Vegan butter, a healthy alternative to margarine and regular butter. It's so creamy and ready in less than 5 minutes with 6 ingredients.
This vegan butter is much healthier than margarine, regular butter, and many kinds of vegan butter out there. Besides, it's easily made with 6 simple and affordable gluten-free ingredients you can get at your local supermarket. Just 5 minutes required!
It really tastes buttery and rich and also melts in your mouth, so it is perfect to spread over some toasts. It also works wonders when using it for any recipe that calls for regular butter, such as frying, baking, or whatever you can think of!
Looking for more vegan kitchen basics? Start with Vegan Sour Cream, then explore Vegan Buttermilk, Vegan Feta Cheese, and Vegan Condensed Milk for a complete dairy-free experience!
What is vegan butter?
Vegan butter is a plant-based alternative to regular butter. It doesn't contain any kind of dairy or animal products, so it is cholesterol-free and suitable for vegans.
Ingredient notes
- Unsweetened plant milk: any type of unsweetened dairy-free milk is okay, but soy milk is my favorite one for this recipe.
- Lemon juice: you could also use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar instead. However, I prefer to use lemon juice.
- Coconut oil: deodorized or refined coconut oil work best for this recipe, as they taste "neutral". Extra virgin coconut oil has a stronger flavor, but it’s also a good option. If you can’t find them, just use regular coconut oil.
- Neutral oil: any type will do. Although I prefer to use a neutral oil, any kind of oil will work, but keep in mind that its flavor may be strong, such as extra virgin olive oil.
- Nutritional yeast: it gives this non-dairy butter its characteristic flavor, so it’s an important ingredient. If you can’t find it, you could also use brewer’s yeast. However, nutritional yeast is the best choice.
Dietary variations
- Make it soy-free: use soy-free unsweetened plant milk.
Pro tips
- If you’d like your dairy-free butter to be yellow, you can add a little bit of turmeric powder, although it would change the flavor of the butter.
- Omit the nutritional yeast if you can’t find it.
- Add more or less salt depending on how salty you like your butter.
How to make vegan butter
- Mix the milk and the lemon juice in a bowl. Stir and allow to sit for a minute.
- Add the mixture and all the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a container and refrigerate until set.
- Use your vegan butter immediately.
How to store
- Fridge: keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks or even longer. Keep it at room temperature to soften for a few minutes if you'd like a softer texture.
- Freezer: store it in an airtight container in the freezer for about 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Is butter vegan?
Regular butter is made with fat and other components of animal milk, so it is not vegan.
How to use
Feel free to use this buttery spread just like regular butter.
It's perfect for spreading on your favorite baked goods like Vegan Pumpkin Bread, or adding it to recipes like Vegan French Toast.
It also works great in savory dishes like my Vegan Garlic Bread.
Looking for more easy vegan recipes?
Did you make this vegan butter recipe?
Please leave a comment and rate it below. We’d love to hear from you!
Vegan Butter
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened plant milk of your choice, I used soy milk
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 and ¼ cups coconut oil, melted, see notes
- ¼ cup neutral oil, I used sunflower oil, see notes
- 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Mix the milk and the lemon juice in a bowl. Stir and allow to sit for a minute or so. It will thicken and curdle. You can also mix them in the blender jar if you want.
- Add the mixture and all the remaining ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into a container and refrigerate until set.
- Use your vegan butter immediately with vegan donuts, vegan French toast, or any other recipe.
- Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 weeks or even longer. Remove from the fridge to soften for a few minutes if you want your butter to be soft. It's freezable and will last about 3 months in the freezer. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Notes
- Deodorized or refined coconut oil work best for this recipe, as they taste "neutral". Extra virgin coconut oil has a stronger flavor, but it’s also a good option. If you can’t find them, just use regular coconut oil.
- You can use any kind of neutral flavor oil or also extra virgin olive oil.
- If you’d like your vegan butter to be yellow, you can add a little bit of turmeric powder, although it would change the flavor of the butter.
- Omit the nutritional yeast if you can’t find it.
- Add more or less salt depending on how salty you like your butter.
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March of 2019, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips in July of 2022.
Rachel says
I’m wondering if this homemade butter will brown like butter. Meaning brown food, specifically baking potatoes, mashed (like a shepherd’s pie) or sliced.
Iosune Robles says
Hi Rachel! I’ve never tried it myself, so I can’t help you, sorry!
Rae says
I was slightly dubious - but this makes a really good vegan hard 'butter'. A very easy recipe, and with a sprinkle of turmeric creates a nice yellow 'butter'.
A pity that refined coconut oil is so expensive in the UK - otherwise would use this recipe more frequently. It is oily, but does not taste oily and is great thinly spread on scones or crumpets. Created a brilliant flacky pastry for pies that does not taste of fat or too much salt.
Iosune Robles says
Thanks for your kind words 🙂 Have a nice day!
Dianne says
I've been looking for a great tasting vegan butter recipe and this one, hands down, is the best I've come across. The ONLY thing I did differently was add a little bit of lecithin, based on other recipes I've researched. It didn't change the taste whatsoever, and taste (of course along with texture) is what I wanted most of all. I would give it 10 stars if I could.
Brenda Witcher says
I just want to thank you! I am not Vegan- I’m on a low iodine diet in preparation for Radioactive therapy for thyroid cancer. That means no food prepared by anyone else. No dairy and nothing containing iodinized salt.
I knew that I could bake my own bread, pop my own popcorn or make my own baked potato but I had to find something to put on those things. Your vegan butter recipe is a Godsend.
Even for a non-vegan- your recipe is nothing short of wonderful.
Rosa says
OMG I'm in the same boat and that's why I was looking at this recipe! Going to make it tomorrow. Good luck to you -- hope the treatment goes well. I'll be rooting for you from afar!
Ana Paolin says
I didn’t really understand the leave the butter for 3-4 weeks part. Can I eat it earlier than that?
Helen Ross says
I'm pretty sure she means it's still safe to eat for 2-3 weeks, you can eat it straight away
Iosune Robles says
Thanks for your help Helen 🙂
Iosune Robles says
Hi Ana, you can eat it whenever you want. What I was trying to explain was that it’s still safe to eat for 2-3 weeks, or longer! Have a nice day 🙂
Iosune Robles says
Thanks for your words 🙂 So glad you liked it!
Veganforlife says
I have been Vegan for 55 years. I too ran out of Myioko's butter, found this, made it, froze half and lemme tell 'ya...so good! Thank you for this amazing recipe. I will be making my own from now on. I would love to share a photo, but I do not see how.
Iosune Robles says
Hello there!! Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us!!!! It is great to know you liked it that much! Thank you! Have a wonderful day!
Yvonne says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. Amidst the Covid-19 quarantine, we ran out of Smart Balance. I didn’t want to go out to the stores to find some, but rather decided to look for a vegan butter recipe. I found your blog and recipe. I made it with unflavored Oat Milk and it came out great!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Yvonee! Thank you for sharing your experience!! Have a great day!!!!
Hilary says
My husband and I are new to being vegan and I was so worried about dairy, especially when I saw the prices of vegan butter and also that a lot of them contain palm oil. Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband is allergic to almonds as well and a lot of other recipes use almond milk. Just great to find a recipe with things we have on hand and that tastes so delicious on nice fresh bread!!
Iosune Robles says
Hi Hilary!! It is great to know this recipe is so useful for you!!! Great you liked it!!! Have a great day!!!
LeeAnn says
I love that I can make this butter at home, especially since my usual store-bought vegan brand appears to be a hot item these days and is missing from the shelves (coronavirus panic buying). This butter tastes great and is super easy (if super greasy) to make. However, it’s difficult to get it onto the knife because it’s so hard when cold and impossible to spread on anything that’s not hot. I’m not sure there’s any solution for that.
Iosune Robles says
Hi LeeAnn! Try to get it out of the fridge several minutes before using it. Have a nice day!
Annie says
Is the temperature of coconut oil important when blending all ingredients? I melted coconut oil in the microwave and it was quite warm. My vegan butter was not creamy like yours in the video but liquid. Do you think I had to blend it longer?
Iosune says
Hi Annie! I don't think so, but my oil wasn't too hot. Try to blend the mixture longer next time 🙂
Shelley Montgomery says
Hi
A lot of vegan set foods contains coconut oil, unfortunately I’m allergic to coconut so what would you Suggest as an alternative for things like this better?
Iosune says
Hi Shelley! In this particular recipe, you really need to use coconut oil, but for pretty much any recipe you can use any other oil you want 🙂
Tayah53 says
It tastes exactly like butter! Thank you.
Iosune says
Hi Tayah! So glad you like it 🙂
Marie says
Hello, do you have any substitution for coconut, as Iam not able to use it..
Iosune says
Hi Marie! I'm so sorry, but I think you need to coconut oil as it solidifies when is cold and the other oils don't.
Dianne says
Not sure if it will work, but I've noticed when I refrigerate dressings with olive oil, when it separates, the olive oil solidifies, but probably not as much as coconut oil.