Vegan Butter

Dairy free butter and vegan substitutes for butter can also be used for baking! Brands that offer vegan butter for baking usually make them similar to their dairy counterparts. They will melt and incorporate just fine with other ingredients! While there is plant-based butter that has been seasoned, you can also find some with a neutral taste so that it won’t overpower the taste of your dishes.

PlantX is a great place to buy vegan butter. We’ve already trimmed down the list for you. These are all great-tasting vegan butter options that we’re sure you’ll enjoy cooking or baking with!

How is Vegan Butter Made?

Traditionally, butter is made with dairy and a lot of elbow grease. Dairy-based butter is a result of churning cream. After some time, the churning will produce the solid substance known as butter!

Dairy-free butter is simpler to make. It doesn’t require churning, but it will require time and patience. That’s because once all your ingredients have been blended together, the vegan butter will need time to set (usually in the fridge). 

The setting is helped along by the key ingredient - plant-based oil. Coconut oil is the most commonly used product to make dairy-free butter. Olive oil, canola oil, and avocado oil can also be used, but coconut oil is the most popular.

So, in theory, you can make homemade vegan dairy-free butter! But, you might find yourself left with excess ingredients that you may not have used for. As for us, we’re quite happy to buy dairy-free butter. And why not? They get the job done perfectly well (and perfectly tastily, too)!

What Makes Vegan Butter Better?

Generally, especially with blocks of vegan butter, you’re getting the same texture and consistency as dairy-based butter. So you can expect dairy-free butter to have similar smoothness and creaminess - with less saturated fat! 

Dairy-free butter is a naturally low cholesterol-option that tastes great. Because it’s not made from cow’s milk, vegan butter is better for both the animals and the environment - dairy-free butter produces fewer greenhouse gases and needs significantly less land and water to make!

Regular butter imparts some milky taste. If you like this, you can find vegan butter for baking and cooking that have flavour infusions. If you don’t want any additional, strong taste, you can find some dairy-free butter options that don’t impart strong taste and aroma to your already perfect recipes.

Speaking generally, vegan butter tends to be lower in saturated fat and cholesterol (a lot are even cholesterol-free). Dairy-free butter may be a better source of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, your healthy fats.

The Best Vegan Butters for Baking or Cooking

Biona’s Organic Sunflower Spread

Sure, it’s called a spread. But let’s call it what it is! Biona’s Organic Sunflower Spread is a fantastic dairy-free butter and a great substitute for dairy-based butter. This sunflower oil based spread is free from trans fats, flavourings, and even salt. Spread this dairy-free butter on some toast or just use it for baking and cooking applications.

Mergulo’s Cashew Nut-But*er

Mergulo’s Cashew Nut-But*ers are free from artificial preservatives, flavourings, and colourings. This is a rich and creamy plant-based butter. You can get them in 3 variations: original, dark salt, and garlic & herb. Get cooking, frying, and baking with any or them!

Vitaquell's Extra Omega Organic Dairy Free Spread

This organic Spread is a healthy butter alternative. It’s free from hydrogenated fats and is instead enriched with natural Omega-3 oils! This versatile spread goes above and beyond - it’s perfect for your toast!

Tiana Fair Trade Organics’ Organic Coconut Cooking Butter

Get cooking, roasting, baking, sauteing, and stir-frying with Tiana Fair Trade Organics’ Organic Coconut Cooking Butter. It brings the versatility of coconut oil, but without the strong coconut taste and aroma. Replace butter, ghee, or animal fats with it. It’s as smooth and creamy as regular butter!

FAQ

Can I cook with dairy-free butter?

Yes, you can! You’ll find that some vegan butter brands can replace cooking oils, animal fat, and even ghee. You can cook, roast, fry, and bake with them, too! If you’re looking for some extra crisp, you can always experiment with mixing any vegetable oil of your choice with vegan butter.

Are there any gluten-free and dairy-free butter brands?

Yup! The recipe for vegan butter can be made with naturally gluten-free ingredients like coconut oil. We always advise checking the label and ingredients list just to be sure.

If you’re shopping at PlantX, you can use our filter feature on the left hand side of our collection page. Check this example out! You’ll see on the left that our vegan butter selections have a gluten-free filter on them.

How do I store my dairy-free butter?

As a general rule, keep your vegan butter bricks in the fridge. Basically, store them like you would regular butter! That means you don’t leave your tubs and jars of vegan butter out overnight!

If this makes it difficult to spread your plant-based butter on your toast, just plan a bit ahead. Take your plant-based butter out of the fridge to let it soften a bit. After some time at room temperature, you’ll be able to spread your dairy-free butter easily. Or, run your knife through some warm water before cutting the dairy-free butter.

How long is dairy-free butter good for?

Homemade vegan butter could have a shelf life of two to four weeks. That depends on how well you store it. Remember to keep your dairy-free butter in a clean and airtight container to help it last longer!

Commercial vegan butter, as you can expect, could have a longer shelf life. They could last weeks - even months! Always check the consume-by-date on the packaging of the dairy-free butter to stay on the safe side.