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!
Katie says
Hi there! I tried this recipe twice and as everyone has agreed... the taste was bang on! I had a few issues with the texture though, so I thought I'd pop my questions here. The first time I made it in a standard blender... nothing fancy... and the almond flour didn't seem fully incorporated. The texture wasn't totally smooth, but I chalked that up to the blender being ten years old. The next time I made it in a Vitamix. I gave it a good whirl (probably a minute or so) but that time it split... ugh. I'm about to give it another go in the Vitamix... there isn't a smoothie setting but it's pretty heavy duty. Anybody out here know exactly how long to let 'er rip? Or, if the butter just has texture and that's that? If so, it's still delicious, but I'd hate to miss out on any creaminess due to my own human error. Thanks so much!!
Melanie McDonald says
It should be completely smooth. A high-powered blender should have no issues. Is your Vitamix jug huge? It could be that there's not enough for it to blend efficiently. If you think that's the case try doubling the recipe. It freezes well so there's no rush to use it all.
Melanie McDonald says
Also I forgot to say that if it split that would be because of heat. High powered blenders get hot. You can make and heat soup in them. You need to blend until the mixture is completely smooth but you need to take measures to keep the mixture cool, either by blending in short bursts or lowering the speed. Hope that helps.
Laetitia says
Hi Melanie,
Will this butter work in puff pastry?
I know from French cook that vegan butter for such pastry should be in stick and contains more than 30% fat which I haven't found in Québec.
Did you try to make puff pastry with your recipe?
Have a good day!
Laëtitia
Melanie McDonald says
I haven't tried to make puff pastry with it but I have made croissants and it worked great. Just be sure to keep everything really cold. I try to work on a silicone baking mat so that when the dough gets a bit warm, I can easily pick it up, sit it on a baking tray and pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes. Hope that helps!
Laetitia says
Thanks for the reply and the tips. I will definitely give it a try.
Starrysky says
This is by far the BESTEST Vegan Butter recipe and the only one I use for nearly 2 years now as everytime I make it, it comes out PERFECTLY! I tried many many other Vegan butter recipes, which I thought were the best until making them several times and having to throw out and remake some batches, wasting ingredients, as often would not fully solidfy, or separate, etc. I use your receipe all the time as make several batches in advance & freeze the butter sticks. I use my Blendtec Blender and pour velvety mixture into either 1/2 Cup or 1 Cup Souper Cubes silicone molds as no guessing when needed for recipes & place in freezer until solid. I then remove the butter sticks from the molds and wrap in either wax paper or foil, and then vacuum package & seal in a vacuum channel bag (have a Nesco sealer machine) so I always have butter sticks on hand. I buy Almond Flour ahead and in keep in fridge. One adjustment I did switch to, is that I use Soy Milk Powder (mix it with water according to the directions to equal amount in your recipe) instead of Soy Milk to equal measurements in the recipe. Only listed some details in case helps someone else. Your recipe is PERFECT. I know you cannot use it for frying, but that's not an issue for me. Blessings & Have A Great Day!
Hannah says
I really want to make this to rub on my bird for thanksgiving between the skin and meat...do you think it would set correctly if I added herbs into it? Or do you think I should add the herbs after it's set?
Thank you!
Melanie McDonald says
Before or after will be fine. There is a chance the herbs will sink to the bottom if you do it before it's set though.
Hannah says
Okay, thank you! I'll try doing it before and report back.
Kelley says
Melanie was very sweet to reply to you, but I found your comment to be very disrespectful. You could have asked about the herbs without telling her that you were going to rub it on a dead animal. The site is called A Virtual Vegan for a reason.
Cheryl A Stein says
After my second of three children became vegan, I really started expermenting with vegan recipes in ernest. This is the third vegan butter I have tried, and I think it has the best taste and texture, so far. I'm not gonna lie; it's a lot more work for me cooking completely vegan for my family, mostly because, if I don't want to spend excessively, I have to make so many things that I used to be able to buy more cheaply. I really appreciate having excellent recipes, like this one, to rely on for staples like butter. I think I'm going to make more at a time, and freeze it, especially with Thanksgiving coming up. I use my Cuisinart food processor, and the butter comes out perfectly smooth and creamy. Just make sure you pulse the dry ingredients really well first, and then add the wet ingredients slowly. I tried it in the blender, and preferred the food processor. Thanks for this butter...it's a game changer.
Jane says
Mel - ignore my question. Just found out the pourable is ALSO unrefined. Can't get refined anywhere!!! :(((
Melanie McDonald says
The liquid one is probably MCT or fractionated coconut oil. It won't set and is no good for this recipe. It has to be regular unrefined coconut oil. I can't help with where to buy it in Australia. Here all stores sell refined coconut oil. Perhaps look online to see if you can order some.
I do know that Nuttelex is a common vegan butter in Australia. Hope you manage to find one or the other!
Jane says
Quick question Mel! The refined coconut oil in the local shop is liquid on the (quite cold - over air conditioned!) store shelf. My regular unrefined is always solid, unless it get pretty warm in the house. So will the (liquid at cool room temps) refined oil be ok? Or do you think they have done something to the refined to make it "pourable"? I need to make this recipe urgently because I just discovered nowhere sells vegan butter in this bit of Australia and I'm making the Earl Grey cake for my daughter's 21st! All help appreciated :)
Barb says
Jane,
You can get the solid-ish refined (tasteless) coconut oil at Chemist Warehouse (and you can purchase online and have it delivered from them). I know it's too late for your daughter's birthday but hopefully this helps for the future.