Finding Gluten-Free Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
Wondering how to find gluten-free and plant-based vegan dairy alternatives, like milk, yogurt, cheese, and cream? This expert nutrition guide will provide you with information on how to find gluten-free, vegan dairy alternatives.
So, you’ve chosen to eat a plant-based or vegan diet, thus, avoiding dairy products, such as cheese, milk, yogurt, and butter, but there’s a complication. You also eat gluten-free. Many people following a plant-based diet may also need to avoid gluten in their diets—which can add one more layer of complication in food selection. In particular, it can lead to obstacles when trying to find plant-based AND gluten-free dairy products, which can be staples in your kitchen. Fortunately, there are so many dairy alternative products on the market suitable for those following a vegan, gluten-free diet. Nowadays, you can find milk-like beverages made from all sorts of plants, including nuts, seeds, and grains — just keep in mind to meet your nutrient needs when choosing plant-based, gluten-free alternatives by looking for products that are rich in protein, calcium, and vitamin D, and low in saturated fat and sugar. Though a majority of gluten-free products will directly indicate that they are “gluten-free” on the packaging, there are a few that won’t specifically be labeled gluten-free. So, you want to watch out for products that include grains that contain gluten, such as wheat, spelt, rye, and barley. Additionally, plant-based dairy products may consist of added ingredients, such as malt, thickeners, modified food starch, and wheat flour; so just make sure to read the nutritional information.
Gluten-Free Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives:
Plant-Based Milks
| Brand | Calories (g) per 1-cup serving | Protein (g) per 1-cup serving |
| Ripple Original Plant-Based Milk | 80 | 8 |
| Oatly Oat-Milk (The Original) | 120 | 3 |
| Silk Organic Soy Milk | 80 | 7 |
| Blue Diamond Almonds Almond Breeze | 30 | 1 |
| Silk Creamy Cashew | 25 | <1 |
| Tempt Hemp Milk | 80 | 2 |
| Good Karma Flax Milk Omega-3 + Protein | 70 | 8 |
| Califia Farms Unsweetened Almond Milk | 40 | 1 |
Plant-Based Yogurts
| Brand | Calories (g) per serving | Protein (g) per serving |
| Kite Hill Yogurt Plain Unsweetened Almond Milk | 140 | 4 |
| Forager Organic Cashew Milk Yogurt Unsweetened Plain | 110 | 3 |
| Silk Almond Milk Yogurt Alternative Unsweetened Vanilla | 180 | 6 |
| So Delicious Unsweetened Coconut Milk Yogurt Alternative | 90 | <1 |
| Stonyfield Organic O’Soy Vanilla Yogurt | 130 | 6 |
Plant-Based Cheeses
| Brand | Calories (g) per serving | Protein (g) per serving |
| Follow Your Heart Vegan Cheese Mozzarella Shreds | 80 | 0 |
| Dairy Free Mozzarella Style Shred Cashew Cheese Alternative (Trader Joe’s) | 80 | 0 |
| Daiya Dairy-Free Cheese Mozzarella Style Shreds | 90 | 1 |
| Violife Vegan Cheese Greek White Block | 60 | 0 |
| Chao Vegan Cheese Slices | 60 | 0 |
Plant-Based Creams
| Brand | Calories (g) per serving | Protein (g) per serving |
| Kite Hill Cream Cheese | 70 | 2 |
| Earth Balance Butter | 100 | 0 |
| Follow Your Heart Organic Vegenaise | 90 | 0 |
| Miyoko’s Cream Cheese Classic Plain | 100 | 3 |
| Daiya Cream Cheese Spread | 90 | 1 |
Plant-Based Frozen Desserts/Ice Creams
| Brand | Calories (g) per serving | Protein (g) per serving |
| So Delicious Coconut Milk Ice Cream | 200 | 3 |
| Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert | 320 | 5 |
| Almond Dream Non-Dairy Ice Cream | 180 | 2 |
| NadaMoo Dairy-Free Ice Cream | 180 | 1 |
| Coolhaus Awesome Dairy-Free Ice Cream | 220 | 1 |
Written by Savanna Malki, Dietetic Intern with Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN
Images: Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN
For other plant-based, gluten-free tips, check out this blog here.
Check out my tips on plant-based eating here:
7 Steps to Go Plant-Based
10 Essential Plant-Based Cooking Tips
Meeting Your Nutrient Needs on a Vegan Diet