Cooking with LACTAID^® Milk & Dairy Products

Table with flour and dairy ingredients and a pan with a pancake mixture

Discover Lactose-Free Recipe Substitutions

Although lactose is found in dairy, you don’t have to give up all dairy products to keep your lactose intolerance under control¹. There are a range of cooking and recipe substitutions available to create delicious lactose-free meals, using LACTAID® products and other lactose-free ingredients. And because LACTAID® is 100% real milk, you can substitute regular milk with LACTAID® milk, making it easy to swap out your products.

Up to two-thirds of people in the world can experience discomfort from dairy².* If you’re looking for ways to reduce your intake of lactose, using a lactose-free recipe substitute can be a good idea. Use our chart below to find a range of recipe substitutions to help you remove lactose from almost any recipe that calls for dairy.

_{*Refers to 68% of population with lactose malabsorption}

Can You Cook or Bake with LACTAID® Lactose-Free Milk?

Despite some thinking that lactose-free and regular milk are completely different, they’re similar enough that you can cook with lactose-free milk the same way as you would regular milk.

Lactose-free milk has an added enzyme known as lactase which helps break down the lactose found in dairy². LACTAID® products are made with 100% real dairy and have the same nutritional benefits as regular dairy products³, but without the lactose that can cause uncomfortable symptoms, such as bloating, cramps, gas and nausea⁴.

Lactose-free milk isn’t the only substitute you can use for lactose intolerance-friendly meals either. In just a few simple steps, you can easily create a homemade lactose-free buttermilk substitute, ricotta substitute or evaporated milk substitute. All these and more can be used in lactose-free cooking and baking, so you can enjoy your favorite foods without discomfort.

Lactose-Free Recipe Ingredient Substitutions

Milk

Simply choose from LACTAID® Whole Milk, LACTAID® Reduced Fat 2% Milk, LACTAID® Fat Free Milk and LACTAID® Lowfat 1% Free Milk and use as normal.

Chocolate Milk

Simply use LACTAID® Lactose-Free Chocolate Milk in the same quantities.

Ricotta Cheese

For a lactose-free ricotta cheese substitute, use 1 cup LACTAID® Cottage Cheese, whipped.

Cottage Cheese

Simply use LACTAID® Cottage Cheese in the same amount.

Pitcher of Lactaid whole milk with lemon for Buttermilk substitution

Buttermilk / Sour Milk

To make lactose-free buttermilk with LACTAID®, mix 1 cup LACTAID® Milk with 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar. Allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Or mix 1 cup LACTAID® Milk with 1 ½ tsp cream of tartar.

Ice Cream

Simply use LACTAID® Ice Cream in the same amount. A range of delicious flavors are available.

Sour Cream

Simply use LACTAID® Sour Cream in the same amount. Or 1 cup LACTAID® Cottage Cheese, mixed with 2–3 tsp lemon juice, pureed in a blender.

Eggnog

Simply use the same quantity of LACTAID® Lactose-Free Eggnog.

Heavy Cream

For a lactose-free substitute for heavy cream use ⅔ cup of LACTAID® Milk mixed with ⅓ of extra light olive oil.

Evaporated Milk

To make 1 cup of lactose-free evaporated milk heat 2 ½ cup of LACTAID® Milk in a saucepan. Stir continuously while it comes to a gentle boil. Once the milk has reduced by half (usually around 10 minutes), take off heat. Use as required.

References

Get Inspired With Our Lactose-Free Recipes

Want to try your hand at cooking some new lactose-free meals? Find inspiration by exploring the LACTAID® Recipe Hub, where you’ll find all sorts of lactose-free recipes that you can make using LACTAID® products.