Review Detail

Rating 
 
5.0

substitute psyllium husk powder for xanthan gum!

Hi! First of all, I wanted to thank you, Mattie, for this wonderful recipe. I love how you delved into the science of creating butter. That's how I approach my cooking/baking as well. I'm not vegan but I'm allergic to dairy so this recipe has been a godsend!

For those of you who don't like to use gums, I just wanted to share that I was able to successfully use psyllium husk powder in lieu of the xanthan! I ground up whole husk psyllium in my spice grinder to a fine powder and substituted 1:1 for the xanthan. Since the soluble fiber in psyllium husk is hydrophilic in nature, it worked very similarly to xanthan (it held bubbles when whipped and made the butter malleable). Since the psyllium is ground up into a fine powder, it doesn't make the butter grainy. It doesn't negatively contribute to the taste profile, either.
Cheers!

Owner's reply

Thanks irenelee! I've been meaning to play around with psyllium husk powder. I knew there was a better use for it than mixing it with water and chugging it daily. Life is just too short for that;) I think flax gel would probably work too. The emulsification is being taken care of by the lecithin so anything that blocks ice crystals from getting too big (which gives it softness and elasticity) and that allows a tiny bit of air bubbles to be trapped should work as a substitute for xanthan. Once I get a chance to to a couple tests, I'll update the Vegan Butter recipes with xanthan options such as your great substitute. Nice work and thanks for sharing!

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