Few things in life are more comforting than a big bowl of buttered popcorn or a slice of homemade bread slathered in butter. But what’s a vegan to do when the craving hits? Obviously, dairy butter is off the table for those following a plant-based diet.
Luckily, you don’t have to give up the taste of butter if you’re cutting down on animal products. There are now more vegan butter alternatives available than ever before, and many are so tasty you won’t miss the real thing.
Vegan butter comes in a variety of flavors and textures. Depending on your needs, there’s definitely an option out there for you.
What Is Vegan Butter?
Butter is a key ingredient in baking, adding fat, structure, and texture to pastries, pie crusts, and cakes. It coats the flour to prevent gluten from overdeveloping and traps air bubbles to improve texture and act as a leavening agent. Without it, baked goods can seem flat.
While traditional butter is made from dairy milk, many products now offer an animal-free alternative. Vegan butter can be made from ingredients like coconut oil, soy, and peanuts, and some are formulated to mimic the texture and consistency of regular butter for baking. Others work better as spreads.
It’s important to note that while some consider margarine to be vegan butter, many brands contain trace amounts of animal products like whey, lactose, casein, and caseinate. Always check the ingredients list to be sure.
What’s The Deal With Palm Oil?
To replicate regular butter’s ability to be solid at room temperature but easily meltable, many vegan butters use palm oil. This oil, derived from the fruit of the palm tree, is also used in soap, cosmetics, and household cleaners.
However, palm oil production has serious environmental impacts. According to the World Wildlife Fund, an area the size of 300 football fields is cleared every hour for palm oil production, threatening species like the orangutan and the Sumatran tiger with extinction.
Some vegan butter brands address this by sourcing their palm oil sustainably. For example, Melt Organic uses only Rainforest Alliance Certified palm oil. However, not all brands disclose their sources, so consumers need to demand transparency.
Palm oil can go by many names on ingredient lists, including:
– PKO – Palm Kernel Oil
– PKO fractionations: Palm Kernel Stearin (PKs); Palm Kernel Olein (PKOo)
– Elaeis Guineensis
– Glyceryl Stearate
– Stearic Acid
– PHPKO – Partially Hydrogenated Palm Oil
– FP(K)O – Fractionated Palm Oil
– OPKO – Organic Palm Kernel Oil
If you want to avoid palm oil, coconut oil offers a similar texture without the environmental downsides.
9 Top Vegan Butters to Try
The best vegan butter for you depends on your needs. Baking butters are different from spreadable ones, and some aim to mimic traditional butter’s flavor while others embrace their unique ingredients. Here are some top options to consider:
1. Earth Balance: A go-to brand for vegans, Earth Balance offers a range of textures suitable for spreading and baking. Their products include sustainably harvested palm oil, olive oil, soybeans, flax, and canola oil. Available in most grocery stores.
2. Miyoko’s Kitchen: Ideal for baking, Miyoko’s Kitchen vegan butter comes in blocks resembling traditional butter sticks. Made from cashews, organic coconut, safflower, and sunflower oil, it contains no palm oil.
3. Wayfare Whipped: Often found in specialty stores, Wayfare Whipped butter is made by former dairy farmers. Available in flavors like sweet cinnamon and savory garlic.
4. Melt Organic: Known for both spreadable butter and ‘buttery sticks,’ Melt Organic uses Rainforest Alliance Certified palm oil and comes in flavors like chocolate, honey, and original butter. Made with plant-based oils like coconut, canola, sunflower, and flaxseeds.
5. Ellyndale Organics: This brand uses infused virgin coconut oil to create a robust nondairy product with the taste of regular butter. It has a high smoke point, making it versatile for cooking.
6. Plant-Based Oils: Sometimes, simple plant-derived oils like olive oil, coconut oil, and sesame seed oil can serve as a butter alternative, especially for cooking or drizzling on bread.
7. Nutiva’s Organic Coconut Oil with Butter Flavor: Known for plant-based protein powders, Nutiva’s coconut oil-based butter uses organic red palm oil and non-GMO sunflower, coconut, and mint for flavor and texture.
8. Nuttzo Organic Vegan Power Fuel Seven Nut and Seed Butter: A unique spread made from hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, chia seeds, Brazil nuts, and pumpkin seeds, offering a flavorful peanut butter alternative.
9. Sneaky Chef No-Nut Butters: Ideal for those with allergies, these butters use peas for texture and are free from peanuts, tree nuts, soy, gluten, and dairy.
How to Make Your Own Vegan Butter
If you prefer complete control over your ingredients, making your own vegan butter is a great option. Here are a few simple recipes to try:
1. Nut-free, Soy-free Vegan Butter: Fork & Beans offers a recipe using coconut oil, sea salt, canola oil, and non-dairy milk.
2. Cashew Coconut Butter: One Green Planet provides a recipe for a creamy, solid-textured butter using cashew puree.
3. Aquafaba Butter: Planet Pusherne’s recipe combines chickpea water with rapeseed and coconut oil, plus apple cider vinegar for a unique flavor.
Enjoy experimenting with these options to find the perfect vegan butter for your needs!
