Is Margarine Dairy Free?

Question

Is Margarine completely dairy-free? I'm trying to go dairy free but all the vegan sites I'm looking at seem to only use Earth Balance as a butter substitute...I always thought that margarine was dairy free. Am I wrong??

Answer 1

Smart Balance Light is vegan.  It says right under the nutrition info "Vegan"

Also, Earth Balance is vegan too

Answer 2

no! not all "margarine" is real. some posers like smart balance, etc. say it is margarine, but its not. earth balance is really the only margarine i can have (im allergic to all kinds of dairy.) going without dairy is really hard, especially if you CAN have it. good luck!

Answer 3

Most margarine is not dairy free or vegan and contains hydrogenated  oil. Earth Balance/Smart Balance, Pure, Willow Run Soybean Margarine, Spectrum Organics Spread, Nucoa, Nuttelex, Canola Harvest, are some brands of dairy-free [vegan] margarine/butter. You can also use olive oil and other oil as well as shortening such as Crisco, and vegan [vegetable] ghee.

Answer 4

Margarine is not vegan.

Answer 5

On sandwiches I use ripe (organic) avocados as a butter / margarine substitute.

You still get a beautiful creamy texture and avocado is a healthy fat.

In cakes, I use a healthy cold-pressed organic oil (sunflower, walnut etc..) in place of butter / margarine.

I will just mention that margarine (even vegan margarine) is extraordinarily bad for your health.

They use hideous methods of making the stuff.

Here is an explanation I found on the web:

Hydrogenation was originally developed to produce low-cost soap. It's the process of modifying fat artificially, converting liquid fats into solids as in margarine, lard, non-dairy cream, bakery products and nut butters.

One reason manufacturers prefer the use of hydrogenated oils is because they extend shelf life (life of the food, not yours!).

And don't be fooled by the label reading "made from partially-hydrogenated fat", partially-hydrogenated fat is worst then totally hydrogenated fat.

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Answer 6

Check the packaging. It should be dairy free, but it usually isn't vegan. Margarine is basically liquid plastic.

Answer 7

Not sure....we call refer to margarine as fake butter/plastic butter (like country crock) in culinary school. Your best bet would probably be using the soy-based substitute.

Answer 8

Lots of margarines have small amounts of dairy or milk derived ingredients in them, and I've only found a few that did not.  Earth Balance is the most popular simply because it is very good.  Once you're hooked on it, you won't miss butter.  

Another brand, Smart Balance Lite (the full fat version has casein, a milk protein, in it) is good as a spread or for sauteeing, but it can't compete with Earth Balance in baking or for "real" butter flavor.  Smart Balance Lite is easy to find, but if you're baking cookies, hunt down some Earth Balance.

P.S., if you find it, watch out for "Omega-3" Smart Balance Lite.  You didn't say if you were veggie or just avoiding dairy, but if you don't eat meat, this kind has fish oil.

Answer 9

You just need to read the label, some margarines have dairy, some don't. Earth Balance seems to be the most popular... it is really good. Somebody mentioned Smart Balance saying it isn't dairy free, but the Smart Balance I get actually is vegan and it's the best butter substitute I've tried.