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!
Eve says
I made this the other day, it's wonderful.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks so much Eve. Glad you are enjoying it!
Heather says
Why refined coconut oil?
A Virtual Vegan says
Because if you use unrefined it will taste and smell of coconut instead of being buttery.
Debra Moray-Brach says
I don,t use palm either. I am glad there is someone else who doesn't use it. Very few people who care. I like this, but a little to much salt for me.
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes I agree about the palm oil problem. As for the salt, it's not essential for the recipe to work. You can adjust it to suit you taste.
Heather says
When you said it was made from whole food ingredients, I was so hoping the recipe didn't have oil since oil is not a whole food ingredient. I do not use oil at all and strictly limit my consumption of it because as people have stated it's not healthy and can cause damage and weight gain (check out nutritionfacts.org or forksoverknives.com for more info if you want). Anyway, I'm not here to debate the oil thing, however, I do plan on trying this recipe and replacing all of the oil with coconut butter. I use coconut butter sparingly and use it as a butter and oil replacement in pretty much everything that may call for butter or oil. It has worked flawlessly so far. I figure there's no harm in trying it with coconut butter. We'll see if it works. Thank you for the recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
It wouldn't be possible to make an authentic looking and tasting butter without any oil. I personally wouldn't try this recipe with coconut butter instead of the oils. It will just end up tasting too much like coconut and I think would be unpleasant. Up to you though if you want to try it ????.
Lucile says
Amazing recipe! I intend to turn my dad vegan thanks to this! Just a tip: I used raisin seed oil rather than olive oil to avoid the slight olive taste. Thank you so much for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad you liked it Lucille! If you use regular olive oil and not extra virgin, the olive taste doesn't come through at all but raisin seed oil is a good sub anyway. I hope you manage to veganize your Dad!
Barb says
I just made your vegan butter; you BUTTER believe it's great!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Ha ha! Very clever ???? So glad you like it! It's a bit of a game changer eh?
Natalie says
Girlfriend! This looks wonderful! I can't wait to try it! I'm trying to read up though the comments to see, but have you had any success with making a "school safe" version? Nut free? I was thinking of trying with hemp seeds to replace the almond flour, do you think that would work?
Also, from what I can see, this works great for toast and topping on hot veggies, but does it work in baking? Cookies, cakes and icing?
Thank you so much for coming up with what looks like a winning recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Natalie! I personally haven't tried to make a nut-free version yet but I plan to get one tested and published some-time soon. I do however have a few readers who regularly make it with pine nuts (they are a seed rather than a nut despite the name). I think hemp would work really well too as they are a creamy kind of seed. Sunflower seeds might also work. Obviously the flavour will change a little and it might not be quite as buttery but it will still be good.
Yes it works great for spreading on warm things like toast and veggies etc. It also works in cakes, cookies etc and it works for icing. It melts a little easier than regular icing though so you might need to keep your cakes/cupcakes in the fridge. The only way it does not work is for grilling/broiling and frying. For some reason it goes a bit lumpy and weird. I discovered this after trying to make garlic bread with it under the grill. I think probably because the liquid evaporates and leaves the nut residue behind. For everything else though it is great.
I hope you enjoy it!
Benjamin says
Can this recipe be used without the almonds? Must I used something in place or can I just take it out of the equations?
A Virtual Vegan says
If you don't use almonds you will need to replace them with something else. They kind of act as an emulsifier. Cashews also work ok and a few readers make it regularly with pine nuts. I think possibly ground sunflower seeds might work too.
ShelahN says
I am looking forward to trying this.
You specifically mention 'unsweetened non-dairy milk'
I happen to have Original Coconut Milk which is slightly sweetened.
Will it work?
Or what is your thinking behind stating that it must be unsweetened?
Thanks for any help you can give!
A Virtual Vegan says
If you use sweetened milk the sweetness comes through in the butter and it just tastes a little odd. Not like real butter. It will still work though and if that doesn't bother you then by all means go ahead.
Be careful with coconut milk though as if it has any coconut flavour at all that will come through in the butter as well, just like it does if you use unrefined coconut oil. If you end up with coconut flavour and sweetness it might not be particularly pleasant. Hope that helps :o)
ShelahN says
Thank you for your quick response!
This is very helpful.
I think I will try homemade oat milk instead.
Thanks again!
A Virtual Vegan says
Oat milk is a great choice. Bear in mind that your butter will only last as long as the milk is good for. If your homemade oat milk is anything like mine it only lasts a couple of days before it starts going off a bit. So unless you are going to eat/use it pretty quickly, just keep a bit to use and freeze the rest so it stays fresh.
ShelahN says
Ok, Thanks! I ended up using cashew milk after doing a bit of reading on both options. In your experience does it have a similar shelf life to the oat milk?
So far the finished pseudo butter looks great! perhaps a tad salty but I assume the flavors will meld a bit overnight.
I am cooking a vegan, soy-free meal for a friend who is finding these choices important. I had no idea how challenging/interesting this could be! lol
Many thanks for being so helpful.
Blessings to you.
A Virtual Vegan says
Most homemade milks I find, only last 3, maybe 4 days max before they start to smell a little funky. This butter freezes so well though. I use an ice cube tray inside a freezer bag, then just pop out a cube whenever I need some. That way it always stays fresh. If you use store bought milk it lasts much longer because of the preservatives in the milk.
I'm glad it's looking good. Of all the people to make it (which is a lot as this is the most popular recipe on my website), no-one has ever mentioned it was salty so hopefully once it's set up, you wont detect that.
It's so kind of you to cook a vegan and soy free meal for your friend. I hope you both enjoy it and it's lovely that it's opening up new ways of cooking for you too!
Alex says
Does this recipe really work the same as regular butter for baking? I love to bake and would love to be able to make my own butter for frostings, cakes, cookies, and pretty much everything. Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
It is so good in frosting!! Once you've frosted your cake or cupcakes (or whatever you are making) it's best to keep them in the fridge as it does melt a bit easier than regular butter frosting.
It also works as the fat in cakes, cookies etc. To be honest with you though, I never use it in baking because I love the results straight coconut oil gives so I save my butte for spreading and occasionally frosting.
The only way this Butter doesn't work is when used to fry or broil/grill. I tried making garlic bread with it under the broiler and it goes lumpy and weird. The same happens when you fry with it which is strange. It must be something to do with the direct heat on it.
Enjoy your baking!
Franziska says
Hi, Thank you, it's amazing! I used cashews instead of almonds and I found 'mild coconut oil' from Biona, which says it's 'lightly steamed' and 'odour-free',
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so glad it worked out for you. It's good to know cashews gave a good result. Thank you for letting me know!
amanda says
I JUST MADE THIS AND I AM HONESTLY STUNNED. I NEVER HAVE TO BUY EARTH BALANCE AGAIN!!!!!! THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A Virtual Vegan says
That is so good! You've made my day :O) Thank you so much for letting me know!
Elizabeth Hemstreet says
Nancy, Brady, RN - that is my husbands problem too. NO OIL. So what do you do. We eat a vegan diet but try not to use any oil.
beth
Sheran says
I follow Dr Mcdougall diet plan of no oil also. This recipe sounds great but also look up klunkers recipe of corn butter with no oils and you can also make a great butter using Aquafaba. I too reversed my RA using a plant based diet with no oil. Oils damage the endothelial cells which cause heart damage. We can get healthy oils from nuts and avocados. Thanks all
Mel says
Loved this butter! Absolutely beautiful! No hidden nasties and so easy to make, any tips on how to make more spreadable when using for sandwiches? I was thinking more olive oil and less coconut?
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you like it! As for making it more spreadable, I tend to just leave it out of the fridge for 20 minutes before I want it but you could totally play around with increasing the olive oil and decreasing the coconut. That will definitely make it softer. Have a great day!
Nicole says
Hey! Curious if there is a alternative to the almond meal... I'm allergic to almonds...? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Nicole. I plan to work on a nut free version soon as there have been a lot of requests for one. Until then cashews ground down would work if you aren't allergic to other nuts, or pine nuts if you are allergic to nuts. It wont taste quite as buttery but it will still be good.
helen says
Can't see what I'm typing as pale grey on white almost impossible for me, so please excuse errors. I tried this as both daughters now vegan. Came out miles better than any shop one, rather like I imagined olive spreads to taste, but nice. One of the less flavoured natural oils might also be nice. Used a small amount of marmite a I couldn,t find the yeast stuff. Seems fine. Much appreciated!
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Helen. Sorry you had problems with the text when you were commenting. It's something that is on my list to get looked at next time I have some work done on my website.
I am so glad you enjoyed the butter. The flavour you are detecting probably has something to do with the marmite addition. It's not a great substitute for nutritional yeast and I wouldn't recommend using it in this recipe. The nutritional yeast adds to the buttery flavour. Marmite wouldn't do this. It will detract from it. Next time you make it omit the marmite and if you can't get nutritional yeast omit that too. It will still work without it and will still be good.