The best-tasting vegan butter! It's plant-based, super buttery, smooth, rich & creamy & can be made in minutes. Use it for all of your spreading, baking, and frying needs. This is a real reader favourite with hundreds of five-star reviews. No fancy ingredients are required and it's palm oil-free!
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FEATURED COMMENT
"I'm impressed! When I read all the comments & high ratings about it tasting as good as real butter, I was hopeful but still skeptical…. However, I proved it to myself today. It came out perfectly first go! Follow the well-detailed directions and you can't go wrong!"
- Clare ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
If there is just one new vegan recipe you are going to try this month, let it be this vegan butter. It is life-changing and absolutely tried and true. It has been one of my most popular recipes since 2015 and it comes with hundreds of five-star reviews.
Make it in your blender in minutes and then use it just like regular butter for all of your spreading and baking needs. It's unbelievably smooth, rich, and creamy, and spreads and melts perfectly. You can even use it to make vegan brown butter!
A slice of no knead sourdough bread, toast, or light whole wheat bread just isn't the same without a thick layer of butter and when you make your own you can avoid the palm oil, emulsifiers etc that are in most store bought vegan butters.
Mel x
What Is Vegan Butter Made Of?
So that you get the very best results when making this vegan butter recipe, here are some important notes on the main ingredients:
- Almond flour - This is crucial for the best buttery flavour and emulsification. Almond flour is made from blanched skinless almonds and is super fine, powdery, soft, and pale creamy yellow in colour. It has a mild, buttery flavour. Almond meal on the other hand is made with raw almonds, often with skins still on. It is coarser and grainier than almond flour, slightly stronger in flavour, and darker in colour with small brown flecks throughout if the skins were still intact. For best results, you need to use almond flour for this recipe. Almond flour is found in almost all grocery stores and it will be clearly labelled on the bag that it is made from blanched almonds. I buy mine in bulk from Costco but Bob's Red Mill is a popular brand of almond flour carried in most stores in North America. In the UK you can usually find almond flour at Holland and Barrett or you can order it from Amazon.
- Refined coconut oil - Note that it must be refined (i.e flavourless and odourless) and cannot be MCT oil or liquid coconut oil. This is a crucial ingredient and without it the butter won't set.
- Dairy-free milk - For creaminess and emulsification. It should be a neutral tasting milk and it must be unsweetened and unflavoured so be careful to check the ingredients. Vanilla and sugar sneak into a lot of plant milks and they really aren't good additions to savoury recipes. My preferences are oat milk, soy milk, or cashew milk. I don't recommend using almond milk because it has quite a strong flavour which you can detect in the finished butter.
- Nutritional yeast - Just a touch for a buttery umami flavour.
- Apple cider vinegar - The butter needs some acid to balance the flavours and apple cider vinegar is milder than most other culinary acids which is why it's used here.
- Oil - Any neutral oil such as mild olive oil, canola oil, vegetable oil, or sunflower oil. This is what makes the butter spreadable.
- Turmeric - Used for colour. It gives the butter a yellow hue. This is the only ingredient you can safely omit.
You will also need a high-powered blender.
If you have any questions check the FAQs for the most common ones, and if it's not covered there feel free to leave a comment under the recipe. I'll get back to you a.s.a.p.
Serving Suggestions
Slather this vegan butter on bread, scones, and biscuits, and pancakes, and waffles. You can also add it to all of your favourite buttery recipes like vegan mashed potatoes, vegan cream cheese frosting, and lemon curd, and use it in your vegan baking. It's great for cakes, pastry dough, etc. You can even use it to make brown butter!
Recipe FAQS
If you use unrefined or virgin coconut oil, your butter will taste and smell of coconut, not butter. Refined coconut oil has no coconut flavour or smell which is why it is essential for this recipe.
I have a few readers who use ground-up cashew nuts, sunflower seeds, or pine nuts instead of almonds. Almonds give a more buttery flavour but the results are still ok when using these substitutes.
The nutritional yeast helps with the buttery flavour and the butter is at its best when it is included so I highly recommend using it. However, if you omit it the recipe will still technically work, it just won't taste quite as good.
No. Baking yeast and brewer's yeast are completely different from nutritional yeast and will not work in this recipe.
There is no substitute for coconut oil in this recipe. Nothing else will work.
Yes, it bakes perfectly. Use it in cakes, pies and frosting etc as you would regular butter.
Vegan butter and margarine are similar but not the same. Margarine has a really distinctive flavour and a really soft texture that is not like traditional dairy butter. It is also not always vegan. It often contains milk derivatives amongst other things, even the ones that are sometimes labeled as plant-based" so be careful. Look out for ingredients like whey, lactose, and casein. Also, be wary of lecithin and vitamin D3 which can sometimes be derived from animals. My vegan butter recipe is more like dairy butter in flavour and texture than store-bought margarine.
No. The recipe will not set when made with liquid coconut oil.
Recipe
Vegan Butter
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 1 cup (240 mls) refined coconut oil , it must be refined NOT unrefined
- ½ cup (50 grams or 8 tablespoons) almond flour
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons (150 mls) dairy-free milk , must be unsweetened & unflavored. See the post above for my fave milks to use.
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 pinch ground turmeric , optional but helps make colour a little more yellow
- ¼ cup (60 ml ml) neutral liquid oil , such as light olive, canola, vegetable, or sunflower oil.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
Please see the recipe notes before proceeding if you intend on using this butter for frying/sautéing.
- Gently melt the coconut oil. I put it in the microwave on defrost for about 20 seconds but you can also stand the jar in some hot water. Measure it when it's liquid and not solid, then set aside for a few minutes to cool to room temperature. Do not use it while warm or hot.
- Place the almond flour, milk, salt, nutritional yeast, vinegar, and turmeric into a high speed blender and blend until completely smooth. Touch the blender jar and make sure the contents aren't really warm or hot. If they are wait until they are at room temperature again before moving onto the next step.
- Pour in the refined coconut oil and olive oil then blend again until completely emulsified. It's important not to let the contents of the blender get warm/hot so blend in short bursts and give it a break for a minute or two in between if you can feel it getting warm.
- Pour the liquid butter into a container, cover and refrigerate until set.
- Let the butter soften at room temperature for a few minutes before spreading for ultimate creaminess and ease of spreading.
NOTES
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Felicity says
Oh my goodness, this is amazing. I never realized how much I missed butter till I made this! I so enjoyed having it on my homemade bran muffins this morning. Thank you so much for the recipe, I don't plan to try any others! Perfect flavour, perfect consistency, just Perfect! :D
I followed it pretty much to a "t", except I cut out a step making the almond meal. I had slivered almonds (and I'm lazy), so I just added the slivered almonds with all ingredients except the coconut oil and blended! I also didn't want to dirty dishes melting the coconut oil, so I just let the heat from the blender melt it as the speed increased. I did have to scrape down the edges near the end to ensure everything was smooth throughout, but it worked awesome! I was tempted(as I often am) to deviate with some of the measurements in ingredients, but I'm so glad I didn't! You got it just right!
A Virtual Vegan says
Wow Felicity I am so glad you like it so much! It's good to know it blended down smoothly enough using slivered almonds. Do you have a super duper blender though like a Vitamix? Perhaps a lower powered one wouldn't do quite such a good job. I like your thinking about cutting out the melting of the coconut oil step and I'm so glad you didn't play around with the measurements. I tried so many variations when I was working on this recipe and like you said, it's pretty spot on. I have enough butter in the freezer to last me a life time after all my testing! May you enjoy butter on everything from here on in! By the way..It's awesome on crumpets :O)
Felicity says
Yes, I was going to say that it may not work to use slivered with a lower powered blender, I used a Vitamix. But yes, your hard work payed off! Thanks again, it's a brilliant recipe! :)
Kacie says
Omg! I just made this! Soooo yummy! Thanks so much
Aja says
I was wondering if olive oil can be used as a replacement for the coconut oil. I have coronary artery disease and coconut is an saturated fat, which I tend to stay away from. Thank you for your help.
A Virtual Vegan says
I am really sorry but olive oil won't work for this recipe. It has to be a fat that will solidify hence the coconut oil. Sorry it's not better news :0(
Don Urban says
Excellent! Just made this and it tastes great! Thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Don. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know!
Lea says
Hi again
It was time for me to make a new batch of my vegan "butter" so I made both your recipe and mine. I can't say I have a preference in taste. Texture is a bit different but not much. Your recipe is quite good. Its not as fussy as the one I use. Tonight it passed the corn on the cob test. What I like the most is that your recipe, I think, has a better nutritional profile with the almonds and nutritional yeast. I will make your recipe again. I'm thinking I might even try combining it with mine....... That said......... all in all very good. ... Recommend it...
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks for you feedback Lea. I love it on corn on the cob!
Violeta says
Forgot to say that you should stop creating those delicious recipes as I already ate half of the butter..
Violeta says
Dear Mel,
It is me again..(sorry for that but i need to share this with you)
I tried this morning the butter you created and .. IT IS JUST AMAZING.(even do I did without the yeast and I also mistaked with the coconut oil as it was virgin coconut oil, but those kind of mistakes are tipical me)
I am spanish and l don't know why I was looking for recipes in english but THANKS I DID!! I promess to try all your recipes!!!
Muchisimas gracias!
Vio
:D
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Violeta! I am so glad you shared this with me. You have made me very happy. I am thrilled that you like my butter recipe. It will be even better next time if you can find some refined coconut oil as then you won't have the slight coconut taste that Virgin coconut oil gives it. Thanks so much for letting me know. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Angela V says
I made this yesterday evening and later tried it on a piece of toast because I couldn't believe it could melt like butter....BUT IT DOES! Amazing!! It's quick and easy to make and tastes better than any kind of butter "replacement" I've ever tried. I'm interested to try baking/cooking with it.
Doro says
An amaaaaaaaazing recipe! Thanks so much for sharing it. No more fake butter full of palm oil from the supermarket. Texture is great, just like real butter ! and taste is fine. I used almond/rice milk and it worked well.
I hope that it will do good in my fav' chocolate cake that contains originally butter ;)
Thanks again!
A Virtual Vegan says
Wow thank you so much! I am glad you love the recipe and thank you so much for stopping by to let me know. I have used it in cake recipes with success so hopefully it will be great in your favourite chocolate cake. Enjoy!
Denise P:lant says
I've made this butter five times now and I can honestly say it is the best vegan butter I have ever made. I have tried numerous other recipes but this one is the best. Thank you A Virtual Vegan for sharing your recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
I am so glad you love the recipe. It's certainly a game changer! Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know :O)
Laura says
Just made a batch of this butter and it is absolutely awesome!! Thanks for the advice about using silicone ice cube trays: I found some which are about 6" x 4" with 15 little squares, just perfect for a double batch of this recipe. I just left the butter in the tray and placed it, in a zip top bag, in the freezer ... can easily pop out a 1" cube when I want to be a little decadent! Thank you so very much for this recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's so good to hear Laura! It has certainly been a life changing recipe for me. I can't get enough of it on hot toast! I am glad the tip about the ice cube trays helped. It helps me to exercise a little bit of self control when it's frozen. It means I can't just eat it whenever I feel like which would almost certainly be too often if it was in front of me every time I opened the fridge! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave your feedback. I really appreciate it :O)
Emma Crane says
This an amazing recipe. One that I will always use. It's super easy to make and the texture and taste is amazing. Thank you for sharing :-)
A Virtual Vegan says
That is so good to hear Emma. I hope you continue to find many delicious uses for it! Crumpets are in my future very soon after another reader told me how good it is on them! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it :O)
A Virtual Vegan says
I didn't say it freezes for a month. I said it freezes well. I haven't experimented with exactly how long it keeps in the freezer. In my recipe trials I simply froze it for a few days then defrosted it to check how it was. I haven't frozen it for an extended period. Standard dairy butter freezes well for up to 5 months so I would imagine this butter is similar but can't guarantee.
Again as for keeping it in the fridge, I have used mine for a fews weeks no problem. Exact times are impossible to predict as it depends on how old the ingredients used are and how the finished butter is stored. Remember that different fridges run at a different temperatures too. Because of all of these variables I can't give an exact time. I am physically not able to test every eventuality.
patricia says
sorry i didn't form the question well, when i say '' and freezes for a month ?'' its was a question to know how long can we keep in the freezer. Thank you very much for all the information. This better look very nice and awsum, thanks for sharing.
Shannon says
Have you tested this using nondairy milk that does not contain added stabilizers? I'm wondering because your recipe does not call for any emulsifiers. I usually use homemade nondairy milk or store bought soy milk that is "clean" (no gums etc) just out of preference, but I'm a little worried that this recipe won't work properly without that. I would love if you tested it with an emulsifier-free, gum-free nondairy milk and added your results to the recipe notes.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Shannon. Yes this recipe works with the more natural milks with no added stabilizers. I have made it with my own homemade cashew milk (just cashews and water). Your homemade milk or the soy you buy will be just fine. In this recipe the almonds kind of work as the emulsifier and hold it all together once its been blended up. I will add a note to the recipe :O)
Margaret Wall says
What a great recipe. Thank you so much.
It literally took just the time to measure out the ingredients.
Even prior to adding in the almonds it tastes good.
I will never need to buy Vegan butter again!
Fantastic!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment Margaret. I really appreciate it and am so glad you loved the butter! :O)
Colleen says
Can I use cashews instead of almonds?
A Virtual Vegan says
You can as long as you grind them up into a flour consistency first. They won't give the same buttery flavour as almonds though so bear that in mind.
Karlie says
Is the another non almond nut that would work or taste better? My family has both almond and cashew allergies.
A Virtual Vegan says
Almonds give the best buttery flavour but there are alternatives. I have had readers let me know that they have used hemp seeds, pine nuts (not a nut despite they’re name) or sunflower seeds in place of the ground almonds. As long as you grind them down to a fine flour in a blender or food processor they will be good. Someone even told me yesterday that they used rice flour and had a good result. I think if you can get them, pine nuts would probably lend the best buttery flavour out of them all. Hope that helps!
Emma Warrington says
Certainly the easiest vegan butter I've made, with readily available, store cupboard ingredients. But also the tastiest! I'll definitely make it again, and probably double up the recipe and freeze half. Thanks for your ingenuity! Hot buttered toast! Yum!! ????
A Virtual Vegan says
I am so pleased you like it! Hot buttered toast.... Yum. I hadn't had that for over a year and it was so good when I ate it again after creating this recipe! Watch out for Mondays recipe...it is perfect to go with your new butter! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment Emma :0)
A Virtual Vegan says
You are very welcome Natalie. Let me know what you think when you try it!
Nancy says
Love that the recipe doesn't use palm oil, but disappoint to see coconut oil, Which Has its own ethical issues (monkey slaves and other exploitative practices--seriously, research it!). Have you tried any other similar fat (vegetable shortening maybe?)?
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Nancy. I am all too familiar with the terrible practices which go on in the production of coconut oil and I always advocate responsibly sourced brands. It is absolutely possible to buy coconut oil that is produced responsibly and without cruelty to monkeys, or as is sometimes the case, people too. I have done extensive research into this and contacted many companies myself to find out their production/harvesting practices so that I can recommend good and trusted brands here on my blog. Personally I always buy Nutiva coconut oil because it is a brand I trust and one that I know uses responsible farming and harvesting practices.
As for shortening, it's not something I've ever used, but I would imagine after looking at the ingredients of most of them, that they also aren't very ethically processed (they contain palm oil and usally hydrogenated oils too), and if you were to use it to make my recipe you would end up with a butter that has basically the same ingredients as store bought vegan butter, so you might as well save yourself the effort and just buy it ready made from the grocery store.
I hope that helps.
Nancy says
Thanks so much for the detailed response and the valuable resources! I have been trying to research coconut sources myself since being made aware of these issues with difficulty--companies that make some of my favorite products (e.g., Earth Balance, Desert Essense) either never responded or only half responded. Looked like I should have read through your earlier posts sooner! Nonetheless, now I can try this Intruiging recipe comfortably!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great. I am glad to have helped. I am of the opinion that if a company uses good and ethical harvesting techniques they will be proud of that fact and happy to tell you about it. If they skirt around the issue or only half respond then I think it's fairly safe to assume that they don't use good practices. I'm glad you feel happier about it all now and can eat your coconut products with a clear conscience! Enjoy the recipe!
Natalie says
This is amazing Mel! I have no clue how you figured it out :o And it even melts and everything...just wow! So much better than the store-bought stuff!