Nondairy substitutes for kosher/vegan cooking?

My husband volunteered me to make sweet-potato gratin for a friend's Thanksgiving.

What he did not consider is that the friend keeps kosher, at least to the extent of not mixing dairy and meat, and this recipe calls for a lot of butter. My friend is OK with somebody bringing food from a nonkosher kitchen, but I don't think she'd appreciate a dish containing a stick of butter alongside her kosher turkey.

Normally I would just use olive oil or schmaltz instead, but in this case, the butter seems pretty essential to the flavor. (Also, I am out of schmaltz and don't really have the time to make any before Thanksgiving.)

Has anyone tried a nondairy margarine or butter-flavored shortening that they think is any good in terms of flavor? (It doesn't have to have a hechsher but it must be completely nondairy.) Any other ideas?

Keeping kosher I have used both non-dairy margarine and crsico vegetable shortening like Mazola for example with great success - I am sure there is a slight flavor profile change but hardly noticeable - that of course assuming you are not making something like butter cookies -

Fleischmann's is my go-to for pareve. An easy substitute for butter with no negligible difference in taste.

weinstein5 wrote:of course assuming you are not making something like butter cookies -

It's kind of like a butter sauce. So I am looking for a great-tasting alternative.

I've been having great success substituting coconut oil for butter in the vegan baked goods I've made. Not sure how that would play out with sweet potatoes, but I'd bet it's pretty yummy!

Earth Balance makes a pretty decent substitute. It's not butter but it's a vegan compromise:

http://www.earthbalancenatural.com/prod ... ry-sticks/

If your looking for a cream substitute then this is very good (nut-based):

http://www.mimiccreme.com/

I use the Earth Balance regularly when making "Take A Hike" scones. I should try butter some time, but I wonder if it's the non-dairy that makes them so amenable to freezing well...

As a longtime kosher cook, I can assure you that if you are looking for a non kosher substitute for butter that mimics the flavor of butter, you will be disappointed. While you can get the fat through olive oil or margarine or even shortening, you won't get the same buttery yumminess.

But, to answer the question, sometimes tofutti sour cream makes a good creamy substitute in mashed potatoes and it might work for the sweet potatoes. I have also used coconut milk (full fat) or coconut cream, which tends to be blend well with sweet potatoes. (Coconut milk is great for pumpkin pie!). A lot of kosher cooks use coffee rich as a milk/cream substitute.

Another option is to try a different preparation that doesn't rely on butter as a major flavor agent.

I do love the tofutti sour supreme and I do believe it is kosher. I use it because for some reason sour cream does not agree with me. Do not forget Tofutti also makes non dairy creme cheese.

Franabanana wrote:Another option is to try a different preparation that doesn't rely on butter as a major flavor agent.

This.

There is a sweet potato dish that I make that calls for eggs and it does call for milk but I bet you could substitute soy or rice or coconut milk, brown sugar and a little flour and cinnamon, vanilla. You whip the potatoes with the above ingredients and put them in a large baking pan. The you make a topping of brown sugar, pecans or walnuts and it does have butter but you could substitute margarine. The brown sugar is a stronger flavor and will mask the non butter flavor. I think you could very successfully make this dish and its always a hit. I always add a couple of tablespoons of grand marnier to the potatoes to make it extra good.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/yummy-swee ... etail.aspx

Thanks, all, for your suggestions, and I will no doubt put them to use on another occasion. I was prepared to experiment but in the course of discussing something else with my friend I discovered that she is unconcerned about butter with meat, after all.

I was particularly worried about this recipe because butter is the primary flavoring component. The other seasonings are just salt, pepper and a very small amount of sugar, plus a bourbon flambe. Sometime when I'm making it just for us, I might try coconut oil and/or cream. I think it might be good, although completely different, with schmaltz, too.