There are more plant based milk, cheese, butter and yogurt alternatives every month. Oh and don’t forget other dairy options, such as cream cheese, ice cream, whipped cream, etc. One thing to note is that plant based alternatives are still more expensive. Some very rough (California) grocery store pricing is given below, just to give you an idea of the difference.
Milk has been easy to replace with many almond, soy, oat, rice and combination alternatives. Just keep trying brands until you find what you like. Oat “milk” is much thinner as is soy or rice than an almond or cashew based beverage. If in doubt, try the Califia (Califia) brand almond (in Costco and many other stores) or oat beverage. Trader Joe’s has a nice almond, cashew & macadamia nut beverage as well. Again, the options are almost limitless now. Remember that a lot of these drinks are sweetened! Organic milk is around $4.99 for 64 oz., while Califia Almondmilk is $3.99 for 48 oz.
Cheeses have been a little harder to duplicate. Both the range of tastes and melting capability have been hard to replicate. Miyoko’s Creamery has some sliced options that are very good, as well as some cream cheese alternatives (Miyoko’s). There are many options, so this may take some trial and error before you settle on brands you like. You are not going to match some of the exotic cheeses from Europe and if you are partial to Velveeta, we can’t help you here.
Butter alternatives have increased rapidly, as well. If in doubt, try Miyoko’s. Costco has 2 packs. Some of the bigger companies are getting into plant-based spreads. I recommend trying the smaller brands first. Miyoko’s 8oz butter spread is $6.99 vs organic butter around $5.99-$6.99 for 16 oz. Earth Balance ($4.99 for 15 oz.) and Kite Hill have some great options, as well.
Forager yogurt ($4.94 for 24 oz vs $3.99-5.49 for 32 oz organic whole milk yogurt). I often see the Forager brand at Costco.
Sales of plant based dairy and egg alternatives is expect to be $5.2Billion, up from $4.3B in 2020 according to Packaged_Facts, a market research firm. Just the dairy market, not including eggs, in 2024 is expected to be around $1Trillion worldwide, so we have a long, long way to go.