Simple Vegan Butter Recipe: 3 Tips for Making Vegan Butter

Vegan butter is a dairy-free alternative to regular butter or butter alternatives like margarine. (While some kinds of margarine are completely vegan, many contain small amounts of animal products, like whey, a milk protein.)

You can make vegan butter by mixing vegan buttermilk—plant-based milk curdled with a small amount of acid, like lemon juice or vinegar—with a combination of plant-based oils for stability and texture. Depending on your preference or dietary needs, these oils can include extra-virgin olive oil, refined coconut oil, palm oil, avocado oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil. Some recipes call for a dash of turmeric for color or incorporate coconut cream or coconut milk for extra richness.

The best vegan butter doesn’t taste like a butter substitute: It has a buttery flavor, rather than an overly oily or waxy one, and a creamy, spreadable texture. Consider these tips before you set out to make dairy-free butter:

1. 1. Using lecithin: You can find lecithin—a food additive consisting of plant-based fat molecules—in liquid and granulated form in health food stores or online specialty shops. Like other emulsifiers, lecithin prevents the separation of the water and oils in vegan butter, contributing to a solid yet spreadable consistency. Sunflower lecithin or soy lecithin are among the most popular types.
2. 2. Choosing non-dairy milk: You can make vegan butter from any unsweetened plant-based milk you like, be it cashew milk, almond milk, or nut-free options like soy milk, oat milk, or hemp milk. Higher protein content results in a creamier texture, so if you’re using nut milk, add a teaspoon of nutritional yeast to enhance the final consistency.
3. 3. Use refined coconut oil: Coconut oil is one of the most popular oils in vegan cooking, and with good reason: It contains saturated fats, which lends both stability and richness. To prevent your butter from taking on a coconut flavor, use refined coconut oil.

Store vegan butter in an airtight container or tub if you plan to spread it on toast or use it in general cooking. For baked goods—like cookies and pie crust—or vegan buttercream, transfer the butter into silicone molds for easy, at-a-glance substitution.

For best results, store vegan butter in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or freeze it for up to three months.