When you first go vegan, one of the first challenges you face is finding a substitute for your favourite foods. Let’s take butter, for instance. Who’d want to leave the butter off their list?
But when I went vegan, one of my priorities was to cut off any dairy products from my family’s grocery list. And that includes butter as well. But my family nor I was ready to give up butter.
And I don’t blame them at all. After all, butter makes everything better. So, I had to look for alternative ways to substitute butter.
The result? You’ve probably guessed it already.
Today I’m going to share some of the finest vegan butter in the market with you and in addition to that, you’ll also learn how to make them at home.
But first, let’s cover some basics.
Is regular butter vegan?
In simple English, No. Butter is not vegan. Butter is made of cream, which comes from a cow’s milk, which means butter contains milk in one way or the other.
If you’re enjoying a vegan diet, you should definitely look for vegan butter.
What is vegan butter?
This butter is an alternative to natural butter, and it is not made from cream, milk or any other product coming from an animal. Vegan substitute butter is not butter but a product made using oil and some other plant-based ingredients that taste and act like butter.
So, when we talk about vegan butter, it means we are talking about a substitute for butter. Also, while buying vegan butter from the supermarket, don’t get confused with a product if it’s labeled as vegan margarine.
Many manufacturers label the product as vegan margarine to avoid confusing it with butter.
best vegan butter
One of the best substitutes is the vegan margarine made by Earth Balance. You can quickly spread it on your toast, saute vegetables, and also bake cakes with it.
This vegan butter offers a creamy texture along with a lovely rich taste. The margarine is entirely free from any hydrogenated oils. In addition to that, it is non-GMO and gluten-free.
what is a vegan substitute for butter?
There are plenty of vegan options available that you can use for both cooking and baking as a substitute. When we talk about baking, we have:
- Applesauce
- Coconut Oil
- Dairy-free Yogurt
- Coconut butter
- Olive oil
- Nut butter
- Mashed Banana
- Mashed Avocado
Similarly, when it comes to cooking, we have:
- Olive oil
- Coconut oil
- Vegetable stock
- Avocado oil
Making vegan butter at home
Making vegetarian butter at home is super easy. Let’s see what ingredients are needed to make this butter at home and how you can prepare it easily from the comfort of your home.
Ingredients
- Refined Coconut Oil
- Canola Oil
- Soy Milk
- Lemon Juice
- Salt
- Soy Lecithin
instructions
Adopt the following procedure to prepare vegan substitutes for butter at home.
- Take ½ cup of plain soy milk and add ¼ tsp lemon juice to it. Let it sit for about five minutes.
- Melt coconut oil. When it barely melts, pour it into a blender or an immersion blender container.
- Now add salt, canola oil and soy lecithin to the blender.
- Pour the soy milk in the blender when the soy milk and lemon juice get settled and start to curd.
- Blend at high speed for about 1 minute until the mixture is well mixed.
- Pour it into a glass container with a lid.
- Put it in the freezer for about ½ hour. When it sets appropriately, transfer it to the refrigerator.
- You can store it in the refrigerator for about 5-7 days.
how are these ingredients beneficial?
refined coconut oil
Refined coconut butter is used for the base of the butter. It’s the best option because it has a melting point of 76OF, making the butter solid at room temperature.
Refined coconut is used because it offers a neutral taste. If unrefined coconut is used, it will offer a coconutty flavour and will not taste like butter.
canola oil
Canola oil is added to make the butter soften and spreadable. Apart from canola oil, any other neutral-flavoured oil can also be used, but you will observe a slight difference in taste with each different type of oil.
However, to get a pure buttery flavour, I recommend using canola oil.
soy milk
Soy milk is added to give the butter a rich and creamy flavour. It also provides the protein that it needs to gel and set.
lemon juice
Lemon juice is added to curdle the milk. It gives the butter a richer flavour along with helping it to gel up. If you don’t like lemon juice, you can also add the cider vinegar.
Salt
Salt is added to give flavour. If you want unsalted butter, then there is no need to add salt.
soy lecithin
Soy lecithin is added so that the oil and milk bind together. It won’t allow the mixture to separate even if it sits after a while.
Is the vegan substitute for butter healthier?
It definitely is! Health is one of the major issues we switch to vegan lifestyle, right?
Vegan butter doesn’t contain any gluten or dairy products and is made from plant based ingredients and oil, which makes it suitable for everyone.
Compared to regular butter, you get less fat and calories in them too. However, it does contain fat and calories to a minimal extent. If you’re watching weight, you should consume accordingly.
can i freeze vegan butter?
Yes, you can freeze vegan substitute butter. Divide it into smaller containers and keep place it in the freezer. It lasts for about three months in a freezer and when you defrost it, transfer it into the fridge. Wait until it thaws.
