If you’re not able to consume dairy, but miss the creamy texture, you may think there’s no hope. Well, the good news is that there are many ways to create a creamy mouthfeel whilst using dairy free and vegan ingredients. This article will cover the basics, and will also link you to some amazing creamy dairy free & egg free recipes (many are vegan as well).
It’s All About the Fat Content
When you eat something that contains dairy and it feels creamy in your mouth, that mouthfeel is mostly coming from the fat content. In the dairy free world, the top three substitutes to replace that are cashews, coconut (usually coconut oil), and soy.
Whilst those three ingredients have different fat contents, they each lend themselves to creating a creamy texture. For those who are nut free and/or soy free, don’t worry, there are options for you as well.
Creating Creamy Textures in Savory Recipes
The most common recipe that will need a creamy component will be pasta, including mac-n-cheese. Creating a creamy texture in pasta sauces and chowders may be easier than you think.
The most allergy friendly way to create a creamy texture in pasta is to use an arrowroot slurry. This is a combination of your milk of choice and arrowroot. You mix it together to dissolve the arrowroot, then add it it to what you’re cooking (it needs to be hot to activate). As you stir it in, the arrowroot activates and thickens the mix. It’s almost like watching magic, and it happens very quickly (less than 30 seconds).
The next way to create a creamy texture in dairy free pasta is to use a roux method. You’ll combine a fat, a flour of choice, and a milk of choice. This works well when you’re building a recipe from the ground up. A roux will help create the creamy mouthfeel, but will also thicken a recipe, so keep that in mind. A roux can be made with both vegan and non-vegan ingredients.
Another way to create a creamy mouthfeel in your savory recipes is to use a nut/seed/tuber/legume paste. This can be cashew, almond, tahini, sunflower, tiger nut (tuber, not a tree nut), and more. Each option will bring a distinct flavour to the table, so choose wisely. You don’t want your creamy element to overpower the rest of your ingredients.
No matter which option you go with, you can absolutely create a creamy mouthfeel and you won’t be thinking about the milk that’s not there.
Creamy Dairy Free & Egg Free Pasta Recipes (Vegan Options as Well)
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How to Make Creamy Dairy Free and Vegan Sauces
A good sauce can elevate any savory (or sweet) dish. Often times, a sauce has a creamy mouthfeel, and there are several ways to achieve this without using cream and other dairy-based ingredients.
The most popular dairy free cream sauce option is to make a cashew cream sauce. This is vegan, but contains tree nuts, so it isn’t always the best pick. Be sure you know who’s coming to dinner.
Cashews have an amazing fat content and are able to create the texture and mouthfeel of cow’s milk cream when used in the right ratios. Know that too much cashew in your blend can create a paste-like concoction rather than a smooth and delicious cream.
Another way to create a creamy sauce is to use a slurry, as mentioned before. You’ll combine arrowroot and a dairy free milk of choice, then add it to your hot mix. Know that an arrowroot slurry cannot, and should not be used in cold preparations. If you were to heat an ice cream base, thicken with arrowroot, chill, then put the base thru your ice cream machine, it will come out tasting awful. You’ve been warned 🙂
Using dairy free cheese in a cream sauce can act as a natural thickener and help create a creamy mouthfeel. You’ll need to be careful though, as not all dairy free cheeses are created equally. Furthermore, some people absolutely can’t stand the taste of dairy free cheese.
Finally, using blended nuts and/or seeds can help create a creamy mouthfeel. Similar to a cashew cream, you’ll add water or dairy free milk to your nuts/seeds and mix to form a smooth sauce. Make sure you add salt and seasonings to create something that screams delicious, rather than “blended nuts/seeds”. For an extra interesting pop of flavour, use smoked salt.
Creamy Dairy Free & Egg Free Sauce Recipes (Gluten Free & Vegan)
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Creamy Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Egg Free Chowder Recipes
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How to Make Creamy Dairy Free/Vegan Ice Cream
There are several ingredients that lend themselves to making your dairy free ice cream creamy. My top picks:
- Frozen Banana (a few other frozen fruits also work)
- Cashews
- Coconut Oil (only if you like the taste of coconut)
- Nut/Seed/Legume/Tuber Butters
- Oil (Tiger Nut is my top pick, it’s a tuber not a tree nut)
However, there’s also another secret weapon to use in the kitchen for creamy ice cream: the right machine. Using the right tools can often times yield the free-from results we’re searching for. In this case, a proper ice cream machine with a built in compressor will take your dairy free ice cream to the next level.
How do I know? I’ve been using them for about 10 years and have zero regrets. In fact, I once created a decent semi-creamy ice cream using only water and maple. You can’t get these results with a sub-par machine, so keep that in mind.
In traditional ice cream recipes, the cream and egg yolk (both have high fat content) lend themselves to creating a creamy mouthfeel. In dairy free ice cream, at least the commercial options, you’ll see several gums listed in the ingredients. Often times, this is how large companies create the texture you’re searching for. However, a lot of those ingredients aren’t necessary, especially when you’re making dairy free ice cream at home.
Making vegan ice cream at home is pretty straight forward. You combine all of your ingredients in your blender, and transfer the mix to your ice cream machine. In some cases, you’ll need to chill your mix first to make sure you get amazing results.
To achieve dairy free ice cream perfection, it’s all about getting the ratios right. For example, if you mix in tiger nut oil (creates an AMAZING texture), but use too much, you’ll hate the results. It’s like eating frozen shortening when done wrong.
Cashews and frozen fruits as a creamy agent are much more forgiving in dairy free ice cream. In fact, with the right ingredients, you won’t even need to use an ice cream machine. This is especially true in the case of frozen banana.
Creamy Dairy Free & Egg Free Ice Cream Recipes (Vegan & Gluten Free)
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Using Avocado to Create a Creamy Texture
Honestly, the use of avocado in creamy vegan recipes is one of the world’s best kept secrets if you ask me. It has the perfect fat content for making amazing creamy recipes.
Avocado can be used in pasta sauces, puddings, ice creams, and more. The final result is an amazing mouthfeel. The best part is that when paired with the right ingredients, your final results won’t scream avocado if you don’t want them to.
In most applications, you’ll want to blend your avocado with a little dairy free milk to create a base, then go from there.
Creamy Dairy Free & Egg Free Avocado Recipes (Vegan & Gluten Free)
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