As far as most dairy products go, I don’t really have a problem with any of them. I can drink as much milk and eat as much cheese as I want without feeling the consequences, but I know that’s not the case for everyone. I know people who can’t handle the cream in their coffee and can’t have more than one small bowl of ice cream. It made me curious about the alternatives to these dairy products, so I decided to go dairy-free for a week and see how these alternatives compared to the real deal.
Monday
This morning I had to physically stop myself from reaching for my usual coffee creamer. Instead, I grabbed a little carton of So Delicious Dairy Free Coconut Milk Creamers. I’m usually a French vanilla type of person, but I decided to give hazelnut a try.
Coconut milk is definitely not as thick or creamy as regular milk, so I had to use a lot more than I normally would. Even when I used about a third of the carton, my coffee was way darker than I usually take it. Despite that, the flavor was pleasant. The hazelnut flavor was strong and you could definitely taste a hint of coconut, which gave my coffee an almost tropical taste. Overall, not entirely bad.
Rating: 3.5/5
Tuesday
I had always been hesitant when it came to almond milk. I wasn’t a fan of almonds to begin with, so the idea of them in a drink had me a little anxious. However, I pushed through and splashed some Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk into my morning bowl of cereal.
I definitely didn’t get what I was expecting. Instead of an overwhelming taste of nuttiness, I didn’t taste anything. It tasted like normal milk. Although, it did look very different from milk. It had more of a light brown color and was slightly thicker than plain dairy milk. But, if you had blindfolded me, I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.
Rating: 4/5
Wednesday
Today, I experimented with one of my favorite dairy products: cheese. Cheese comes in many styles and many flavors, but I decided to test out one of my favorite cheeses. I went browsing around the food market and found Daiya Cheddar Style Slices. I chose to make a cheesy classic, a grilled cheese sandwich.
Once I had everything in the pan, I immediately noticed that the cheese substitute doesn’t melt as nicely as real cheese. Instead of getting drippy and gooey, the slices stay pretty solid. After my first bite, I noticed that the taste was decent, but the texture was a little strange. Instead of a warm gooeyness, it was more sticky and chewy. I definitely prefer my original cheddar.
Rating: 2.5/5
Thursday
I’m not a huge fan of yogurt, but if I want to get the full dairy-free experience, I’ve got to try it. I grabbed one of the smallest yogurts I could find, which was Forager Cashewgurt. I figured strawberry was the safest flavor and I picked up a couple containers to taste.
I wasn’t expecting to like this yogurt as much as I did. It wasn’t as thick as a usual yogurt would be and the strawberry flavor was subtle, yet sweet. You couldn’t even tell that the main ingredient was cashew milk. It was super light and delicious; I know I’ll definitely be buying this again.
Rating: 5/5
Friday
By Friday, I was craving something sweet, so I dove into the world of dairy-free desserts. Of course, the first dessert that came to my mind was ice cream. I had heard that a new avocado ice cream had been released, so I wanted to give that a try and see if it was really worth all the hype. I snagged a pint of Cado Frozen Dessert in the flavor Deep Dark Chocolate.
The ice cream was actually quite tasty. It had a certain creaminess in it that you don’t usually get from normal ice cream. It was kind of similar to a chocolate gelato, with the creamy texture and the strong taste of cocoa. While I do think the avocado trend needs to relax, the ice cream was definitely a hit. I just wish the chocolate taste was a little more subtle. However, it was pretty good and I’m looking forward to some new flavors soon.
Rating: 4/5
Saturday/Sunday
For the weekend, I knew exactly what I wanted. I had such a craving for a nice, refreshing smoothie. I was ready at the store, browsing the aisles for my ingredients. But, once I saw a good-looking, pre-made, dairy-free smoothie, my laziness took over and I grabbed a bottle of Forager Mango and Chia Smoothie.
I immediately regretted that decision and I wished I had just taken the time to blend my own smoothie. There wasn’t any sweetness to the smoothie and it almost tasted like liquified lettuce. I read the list of ingredients and saw that there were dates in it. I absolutely despise dates and I really should have read that list before choosing a flavor. Overall, not my best experience of the week.
Rating: 1/5
Final Thoughts
The week wasn’t as challenging as I thought it would be. Although I missed my tried and true dairy products, I did find some new alternatives that I liked. The dairy-free world wasn’t bad at all and I’d gladly keep some of my favorites from this week in my fridge, like the coffee creamer and the ice cream. However, I’m still glad I can have my smoothies full of dairy. I really don’t need another chia smoothie anytime soon.