If you’re among the 15 to 30 percent of people who are lactose intolerant, or you have guests coming over for the holidays who are, it’s important to be mindful of the ingredients you’re putting into the food you serve. Dairy ingredients can be lurking in a number of holiday recipes, from creamed side dishes to cakes and pies. Here are 5 dairy-free holiday drinks:
Dairy-Free Eggnog
· 4 egg yolks
· 2 ¼ cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk
· 1 13.5-oz can coconut milk (not the light version)
· ¼ cup coconut sugar (or regular sugar)
· 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
· 1 tsp ground nutmeg
· 1 tsp ground cinnamon
· pinch allspice
Instead of coconut milk, substitute almond milk or Lactaid whole milk.
Egg Custard Pie
· 2 1/3 cups almond milk (plain, unsweetened, or soy milk)
· 3 large eggs
· ¾ cup sugar
· 1/8 tsp salt
· 1 tsp vanilla
· 1 egg white
· Ground nutmeg, for sprinkling
· Pie crust
One ingredient you don’t have to worry about is butter. Even though it’s a dairy product, butter doesn’t contain any lactose, which is a carbohydrate (carb).
Breakfast Bread Pudding
· 5 extra-large whole eggs
· 2 extra-large egg yolks
· 2 ½ cups half-and-half (use lactose-free half-and-half)
· 1/3 cup honey
· 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
· 2 tsp orange zest (2 oranges)
· ½ tsp kosher salt
· Brioche loaf
· ½ cup golden raisins
· Maple syrup, to serve
Your family and overnight guests will enjoy waking up to the smell of honey bread pudding baking in the oven. Lactose-free half-and-half makes it a nonthreat for even the most lactose sensitive.
Homemade Ranch Dip
· ¾ cup mayonnaise
· ¾ cup sour cream
· ¼–¾ tsp dried dill weed (adjust to taste)
· ½ tsp dried parsley
· ½ tsp dried chives
· ½ tsp garlic powder
· ¼ tsp onion powder
· 1/8 tsp fine sea salt
· 1/8 tsp finely cracked pepper
· 1–3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice or plain white vinegar (adjust to taste)
If you or your guests are extremely lactose sensitive, use lactose-free sour cream. Otherwise, go ahead and use regular sour cream. Two tablespoons of regular sour cream, which is in line with the amount of ranch dressing you’re likely to have with crudité or on a salad, contains less than 1 g of lactose, which isn’t much. In general, “knowing your portions and how much lactose is in each food is helpful,” Cabrero says. Portion sizes can be more important than the lactose-containing food.
Almond Milk Creamed Spinach
· 4 5-oz bags baby spinach
· 4 tbsp unsalted butter
· 2 shallots, thinly sliced
· 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
· 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
· ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or cotija cheese
· Salt
· Freshly ground pepper
· ¾ cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
· 2 tbsp finely chopped Marcona almonds
This delicious side dish is a tasty complement to holiday mainstays, such as turkey, ham, and prime rib. As a general rule, hard, aged cheeses, such as Parmigiano-Reggiano and cotija, don’t contain lactose because “the bacteria used to make the cheese during the aging process munch on the lactose,” Cabrero says. Soft cheeses and unaged cheeses, on the other hand, such as American or mozzarella, do contain lactose (roughly 1 to 3 g per ounce of cheese). Feel free to substitute coconut milk or Lactaid milk for the almond milk.
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