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.
Reader feedback
Here is what some of you have had to say about this plant based butter recipe:
"This is so delish and super easy to make . I cant believe its not real butter! When I first saw this recipe I was skeptical . Like, how can this combo of ingredients work? But wow I'm super impressed . Im making a quart of this spread next week ! And it tastes even better than the vegan spread from the store. My whole vegan family loves it!" - Carol ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"Absolutely, hands down, the best vegan butter ever! Sooooo much better than any store-bought I have tried. It really does taste and behave like butter. I love it! Thank you so much for the recipe! " - JP ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"I have to admit I was skeptical about how this was going to taste, but boy was I pleasantly surprised! This tastes EXACTLY like butter. And super easy, which is a big plus!" - Laura ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
"I’m a dairy-lover turned vegan in the last year along with my hubby. I just made this butter and WOW wow wow wow wow! Halfway through, it turned into a double batch, like no way was a single batch of this going to cut it haha. Holy butter it looks, smells and tastes so good! It’s really amazing- I would say this rivals our favorite store-bought vegan butters. Thank you so much for the recipe!" - Kelly ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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?
A slice of no knead sourdough bread 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.
This easy vegan butter is so unbelievably smooth, rich and creamy. It spreads beautifully and melts perfectly.
Is there anything better than warm, crispy toast slathered in drippy, melty butter?
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.
- 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
(For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).
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:
- Step 1 - Add all of the ingredients except the oils to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Step 2 - Add the refined coconut oil and the olive oil and blend again until incorporated and light and airy.
- Step 3 - 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 arne'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.
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.
Yes it freezes very well. See my instructions in the recipe notes.
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.
Absolutely not. The recipe will only work with the oil added.
Hungry for more?
For more great vegan dairy alternatives, check out these very popular reader favourites:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Butter
Author:
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 240 mls refined coconut oil , it must be refined NOT unrefined
- ½ cup / 50 grams / 8 tablespoons almond flour *
- ½ cup + 2 tablespoons / 150 mls unsweetened non-dairy milk , NOT almond milk. See recipe notes for suggestions**
- 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.
- 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
- 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 "deoderized". You absolutely cannot use unrefined or virgin coconut oil because your butter will smell and taste of coconut. If you arne'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.
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
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!
Kelly says
I’m a dairy-lover turned partial-vegan in the last year along with my hubb. Just made this butter with almond milk and ground cashews and WOW wow wow wow wow! Halfway through, it turned into a double batch, like no way was a single batch of this going to cut it haha. I’ve only tried it in liquid form (it’s setting in the fridge now) but holy butter it looks, smells and tastes so good! It’s really amazing- I would say this rivals our favorite store-bought vegan butters. Thank you so much for the recipe! ❤️?
Melanie McDonald says
That's awesome Kelly. Thank you! Just wait 'til you try the set version!
Rama Ananth says
One of my Vegan friend told me that regular Coconut oil can easily made like refined Coconut oil without any smell , by heating it to a smoking point. She told me it was the best way to make refined coconut oil at home. In India we don't get refined coconut oil. I have a few recipes of making Vegan butter, but no refined coconut oil, and I am yet to test my friend's suggestion.
Thanks for the lovely recipe.
Kathryn Gannon says
You do not need to use refined coconut oil Biona makes a coconut oil with no coconut flavour.
A Virtual Vegan says
Refined coconut oil is essential for this recipe. The Biona coconut oil with no coconut flavour is like that because it is refined. Biona is one of the decent companies that use steam to refine it rather than chemicals.
Gem says
I made this butter, omitting the nutritional yeast (personal preference) and it tasted so good even my daughter liked it! The only thing I found is, unless used on toast and melted, it is quite hard to spread due to being very crumbly. Any suggestions? I’d definitely make again
A Virtual Vegan says
Just like real butter, it's best to leave it out of the fridge for 15 - 20 mins to soften before spreading. Then it won't be so hard and will spread easier.
louise says
Isn't refined coconut oil bad for the environment? I thought they used Hexane in the refining process, which is classified as a neurotoxin by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and as a hazardous air pollutant by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Have you made this with unrefined coconut oil, is the coconut taste that bad?
A Virtual Vegan says
If you want it to taste like butter it needs to be made with refined coconut oil. Like anything it is possibly to buy ethically produced and natural versions. There are many coconut oil brands available that just use steam to refine their coconut oil and do not use chemicals. I link to my favorite brand in the recipe.
Rusty says
I will have to try Your recipe, I didnt read any other comments, so forgive Me if this has been said already, but there is @ least 1 store bought Vegan butter by the brand “Wayfare” that is palm free, I also am buycotting palm for the same reasons. I’m guessing that You would prefer to make Your own regardless, for what its worth I fig. that i’s mention it.
https://wayfarefoods.com/product/salted-whipped-butter/
A Virtual Vegan says
That brand isn't available in Canada unfortunately.
Nancy M Massy says
For some reason I am not receiving your "confirmation" email?? I have looked in the spam folder and not there either?/
A Virtual Vegan says
That's odd. I notice you are with gmail. Sometimes with gmail emails from a mailing list like mine, they get sent automatically to the "promotions folder". Have a look in there. I just resent a confirmation email to you. I suspect that's where it's hiding. I tried to add you manually but it won't let me without you confirming. I guess it's a safeguard to stop people adding people to lists then spamming them. If not do you maybe have another email address you can sign up with?
Shari Yawn says
Having to go dairy and soy free has been challenging enough but all the sodium in the replacements has a bad effect on my blood pressure. Doing a quick search today I came upon this recipe. The only thing i did different is make cashew flour because I had raw cashews in the freezer. It's not even set yet but I could swab this on my arm and eat it !!!! This went into my recipe book. Thank you thank you thank you !!!!! Yum ???
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Shari. I'm so pleased you will be able to enjoy some butter again!
November says
Hi. Why refined coconut oil? I use raw organic cold-pressed (unrefined). Why wouldn't that work?
A Virtual Vegan says
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.
Mary says
Can you use oatmilk or so delicious unsweetened coconut milk?
A Virtual Vegan says
Any unsweetened milk except soy is fine. Just bear in mind that the flavour of the milk will impact the flavor of the butter. I'm not sure how coconut-ty So Delicious coconut milk is. Oat Milk is probably more neutral and would be my choice out of the two.
Janet Paula says
I plan on making this recipe tomorrow but have a big problem. My daughter won't eat anything made with coconut., even without the coconut taste. I know you stated that nothing else will suffice. But, I would like to try it with melted cocao butter (and a little more fattening). Do you think it would work and should I try it using 1 cup of melted cocao butter or perhaps a lesser amount?
Thank you very much for any help you can give me.
A Virtual Vegan says
Refined coconut oil has absolutely no coconut taste or smell so unless your daughter sees you make it she will your daughter will have absolutely no idea it's there.
I personally wouldn't use cocoa butter. The butter won't taste so buttery and will end up tasting a little like white chocolate. If you are going to use it though, I can't advise on the amount to use as I haven't tried it myself. You might need less as it tends to be a little harder than coconut oil when set.
Janet says
Thank you so much for this. I was stunned to find store-bought Earth Balance "vegan" butter was not Vegan at all. Has palm oil and we all know how the habitats of Orangatans are being decimated by Palm Oil plantations. Thanks for your good work.
PB318 says
I use a lot of unrefined coconut oil. Your recipe emphasizes refined coconut oil. I am very curious, what happens when you use unrefined coconut oil?
A Virtual Vegan says
It has to be refined coconut oil or the butter wont taste like butter. It will taste and smell like coconut.
JP says
OMG!! You are a GENIUS! I was missing butter and although have tried several store-bought vegan alternatives, none of them tasted quite right to me and I really didn't like all the ingredients either. I just made a batch of yours and felt compelled to write a comment straight away - your butter is amazing. The taste and texture is spot on!
I only just found your blog and now look forward to trying more of your recipes - I'm making your baked macaroni cheese for dinner tonight. Thank you so much.
(from a Canadian living in the UK to a Brit living in Canada)
A Virtual Vegan says
Aaaww thank you so much. I'm really pleased you are enjoying it. I hope you enjoy the mac and cheese just as much!
Alison says
Omg this tastes amazing! I couldn’t be bothered to go to the shop to get some dairy free spread and I came across your recipe. I didn’t have almond four but I did peel almonds and ground them, also I didn’t pay attention to the bottom part of recipe that said about making sure it didn’t split until I’d put everything but the coconut oil (which I added slowly) in the blender. Well lucky me it worked a treat anyway! This is lucious, rich, creamy, tasty and simply brilliant! I will never buy store bought again! Thanks ever so much!!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm thrilled you are enjoying it so much Alison. Thank you for leaving a review. I really appreciate it!