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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Carlena says
do you think i will be able to make croissants out of this butter?
A Virtual Vegan says
I think it would work brilliantly. I have been planning on trying it myself but haven't got around to it yet. The only problem there might be, is it might melt a little more easily than 'real' butter so it might need a break in the fridge from time to time to stop it melting into the dough. If you try it let me know how it goes. I'd love to know!
Julie Gordon says
Hi there! This looks so good, and I can't buy the store stuff either. Problem is I have a significant intolerance to yeast, which means no yeast or vinegar. Any suggestions for replacements?
MJ Ribbink says
I made it for the first time. There is an overpowering taste in it of something. Maybe it's the olive oil, or the nutritional yeast? Hubby who is a meat eater did the test too and came with the same. It taste nice, but everything you put on it looses it's own taste. I had strawberry jam, and hubby had cheese. With both that specific taste evened out the strawberry and the cheese taste.
I will try again and leave out the yeast.
A Virtual Vegan says
If made as directed there should be no overpowering taste in the butter. It should taste very similar to spreads like Earth Balance/Becel Vegan etc. The most likely cause of an overpowering flavour is that you used unrefined coconut oil instead of refined as stated in the recipe. Is that the case? If so switch to refined coconut oil and you will notice a massive difference. It wont be the nutritional yeast. There is such a tiny amount in there that the flavour doesn't come through (unless you added too much?). It is there just to round out the flavour and add a little buttery depth. It isn't distinctive in it's own right. Also the olive oil flavour should not be pronounced, but if you use extra virgin olive oil and it is a particularly strongly flavoured one then you might get a hint of it in the finished butter. I always tend to use extra virgin olive oil and can never taste it though. Make doubly sure that you used the exact same ingredients stated and the exact quantities. This recipe has been made by thousands and thousands of people and the only time anyone has said the flavour has been not good has been when they used the wrong coconut oil. Hopefully that is the case here and it will be easy to rectify next time you make it. Hope that helps! :O)
Jacqui says
This is fabulous. I have made it for the first time...in fact it is my first attempt at homemade spread since I decided to avoid palm oil from the new year.. I don't think I even need to try any other recipes. This is a keeper! Just made it, tipped it into the container and popped it into the fridge to set. Sneaky finger dip into the leftovers sticking in the vitamix and I almost fainted with happiness! Bloomin' heck it's good....like melted butter on a crumpet ???????? I could literally feel my pupils dilating hehehehehe. Thank you!
I shall definitely share the word on my FB page and blog. ventuallyvegan.com
Ventually Vegan xx
A Virtual Vegan says
That's so good to hear Jacqui! I am really pleased you like the recipe, and it is absolutely amazing on crumpets but the way!!!
Ane says
Can´t wait to try this recipe!
I can´t find refined coconut oil in my city, It will go wrong if I use regular coconut oil?
Leslie Durkin says
WOW!!! What a fantastic option for regular dairy butter! I can't believe it's not butter (but far better for you than the product of the same claim!!) I don't know how you came up with this Mel, but a masterpiece! Since eliminating gluten and dairy from my diet I have missed butter on my GF toast. I didn't eat a lot of it, but, toast just isn't the same for me dry! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
Karen says
I made it - it's yummy! Have tagged you on instagram.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Karen! So glad you liked it and thank you for the tag on Instagram :O)
Wendy says
This is really really good. I also hate all the vegan butters on the market. This actually tastes great. Acts just like butter. Amazing!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Wendy. So glad you are enjoying it!
Gen says
I made your recipe today. I am in heaven!!!! This is so close to dairy butter. OMG so good. I missed dairy butter... but not anymore. My omni boyfriend loved it. Thank you so much for sharing.. You are a genious!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! So glad you both enjoyed it! It's certainly a game changer. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know and happy new year!
Sara says
Just made this today - it's lovely, so much better than spreads available in the supermarket. And it's so easy to make - I think I'll have a batch of this in the fridge all the time from now on.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Sara and thanks so much for stopping by to let me know!
Jemma says
Hi hope you can help, this recipe is exactly what I needed, it turned out nice but not like yours. It never really 'set' it has been in the fridge for 12 hours but is like a thick moussey consistency. Also when I blended it, it emulsified straight away like a mayonnaise but I couldn't pour it I had to use a spatula to transfer it to my jar. I wonder if I haven't used enough coconut oil? I measured out half a cup then melted it. Should I have melted it first then measured out half a cup? Thank you so much for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Jemma, Something has certainly gone wrong somewhere. You should have used half a cup of liquid coconut oil, so melt it first then measure. Not enough coconut oil would make it not set properly. However, when you blend it it should stay pretty runny like thin custard and not thicken up much. You definitely should not need a spatula. Did you use the coconut oil when it was too warm or hot? It should be melted then allowed to return to more lot less room temperature. And did you substitute any ingredients or perhaps use the wrong quantity of anything else? I am thinking that perhaps your coconut oil was too hot, or you let the blender run for too long and it heated it up too much. Or the other thing that may have happened, if it was particularly cold in your kitchen is that the coconut oil set up as it hit the cold glass of the blender and the cold milk and made it thicken up like that.That might be more likely. As long as it hasn't curdled and tastes ok (just try a bit to check) I think you will be able to rescue it by putting it back in the blender and adding a little more coconut oil which will make it solidify. 2 or 3 tablespoons should do it. Just blend it on low and just enough to incorporate it all then try setting it again in the fridge. Sorry you have had this issue. It's one of the 'most made' recipes on my website and I haven't run into anything like this before. I hope you manage to rescue it :O)
Jemma says
Thank you so much! I made it again and melted the coconut oil first before measuring it and it's amazing! Just like butter. We brits aren't used to using cups for measuring, well that's my excuse lol :-) Brilliant recipe x
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Jemma! So glad it worked out in the end and thank you for letting me know :o)
Vanessa says
This looks amazing! Is there a way to sub out the almond meal? I'm thinking about making this for my vegan friend but she is allergic to almonds,
Thanks in advance!
alexis says
Hey there! Fantastic recipe. Why does the recipe specifically ask for refined coconut oil vs unrefined? I only have and use unrefined coconut oil. Have you tried the recipe with unrefined?
Sandi says
Can you use this in recipes that call for "vegan butter" ?
Deb says
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! I just recently found out I am allergic to Canola oil and was looking for an alternative. I absolutely love your vegan butter recipe. Not only is it easy to make but it tastes delicious!
A Virtual Vegan says
You are welcome! I'm so pleased you are enjoying it :O)
Annette payne says
Icould not find the butter recipe. Please send it to me.
Sue says
Can i use just soybean and or corn oil and distilled vinegar allergic to everything else
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Sue, Sorry no you can't replace the oil in this recipe. It needs to be an oil that will solidify or the butter will stay liquid. The vinegar would be ok but I guess that's no good if you can't use the coconut oil :O(
Salome Shively says
can't wait to try it! what is nutritional yeast? is it the same as the regular yeast i buy to make bread?
Hayley says
Hello!! I was wondering if this would work well as a buttercream for cakes? I hope so!! ????
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes it does!! Be sure to keep the buttercream cold though or you might have melting issues though. Don't handle it too much when you are making the buttercream and if it gets too soft just give it a rest in the fridge. Once you have frosted your cake/cupcakes keep them in the fridge to ensure the frosting holds up well. Have fun!
Shannon says
Can this be used in baking? Also, is the nutritional yeast necessary or can it be left out or replaced?
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Shannon, yes it can be used for baking. The nutritional yeast helps the buttery flavour. You could leave it out as long as you are happy to sacrifice a little flavour.
Shannon says
Gotcha, thanks! Yay, I'm so excited to use it in baking!