A Review of New Things I've Tried #34 (Dairy Substitutes Edition)

This is a gathering of dairy substitutes, though you may notice I've included no yogurt. That's because I've been collecting yogurts for another, yogurt-specific post, which you'll see someday. And there aren't any drinks here, either, because they belong in another post. But there are cheeses, sour cream, ice cream, and whipped cream alternatives here--a gathering of fatty, creamy things that add flavor to our lives.

I haven't done one of these in a while--not since I expanded these compilations to have ten items each--so if you missed it, here's my last dairy substitutes review post.

1. Kite Hill Dairy Free Cream Cheese, Plain

For some reason, I wanted to splurge on the expensive cream cheese. I think I was frustrated with the way my usual Daiya behaved when heated. Kite Hill is about $1/ounce or so, so it isn't cheap. It didn't seem as much like cream cheese as Daiya in some ways, but I did really like this spread. It's softer than Daiya and softer than I remember dairy cream cheese being, which makes it really easy to spread on toast without tearing it. It had a vaguely gritty texture, though you don't notice that if you are eating this on something instead of plain, licked off your knife.

2. Trader Joe's Vegan Caramelized Onion Dip

You know that onion dip in can that you used to find next to the potato chips, next to the bean dip in a can? This is a lot like that, but you find it in the refrigerated section. (Or did I see that in my dreams and it was always refrigerated? Burning questions of our times, I guess.) It would go pretty well with veggies, too. I liked it with Club crackers, and also enjoyed it spread on toast with some sliced tomatoes.

3. So Delicious Mexican-Style Shreds

I liked this a lot--it's nice to have an option for cheese that isn't plain cheddar for things like taco bowls. Like most vegan cheeses, it doesn't melt that easily, but it does melt. I'll happily pick this up again.

4. Ben & Jerry's Whirled Peace Non-Dairy Ice Cream

It had been a while since I'd had the chance to try a new non-dairy ice cream, so I was excited to find this. It was okay, though there are others I like better. I wished the graham cracker had been more pronounced.

5. Follow Your Heart Dairy-Free Feta Crumbles

I love the block of Violife feta, but it's a bit too soft sometimes, and more like goat cheese than feta in consistency. These feta crumbles are more like what you might expect from dairy feta. My only complaint is that the crumbles are all really tiny (or they were in my container) and I would have liked some bigger chunks.

6. Daiya Swiss Style Slices

I'm not sure if I'm the only person who likes Daiya cheeses and a lot of others, but in any case, I liked this cheese. I also appreciate that it's been fortified with calcium. One thing I noticed about this one was a strong cheese smell--I haven't had that experience with vegan cheese before! I don't know how I feel about it, to be honest. But if you've missed strong cheesy smells, this might be right up your alley.

7. Sweet Rose Coconut Whipped Topping

Whipped topping in a can is one of life's most satisfying pleasures. It's so entertaining. This one has a stronger coconut taste than I remember in other similar products, but I don't mind that, because I like coconut. I guess I should expect that when they write COCONUT in giant letters on the can!

8. Orange & Cream Goodpop Bars

I was so excited when I saw these at the store, because I used to love Creamsicle bars, and I have so many nice memories of them. These could have been done really well, too, but unfortunately, they were not done well. The orange part was pretty good, but the inner vanilla-flavored coconut cream was not done well. It was more like a coconut ice than an ice cream--watery and full of ice crystals, and nothing like the creamy goodness I hoped it would be (and was advertised to be). These are, sadly, a hard pass for me in the future. I gave the rest of the package to a neighbor, who reported that she also found them extremely disappointing.

9. Miyoko's Cream Cheese

This is my favorite vegan cream cheese yet! And yes, you'll pay for it, though you won't pay as much as I paid for the Kite Hill version. But it's unquestionably more expensive than Daiya. I think it's worth it. It's not gritty like Kite Hill--just perfectly smooth goodness. It also has protein in it--even more protein than dairy cream cheese! As I continue on in my quest to stick protein in things, that was exciting to me. I put off trying anything from Miyoko's for a long time because of the cost, but I think they've sucked me in now.

10. Kite Hill Dairy-Free Sour Cream

You know I'm very loyal to Tofutti sour cream, in spite of the fact that it might not be as "healthy" as others. But there was no Tofutti to be had when I was at the store, and I'm almost never physically at the store these days, so I picked up some Kite Hill. It's fine--not gritty or weird, and has a good flavor--but it isn't as rich as Tofutti and it doesn't melt into things the same way. It also tends to separate and get a bit watery. It is a good alternative, though, if you can't get Tofutti, although more for mixing into things than using as a stand-alone topping. It's more like yogurt in texture and consistency than a thick cream, and it can look weirdly lumpy and unappetizing, even though it tastes fine.

Do you have a favorite dairy substitute?