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!
Joe says
What can i use instead of coconut oil?
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm sorry but there is no substitute for the coconut oil. It's the only thing that will in this recipe.
Lori says
What purpose does the almond meal serve? Thanks!!
A Virtual Vegan says
It gives the butter it's buttery flavour and helps emulsify it.
Megan says
This is the best vegan butter ever. My kids and husband are not vegan and they have not noticed I’ve replaced this delicious vegan butter with their cow butter. Amazing. Thank you for sharing.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's amazing! The biggest compliment is when people don't notice the difference. Thanks so much for coming back to let me know!
Susan Becher says
Someone asked about not using any nuts. My daughter was nursing a colicky baby and couldn't have dairy or nuts or coconut because it irritated the baby so I made this recipe with well rinsed and drained canned white beans and substituted canola oil for the coconut oil. It was more liquid but still tasted really good and can be put on bread with a spoon and spread around and is great on vegetables. We were really pleased with the buttery taste!
A Virtual Vegan says
Interesting to know. I'll have to try that!
Michael SMIth says
Just made it for the first time and it's so good! I'm really pleased I stumbled upon your blog. Every recipe I have tried is amazing!
Suzanne says
Bonjour, I made a while ago, just finished first batch. I kept it in the freezer and use as needed. The taste was as good as first made. Preparing for second batch. Amazing taste! Miam! Miam! I loooove that recipe!
Sharon H says
Very interested in making this! Can I just ask why refined coconut oil? Just not sure about using this due to it being processed with chemicals, bleached and de-odourised. Is there another more natural product that can be used instead?
A Virtual Vegan says
It has to be refined coconut oil. There is nothing else that will work well. It needs to be refined and not unrefined because otherwise it would taste and smell of coconuts and not butter. It's possible to buy naturally refined coconut oil. Steam is used rather than chemicals and bleach etc. I buy Nutiva brand. It's naturally and ethically produced and they don't use monkey slave labor like other brands.
Kathryn Gannon says
You can buy coconut oil that doesn't taste or smell of coconut it's made by Biona. Could this be used instead?
A Virtual Vegan says
That would be refined coconut oil which is what I recommend you use in the recipe. You can't use unrefined as the coconut flavour and smell overpowers the butter taste.
Eliza says
To be honest, I use regular coconut oil and I think it tastes just fine. But I do double the nutritional yeast because I love the flavor of it, so maybe that contributes.
Gemma says
Hi!
I have yet to try this but very excited to!
I was wondering would cacao butter work in place of coconut oil?
Thanks,
Gemma
A Virtual Vegan says
I wouldn't use cacao butter. It's not neutral enough. It would probably end up tasting like white chocolate. Refined coconut oil is flavourless so is a much better option.
Linda says
Allergies to nuts any thing else that i could use?
This is all new to me.
Thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
I have some readers who use ground up raw and hulled sunflower seeds or pine nuts (which aren't actually a nut despite their name).
Gaetanne says
Hi Mel, this recipe looks great. Do you think cashew meal would work instead of almond meal? Have you ever tried that?
Thank you for your very inspiring recipes.
A Virtual Vegan says
It will technically work but for the best buttery flavour, almonds work best. I have some readers who are allergic to almonds who make it with cashews.
Laura says
Hi! I have two questions that you can hopefully answer for me. If I use homemade nut milk - are you saying the hitter will last 2 weeks in the fridge?
Also, it takes me SO long to make this in my VitaMix since it is such a small amount and I have to tip the blender back and forth what feels like forever. Then when I turn it one it all shoots to the top and I have to scrape it back down and do this repeatedly. Can this recipe be done in a good processor? I have a mini one and I was wondering if you have done this and chose the blender for a specific reason. Let me know! Thanks you!
Regardless of these two things, you got the flavor down!! It’s so good it doesn’t even let us 2 weeks! I am so very happy with it.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Laura, I'm glad you are enjoying the butter recipe!
I answered your questions via the email you sent me, but will copy and paste what I wrote here in case it's helpful to anyone else.
"The butter will last for however long your milk is good for. I find that homemade milk only lasts 3 or 4 days before it starts turning. Store bought milk lasts much longer, usually about 2 weeks. That’s why I recommend freezing the butter if you make it with homemade milk.
A food processor won’t get the butter as smooth and emulsified as it needs to be so I do recommend using a high powered blender. If your blender is too big you can always double or triple the recipe. If you hover over the servings in my recipe card you can drag a slider to increase or decrease how much the recipe makes and it automatically changes the ingredient quantities to suit. "
Amanda Flynn says
Have to say I was dubious but wow, I'm not vegan but lacto intolerant and have really been missing butter as marg all be it dairy free is no substitute. I omitted the yeast as didn't have any and used coconut milk, its delicious! I was considering Ghee as its supposed to have all the lacto removed in the milk proteins but I wont be bothering now. Thankyou so much, I will be looking at your other recipes x
Im going to share it on my facebook page....Hope that's ok
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Amanda and thank you for sharing it on your page!
Liz says
Thank you so very much, for sharing this recipe!!! I am brand new to a vegan diet (for health reasons). By brand new, I’m talking 7 days today! Butter WAS going to be one of (if not THE) most challenging staples to give up.....until I made this recipe. It perfectly captures the incredible richness and decadence of traditional dairy butter! Thank you, for making this transition loads easier!
P.S. For those wondering, yes, I did try store bought vegan butter (3 different ones!) and found it to have a strange after mouth feel and taste. It made me think of a slightly rancid margarine.
This recipe is the perfect vegan butter! I also love that it is made with great ingredients that are not, 1. Processed and 2. Hard to find (which is wonderful for someone like me, that is new to vegan eating!)
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Liz. I'm glad it is making your transition easier. Thank you so much for stopping by to leave feedback. It's much appreciated!
Lorey says
I'm so glad to find this recipe. Recently I found Miyoko;s vegan butter. It has no palm oil, and is made from cashews and coconut oil. You can fry with it, it browns beautifully, but it cost $6.49 for a half-pound. That's $13 a lb., plus it must be shipped 2nd day air. All a bit much, so thanks for this recipe.
I havcn't tried it yet, but plan to when I use up Miyoko's.
SuryaSmiles says
I pm presuming flaxseed oil wouldn’t work for the oil?
A Virtual Vegan says
You have to use coconut oil or the butter won't set. Any other oil would "technically" work for the liquid oil part but the best flavor comes from mild olive oil. I would imagine the flavor of flax oil would come through quite a lot and stop the butter tasting buttery.
SuryaSmiles says
Thank you for your response. Reviewing the recipe again, since the oil is only 2 T, and I love flaxseed oil, I’ll try it and let you know how it goes! I have lots of coconut oil on hand, not sure if I have the right almond milk, we’ll see. Excited to make my own! Thank you!