Review Detail

How to Make Vegan Butter - Regular Vegan Butter - Coconut Oil Base

Vegan Butter Recipes
by Mattie

December 11, 2012

Jon

Rating

4.0

Process is Still Likely to Create Triglicerides

I really like the recipe for making vegan butter, but I would stress that you are essentially doing the same thing chemically to the fat in your recipe as the people who make Crisco (and Earth Balance for that matter). Whenever someone makes any fat (plant, animal) more stable at room temperature (i.e. solid) the fats go through a hydrogenation process to add hydrogen to the lipid structure. This process increases the melting point of the fat. Commercial companies that make Crisco use an extrusion machine to accomplish this task. Earth Balance's process is the exact same, they just market their product differently. Butter churning breaks down the fats in cream and chemically changes them into a solid. Your process is using the speed of the food processor blades to break down the liquid fats into a structure that stays solid at room temperature. All of these processes share one thing in common; they all produce trans fats (triglycerides).

All that being said, I do really like your process and recipe. I would just caution making any claims that this process is somehow healthier than any other hydrogenation process commercial companies use. But as a DIY vegan butter recipe, I don't think there's a better one on the web.
I've included some good reading on the extrusion process and how commercial manufactures http://www.aseanfood.info/Articles/11024149.pdf

Owner's reply

Hi Jon, Thanks for your input. I think you're getting the food production procedure known as "extrusion" confused with butter production as well as vegan butter production. Food extrusion is not used for the processing of fats in the food industry as far as I'm aware. Food extrusion is used to squeeze, cook and press out products like pastas, dog food, veggie jerky, etc in a corkscrew-like configuration.

Crisco is a hydrogenated fat which is produced when hydrogen is passed through a fat (typically monounsaturated) that is liquid at room temperature. This hydrogenation process chemically alters the fat to act like a saturated fat, producing trans fats in the process. On the molecular level, the carbon chains that make up the fats are modified so they pack together more tightly, making the fat crystalize (get solid) at a lower temperature. Margarine manufacturers do this because they can take a affordable oil such as soy oil and turn it into a solid fat at a very low cost.

Fats coming from tropical regions are known as lauric fats and usually contain enough saturated fats to not need any chemical processing to make them more solid. On the molecular level, their carbon chains are also packed tightly like hydrogenated fats, but they don't contain trans fats like hydrogenated oils do.

Both Earth Balance and my method of Vegan Butter uses lauric fats blended with monounsaturated fats get the fat to a desired consistency. Mixing these fats via whisk, food processor or even by bare hand has no chemical effect and will not produce any hydrogenation related compounds. Furthermore, butter production is completely different- it involves churning which strip liquid surrounding dispersed fat globules which allows the globules to congeal into a solid mass.

There is a debate on the health aspects of plant-based saturated fats though. It depends on who you talk to in regards to whether it's more or less healthy than animal-based saturated fat. Thanks for the article link. It was a fascinating read on how extrusion effects nutrient content in foods. I'd love to get one of these but I'm about $80,000 short!
Thanks again for your input!

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