100+ Soy-Free Dairy-Free Recipes for Nursing Mamas

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A resource for nursing moms who need to go on a dairy-free, soy-free diet with over 100 soy-free + dairy-free recipes, product recommendations and more.

I’m not sure if information is just becoming more prevalent or there really are just more allergies, but it feels more and more common that moms are having to eliminate dairy (and soy) while nursing! Olivia had a unique feeding experience and at one point we thought I might need to eliminate dairy due to her reflux, but ultimately didn’t have to. 

Woman holding newborn baby. Baby has a headband on.

My best friend (Alyssa) on the other hand has a little one (Sophie) that is dealing with severe reflux and she has had to change her diet to 100% dairy-free and soy-free to help with the reflux and weight gain. This has been coined milk soy protein intolerance (MSPI). I know many other mamas are in the same boat so I wanted to put together a guide with lots of great resources. Making big dietary changes (like eliminating dairy and soy) can feel so overwhelming, especially when you’re a new mom and have a million other things to do and worry about.

Even as a recipe developer who is well versed in making recipes for specific dietary needs, I know that reading every single food label and researching recipes can feel daunting. Especially since dairy and soy are ingredients that sneak into foods you’d never expect… like did you know that some wines contain soy or use dairy in the fining process?!

Baby Allergies and Intolerances

One of the first things health care professionals look at when a breastfed baby is extremely fussy or gassy is mom’s diet. Of course, babies can be fussy or gassy and not have an intolerance or allergy to something mom’s eating. Other important signs to look out for: rash, hives, eczema, sore bottom, dry skin; wheezing or asthma; congestion or cold-like symptoms; red, itchy eyes; ear infections; irritability, fussiness, colic; intestinal upsets, vomiting, constipation and/or diarrhea, or stools with mucus or blood. (Source) I should also note that sometimes the blood in the stool isn’t visible. In my friend’s case the blood was microscopic, so they wouldn’t have known if they hadn’t had a diaper tested! 

If a health care provider thinks your baby is suffering from cow’s milk protein intolerance (CMPI) or cow’s milk protein allergy (CMPA), the typical recommendation is to start by cutting dairy out of the mom’s diet for a few months and seeing if that improves symptoms. Your health care provider may or may not recommend that you cut out soy at this time as well. After a few months they might recommend reintroducing again to see if the symptoms return or not. Most babies will grow out of the intolerance or allergy by the age of 3. 

Proteins from what the mom eats can show up in breast milk within 3-6 hours after eating – which is why what you eat impacts your babe! (Source) It’s also important to remember that it can take 10 days to 3 weeks to eliminate cow’s milk protein from your system, so be patient and allow a full 2-3 weeks of dairy elimination before evaluating the results.

Where to Start?

I know this shift can feel super overwhelming when you’re just starting out. My top two recommendations for successfully switching your diet is to:

  1. Educate yourself.
  2. Change your mindset.

What do I mean by this? Changing your mindset is huge! Instead of thinking about everything you can’t have, start thinking about all of the easy swaps you can make. Start looking through your regular meals, recipes and ingredients and see where soy and dairy are popping up. It can also be fun to look for new products to try that excite you…. who knows, you might just find some new favorites. 

In terms of foods to watch out for, I’ve included a couple lists below, but always double check packages and food labels because dairy and soy can be added to things you wouldn’t expect. It’s also important to realize that babies are reacting to the protein in cow’s milk, not the lactose. That said, lactose-free products won’t be helpful. Another thing to be aware of is that vegan means the product is free of animal products (so no dairy), but many vegan foods have soy! 

Foods with Dairy

  • Cheese
  • Cow’s milk
  • Traditional yogurt
  • Canned soups and pastas
  • Creamy pasta sauces
  • Heavy cream
  • Butter
  • Cheese flavored chips, crackers and popcorn.
  • Some salad dressings
  • Chocolate chips and chocolate bars 
  • Whey protein powder

Foods with Soy

  • Soy, tamari and teriyaki sauce
  • Tofu
  • Tempeh
  • Edamame
  • Miso
  • Soy milk
  • Vegetable broth (not always, just check the label)
  • Canned fish and meat
  • Some baked goods, cereals and crackers
  • Protein bars
  • Some vegan protein powders

Dairy-Free + Soy-Free Products I Recommend

  • Primal Kitchen No Soy Teriyaki – soy free teriyaki sauce for stir-fry.
  • Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo – almost all Mayonnaise is dairy-free because eggs aren’t dairy, but many use soybean oil so check your labels. 
  • Coconut aminos – this is a great sub for soy sauce, which is obviously made from soy.
  • Sky Valley organic sriracha is soy and dairy-free.
  • Simple Mills – all of the Simple Mills products are soy and dairy free. I love their crackers, banana bread mix, frosting, etc.
  • Enjoy Life – all of their products are free from 14 allergens, including soy and dairy. I use their chocolate chips all the time and love them. They also have cookies, granola bars and other fun products.
  • So Delicious – they offer a variety of products, many of which (like the Coco Whip) are dairy and soy-free. Just be sure to check the labels. 
  • Nuzest protein powder – the ingredient list for this brand of protein powder is super short and it’s both dairy and soy-free. I love the chocolate and vanilla flavors. Use the coupon code eatingbirdfood for 15% off your order.
  • Dave’s Killer Bread & English Muffins – great bread products that are both dairy and soy-free. 
  • Earth Balance “buttery” spread – look for the soy-free variety. This is a great sub for regular butter for spreading on toast or for baking. 
  • Plant-based cheese – there are a ton of plant-based cheese options on the market these days. Just check the labels and be sure to try a few brands to find one you like. Here’s a guide to the best vegan cheese. Definitely check the label for soy!
  • Dairy-free yogurt – just like dairy-free milk and cheese products, there are a ton of dairy-free yogurt options as well. My personal favorite is Culina. I love their plain & simple. 
  • Larabar – most of their bars are dairy-free and soy-free. They have lists on their website!
  • RXBAR – seems like all of their bars are dairy and soy-free.
  • Chomps – if you’re looking for an easy protein-based snack.

Grocery Shopping Tips

While looking for “vegan” on packaging will fulfill the dairy-free restrictions, a lot of vegan products have potential to have soy in them. Thankfully dairy-free and vegan are fairly well known food intolerances so a lot of labels will say “dairy-free” or “DF” or “vegan” on them. Start by looking for those products and then start investigating for soy. They might clearly state “soy-free” on the label but you might have to do a quick ingredient list check for any soy products.

Health food stores will be your friend! They succeed off of unique products to fit every different dietary restriction. While mainstream grocery stores have expanded their offerings, it may be easier to start shopping at a health food store for the most dairy-free and soy-free options. Once you get comfortable there and know which products to look for you, you can look for them at your regular grocery store!

I also swear by Thrive Market for pantry staples and they have a way to filter products on their site so you can find items that are dairy and soy-free. Use my link for a free 30 day trial and 25% off your first order.

100+ Soy & Dairy-Free Recipes

I have a section of my site dedicated to dairy-free recipes, but I want to make this a resource with recipes that are soy and dairy-free and also provide a few notes that might be helpful. 

Breakfast

Hand scooping a bite on a fork of spaghetti squash chicken pad thai from a serving dish.

Chicken Lunch/Dinner 

Turkey Lunch/Dinner 

Sausage Lunch/Dinner

Seafood Lunch/Dinner 

Vegetarian Lunch/Dinner

Bowl of roasted sweet potato salad with cranberries, onion, spinach and avocado.

Salads

Veggie Soups

Sides

Stack of three chocolate chip peanut butter oatmeal cookies with coconut.

Snacks + Desserts

Snacks are the key to survival for new moms. Anything that’s quick, easy and able to be eaten with one hand is the best! I have tons of snack recipes and many of them are dairy-free/soy-free or can easily be made that way with a few tweaks. 

More Soy-Free + Dairy-Free Resources

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
Chicken fajita filling on a sheet pan with a wooden spoon. Tortillas are resting on the bottom of the sheet pan.
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16 Comments

  1. Educating yourself and working on your mindset are so important! I struggled with this but one thing that really worked for me was focusing on why I was changing my diet. Doing it for my kids has always given me the strength to push forward 🙂 Mom power at its finest!

  2. Just a quick note to add that Bragg’s Liquid Aminos isn’t soy free. I thought it was since it’s a soy sauce alternative but it’s still soy based!

    Thanks for this great resource!

    1. Oh shoot! Good catch. I just removed the liquid aminos. Coconut aminos should have just been listed there. 🙂 Sorry about that!

  3. My 5 week old suffers from MSPI or CMPI (aren’t they mostly the same ?) and we’ve cut dairy and soy from everywhere. My pediatrician is telling us to cut meat sources that are raised with soy in their diet. Have you heard of anyone needing to go to this extreme with this diagnosis?

  4. I just want to thank you so much for putting this post together! I come back to it time and time again for meal ideas for my MSPI baby and me <3

  5. What an amazing resource thank you so much for sharing! I have just found out my bub is allergic to dairy/soy and have to cut it out of my diet. I was feeling so overwhelmed until I found this post. I don’t think I need to look anywhere else for recipes!

  6. i want to be able to print these items because some of them will help me.
    also do you have any avocado recipes.

  7. Thank you for putting this together – so helpful!! I’m a new mom with an MSPI baby and this gives me a lot of hope and direction. One question – should the tortilla pizza with hummus be listed on this page since it uses mozzarella cheese / dairy? Thank you again!

    1. Hey Victoria – I’m so glad this post has been helpful for you! And good catch! I actually had the wrong tortilla pizza recipe linked. It should have been linked to my vegan tortilla pizza instead. I just updated the link!

  8. Thank you SO much for this resource! I appreciate all of the helpful guidance. This has been my steady reference over the last few weeks as I adjust my diet due to my baby’s dairy/soy intolerance. So far I have enjoyed the spinach quiche, blueberry muffins and the almond butter chicken salad (I’m about to make it again right now!) Looking forward to the chocolate lactation smoothie and lactation cookies.

    1. Ah Kristen, I am so happy that this resource has been helpful for you! Let me know how you enjoy the chocolate lactation smoothie & cookies. I appreciate you being here!

  9. This resource looks great. My daughter has this problem but cooked tomato must also be excluded from her diet. Do you have any slow cook recipes that don’t use cooked tomato, tomato sauce, etc? Thanks

    1. Hi Lisa! Glad you found this resource and it is helpful. Yes, I have lots of slow cooker recipes on my site, my Wild Rice Chicken Soup is a great one. If you search “slow cooker” on my site, you can find lots of great recipes without tomatoes! Enjoy!