Hi, I'm Andrew.

The story

Non Dairy Dude started with bad timing. I got into cooking in college right as I figured out dairy was the thing wrecking me, which meant the foods I grew up on were suddenly off the menu: mac and cheese, pizza night, mom's casseroles, cheesecake most of all.

I wasn't willing to accept that, so I started rebuilding them. Fifteen years of broken sauces and rubbery fake cheese later, the recipes on this site are the ones that actually made it.

I'm a home cook in Portland, Oregon. Not a chef. But some of the classic techniques work for dairy-free cooking as well. Learning that I could make a béchamel with vegan ingredients has been a real eye-opener. Similarly, discovering the power of the humble cashew has blown my mind. If you miss ricotta cheese as much as I do, I encourage you to give it a try.

What you'll find here

Recipes for the classics: the creamy pastas, pizzas, casseroles, soups, and bakes that usually depend on dairy. Each one explains which substitute is doing the work and why, because a swap you understand is a swap you can fix when it goes sideways.

There are also substitution guides with ratios, best uses, and the situations where a swap fails. As I test products head to head, the results will live there too, wins and losses both.

The short personal notes on recipes (the Dude Notes) are an opportunity for me to add a little context and my personal experience with the recipe. Your mileage may vary.

The bar

A recipe goes up when it tastes like the dish I remember, or better. Sometimes it's different, but in a good and surprising way. But it should always scratch that "comfort food" itch.

And when a substitute only mostly works, the recipe says so. Pretending vegan cheddar is aged cheddar helps nobody.

What I'm not

I'm not a professional chef or a dietitian, and nothing here is health advice. I can't eat dairy (except on special occasions when I'm willing to pay the price). I'm also not vegan, and I love meat and other animal products - and my recipes reflect that.

You can also find me on Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, and YouTube.