Dairy-Free Butter For All

A Post by Audrey Depenbrook, Guest Blogger               (Thanks, Audrey!!)

As a Tender Foodie, with a severe dairy allergy, I’m always looking for ways to add that dairy-like richness to my food.

It’s been 9 years since any form of cow’s milk has touched my lips intentionally. If I had to pick something that I missed the most, you might expect me to say “cheese” or “ice cream”. However, something I missed the most was butter. Salty, creamy, delicious butter.

Think about it, butter has countless uses in the kitchen - it’s not just a condiment. It’s used endlessly in baking, we spread it on our toast and bagels, we use it to make a rue to thicken a sauce and much more.

Thankfully, the awareness of food allergens has been a higher priority of food manufacturers lately and there are many options for dairy free butter. I’ve found two that I love - and they’ve earned a permanent place in my refrigerator.

Earth Balance - Soy Garden

First up. Soy Garden - Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread. It has a wonderful creamy texture, with just the right amount of saltiness. It’s a perfect everyday spread. I use this mainly on toast, on veggies and in sauces. It melts beautifully. I have even used it on popcorn, and made a clarified butter out of it. I also love using this spread in one of my favorite go-to quick meals, dairy-free macaroni and cheese (I’ll tell you all about that some other day).

Shed's Willow Run Margarine Sticks

When it comes to baking, I have another favorite. Shedd’s Willow Run Margarine Sticks. Because this product comes in sticks it’s much easier to measure than a spread that comes in a tub. Earth Balance makes their spread in a stick variety, but it doesn't seem to work as well in baking, it lacks the richness that Willow Run has. I’ve found that Willow Run sticks work as a great substitute for both butter and margarine and they haven’t failed me yet in any baking experiments.

Both manufactures have done a wonderful job in eliminating the “soy aftertaste” that so frequently accompanies many dairy-free products. They have also both labeled their products well - making it very clear which allergens the product contains and which allergens have been avoided.

If you’re a Tender Foodie that has to avoid milk due to an allergy or intolerance, go ahead and pick up either of these products and indulge yourself in the deliciousness of butter.

Earth Balance and Willow Run spreads can both be found in store at Meijer and at Wegeman's.

PLEASE NOTE:  Since the labeling on these products expresses that they are "non-dairy", but not expressly "dairy-free", we have a requested more information about the factory practices from Earth Balance and Shedd's Willow Run.  We will post any information that we receive.

UPDATE 6/7:  Willow Run is made without contact with any dariry ingredients.  Click here to read their statement.

About Audrey:

As a tender foodie for the past 9 years, I'm determined to find an exceptional substitute for every food I miss enjoying. 

I'm a mommy, cake-aholic and nonprofit guru. You can find me tweeting away @mommy_kinz.

Update on Tuesday, June 14, 2011 at 5:11PM by Elisabeth Veltman, The Tender Foodie

Just got a very nice response from Earth Balance about its processing practices.  Here it is:

Dear Elisabeth,

First, please accept our apologies for the delay in responding to your recent email.  Thank you for taking the time to contact us here at Earth Balance. We always appreciate hearing from consumers who care enough to reach out to us with their comments or questions.

All Earth Balance® products are dairy-free, gluten-free, lactose-free and vegan. All of our products are produced in gluten free facilities. 

We do manufacture in facilities that also produce spreads that contain dairy; however, our manufacturing lines are cleaned and sterilized prior to non-dairy product production since we have parve certification. 

Thank you for supporting Earth Balance® products. We hope you continue to enjoy our products for many years to come!


Sincerely,

Your Friends at Earth Balance

Comments

[Jules]

Great piece! I'll fill in some blanks for you on Earth Balance, as that's all I use for my GF and allergy-free baking. All Earth Balance products are vegan, non-hydrogenated, transfat free and are non-GMO. Thus, they are totally dairy-free. Earth Balance just this week released its new Coconut Spread that is divine and actually works well in baking too! They also have other spread varieties besides Soy Garden, including a Soy-Free spread, for those who cannot tolerate soy (the Coconut Spread is also Soy-Free). Again, all their products are totally dairy-free and vegan.
I love their Shortening Sticks and Buttery Sticks in my baking and haven't had any failures with these products. They are easy to measure by TBS because of the sticks, and the fats are slightly different, which I believe makes them work better in applications like cookies.
Cheers and happy baking!
~jules
Blog.JulesGlutenFree.com

[lowrie ward]

agree w/ jules. i dont mind willow run in a pinch, but i most most most most definitely prefer EB's buttery sticks. they literally cook JUST LIKE BUTTER. amazing. i've even gotten my (very non vegan) parents into them.

[Elisabeth Veltman, The Tender Foodie]

Hey Jules,

Your veteran baking advice is MUCH appreciated! Thanks so much for commenting and for adding your experience to Audrey's. Thanks also, Lowrie. Fantastic!

I also had no idea that EB had a coconut spread as well. I will have to try that.

Looking forward to trying your cookie mix next week as well, Jules.

have a tasty day,
elisabeth