Milk is one of the healthiest foods in our diet. No cuisine in the world is complete without milk recipes.
Powdered milk has a very long shelf life. It doesn’t have moisture content. You do not have to store it in the refrigerator. Powder milk has easy maintenance, availability, and use. [1]
Equally, powder milk has replacements that can be as much helpful and healthy.
You can try vegan or non-vegan replacements for powder milk. These are all milk, but not all are dairy products.
Why Need Milk Powder Substitute
Just because some recipe is asking for powdered milk does not mean you can provide it all the time. Things happen like:
- You are an extreme vegan who does not even drink dairy milk or any other product.
- Like the 65% population in the world, you may have lactose intolerance. [2]
- Even if it is lactose-free milk, there is somewhere a chance of 1%-30% lactose being present.
- Casein protein in cow’s milk can worsen allergy symptoms. It can increase mucous and create problems with the immune system. [2]
- You don’t have powdered milk available.
- You want to experiment with your dishes.
Whatever the case it is no hard and fast rule that one has to use dried milk powder in the dish. There are many healthy and friendly substitutes. Let us look for them.
Substitutes For Powdered Milk
Some milk alternatives may add a new edge to your dish whereas some will not interfere with your delicacy. They can be both vegan and non-vegan.
1. Milk (Non-Vegan)
Milk itself can be a substitute for milk powder. After all, the formula for the reconstitution of milk using the milk powder is ¼ dry milk and 1 cup of water.
So you can apply the reverse technique here. But you have to be feasible as this option is only valid when the recipes call for water in it. And you have to do the measurements carefully too.
If the recipe requires dried milk, follow the recommendations:
- 1 cup dried powdered milk + 4 cups water = 4 cups of milk
- ½ cup dried powdered milk + 2 cups water = 2 cups of milk
- ¼ cup dried powdered milk + 1 cup water = 1 cup milk
- 1 tablespoon dried powdered milk + ¾ cup water= ¾ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon powder milk + ¼ cup water = ¼ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons powder milk + ½ cup water = ½ cup milk
These recipes call for water only to dissolve the dried powder milk.
2. Soy Milk Powder (Vegan)
There is soy milk powder too. It is lactose-free.
To replace with soy milk powder in your recipe, add an equal amount of soy milk that the recipes need. You can mix soy milk powder with both warm and cold water.
Where you can find soy milk powder: You can find a different kinds of soy milk powder in the market. It can be plain or flavored.
It can also have added sugar and calcium. Some mainstream grocers and online stores sell them too. Store it in the refrigerator to prevent them from going stale.
Health benefits of soy milk: Soy milk has high nutritious content. Thankfully, with no cholesterol. It has low saturated fat and sodium. It is a nonfat substitute for dry milk. Soy milk contains high dietary fiber content and high manganese and thiamin content. [3]
The disadvantage of soy milk: It has low calcium content. Drinking soy milk can cause gas in the stomach resulting in pain. A chronic consumer of soy products may suffer from reproductive problems and allergies. [4]
3. Rice Milk Powder (Vegan)
The best point of rice milk powder is that it does not contain soy, gluten, dairy, or lactose. It is the best substitute for those with food allergies, dairy-intolerance.
An equal amount of rice milk powder will replace the need for milk powder in your recipe. Dried rice powder milk can be hard to spot
Where to look for rice milk powder: You can try to look at natural food stores or online.
Health benefits of rice milk powder: Each cup of rice milk has 120 calories, 1 g of protein, 30% DV calcium, 25% vitamin D, 25% DV vitamin B12, phosphorus 0g saturated fat, and only 2 grams of fat.
There is no cholesterol in it. Some brands have added levels of calcium, B vitamins, iron, vitamin A and vitamin D. [5]
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4. Coconut Milk Or Its Powder (Vegan)
If you live in South Asia or have ever tasted their authentic food, then you are must aware of the taste of coconut milk. It is a very popular Thai, South Indian, or Bengali cuisine.
Coconut milk is often used as a substitution for milk powder in many recipes.
Using it for substituting dry milk is not a bad idea.
Some can have around 70 percent of the oil in them. It makes the food heavier too. Coconut milk is a non-dairy substitute for powder milk. It can provide a creamy effect on the foods. The taste best suits bakery, meat, and fish especially prawns.
Where you can find coconut milk: You can get coconut milk in any Asian grocery store or online. It is available even in some mainstream shops. Some brands have caseinate. People allergic to casein or have lactose intolerance should read the labels before buying.
The nutrient value of coconut milk: Research has shown that 1 cup of canned coconut milk usually contains 48 grams of fat, 43 grams of saturated fat, and 445 calories. [6]
Coconut milk has antiviral, antibacterial, and stamina-building properties.
The disadvantage of coconut milk: Coconut milk has a high content. It can cause weight gain, high cholesterol, allergy, and constipation. Besides coconut milk is loaded with a high level of sugar despite being unsweetened.
5. Potato Milk Powder (Vegan)
Potato milk powder can be a solution for those with soy and gluten intolerance. The powder can be found as original or flavored. You will find them online.
To use potato milk powder as a replacement, you can add the same as the required amount of powdered milk. Read the label before buying as some potato milk powder brands contain soy as well.
All good and bad about potato milk: Potato milk is a product free of dairy, gluten, casein, fat, and cholesterol. Milk proves to be a good source of vitamin D and B12.
It is full of important vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K, calcium (as much as cow’s milk), and iron. It does not contain protein though. [7]
Final Note
You can use the substitutes for powdered milk in your curry, spaghetti, pasta, rice, ice cream, biriyani, and Thai dishes, everywhere.
You may have a health concern in the case of consuming powdered milk. But you do not need to compromise with the taste of the dish anymore.
You can enjoy the fine cuisine with these healthy powder milk substitutes.
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