Dairy products are high in calcium, protein, and other nutrients. You may still be able to get these nutrients from dairy if you’re lactose intolerant.
For nondairy milk, consider these options. They vary in nutrition, so before you buy, compare the labels next to cow’s milk. Choose one that is fortified with calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients. Use unsweetened nondairy milk in savory dishes like mashed potatoes. You might like vanilla, chocolate, or other flavors for baking.
If you have stomach symptoms while using any non-dairy options, the problem may be guar gum. It’s often added for thickness, says Sonya Angelone, RDN, a dietician in San Francisco and a spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “This can affect some people adversely, and they experience gas just like they might with lactose.”
Lactose intolerance is not the same as a milk allergy, which involves your immune system.
Lactose is the sugar in milk. If you’re lactose intolerant, a glass of milk or a bowl of creamy soup can give you intestinal trouble like cramps, gas, diarrhea, or bloating. That’s because your small intestine isn’t making enough of the enzyme lactase. Lactase breaks down milk sugar so your bloodstream can absorb it well.
A milk allergy can cause stomach pain, bloating, and diarrhea, too. But it can also cause hives, swelling, and more severe symptoms, like a drop in blood pressure and trouble breathing.
“If you think you have lactose intolerance, get tested so you have a clear diagnosis,” suggests Beth Kitchin, PhD, RDN. She’s an assistant professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “The dietary advice for each is really different, so getting an accurate diagnosis is important.”
First, your doctor may suggest you avoid all milk products briefly to see if your symptoms improve. If they do, the doctor may do a test to confirm that you are lactose intolerant.
Dairy trouble got you down? Don’t worry! You can still enjoy some of your favorite foods. Try these simple recipe swaps so you can eat the foods you love.
Milk Options
If a recipe calls for 1 cup of cow’s milk, you can replace it with lactose-free cow’s milk or rice or soy milk. Just remember: Rice milk is thinner and soy milk is thicker than cow’s milk. So you may need to tweak the amount you use in cooking and baking.
Closest to milk. Lactose-free milk is treated with lactase to break down the lactose. It is the closest cousin to regular cow’s milk in taste and offers the same nutrients, such as calcium.
Flavor changers. The most popular alternatives for drinking and cooking are almond, rice, and soy milk. Try them first to make sure you enjoy the taste, and keep in mind that the milk’s flavor may affect the taste of what you’re making. Here are some newer milk options:
- Cashew
- Hemp seed
- Oat
- Potato
No-Nos. Goat, sheep, and buffalo milk are not suitable, because they all contain lactose.
Cooking Tips. The safest bet, in both sweet and savory recipes, is to choose a light, plain, and unsweetened product.
- In bread, cake, cookie, or sweet recipes, flavored or sweetened milks may also work.
- When buttermilk is an ingredient, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of plain milk substitute to make your own. Some store-bought cow’s milk buttermilk, if made with active bacteria cultures, may be low in lactose.
- When dry milk powder is an ingredient, use an equal amount of coconut, potato, rice, or soy milk powder instead.
Cream Substitutes
There are a few alternatives to heavy cream, light cream, or half-and-half that have similar mouth-feel and thickness to the real thing.
- Coconut cream makes a good swap for half-and-half when you blend it with half soy milk. Another option: Create your own light cream by mixing 3/4 cup of a plain milk substitute with 1/4 cup of canola oil.
- Coconut milk can replace evaporated milk or heavy cream in soups and stews. You can also make your own heavy cream with 1/2 cup plain milk substitute and 1/2 cup canola oil.
- Dairy and lactose free half-and-half substitutes work well in many recipes.
You may be able to use nut butters made from almonds, pecans, walnuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pistachios, peanuts, or macadamias instead of dairy cream in some recipes. Make a nut cream by whisking 1 cup of water into 1/4 cup of nut butter.
Butter Substitutes
Fruit purees. In baked goods (other than cookies), you can substitute fruit purees like applesauce, prune, or banana for part or all of the butter. Usually ¾ cup of fruit puree replaces 1 cup of butter. Many chefs use this approach to lower fat and calories, and make muffins, brownies, and cakes healthier.
Dairy-free margarines or oils. You can also use dairy-free or soy margarine, coconut oil, shortening, and olive or canola oil for part or all of the butter.
Yogurt Substitutes
You may be able to tolerate some cow’s milk yogurts, because they have very little lactose. Choose ones with live, active bacterial cultures for the least amount of lactose.
If you can’t tolerate regular yogurt, try soy or coconut milk yogurts, soy sour cream, or unsweetened fruit puree.
Sour Cream Substitutes
Let soy based or lactose-free sour creams serve as subs in your favorite recipes. Pureed silken tofu and plain soy yogurt can also work well.
Cheese Substitutes
Aged cheeses such as cheddar, Colby, Parmesan, and Swiss have very little lactose, only about 0.1 gram per ounce. American cheese, cream cheese, and cottage cheese are also low in lactose.
You can use hemp, rice, reduced lactose, lactose-free, or soy cheese in recipes to replace cheese.
Ice Cream Substitutes
There is a wide variety of diary-free ice creams and frozen yogurts made from soy, rice, hemp, coconut, and lactose-free milks.
Sorbet, made from fruit, sugar, and water, is another option.
Sherbet is made with milk but only contains a small amount of lactose, about 4-6 grams per cup.
Chocolate Substitutes
Most dark chocolate is lactose-free and comes in a wide variety of shapes and sweetness levels. Check the label to be sure it doesn’t contain any dairy ingredients.
Carob chips and rice milk chocolate are two options for chocolate made with cow’s milk.
Lactose-Free Recipes for Your Favorite Dishes
The thought of eating high-lactose foods like quiche, fettuccine Alfredo, or pudding can give you feelings of both yearning and dread if you have severe lactose intolerance. The good news? You can still enjoy these tasty dishes.
The trick is to swap in calcium-fortified lactose-free milk or nondairy milk for regular cow’s milk, or use lactose-free options instead of cheese, cream cheese, and yogurt in recipes. Nondairy drinks, such as almond, rice, or soy milk, are also tasty options. Use olive oil or canola oil instead of butter if the lactose in butter gives you problems.
If you can eat some types of regular cheese or yogurt, feel free to add as much as you can tolerate to the recipes below. You can also take a lactase enzyme pill before you eat, to make any dairy you do include easier to digest.
Spinach Quiche
Ingredients:
Olive Oil Wheat Crust
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons ice water (a teaspoon or two more, if needed)
Filling
1 1/4 cups plain lactose-free milk (or almond or soy milk)
2 large eggs (higher omega-3, if available)
1/2 cup egg substitute (substitute 2 large eggs, if desired)
1/2 medium-sized sweet onion, finely chopped
6 slices crisp, cooked turkey bacon, crumbled (optional)
1 cup shredded soy cheese of your choice (mozzarella or Jack flavors work well)
3/4 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and then gently squeezed of excess water
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (add more, if desired)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large mixing bowl, combine whole wheat flour, white flour, salt, and olive oil, and beat on low until crumbly. Drizzle ice water over the top, and beat on low just until dough forms.
- Squeeze dough into a ball and place in a deep pie plate coated with canola cooking spray. Use hands to spread dough evenly into bottom and sides of pie plate.
- In same mixing bowl used for the crust, combine lactose-free milk (or almond milk), eggs, and egg substitute; set aside.
- In medium bowl, combine chopped onion, turkey bacon (if desired), soy cheese, and chopped spinach, and then pour into the prepared crust. Sprinkle nutmeg and black pepper over the top. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the top of the spinach mixture and bake until center of quiche is set (about 55 minutes).
Yield: 6 servings
Per serving: 256 calories, 16 g protein, 23 g carbohydrate, 11 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 6 g monounsaturated fat, 3 g polyunsaturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 228 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 38%. Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.4 g, Omega-6 fatty acids: 2 g
Lactose-Free Mac and Cheese
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups dried whole wheat elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
1 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (add more, if desired)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups plain lactose-free milk (or almond, rice, or soy milk)
5 ounces shredded or cubed soy cheddar cheese
Black pepper to taste
Directions:
- Bring about 8 cups of water to a rolling boil, add macaroni noodles, and boil until tender (8-10 minutes). Once pasta is tender, drain well in colander while finishing steps 2 and 3.
- Add olive oil to a large, nonstick frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until lightly browned. Add garlic and black pepper and continue to sauté for an additional minute; set aside.
- In 2-cup measure, combine cornstarch with 1/4 cup of lactose-free milk (or almond, rice, or soy milk) to make a smooth paste. Blend in the remaining lactose-free milk. Pour into a medium, nonstick saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the mixture begins to thicken, reduce heat to simmer and stir in the shredded or cubed cheese. Continue to simmer, stirring frequently, until cheese is melted. Add black pepper to taste.
- Combine cheese sauce with the drained noodles and spoon sautéed mushroom mixture over the top before serving.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
Per serving (if 4 servings): 305 calories, 18 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 3 g monounsaturated fat, 3 g polyunsaturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g fiber, 540 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 21%. Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.3 g, Omega-6 fatty acids: 2.6 g
Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
You can make this a day ahead. Keep it chilled in the refrigerator, and then warm it in a slow cooker or in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.
Ingredients:
1 large head garlic
1 teaspoon olive oil
3/4 cup plain lactose-free milk (or almond, soy, or rice milk)
28 to 32 ounces of potatoes, peeled and quartered
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt to taste (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice about 1/4 inch off the top of the garlic heads, throw the tops away, and place the heads on a piece of foil. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the garlic heads and wrap them well in the foil. Bake until tender and golden (about 35 minutes). Remove from oven and let stand until cool enough to handle. Peel the skin away from the garlic cloves.
- While garlic is baking, place quartered potatoes in a large microwave-safe container with 1/4 cup of water and cook on HIGH until potatoes are tender. If you prefer to use the stove, place potatoes in a stockpot, cover with cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook until very tender, about 12 minutes. Drain potato pieces in a colander.
- Add hot, steaming, and drained potato pieces directly to a large mixing bowl, along with the garlic cloves and any olive oil drippings, and lactose-free milk (or almond, soy, or rice milk). Beat on low just until blended.
- Season with pepper and salt, if desired.
Yield: 6 servings
Per serving: 150 calories, 5 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 1.5 g fat (0.2 g saturated fat, 0.8 g monounsaturated fat, 0.5 g polyunsaturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 3.2 g fiber, 29 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 9%. Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.2 g, Omega-6 fatty acids: 0.3 g
Coconut Tapioca Pudding
If you grew up with tapioca pudding, this may be one of your comfort foods. Here’s a quick and light low-lactose recipe.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups lactose-free milk with a splash of vanilla extract (or vanilla soy, almond, or rice milk)
1 teaspoon coconut extract
1 large egg (higher omega-3, if available)
1/3 cup shredded or flaked coconut
Directions:
- Combine sugar, tapioca, lactose-free milk (or soy, almond, or rice milk), and egg with whisk in a medium, nonstick saucepan. Let stand 5 minutes.
- Stir in coconut. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil (it will take about 8 minutes). It will thicken as it cools. Remove from heat and stir in coconut extract. Cool 20 to 30 minutes.
- Stir the mixture and spoon into serving or dessert cups. Serve warm or chilled.
Yield: 5 servings
Per serving: 130 calories, 5 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 4 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat, 1 g monounsaturated fat, 1.5 g polyunsaturated fat), 45 mg cholesterol, 0.5 g fiber, 78 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 28%. Omega-3 fatty acids: 0.2 g, Omega-6 fatty acids: 1.3 g
Information sourced from: http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/lactose-intolerance-14/default.htm