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!
Leslie Durkin says
WOW!!! What a fantastic option for regular dairy butter! I can't believe it's not butter (but far better for you than the product of the same claim!!) I don't know how you came up with this Mel, but a masterpiece! Since eliminating gluten and dairy from my diet I have missed butter on my GF toast. I didn't eat a lot of it, but, toast just isn't the same for me dry! Thanks for this amazing recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you so much Leslie and you are welcome! I too missed butter so much. I bake my own bread and it's just not the same without butter on it and I don't like buying the store bought versions because of their ingredients. This was what gave me the push I needed to create my own recipe. The first time my trials actually worked I nearly cried and practically lived on bread and butter with the odd crumpet thrown in for days! I wouldn't be without it now. It makes me really happy that you are out there enjoying it too :O)
Karen says
I made it - it's yummy! Have tagged you on instagram.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's awesome Karen! So glad you liked it and thank you for the tag on Instagram :O)
Wendy says
This is really really good. I also hate all the vegan butters on the market. This actually tastes great. Acts just like butter. Amazing!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Wendy. So glad you are enjoying it!
Christine McMahan says
This looks great. Do you think it would work in baking ( muffins, bread etc)?
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Christine. It does work for baking in breads, muffins, pastries, cake etc but it doesn't work well for broiling/grilling or frying.
Gen says
I made your recipe today. I am in heaven!!!! This is so close to dairy butter. OMG so good. I missed dairy butter... but not anymore. My omni boyfriend loved it. Thank you so much for sharing.. You are a genious!
A Virtual Vegan says
Yay! So glad you both enjoyed it! It's certainly a game changer. Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know and happy new year!
Carla Lee Johnston says
Nancy~both oils in this recipe are actually heart-healthy and absolutely necessary lipids for our heart and brain. If we are to gain sovereignty over our health and lives, WE must seek outside of our Western medicine's misinformation about nutrition.
I see you're a nurse. I myself have also been in cardiovascular medicine and have dug deep after seeing the greed that denies our health and healing. I learned that in all 136 medical schools in US, doctors actually receive 23.9 man hours of nutritional training. Our western medicine and education was established, funded and fueled by the Rockefeller Foundation and our connected BIG PHARMA. The rabbit hole goes much deeper than this....
It is time for us to be courageous enough to share from our heart when someone has been led into a false belief system that is impacting health. However difficult, however unpalatable these carefrontations are, sharing is what will help us all reclaim our sovereignty, our unity and ultimate health!
Here's a beginning link to a Dr. who is calling out these truths for our highest good.
https://draxe.com/healthy-fats/
Even as a vegan, or vegetarian, many processed foods are loaded with unhealthy ingredients. Take, for example, Earth Balance and even Follow Your Heart are filled with canola oil, soybean oils and other unhealthy ingredients. Know thy ingredients because our life and sovereignty depends on it.
Wishing you Infinite Love.....
Sara says
Just made this today - it's lovely, so much better than spreads available in the supermarket. And it's so easy to make - I think I'll have a batch of this in the fridge all the time from now on.
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Sara and thanks so much for stopping by to let me know!
Jemma says
Hi hope you can help, this recipe is exactly what I needed, it turned out nice but not like yours. It never really 'set' it has been in the fridge for 12 hours but is like a thick moussey consistency. Also when I blended it, it emulsified straight away like a mayonnaise but I couldn't pour it I had to use a spatula to transfer it to my jar. I wonder if I haven't used enough coconut oil? I measured out half a cup then melted it. Should I have melted it first then measured out half a cup? Thank you so much for this recipe!
A Virtual Vegan says
Hi Jemma, Something has certainly gone wrong somewhere. You should have used half a cup of liquid coconut oil, so melt it first then measure. Not enough coconut oil would make it not set properly. However, when you blend it it should stay pretty runny like thin custard and not thicken up much. You definitely should not need a spatula. Did you use the coconut oil when it was too warm or hot? It should be melted then allowed to return to more lot less room temperature. And did you substitute any ingredients or perhaps use the wrong quantity of anything else? I am thinking that perhaps your coconut oil was too hot, or you let the blender run for too long and it heated it up too much. Or the other thing that may have happened, if it was particularly cold in your kitchen is that the coconut oil set up as it hit the cold glass of the blender and the cold milk and made it thicken up like that.That might be more likely. As long as it hasn't curdled and tastes ok (just try a bit to check) I think you will be able to rescue it by putting it back in the blender and adding a little more coconut oil which will make it solidify. 2 or 3 tablespoons should do it. Just blend it on low and just enough to incorporate it all then try setting it again in the fridge. Sorry you have had this issue. It's one of the 'most made' recipes on my website and I haven't run into anything like this before. I hope you manage to rescue it :O)
Jemma says
Thank you so much! I made it again and melted the coconut oil first before measuring it and it's amazing! Just like butter. We brits aren't used to using cups for measuring, well that's my excuse lol :-) Brilliant recipe x
A Virtual Vegan says
That's great Jemma! So glad it worked out in the end and thank you for letting me know :o)
Vanessa says
This looks amazing! Is there a way to sub out the almond meal? I'm thinking about making this for my vegan friend but she is allergic to almonds,
Thanks in advance!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Vanessa. I will be working on a nut-free version in the new year so watch this space, but in the meantime if cashews are ok for your friend they would work too. Just be sure to grind them into a fine flour. Almonds give a slightly more 'buttery' flavour but the difference isn't too great. If your friend is unable to have any nuts, then a few readers have also used pine nuts, which despite their name are actually seeds and generally ok for people with nut allergies.
Carolanne says
Hi! Yhank you for sharing this recipe! Can't wait to try this!
I would like to know if I can replace the oilive oil by canola oil or avocado oil?
Thank you
Carolanne says
WOW... Sorry for the faults!
I want mean: Thank you for sharing* and oliveo oil* LOL
A Virtual Vegan says
You are welcome! And any mild tasting liquid oil will be fine to replace the olive oil. I personally wouldn't use avocado oil though as it is quite strong tasting and I think the flavour will come through in the butter. Canola would be a better choice flavour wise.
Kate Robson says
Hiya!
Would love to try this, but have a boyfriend who has a bit of a nut allergy; mostly hazelnuts and peanuts, but we don't really want to see how he reacts to others! haha
Is there a substitute for Almonds? Or is there anything I could try?
Kate
A Virtual Vegan says
I don't blame you for not wanting to take a risk. I have had a few readers with nut allergies, use pine nuts ground down into a flour instead of almonds and they said the results were good. I haven't personally tried it and the flavour might not be quite as buttery but it will technically work. Pine nuts are seeds not nuts despite their name. Cashews would also work but I guess they are a no go too? I do plan on testing a nut free version myself in the new year so watch this space!
Kate Robson says
Thank you so much for your suggestion and I will keep my eyes peeled for the nut free version!
Kate
alexis says
Hey there! Fantastic recipe. Why does the recipe specifically ask for refined coconut oil vs unrefined? I only have and use unrefined coconut oil. Have you tried the recipe with unrefined?
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you Alexis. If you use unrefined coconut oil your butter will taste and smell of coconut. That's why I specify the refined coconut oil as it has no coconut flavour or smell. I too use unrefined whenever I can but there are somethings that aren't good with the coconut taste and this is one of them. If you choose your brand carefully you can get unrefined ones that aren't deodorized and bleached. I tend to use Nutiva refined coconut oil as it is refined using steam only.I hope that helps :O)
Sandi says
Can you use this in recipes that call for "vegan butter" ?
A Virtual Vegan says
You can in most of them. It is great in baked goods like bread, cakes and cookies. It does not work for frying or broiling. I'm not sure why but it goes weird and lumpy if you use it that way.
Deb says
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe! I just recently found out I am allergic to Canola oil and was looking for an alternative. I absolutely love your vegan butter recipe. Not only is it easy to make but it tastes delicious!
A Virtual Vegan says
You are welcome! I'm so pleased you are enjoying it :O)
Mariah says
Hi, I was wondering the texture for room temperature butter. In the pictures it looks crumbly, and although I can't currently think of using butter on something not hot or warm, I'm thinking of making a big batch for Christmas presents. I don't normally use the ingredients listed, and would have to buy 5 of the items. I just wouldn't want to give crumbly butter away.
A Virtual Vegan says
When it's room temperature it softens just like real butter does. Straight from the fridge it is really hard and difficult to spread like real butter is. When I took the pictures it was literally straight from the fridge because I forgot to take it out before. It only needs 15 - 20 mins out of the fridge to soften up to spread comfortably. If it makes you feel any better, I make it for myself all the time and it's the most popular recipe on my blog. If you want to see what others think of it there is lots of positive feedback in the comments here (if you don't mind scrolling back through them all). It's a great idea to give it out as gifts. Bear in mind when gifting it though that it will only keep for as long as the milk you use is good for so don't make it too far in advance. It can be frozen though as you have probably noticed in the write up. Hope that helps :O)