How to Make Vegan Butter
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How to make vegan butter at home with NO hard-to-find ingredients! Easy, quick and you only need a whisk and a bowl. Perfect for baking, spreading on toast, frying or anywhere else you would use butter!
Why would you want to make your own vegan butter, you might ask? Well, I get comments quite regularly from people who live in countries or towns where buying plant based butter is near impossible, or very expensive.
Or maybe you are looking for a palm oil free buttery spread, which can be hard to find as well. Making your own is a big money saver, too!
I wanted to create a recipe that was super simple, quick and that works anywhere you would normally use butter. It took me several rounds of testing to come up with the perfect recipe! This dairy free butter is gloriously creamy, rich, buttery and spreadable.
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This is an overview with photos of how to make vegan butter. For the full, printable recipe scroll down to the recipe card.
How to make it
- In a bowl, combine 1/2 cup of unsweetened soy milk and 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar. Let it sit and curdle while you melt the coconut oil.
- To the bowl, add a cup of melted, warm coconut oil, along with the salt (1/2 tsp), canola oil (1/4 cup, can also use olive or avocado oil), and 1/4 cup coconut cream. Add optional tiny pinch of turmeric, if desired.
- Whisk well for a couple of minutes until smooth and pale in color. You could also use a blender or food processor here.
- Pour into butter molds <– I used these silicone molds. You could also simply pour into a glass container or two. Place in the refrigerator to harden and chill for an hour or two.
That’s it! You’re a vegan butter making pro. 😉
Whipped butter!
With just a tiny bit more work, you can make delicious whipped, fluffy vegan butter. This is a batch I made with no added turmeric, so it’s white. This would be perfect for making white frostings, such as in my Vegan Vanilla Frosting. But whipped butter is also wonderful for spreading on toast and other baked goods.
To whip, once you have whisked the ingredients, set the bowl in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes until it hardens slightly. Take it out of the refrigerator, and, with a hand mixer, mix and whip until fluffy. Place in containers and back in the fridge to harden the rest of the way.
How long does it keep?
Vegan butter will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. It also freezes really well. Simply let it thaw in the refrigerator before using.
For baking
I have tested this homemade vegan butter in all sorts of baked goods, from pie crust to cookies to frostings. It works perfectly well!
The butter is harder from the refrigerator than store bought plant based butters, so if you need slightly softened butter, such as for cookies or frostings, let it sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before using. You could also microwave it for 15-20 seconds, but this is not ideal since some may melt, which can be especially problematic when making frosting.
Recipes to try using homemade vegan butter
- Perfect Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Vegan Vanilla Frosting
- Vegan Chocolate Cake (for the frosting)
- Best Ever Vegan Brownies
- Easy Vegan Pie Crust
- Vegan Rice Krispie Treats
How to Make Vegan Butter
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup melted refined coconut oil , *make sure to use REFINED, unrefined will taste like coconut
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil , *OR light tasting olive oil, avocado oil or other neutral flavored oil
- 1/4 cup coconut cream, *may omit, but it helps make the butter gloriously soft
- tiny pinch turmeric, optional for color
Instructions
- Get out a medium sized bowl. Add the soy milk and apple cider vinegar, stir and let sit for 5 minutes until it curdles.
- While the milk/vinegar curdles, melt the coconut oil in the microwave (or stovetop) until warm, but not too hot. I microwave it in a glass measuring cup, so I can make sure I have exactly 1 cup of melted coconut oil.
- To the bowl with the milk/vinegar mixture, add the melted coconut oil, salt, canola oil, coconut cream and optional tiny pinch of turmeric. Whisk well until smooth and pale in color. This will take less than 5 minutes. You could also place everything in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into glass containers or butter molds. If you use 1 large container, the butter will take longer to harden in the refrigerator, small molds will be ready faster. Place in the refrigerator for an hour or two to set.
For whipped vegan butter
- This is so delicious, but just a little more work. After you have whisked the butter mixture well, place the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 minutes so it slightly hardens. Remove it from the refrigerator and, with a hand mixer, mix and whip until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add to glass storage containers and place back in the refrigerator to harden.
How to store vegan butter
- Vegan butter will keep in the refrigerator for 2-3 weeks. To use for baking, slightly soften it by leaving out at room temperature for 30 minutes. You can also microwave it for 15 seconds, but some may melt that way which is not ideal.
- It freezes very well, too! Simply let it thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Notes
- It is fine to use another unsweetened non-dairy milk, but I like soy the best here. Almond, coconut, perhaps even oat milk will work okay though. Just make absolutely sure it is unflavored and unsweetened, with no sugar added.
- If you don't have apple cider vinegar or can't eat it, you can substitute lemon juice or white vinegar.
- There is no substitute for REFINED COCONUT OIL, it is what makes the butter. Unrefined coconut oil will make your butter taste too much like coconut.
- I really like the coconut cream in the butter. It doesn't make it taste like coconut, but it adds a creaminess and softness. You can skim the top of a can of full fat coconut milk to get only the cream, or use a can of coconut cream.
Nutrition
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73 Comments on “How to Make Vegan Butter”
Can this vegan butter for making croissant?
I don’t see why not, but I haven’t tested it. I’ve actually never made croissants but I need to try it out!
Can you use nut milk replacement for soy? I’m allergic to soy
Sure, no problem! You can use another unsweetened, unflavored plant milk.
Hello! I’m wondering if this can be used for a buttercream frosting? I live in a place where vegan items aren’t that much available so I’m struggling to come up with my own ingredients. Hope my question gets answered! Thank you!
It works quite well, yes! With this butter though, you will have to make sure to refrigerate a cake/cupcake made with the frosting or else it will melt due to the coconut oil. Thanks!
Would this work with oat milk instead of the soy milk?
Usually I would say yes but I’m not totally sure oat milk will taste good here. It might, as long as it is unsweetened and unflavored.
Hi Nora! Thanks so much for the recipe. I’m looking for a butter that will hold up well in frostings. I know you’ve said it works for that…But I’m wondering how melty this recipe gets as compared to earth balance and some store sold vegan butters? It seems like some homemade ones melt pretty quickly at room temperature. Thank you
I would keep anything frosted with this butter in the fridge. Because it is coconut oil based, it will be meltier than other frostings made with vegan butter or shortening. So if you need to make a cake/cupcakes that will hold up at room temperature for a long time, I would not use this butter. Hope that helps!
Can i still use unrefined cocunut oil if im using it for baking and the cocunut taste is okay?
Sure, that’s totally fine!
This is absolutely FANTASTIC! Planning on switching to use your Vegan Butter recipe as it holds up so well!
Noting that I did use 1/4 Cup of Coconut Cream that comes in a small shelf-stable 6.5 oz. carton (instead of canned coconut cream or canned coconut milk) and it worked very well! Wasn’t sure how it would turn out.
However, when I attempted to make an extra batch a day later, it did not work as well. The top hardened but the rest underneath was separated and all liquidly.
Only difference 2nd time, was that I used the remaining Coconut Cream from carton in cold form because it had to be refrigerated after opening, used melted refined coconut oil, and cold unsweetened soy milk. I since read in the comments section where you advised if you melt the refined coconut oil to liquid, should not use cold soy milk (something like that.)
The 1st time I made it I had used an unrefrigerated shelf-stable carton of Coconut Cream, melted refined coconut oil, and unrefrigerated unsweetened soy milk in shelf-stable carton and it came out perfect. Maybe this info can assist others.
Having fun with many of your wonderful recipes! Blessings,
May we omit the salt from the recipe?
You could, but it won’t have much flavor.
Hi Nora,
Back again to update as I made the Vegan Butter recipe again yesterday using 1/4 Cup of the 6.5 oz. unrefrigerated shelf-stable Carton of coconut cream and it came out just perfect! I used the remaining refrigerated coconut cream (which is more than 1/4 cup) to make a non-alcoholic Pina Colada blended with cold pineapple juice).
Since your recipe only requires 1/4 cup, I like that I can utilize the smaller amount from the carton instead of skimming a portion of canned coconut milk or using full can of coconut cream which I also purchase and use.
Your recipe version is the BEST….it spreads, it melts, tastes good, and I baked with it in some recipes. I pour into a 2 cup glass rectangle container with snap-on lid but also may buy some molds in future.
Still exploring and having fun using your various recipes. Blessings,
Thank you so much! I’m so glad you are having fun and baking/cooking. 🙂