Sponsored by Ripple Foods
Now, innovative dairy alternatives present a fresh opportunity to get creative in the kitchen and meet consumers’ plant-based needs — without compromise.
“I don’t think there is an end in sight for dairy alternative innovation — or at least not anytime soon,” Sydney Olson, a food and drink analyst for market research firm Mintel, told the New York Times earlier this year.
Yet, finding dairy alternatives that work for commercial foodservice recipes can still be a challenge for operators. In this article, we share five tips for choosing dairy alternatives that work in everything from creamy mac and cheese and fettucine alfredo to frothy cappuccinos and refreshing fruit smoothies to soft-serve sundaes and New York-style cheesecake.
- Taste it first. There are a lot of milk alternatives out there — almond, soy, oat, cashew and pea, to name a few. They all have different tastes and textures. If you don’t like the taste of a milk straight, you probably won’t like it in your recipes. But just because you tried and didn’t like one brand’s milk, doesn’t mean you won’t like the same type of milk from another brand. So, be sure to shop around. “I believe the first thing for a chef or baker to consider is taste and then functionality,” said Chef Dan Follese, Corporate Chef at Ripple Foods. “In a savory application you don’t want to taste ‘off’ flavors just because you are trying to create a dairy-free option.”
- Know what your milk can (or can’t) do. Different types of dairy alternatives function best for different uses. Choosing the right product can make — or break — a recipe. For example, almond milk is among the most popular milk alternatives, appearing on 4% of restaurant menus, an increase of 63% in the last four years, according to the latest research from Datassential. But the nut milk has been said to curdle when heated. Soy milk is the longest-running dairy substitute on menus, but its distinctive flavor can overshadow coffee. Other non-dairy milks fail to hold the foam needed for many popular espresso-based coffee drinks. To satisfy your specialty-beverage customers looking for plant-based options, turn to a product that is a 1:1 replacement for dairy, such one of the fast-growing, nutrient-rich pea milk products available.
- Mind the melt. American cheese slices were created expressly to serve melted on top of a burger or sandwich. The main complaints about most non-dairy cheese slices are that they don’t melt, and they look — and taste — like a slice of plastic. Look for dairy-free slices that claim to melt quickly across applications. Then, put them to the test on classics such as cheeseburgers and ooey-gooey grilled cheeses — and just about anything else you put between two pieces of bread.
- Find (frozen) balance. For too long, chefs have given up on offering dairy-free ice cream or soft serve because so many plant-based frozen dessert bases had a texture akin to a melting marshmallow and “off” flavors that no amount of fruity or chocolaty add-ins could hide. The best frozen treats have a balance of creaminess that melts just at the right time on your tongue, but not on the cone or in the dish. To menu creative, dairy-free frozen desserts, opt for a plant-based product that best delivers balance. Think neutral, creamy and, most importantly, customizable.
- Focus on cooking, not formulating. Making creamy, comfort-food favorites dairy-free has sometimes required chefs to become scientists. This is in part because the nutrient content of alternative dairy options can vary widely, and the viscosity of most non-dairy fluid milks can be very thin, and lacking in the necessary fat and flavor. The secret to dairy-free New England Clam Chowder or Alfredo Sauce is to choose a plant-based milk, such as Ripple, that has nutrition equal to 2% traditional milk, so that it performs like milk. Now, you’re cooking (not formulating)!
With no end to the flow of dairy alternatives into the market, commercial foodservice operators would be wise to do their research, taste test and experiment with various options to find plant-based dairy that works best in the recipes you want to prepare. Once you’ve found products that work, the possibilities — and profits — are endless.
Interested in exploring dairy alternatives that perform? And getting custom recipes for use in your foodservice operations? Contact the culinary team at Ripple.
