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!
Lori says
I only have unregined coconut oil. Why does it need to be refined? Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
It needs to be refined as otherwise your butter won't taste like butter. It will taste and smell like coconut. It's really needs to be refined coconut oil that you use. :)
Carol says
Could you use water instead of milk? Cheers :)
A Virtual Vegan says
I think it needs the milk to help with the creaminess. I have never tried it with water though. My worry is it might not emulsify so well?
Thuthao says
Hi. thank you for sharing. I'd like to know about the purpose of nutritional yeast in the recipe. Can i skip it?
A Virtual Vegan says
The nutritional yeast adds a little depth of flavour to the butter and adds to the butteriness a bit. You could omit it if you wanted to and the recipe will still technically work, you will just lose a little flavour. Hope that helps!
Ember says
Tried it! Perfect buttery flavor and so delicious! I couldn't fully get rid of the grainy consistency though.
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you are enjoying the flavour. It really shouldn't be grainy at all. I think that must be down to your blender unfortunately.
Caitlin says
I just made this and wow! The flavor is incredible! So buttery and luxurious!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome! I am thrilled you are enjoying it. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know!
Stacey McKnight says
I made this yesterday and tried it this morning. You didn't oversell it - it's every bit as delicious as you said. Even my husband, who's not on board with "going vegan" liked it! Thanks for sharing.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Stacey! I'm so glad you both like it. ????
Emma says
Thank you so much, you made my daughter happy. She really love it. Good thing was she can eat almond now.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's wonderful! I am so glad she enjoyed it. ????
Lisa Way says
Thank you, thank you, thank you!! This recipe is AMAZING! It actually tastes like butter!
I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer last year, and part of my treatment involves going on a two-week low iodine diet periodically to prepare for diagnostic tests. It is a very restrictive diet and the hardest part of it for me is that it does not allow any dairy products, including butter (or margarine). I was never aware before of how much I rely on butter as a flavoring, especially on vegetables. This recipe completely solves the problem for me and I can't tell you how happy that makes me!
There is a cookbook that the Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association has compiled to help people like me with the difficult task of putting together low iodine meals. Would you consider allowing them to include this recipe in the cookbook? It would be so wonderful since the cookbook does not currently include any butter substitutes.
The thyroid cancer website is http://www.thyca.org, and here is a link to the low iodine cookbook: http://www.thyca.org/download/document/231/Cookbook.pdf
A Virtual Vegan says
I am so pleased you are enjoying it and that it is helping to make your test prep more bearable. I had no idea it was a low iodine recipe. That's good to know and I have added it to the tags so that hopefully once Google crawls my site again, if anyone searches for low-iodine butter it should show up in their search results.
As for the cookbook, I'm afraid it's a no. I'm sorry. I really struggled with making the decision as I would love to help but it is the most popular recipe on my website. It's kind of what keeps me going here and the ad revenue it earns helps me to keep my website online. Now I have so many visitors it's become pretty expensive to keep going! I also plan to publish a cookbook myself at some point in the future and after speaking to my agent she advised that as this recipe is so popular, I shouldn't allow it to be used anywhere else as it would probably end up in my own book when the time comes. So sorry! I feel really mean :(
I wish you all the best with your treatment Lisa and hope that you make a quick and full recovery!
Lisa Way says
Thank you for your reply and for adding the tags so that others in my situation will be more likely to find your wonderful recipe. I understand and respect your reasons for not wanting this recipe to appear in other people's cookbooks, so please don't feel bad about this. Thank you again for putting in the work to come up with such a great replacement for dairy butter!
Ciara says
Can't wait to try this! Is it possible to substitute almond meal for flax meal? I have all the ingredients now but almond meal
A Virtual Vegan says
No don't use flax meal. It is totally different to almond meal. You really need to use the almond meal as that's what makes the butter buttery. Flax meal gels when mixed with liquid and it would make the butter very strange and gloopy. Plus it tends to taste a bit bitter. Also it would make your butter all brown and speckled. Not good at all. At a push you can use ground up cashew flour instead of the almonds but for the best buttery flavour it needs to be almond meal. Hope that helps!
Jenilee says
Hello
Can this be used instead of (regular) butter to make frosting?
A Virtual Vegan says
Yes you can. It makes wonderful frosting!
Sandra says
Hi there - I tried this last night and the look and consistency is great. I used almond milk and do get a faint taste/smell of almonds which I'm not overly keen on. Do you have any suggestions as to a different milk that would cancel out the taste of the almonds? Can you use something else in place of almond meal? Also, could avocado oil be used in place of olive oil for a more buttery flavour?
This is my first ever attempt at making my own butter, any tips greatly appreciated.
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Sandra. I don't ever use almond milk in any of my recipes because I find it's distinctive flavour always come through. I would imagine it does in this butter too as you have found. That's why I suggest using a neutral milk. One without much flavour. There is just something about almond milk. I can't describe it but it definitely has a unique taste. My preferred milk for this recipe is cashew milk. I often buy the Silk brand when I haven't made some myself.
It isn't the almond meal you can taste. That is really mild and is what gives the buttery flavour and it is necessary in this recipe for that reason. It also acts as an emulsifier.
I am sure the issue is the almond milk you used. I also wouldn't recommend using avocado oil. It is quite pungent and I think the flavour would come through more than with olive oil. If you use a regular olive oil and not extra virgin the flavour of it isn't pronounced at all.
Can I also check that you used refined coconut oil and not unrefined in it? If you used the wrong one that has a major impact on the flavour.
Hopefully if you give it a second try and tweak it a bit you should notice a difference. ????
Sandra says
I definitely used refined coconut oil and I will check my olive oil. I have never used almond milk before so didn't realise it would affect the flavour. Will give it another go with cashew milk.
Thanks so much!
Sandra says
Hi Mel I used plain olive oil rather than extra virgin and made my own cashew milk and the result is fantastic, what a difference it makes. I'm a convert!
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome! I am so pleased. Thank you for letting me know!
Patricia says
Hello thank you so much for this recipe it taste amazing ! I had one question , how do you get rid of the brown almond hauls in the butter? I picked up the almond flower at Wal-Mart.
Thank you for all your help.
Patricia
A Virtual Vegan says
I think almond flour is generally made using almonds with their skins on so has the brown flecks. If you buy almond meal it is generally skin free. Bob's Red Mill have it I think. I tend to make my own. I cover my almonds in boiling water for about 5-10 minutes then drain and the skins pop off pretty easily. Then I wait for them to dry (or dry them on low in the oven if I'm in a hurry) before making the flour in my blender. So glad you are enjoying the recipe!
Laura says
OMG! Thank you for this! We're a family of four omnis who are transitioning to a vegan diet, and the one thing I was really upset about was not having butter (I bake most of my own bread and it's just not the same without butter). This recipe seems like it'll be a good way to have butter for my bread, or pancakes, or popcorn.
One question about the need for refrigeration - I know during the summer, coconut oil will liquefy, but if I store this non-dairy butter in a butter bell or other butter crock (intended to keep dairy butter from turning to liquid during the summer, but allowing it to be a bit more spreadable than straight from the fridge), will that keep the coconut oil solid enough? In case you're not familiar with a butter bell/crock, you put the butter in a ceramic bell shaped holder that hangs down into a ceramic crock of cold water. The water seals the air out of the butter, keeping it fresh, but also acts to keep the butter cool. We generally refresh the water daily, more during the hot days, so that the water is always chilled.
A Virtual Vegan says
You are so welcome! I bake my own bread too hence the reason I needed to create a butter recipe! You're right. It's just not the same without butter on it. I would imagine it would be ok in a butter bell. You can always try it and see what happens. If it gets too soft just pop it back in the fridge again. You could even test it with a lump of coconut oil first perhaps and see what happens.
Kevin M says
Hi Mel. Love the look of this recipe, and will be trying it soon. I have been on the hunt for a butter alternative for a while. Also love the idea of freezing in little cubes for later use. My only question is re refined coconut oil. I have a cold pressed extra virgin coconut oil I would like to use, as it still has the phenols which are helpful (heat-treated coconut oil does not, according to my research). What would be the particular reason for not using the oil I have vs a refined oil? (or am I misunderstanding the term "unrefined"?). Thanks for any advice.
A Virtual Vegan says
It really has to be refined coconut oil when making this recipe. I personally prefer to use unrefined cold pressed extra virgin like yours, but in this it just does not work. Instead of tasting buttery it just tastes and smells of coconut and isn't very pleasant. If you use refined coconut oil you can't taste or smell the coconut and the butter tastes buttery.
Nutrition wise I am sure that refined probably isn't quite as good for you as unrefined but if you buy a good quality one and not one that has been bleached and deodorized it will help a lot. Most are bleached and deodorized so be careful when choosing. I buy the Nutiva brand because it is refined simply with steam and is not bleached or deodorized. According to their website, both their refined and unrefined coconut oil have 63% Medium Chain Triglycerides and 50% Lauric Acid. It doesn't mention phenols though so I'm not sure about that. Hope that helps!
Shella Murphy says
Are you using refined coconut oil because of Neutral taste? or is there another reason to not use Unrefined coconut oil? thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
It is because of the taste and smell. It doesn't taste buttery at all if you use unrefined. It really needs to be refined. Hope that helps!