links. If you choose to purchase an item through one of these links, your cost remains the same but I may receive a small portion of the price to use to fund this website. See my full disclosure policy here. As always, all opinions are my own.
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Hi there,
So many great options! If you and your family are making a pizza or the slow cooker pizza, what DF cheese do you like to use? I’m a little overwhelmed by all the different choices. 🙂
There are so many options out now, the trick is finding something good near you! I like Miyoko’s products for pizza cheese best. The Buffalo Mozz and the liquid Mozz for pizza are the yummiest. I also like Violife and Vevan and GoodPlanEt Shreds. Hopefully one or more of those are available at your local store!
~jules
Milk allergy that also reacts to plain Oats cooked in water, ideas?
Are you looking for an oatmeal substitute?
Hi Jules,
In some of the recipes from you that I receive in my inbox dairy free powdered milk is called for. Then, when I look them up on your website, none of them have powdered milk in the recipe. I bought dairy free powdered milk and now I can’t find the recipes that call for it. Help!
Another question: Some of your recipes call for psyllium husk powder AND your flour, which already has xanthan gum in it. Do we really want both in there?
And yet another question: I recently purchased a bunch of your mixes and flour and received a free cookbook with the mixed and flour. If I make the Nearly Normal GF Flour, could I replace the xanthan gum with psyllium husk powder?
Hi Jeanie, I’ll try to answer your questions as best I can.
As for the powdered milk, you can use that in recipes that call for it or the sub of vanilla pudding mix (GF) as noted. If you can’t find the recipes that called for it, that’s a good thing — less to worry about!
Very few of my recipes call for psyllium husk fiber. Where noted, it’s used to help provide additional structure to yeast breads.
As for making the Nearly Normal Gluten Free Flour, you will find that flour is very different from my gfJules Flour. It’s more for people who can’t tolerate an ingredient in my gfJules Flour or live overseas and can’t afford to have my flour shipped to them. I would not recommend replacing the XG with psyllium in that mix, as psyllium tends to work better in yeast breads but not in all purpose applications. Here’s more information on what makes my gfJules Flour unique as opposed to the homemade mix.
~jules
Dairy free products are really delicious and healthy that everyone must try on. Helpful guide you shared, thanks.
Happy to share!!
~jules
Hi,😊 thank you for the lists of cheese, can you assist me to see which brands have a certified gluten free label? Because I see statements of gluten free and symbols but no certification stamps and I can only eat certified gluten free. I have been looking for vegan non dairy without casein and gluten free certified and I cannot seem to find any, if you know of any that would be so helpful. Thank you so much!
Hi Rana, the best way to find out is to look at the packaging itself. I know that currently the So Delicious shreds are certified by GFCO. You can identify the certifications by learning them from my article on safe shopping: https://gfjules.com/shopping-for-safe-gluten-free-products/
You can also click through to the product pages from each link I’ve provided here for the products and see whether the manufacturer has added the certifications to the product pages for the most up-to-date information. I hope that helps!!!!
~jules
Hi –
Can you recommend a dairy free caramel?
Thank you!
Hi Laura, yes! I really like Cocomels Vegan Caramels linked here. Enjoy!
~jules
Dear Jules,
Thank you so much for the list, is a big help!
Jules, I have a question. All your bread recipes can be done in a Bread Machine and what circle should I use?
Please advice,
Hi Martha, I’m so happy the list was helpful to you!
Regarding bread machines, check out this article on gluten free bread baking in a bread machine, as well as my review of two of my favorite bread machines. I hope those answer your question!
~jules
Great list and includes so many of our favorites too! I’m so glad to have all these options which make living DF a little easier.
This is so helpful. I’m always so hesitant with dairy free options and I’m trying to eat less dairy…the cheeses always get me a bit warry, but I’m going to have to try a few!
Glad it’s helpful for you, Amanda! We could all stand to eat a bit less cow’s milk products. It’s nice that so many new options are worth trying!
~jules
So glad it’s helpful, Amanda!
~jules