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 is palm oil-free.
This vegan butter recipe is tried and true. It has been one of my most popular recipes since 2015 and it comes with hundreds of five star reviews. And 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!
Make it in your blender in minutes and then use it just like regular butter for all of your spreading and baking needs. You can even use it to make vegan brown butter!
What is vegan butter?
Vegan butter is a dairy-free alternative to regular butter, which is most commonly made from cow's milk, but also sometimes sheep, goat, yak or buffalo milk. Vegan butter is made from plant based milk and it has a very similar texture, mouthfeel and flavour to butter made from animal's milk.
Is it like real butter?
This easy vegan butter is so unbelievably smooth, rich and creamy. It spreads beautifully and melts perfectly.
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.
Obviously it isn't identical to regular butter made from dairy but this plant based butter recipe tastes as good, if not better than most store bought vegan butters and looks the same, melts the same, behaves the same and bakes the same as dairy butter. Try it in my vegan butter tarts!
What is vegan butter made of?
Homemade vegan butter is made from just 8 easy to find plant based ingredients. Here is what you will need and why:
- 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 buy almond flour from Holland and Barrett.
- non-dairy milk - For creaminess and emulsification.
- nutritional yeast - For a buttery depth of flavour
- salt - flavour. Salt makes everything better!
- apple cider vinegar - It needs some acid to balance the flavours and apple cider vinegar is milder than most other culinary acids.
- refined coconut oil - For setting. Note that it must be refined (i.e flavourless and odourless). Without it the butter will stay liquid so it is absolutely essential.
- olive oil, avocado oil or canola oil - Essential for texture and spreadability
- turmeric - For colour. This is the only ingredient you can safely omit.
How to make plant-based butter
This vegan butter recipe takes literally a couple of minutes to make, plus some time for it to set. Here's how it's done:
- Add all of the ingredients except the oils to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Add the refined coconut oil and the olive oil and blend again until incorporated and light and airy.
- Pour into a lidded container and place in the fridge to set.
Success Tips
- Measure everything carefully and don't omit or change anything (except the turmeric which can be safely left out if you don't have it because it is only used for colour).
- You must use refined coconut oil. It's sometimes labelled as "deodorized". You absolutely cannot use unrefined or virgin coconut oil because your butter will smell and taste of coconut. If you aren't sure if yours is ok, check the label. It will say somewhere. Or give it a sniff and taste. If you can smell or taste any trace of coconut it is not refined and not suitable for this recipe.
- Make sure the refined coconut oil is liquid but at room temperature. Don't add it while it's hot.
- Blend until completely smooth but don't let the liquid butter get hot while blending or it could split. If it starts warming up give the blender a break for a minute or two before continuing.
- Let it set thoroughly before using.
- Store in the refrigerator
- Let is soften at room temperature for a few minutes before spreading for ultimate creaminess and ease of spreading.
- Omit the almond flour if you plan to use the recipe for sautéing or frying. More details are in the recipe notes.
Serving Suggestions
Slather this vegan butter on everything! Some ideas include:
- on bread or toast
- on homemade English Muffins
- on quick breads like my healthy banana bread, spelt bread, pumpkin bread and zucchini bread
- in mashed potatoes
- on baked potatoes or steamed potatoes
- on popcorn
- in pastry dough
- on steamed vegetables
- on vegan banana scones
- slathered on vegan sweet potato biscuits
- in vegan cream cheese frosting or buttercream
- to cook pancakes and on pancakes like my vegan banana pancakes, giant blueberry vegan pancake and my vegan spelt pancakes
- on oatmeal waffles
- in Risi e Bisi (Italian rice and peas)
- in cakes, cookies or other baked goods
- in my vegan lemon curd
Is vegan butter healthy?
This vegan butter is homemade, contains simple ingredients and does not contain trans fats, hydrogenated oils, additives and preservatives, so in that respect it does have healthier ingredients than most store bought vegan butters. However it is still very high in fat and calories, so like all butters, it should be eaten sparingly.
Is vegan butter the same as margarine?
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 labelled 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 margarines.
How to store
Be sure to pour the butter into a container with a lid so that it's easy to keep it covered. I put mine in small or shallow jars mason jars.
You might be wondering how long vegan butter lasts? Store it in the refrigerator and it will keep for about 2 weeks. This does depend to some extent on the milk you use to make it with though. If you use store bought milk it lasts longer than it does if you use homemade milk. That's because store bought milk has preservatives in it and homemade doesn't.
This vegan butter freezes really well. If you make more than you think you will comfortably eat in 2 weeks, or if you want to make a really big batch every couple of months, store it in the freezer where it will keep for up to 3 months.
- To freeze in an airtight freezer safe container - When you make the butter pour it into the freezer safe container cover with a lid and put it straight in the freezer. You can also freeze the already set butter if you prefer.
- To freeze in a silicone ice cube tray - Pour the liquid butter into the silicone trays. Place them gently and evenly in the freezer. Once the butter has solidified you can wrap the ice cube trays up really well or put them as they are in a sealed freezer bag. Or you can pop the frozen cubes out and store them in a bag or container so you get your ice cube tray back for other things.
- How to defrost - When you want some butter remove from the freezer and allow to defrost overnight in the fridge. If you have frozen it in an ice cube tray it will defrost really quickly so you can pop one out and leave it at room temperature until it's ready to use. It usually takes about 30 minutes.
Recipe FAQS
If you use unrefined or virgin coconut oil, your butter will end up tasting and smelling of coconut. It will not taste of butter. Refined coconut oil has no coconut flavor or smell which is why it is essential for this recipe.Â
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.
About 2 weeks. See my freezing instructions if you want to keep it longer.
The nutritional yeast helps with the buttery flavour and the butter is at it's 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 is completely different to nutritional yeast and will not work in this recipe.
There is no substitute for coconut oil in this recipe. Nothing else will work.
Recipe
Vegan Butter
Author: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) plant milk , NOT almond milk. Soy, cashew or oat milk work best. (the milk must be unsweetened and unflavoured)
- 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon 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 tasting liquid oil like light olive oil, avocado oil or canola oil
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
Please see the recipe notes before proceeding if you intend on using this butter for frying or sautéing.
- Melt the coconut oil. I put it in the microwave for 20 or 30 seconds but you can also stand the jar in some hot water. Measure it when it's liquid and not when it's solid, then set it aside for a few minutes to cool. Don't use it while it's hot or warm. Allow it to get to room temperature first.
- Place the almond flour, milk, salt, nutritional yeast, vinegar and turmeric into a blender and blend until smooth.Â
- Pour in the refined coconut oil and olive oil then blend until velvety smooth. I use the smoothie setting on my blender. Don't let the blender get too warm while it's blending or the butter can split a bit. If your blender does run a little warm then blend in short bursts and give it a break for a minute or two in between.
- Pour the liquid butter into a container, cover and refrigerate until set.
- Let is soften at room temperature for a few minutes before spreading for ultimate creaminess and ease of spreading.
NOTES
- To freeze in an airtight freezer safe container -Â When you make the butter pour it into the freezer safe container cover with a lid and put it straight in the freezer. You can also freeze the already set butter if you prefer.
- To freeze in a silicone ice cube tray -Â Pour the liquid butter into the silicone trays. Place them gently and evenly in the freezer. Once the butter has solidified you can wrap the ice cube trays up really well or put them as they are in a sealed freezer bag. Or you can pop the frozen cubes out and store them in a bag or container so you get your ice cube tray back for other things.
This recipe was originally published on March 15th 2015. I've added new photographs & some new content and now I am republishing it for you. The actual recipe remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!
Heather says
Would Mct oil work for this perhaps? Thanks for sharing!
A Virtual Vegan says
No it wouldn't. It needs to be regular refined cococnut oil as otherwise the butter won't set.
Carol says
Can you explain why unrefined doesn't work? If you did already I have missed it , thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
Because you want the butter to taste of butter. If you use unrefined it will taste/smell of coconut.
christina bickley says
hi , i was following your page,, and noticed that you use oil in your recipes.. which is a no no.. for all oils... surprised that so many vegans etc use oil.... its a shame
A Virtual Vegan says
I have a lot of oil-free recipes. You can find a whole section in my recipe index. But yes, I do use oil when it enhances a dish, and in recipes like this butter where there is no alternative. If you choose to eat oil free then that's your decision. It's a no no for you, but oil is vegan and it's up to each individual to make their own dietary decisions and they should be able to do that without judgement.
Tarey Beckwith says
Hi, can Brazil nuts be substituted for almonds and can Avocado oil be substituted for coconut oil?
A Virtual Vegan says
Almonds have a really buttery flavour. I tested all the nuts and they came out best flavour-wise. Brazil nuts would technically work though, but the butter might not taste so "buttery". As for the oil, refined coconut oil is the only option. No other oil will work.
Rebecca Valentine says
Made this yesterday and it definitely looks like butter! Yummy! But I do have a question. For cookie recipes that call for unsalted butter, am I supposed to lessen the salt mentioned in the cookie recipe by the amount of salt the butter has?
(PS. I added only half the amount of salt mentioned in the butter recipe here.) Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
Glad you like it! Unless you are using the whole batch of butter in the recipe, then it could become hard to work out how much salt you should subtract from the recipe, but yes, in theory that would work.
If you need unsalted butter you could just make up a batch of my butter recipes with no salt added. If you don't use it all it freezes really well so you can save it for next time.
Hope that helps!
Elaine says
Absolutely outstanding! Thanks.
Bean says
This butter is AMAZING! I tried a recipe from another website that was an epic fail but I thought I'd persist and try yours and I am so glad I did! It tastes just like butter and holds together really well. Thank you for the recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it. I take pride in my recipes being extremely well tested (by me and my recipes testers) so there should never be any epic fails here! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review. I really appreciate it!
Zippy Sanchez says
This is da BOMB!! I never thought I would say this as a butter addict but it's even better than butter. I followed your recipe, used oatmilk and left our the tumeric, it really is a game changer. Thank you so much for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you are enjoying it. Thank you!
Marjorie says
SO like butter it's uncanny.
Leslie Renée says
Fantastic!!! My non-vegan friends loved this, and my vegan husband is so happy to have this... definitely a staple in our kitchen. Perfect on English muffins. Toast. Caramel sauce. Mashed potatoes... the list goes on. With the holidays coming up, we will be making a double (or even triple!!!) batch. Thank you for your hard work creating this.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you are enjoying it Leslie. Thank you so much for stopping by to leave a review!
Dream says
Yum yum yum.
Heather says
I made this butter to use in my baking and it looked really weird at first...tasted sort of like butter. It’s definitely better than any vegan butter spreads I’ve had. I think on it’s own, I’d use less salt. However, when I used it in my dishes, it worked great! I added it to my vegan key lime crust that I baked and it tasted just like butter. It was amazing!! Then I froze it and tonight I made vegan chocolate chip cookies and they worked beautifully! The perfect cookie with real butter always eluded me. They used to flatten out into pancakes. This vegan butter made incredible cookies! They were golden and crispy on the edges and top and bottom and yet chewy and fluffy in the middle. They puffed up and held their shape! I’m so happy thank you! The store vegan butter never had a yummy texture or taste. I’m happy I found your recipe! Thank you very much for sharing. I’m looking forward to more recipes from you.
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased it exceeded your expectations like that! I use it for all of my baking and a local bakery uses it for their vegan baked goods too. They make gallons of it at a time. Try it in pastry next time you make some. It works great!
Thank you for stopping by to leave a review Heather. I really appreciate it!
Katie says
Is there something that could make this more spreadable, similar to margarine? We currently use vegan becel but would love something homemade.
Lidia says
Hi, just a quick question. Could you make this a flavored butter? Would you recommend adding for example black truffle powder for?
A Virtual Vegan says
You could easily flavour this. I've made fresh herb and garlic versions. I've never used black truffle powder but I don't see why it wouldn't work. It might end up looking a bit grey though, that's the only downside. I would make the butter as instructed, then add a little of the black truffle powder to whatever portion of it that you want to flavour and stir through.
Adele Rumbold says
This is now a staple part of our new vegan way of life.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome. I'm really pleased you are enjoying it!
Christina says
This recipe is VEGGIE VERIFIED. I just made this (finally!) and oh, baby, this is going to make my family freak the f*ck out—now one more thing they don't feel like they have to "give up" to live longer and better. Thank you, girl!
Melanie McDonald says
Ha ha, love this! Thank you so much!
rhonda rivera says
can this be made with avocado oil?
Melanie McDonald says
Instead of the olive oil but not the coconut oil. That is essential in this recipe and it won't work without it.
Shannon K. says
Is there any alternative to the coconut oil? I am allergic to all things coconut and get the strongest reactions to coconut oil.
A Virtual Vegan says
No unfortunately there isn't. It is the only thing that will work in this recipe.