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!
edie says
on pintrest it says 1/3 ml coconut oil on here it says 1/2 cup which is correct
A Virtual Vegan says
Never go by what Pinterest says. As recipe creator we don't get to input that information. It's done automatically by Pinterest and is often wrong. The quantities stated on my website are tested and correct.
Gaby says
Could I use Avocado oil ore canola oil instead of the coconut?
A Virtual Vegan says
No other oil will work in the place of the coconut oil. It has to be one that solidifies otherwise your butter wont set.
Linda Stradley says
Why do you advise using refined coconut oil rather than unrefined coconut oil? Refined coconut oil goes rancid; unrefined NEVER does!
A Virtual Vegan says
It has to be refined it you want the butter to taste like butter. If you use unrefined it will taste and smell of coconut. I personally have never had any refined coconut oil go rancid. As long as you don't buy too much, use it within 2 or 3 months and store it properly it shouldn't be an issue. Hope that helps!
Linda Stradley says
You win! I found the refined coconut oil yesterday, at my local health food store, made the butter today, abd, OMG!!! It's spool delicious!!!! I'm hooked!
Thank you for your inciteful curiosity and ingenuity!!!
Linda Stradley
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! I'm so pleased you found some and that you are enjoying it! Thank you for letting me know. ????
Gala says
I made this today and am very pleased. I do have a question though. Why does it only keep for a week on the fridge?
A Virtual Vegan says
So glad you are pleased with it! It wont last as long as store bought butter alternatives because they are filled with additives and preservatives to keep them fresher for longer. It will only last for as long as your milk is good for and as you know plant-based milk doesn't stay fresh for that long. Usually if it's store bought milk it lasts about 2 weeks. With homemade milk it only stays fresh for a few days. You might want to look at freezing some each time so it stays fresh longer. ????
Danijela says
Could you use an immersion blender
A Virtual Vegan says
I am pretty sure it would be fine!
Nancy says
Fantastic revipe! FYI Miyoko's vegan butter has no palm oul only good ingredients. But homemade is always best!! Thank you.
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Nancy! Unfortunately I can't get Miyoko's butter here yet. The cheese made it recently so perhaps the butter will arrive soon. Mind you the cheese is $20.99 per pack so if the butter is the same I wont be buying it often. When I created this recipe Miyoko's butter didn't exist, hence me saying there were no palm oil free butters available in my post. I could do with going in to update it. I'm thrilled you are enjoying the recipe!
Chris says
I have a nut allergy, what could I use instead of almond flour? Thanks
A Virtual Vegan says
You could use ground pine nuts (they are seeds not nuts despite their name) and I think sunflower seeds ground up would work too. Hope that helps!
Chris says
I have always been fine with pine nuts and sunflower seeds so I will give one of those a try, thanks!
elizabeth says
coconut oil???? why do people think this is healthy? It is NOT! I noticed the label didn't break the fat down into mono and saturated fat. This is an unhealthy fat! What's the SAT count for this butter. You're not fully disclosing the unhealthy aspect of this recipe.
A Virtual Vegan says
This isn't the place to be discussing coconut oil and whether it is good or bad for you. That is up to each individual to decide. If you choose not to eat it then that's fine. Don't make the recipe. No-one is forcing you to eat it. As for the nutritional label not having mono and saturated fat on it, that is not included for any of my recipes. I always just calculate the general fat content. I do not have to provide nutritional information at all. Creating these recipes as I do takes an incredible amount of time. I choose to take a little extra time so that I can provide basic nutritional information. If that is not good enough and you want a more detailed nutritional breakdown, you are quite capable of calculating it yourself. There are many free tools available.
Nancy says
Good point. If someone is comcerned about eatimg fat they shouldn't be eatimg any kind of butter. The preceding criticism of coconut oil, etc., is likely from someone who is not vegan and is perhaps a dairy fatmer. Justba guess.
suzie says
Hi Mel, I just found your site, while looking for a good butter recipe and came across yours. I was delighted to see that there were no emulsifiers in your recipe. You mentioned that you have used your butter recipe in some of your baking recipes, would you please tell me the names of the recipes you tried, so I can try them. I totally understand if you are not ready to post them. I then have another question for you, do I let the butter soften and then beat in the sugar, as you would with regular vegan butter? I don't know at what point I have to be concerned about the butter melting.
Thank-you so much for any help,
Suzie
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Suzie. I'm so glad you found me and my butter! You can use it in any baking recipe that calls for butter (vegan or not) or margarine. Most of my own recipes don't use it. I think all of my cakes and muffins except 2 or 3 older ones are completely oil free. Although I love my butter recipe, I tend to try to bake oil free whenever possible and if I can't get away without oil of some kind I usually use straight coconut oil. I do it that way partly because it's cheaper and also because I don't make the butter that often. I don't have good willpower and if I have leftover butter from baking hanging around, I'll just eat it on fresh bread and toast! I can't do that with coconut oil!???? That's why I just make butter as a treat every now and again.
I did use it in this newly published recipe https://avirtualvegan.com/sticky-lemon-strawberry-sweet-rolls/ . It works well as a sub for butter in any bread dough type recipe in like for like quantities. I have also used it in pastry in the same quantity as you would butter (half the weight of butter to flour).This cake works well with it https://avirtualvegan.com/lime-coconut-cake/ It uses ¼ cup of coconut oil and you can replace that with ⅓ cup of my butter. Any baked recipe that uses coconut oil, you can use the butter but you need a little more. For every ¾ cup oil you will need 1 cup of butter. This is a general rule of thumb. It won't always work but will in most cases.
As for beating in the sugar, you will need to let it soften a bit like regular butter. Just to the point that its beatable. Because it's made from mainly coconut oil it has a lower melting point than regular butter so as you are beating, especially in summer, if it starts getting a bit too soft just put the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes or so until it firms up again. I have only ever had to do it in summer when it's really warm.
I do hope that helps!
suzie says
Dear Mel, thank-you so much for getting back to me. I am so excited make your butter, and use it in my cookie recipe. I have printed out your hints, so I will not miss place them.
You have so many recipes that I can't wait to try. Thank-you for all your work in creating them.
Again, thank-you
Suzie
A Virtual Vegan says
You are so welcome Suzie. I hope you enjoy the butter and anything else you try!
Rae says
Is there any way to make this recipe without using nutritional yeast? I can't east yeast
Thanks!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm not sure whether it makes a difference or not but nutritional yeast is not an active yeast like the yeast you would make bread with. It adds a bit of depth to the flavour of the butter, however, you can leave it out. It wont make a huge amount of difference. Enjoy!
Lily Lockwood says
Can you make this without nutritional yeast?
A Virtual Vegan says
The nutritional yeast adds a little bit of buttery flavour and depth but it will still work absolutely fine if you omit it.
Holly says
This sounds perfect! I have a family member who has an apple allergy, just wondering if I use white vinegar instead of apple cider if the taste would be too greatly changed?
Thanks, Holly
A Virtual Vegan says
White vinegar will be absolutely fine.I hope you enjoy it!
Maeve Kerr says
I just love this butter recipe, have switched up the olive oil for garlie oil to make garlic butter. I gave my husband honemade wheaten bread soread with the original butter recipe and he was convinced I had bought dairy butter. It is by far the best butter and it is guilt free. ????
Torie says
I didn't have refined oil so i used normal coconut oil, extra light olive oil and an entire tablespoon of nutritional yeast to mask the coconut flavour. It turned out pretty nice, still a mild coconutty flavoue but the yeast definately.overpowers it! :) I'll definately try it with refined next time but for my first try (just to see if it works) I'm definitely pleased :)
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm glad it worked out despite the unrefined coconut oil. Using the refined oil makes all the difference though. You'll will be even more pleasantly surprised next time!
Christine Lund-Molfese says
Hello, I only have unrefined coconut oil. Can you tell me why it needs to be refined? Thank you!
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Christine, It will technically work with unrefined coconut oil, but the coconut flavour and smell will come through. If you use refined coconut oil no detectable coconut flavour/smell is present and it will be much more butter-like. Hope that helps!