Homemade Vegan Butter Recipe

This recipe for Homemade Vegan Butter is one I posted back in 2018. It would be more accurate to call it vegan margarine since it's a blend of oils and soymilk, but it works like butter and looks like butter so we can colloquially call it plant butter. Whatever the name, I've used this recipe on and off since posting and it's still my favorite. Lately, I've been using it more often because butter is so expensive. I make it just as written, but now use silicone mini muffin pans for molding and sometimes throw in other flavorings which I've noted at the bottom.

What's In Vegan Butter?

Vegan butter is essentially a mixture of coconut oil, canola oil, soy milk and apple cider vinegar that when combined with a little lecithin, blends into a smooth and creamy spread that performs like butter in baking and has a surprisingly pleasant flavor. It's much better (in my opinion) than store bought vegan baking sticks and vegan margarine.

Vegan butter can be used just like regular butter as in both baking and as a spread.  The original recipe on Veganbaking.net calls for xanthan gum which makes it a tad bit softer and easier to spread, but I found that if I left out the xanthan gum and just softened the butter before spreading, it was fine.   The other changes I made were to add a little turmeric for color and to use small loaf pans lined with plastic wrap rather than silicone baking molds.  Even with the changes, the vegan butter is great.

Uses for Vegan Butter

So far I've used vegan butter in scones, chocolate chip cookies, garlic bread, and pie dough where it does a fine job standing in for both butter and shortening.  I've also used it in shortbread where it works amazingly well. The texture is crumbly and light like my usual shortbread and the flavor is somewhat buttery even though there's no actual butter.  I think the buttery flavor comes from the soy milk/vinegar combo.

Here's the recipe for homemade vegan butter aka vegan margarine.  It comes together pretty quickly and be used an hour after it's made, or maybe sooner if you don't need it to be solid.

Adding Flavorings and Color

The flavor of this butter is subtle. To add extra flavor, you can throw in either 2 teaspoons of white miso or a teaspoon of nutritional yeast. For the color, turmeric is an option, but you could also use annatto, which is a ground seed that's pretty easy to find in Mexican grocery stores. I haven't tried adding almond flour to this, as I think it would take away from the luxurious smoothness that the lecithin imparts, but I do see some vegan recipes with almond flour that are intriguing.

Orville Redenbacher Popping and Topping Oil

Lately I've been making this with a tablespoon of Orville Redenbacher buttery tasting popping and topping oil. It adds color, so no need for turmeric.  It also adds a TINY hint of buttery flavor. And finally, since it's is soybean oil it might contribute to browning when used in baking. The jury is still out on that.

• Peanut Butter Ice Cream
• Cinnamon Apple Cider Bread Recipe for Fall
• Crackly Canola Oil Ginger Cookies
• Top 10 Apple Recipes
• Whole Foods Oatmeal Cookie Recipe

Recipe

Vegan Butter

Anna

Vegan Butter

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 minute min

Total Time 11 minutes mins

Course Condiment

Cuisine American

Servings 7 ½

Ingredients

 

• ¼ cup + 2 teaspoons soy milk (60 grams)
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt can omit if desired
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon (130 grams) refined coconut oil, melted
• 1 Tablespoon canola oil OR a tablespoon of buttery popcorn oil (See note)
• 1 teaspoon liquid soy lecithin or sunflower lecithin
• tiny pinch of turmeric for color optional

Instructions

 

• Line a mini loaf pan (3x5 inch) with plastic wrap. If you don't have a mini loaf pan you can use a small bowl, custard cups or even muffin tins.
• Measure out soy milk, then stir in 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Allow mixture to stand for about 10 minutes so that it curdles and thickens.
• Put the melted coconut oil and the canola oil in the bowl of a food processor or blender, then add the soy milk, lecithin and turmeric (if using). Process for about 2 minutes or until smooth.
• Carefully pour mixture into the mini loaf pan, then transfer to the freezer for 1 hour to set.
• You should get about 1 cup of vegan butter. To use it in baking, weigh out 114 grams for every half cup.

Notes

Lately I've been making this with a tablespoon of Orville Redenbacher buttery tasting popping and topping oil. It adds color, so no need for turmeric.  It also adds a TINY hint of buttery flavor. And finally, since it's is soybean oil it might contribute to browning when used in baking. The jury is still out on that.

Keyword Vegan Butter

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!