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Home > Recipes > Vegan Kitchen Basics

Vegan Butter

Modified: Oct 10, 2022 · Published: Jul 12, 2022 by Iosune Robles · This post may contain affiliate links

4.81 from 26 votes
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Photo of some vegan butter spread onto a slice of vegan bread with a heading
Photo of some vegan butter spread onto some slices of vegan bread with a heading

Vegan butter, a healthy alternative to margarine and regular butter. It's so creamy and ready in less than 5 minutes with 6 ingredients.

Photo of some vegan butter spread onto a slice of bread

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!

Contents hide
1. What is vegan butter?
2. Ingredient notes
3. Dietary variations
4. Pro tips
5. How to make vegan butter
6. How to store
7. Is butter vegan?
8. How to use
9. Looking for more easy vegan recipes?
10. Did you make this vegan butter recipe?
11. Vegan Butter

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.

Photo of the ingredients needed to make this recipe

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.
Step-by-step photos of how to make this recipe

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?

  • Vegan Condensed Milk
  • Vegan Mayo
  • Coconut Butter
  • Vegan Heavy Cream Substitute
  • Vegan Whipped Cream
Photo of some vegan butter spread onto some slices of bread

Did you make this vegan butter recipe?

Please leave a comment and rate it below. We’d love to hear from you!

Square photo of some vegan butter spread onto some slices of bread
4.81 from 26 votes

Vegan Butter

Vegan butter, a healthy alternative to margarine and regular butter. It's so creamy and ready in less than 5 minutes with 6 ingredients.
Prep: 5 minutes mins
Total: 5 minutes mins
Servings: 2 cups (500 ml)
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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
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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

Serving: 1tablespoon | Calories: 90kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.1g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 10.3g | Saturated Fat: 7.6g | Sodium: 55mg
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and let me know how it was!
Course: How to
Cuisine: American
Author: Iosune Robles

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.

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Comments

  1. Caitlin says

    March 10, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    I love making homemade vegan butter (in fact now I hardly ever buy it in the store because homemade tastes so much better -- I've spoiled myself!) but hadn't thought of making vegan buttermilk to make it with. Awesome tip, I'll try that for the next batch. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      March 10, 2020 at 4:26 pm

      Hi Caitlin! Hope you enjoy it 🙂

      Reply
  2. Kristen Brown says

    February 02, 2020 at 7:40 pm

    5 stars
    I am officially obsessed with this recipe for vegan butter! I've been vegetarian for about 20 years now but have recently started eliminating dairy from my diet as well for health reasons. I'm so glad I tried this recipe first! It's so super easy and honestly it's so delicious that I like it even more than "real" butter! I've shared this recipe with my vegan and non-vegan friends and it's always a hit. Making my second batch today and I'm really excited!

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      March 04, 2020 at 4:35 pm

      Hi Kristen! So glad you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  3. Colin D says

    November 19, 2019 at 7:33 pm

    Absolute success in my butter cream icing! I withheld the nutritional yeast, but I'll use it next time, extraordinarily excellent replacement!

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      November 23, 2019 at 7:35 am

      Hi Colin! So glad it worked 🙂 Have a nice day!

      Reply
    • Milvi S. says

      June 12, 2020 at 5:10 pm

      I'm particularly interested to hear how this home made vegan butter performs in your butter cream recipe. Can you share that recipe? I usually buy buttery sticks from the grocery store, but find they don't remain stable at room temperature (could be I'm not using enough sugar). Based on most of these positive reviews, I'm going to make up a batch of this and give it a try in a couple of baking recipes.

      Reply
      • Iosune Robles says

        June 13, 2020 at 10:15 am

        Hope you like it Milvi 🙂 Have a nice day!

  4. Blaire says

    November 08, 2019 at 7:00 am

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      November 08, 2019 at 7:26 am

      You're welcome Blaire 🙂

      Reply
  5. Blaire says

    November 04, 2019 at 7:23 am

    This looks so Easy to make! Can't wait to try it out. One question, ha e you tried making it without the nutritional yeast and would leaving it out have an effect on the outcome?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      November 04, 2019 at 11:23 am

      Hi Blaire! Yes, you can omit it if you want, but I think the butter tastes even better if you use it 🙂

      Reply
  6. Ryan says

    June 23, 2019 at 7:21 pm

    Hi there!
    Can anyone tell me if it's possible to brown this as you would with typical butter for cookies?

    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      June 24, 2019 at 10:17 am

      Hi Ryan! I've never tried it myself, so I can't help you, sorry!

      Reply
    • candice custodio says

      June 29, 2019 at 7:29 pm

      Can you freeze these for reheating later?

      Reply
      • Iosune says

        June 30, 2019 at 9:40 am

        Hi Candice! No, I've never frozen it myself, sorry!

  7. Rev Dr Kathleen Raphael DD LPN says

    June 11, 2019 at 3:44 pm

    Hello Iosune!
    You seem totally interested in health.
    I'd like to direct you to Michael Greger, MD postings about the extreme saturated fat levels in coconut oil. He is just one expert making the same claim. While our bodies do need some saturated fats in order to function, the saturated fat levels are 3x the amount of regular cow's butter - well above healthy tolerances for the human body!
    I LOVE your recipes and look forward to more!!!
    To your health!
    ❤

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      June 12, 2019 at 7:47 am

      Hi Rev! Thank you so much for your comment 🙂 Have a nice day!

      Reply
  8. Robin Greenspan says

    June 07, 2019 at 8:05 pm

    Thanks so much for this! But I need help. The first time I made it it came out perfect. But the next two times, the neutral oil (I used soybean oil) separated from the coconut oil in the fridge. Any suggestions?

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      June 10, 2019 at 11:58 am

      Hi Robin! You're so welcome 🙂 Blend really well the mixture or use another type of oil or milk. Hope it helps!

      Reply
  9. Joan Kimmel says

    May 16, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    5 stars
    Really delicious !
    I’m a butter lover, and honestly, I would recommend this without hesitation.Being new to vegan food, I am often disappointed with some of the substitutes that are touted as being “just like”, or “close to” the original food. This “butter” recipe, did NOT disappoint. I will have no problem setting it out in my butter crock, and letting it speak for itself. Thank you so much for this simple, and delicious alternative to butter.

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      May 17, 2019 at 8:32 am

      Hi Joan! You're so welcome 🙂 I'm so happy to hear that. Have a nice day!!!

      Reply
  10. JOSIE says

    April 24, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    5 stars
    At last I can enjoy plant based spread without palm oil. Fantastic recipe, thanks!

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      April 25, 2019 at 7:53 am

      Hi Josie! Thank YOU 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  11. Linda Sammeli says

    March 25, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! I’m so happy I tried this! It. Is. Marvelous. Thank you, Iosune, for sharing. I’ve even passed some on to my non-vegan family to try. Delicious~

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      March 28, 2019 at 4:40 am

      Hi Linda! You're so welcome 🙂 So glad you liked it!

      Reply
  12. Farida Banu says

    March 21, 2019 at 8:32 am

    Simply super vegan butter.

    Reply
    • Iosune says

      March 23, 2019 at 2:23 am

      HI Farida! Thanks a lot 🙂

      Reply
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4.81 from 26 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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Iosune with a glass of juice.

Hi, I'm Iosune!

I share easy and delicious vegan recipes perfect for everyday meals and special occasions, all made with simple, everyday ingredients.

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