🍛 Food & Nutrition
The Dairy Alternatives Guide
Milk, paneer, curd, ghee, butter, cheese — every swap, with brand names.
The full swap table
| You used | Use instead | Best brands in India |
|---|---|---|
| Milk (chai) | Soy milk (holds heat) | Sofit, Staeta, Urban Platter |
| Milk (coffee, cereal) | Oat milk | Oatly, Alt Co, Plantmade |
| Milk (sweets, kheer) | Cashew or coconut milk | Dabur Hommade, Sofit |
| Curd | Soy or coconut curd | Epigamia coconut yoghurt, Yogurt by Plantmade |
| Paneer | Firm tofu (pressed, marinated) or vegan paneer | White Cub, Urban Platter |
| Ghee | Cold-pressed groundnut oil for cooking; vegan ghee for drizzle | Goodmylk, Nourish You, Conscious Food |
| Butter | Vegan butter / Nutralite (check label) | Bunge Veeba (some), Vego |
| Cream | Cashew cream (blend soaked cashews + water) | Homemade is best |
| Cheese (slice, melt) | Vegan cheese | Bombay Cheese Co., Katharos, Sausage Inc., Daiya (imported) |
| Khoya | Cashew + coconut milk reduction | Homemade |
| Buttermilk | Soy milk + lemon, blended with mint and cumin | Homemade |
Which milk for what
- Soy — highest protein (~3g/100ml), holds heat, neutral. The all-rounder.
- Oat — creamy, slightly sweet, makes the best cereal milk and coffee. Lower protein.
- Almond — light, watery, low protein. Best for smoothies and baking.
- Coconut — rich, distinct flavour. Best in curries, kheer, smoothies.
- Cashew — closest to malai. Best in sweets, cream substitutes.
- Rice — thin, sweet. Best as a snack milk for kids.
The paneer question
Tofu is not paneer. But pressed firm tofu, marinated 30 min in lemon + salt + a little hing, takes any sabzi (palak, butter masala, tikka) extremely well. It even holds together better than paneer.
If you want something closer to paneer in texture, White Cub does a vegan paneer that goes in sabzi well.
Ghee — when it actually matters
- For cooking sabzi: cold-pressed groundnut or mustard oil works.
- For drizzling on dal-chawal: vegan ghee (Goodmylk, Nourish You) — the flavour is closer than you'd think.
- For sweets: vegan ghee or coconut oil.
Curd
- Plain eating: Epigamia coconut yoghurt, Plantmade soy yoghurt.
- Raita: Soy curd + masala + veg.
- Marinade (tandoori): Cashew curd works best — blend ½ cup soaked cashews with ¼ cup water and 1 tbsp lemon. Tangy, thick.
- Buttermilk: soy milk + lemon + spices, in the blender.
Cheese
Hardest swap, getting better fast. For most home cooking, nutritional yeast handles cheese flavour. For actual cheese moments — pizza, grilled cheese, cheese board — buy from Bombay Cheese Co. or Katharos. For melts on pizza, mozzarella-style works.
References
Written by Malavika Malaviya. Last updated 19 June 2026. Found something out of date? Tell us.
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