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

Unfortunately sauteing with your butter recipe ends up in unwanted clumps due to xantham gum being fried at high temperatures. Perhaps you could use something that melts. You are right about the acidic taste. The vinegar flavor ruins the butter experience if you were to spread it on bread to be eaten directly. Lemon juice has the same effect. Moreover, I did try organic coconut oil which resulted in the best flavor. But, as I am sure everyone knows, organic oil is extremely expensive. It is also interesting to note that this butter for some reason will collect mold rather quickly if not used soon enough. Freezing only retards the mold growth.

How long do you hold your butter before using? Have you tried other neutral tasting acids with or without success?

The bottom line for me is I cannot fry in many cases with this butter but it is great for baking and it is good for spread if consumed before it molds.

Anyone have any experience storing at room temperature? I'd really like to still use my nice butter bell!! Lol!

I've only just whizzed this up, but OMG. I used all apple cider vinegar and xanthan gum as I was worried how the lecithin granules would break down. I added some turmeric for colour and I've tasted it from the bowl and it is amazing! So easy and fast. I won't be buying the $10 store brand anymore! I can't wait for it to solidify, but in the meantime I scraped the extra out of the bowl and it's gone straight on a cracker and was everything I had hoped it would be! Thank you!!!!

I converted this recipe to grams for those interested.
69.13g soymilk
2.47g acv
2.47g coconut vinegar
2.25g salt
140.79g refined coconut oil
13.63g liquid oil
4.54g liquid soy lecithin
0.75g xanthan gum

And percentages:
29.29% soymilk
1.05% apple cider vinegar
1.05% coconut vinegar
0.95% salt
59.65% refined coconut oil
5.77% neutral liquid oil
1.92% liquid soy lecithin
0.32% xanthan gum

I'm not vegan, but have friends who are & a young nephew who is allergic to just about everything.

I made a non-soy version of this twice so far. This made my day! I baked a vegan red velvet cake last night using my homemade vegan butter. I've never been happier! Hubby couldn't tell the difference between my usual red velvet cake & my vegan one!

I used my Ninja processor to mix everything together. Then I poured it in a silicone butter keep & slice I found. Eureka! The "butter" was the perfect weight. Recipe made sticks (0.25 lb).

I used Barlean's butter flavored coconut oil. This tastes just like the real thing. I'm going to make a spread for my mother-in-law who is vegan as well.

Thank you so much! I can't wait to try some of your other recipes!

So I've made this twice now and the results were awesomeish. I say "awesomeish" as my endeavor with this was hilariously funny. So the first time I made this, I had no idea that liquid lecithin (sunflower) was so messy! I made it but noticed there was still some lecithin not mixed in. I pretty much made a hot mess and just dumped it in the mold. The husband also ordered silicone loaf molds instead of butter or ice molds so each cavity holds the equivalent of 4 sticks of butter. Feeling determined, I still used the butter to make a batch of cookies. I pretty much copied a nonvegan recipe and the results were amazing even though my butter didn't look that great!
Learning from my mistakes and feeling more determined, I made the recipe again. I accidentally did a whole tablespoon of lecithin instead of a teaspoon so I ended up tripling the recipe. Learning from my mistake, I mixed the lecithin into the curdled soy milk directly. This time the results were beautiful and not nearly as messy. As I was pouring my butter into my loaf pans I then made the realization I forgot the salt! it was still great though and I really appreciate your amazing effort plus the science involved in it. I just recently got involved in baking so this is awesome! Do you have any advice on making a sweet cream butter? I might add a little turmeric to get the yellow in there as someone recommended. Thank you so much! I was a Nucoa user for years before this!

Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I have made this twice already with coconut milk, apple cider vinegar, and soy lecithin granules. It has come out delicious every single time. I can't wait to make it on the butter mold I just ordered (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LZLDDH4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).

My liquid lecithin won't be here til next week but just wanted to add that you can get a gallon sized tub of coconut oil on amazon for 25 usd. Up until now I've just used butter flavored coconut oil so I'm really excited. Will review next week

Can I substitute in Palm Oil? J/k: couldn't find any store margarines without palm oil. Even the poorly named "Earth Balance." Thanks!

I've made this twice and it's amazing! My husband thought he would only want melted earth balance on his popcorn so I did 75% this recipe to 25% earth balance and he loved it! Also did the same with mashed potatoes! TY so much ???

Thank you so much for this recipe! I make and sell baked goods. I wanted to make my own vegan butter, as the store closest to me doesn't carry it and I thought it may be cheaper to make. To be honest, I thought it'd be fun to say I made the vegan butter myself as well :) I used the vegan butter in a chocolate frosting and it turned out amazing! I even like this frosting more than the non-vegan ones. I wish I could post a photo here. It was so light and fluffy. Even after 4 days , the frosting was still holding it's shape and very tasty! As for a few people on here mentioning a strong vinegar smell... I didn't get that. Are you sure that you put the right amount of vinegar in?

This recipe is fantastic!!! I absolutely love the product. I can't imagine it tasting any more like butter without being butter.

The recipe seems to be quite robust, because in spite of a couple issues I had, it turned out great. I used all apple cider vinegar since I couldn't find coconut vinegar. Also, my soy lecithin granules hardly dissolved at all - so I ran my food processor twice as long as the recipe suggested, and then ended up straining out the rest of the granules. But it still worked well.

Thank you as well for the brilliant write up. It's so nice to understand the science behind the recipe.

I just made this and by the look of it it should pretty damn great! I have a request though. It took me a while to convert everything to metric (grams and ml) and I'm still not certain I got everything right.

It would be beyond helpful if you could add the measurements in metric, or at least respond to this comment or email me, anything really, but I would really, really appreciate it. Thank you so much!

Clara

Thank you for this recipe. I am impressed by what you achieved. This is above all expectations: it has a more buttery quality than any commercial margarine, and I have to congratulate you solemnly, for you really understood butter -- and helped me understand it. You've earned a Breton's infinite respect. As we are known as the pickiest butter lovers among the French, it is not easy to have us satisfied with substitutes.

I gave it a little twist. Before I curdled the milk I blended it with a small amount of NUTRITIONAL YEAST, which has a buttery, umami taste and is often used in vegan recipes to compensate for the absence of cheese. The result was a bit unhappier than planned, because I could not find pure yeast and resorted to a mixture of yeast and wheatgerm instead, so there was an undesirable vegetable taste in it. I am sure it would be very palatable with pure yeast, and for now the idea that the nutrient profile of my butter is improved by the wheatgerm in it makes up for its slightly unpleasant taste. Well, actually, it does not, for I am no superfood freak. Anyway, if your aim is to come close to real butter, use nutritional yeast, but no wheatgerm. Do not use curcuma either: the vegetable taste may be ascribable to that pinch of curcuma I sprinkled on my curdled milk for the sake of colour.

Now I have a project, which is to find a replacement for the coconut oil. I will make some special butter for technical purposes. Before you condemn my zeal, please read through! I know it will not be easy to swallow that I consider having recourse to refined SHEA BUTTER but here are some reasons:
1) coconut oil is costly and my aim is not only to avoid using unethically sourced products, but also to reduce the cost of food;
2) coconut oil has a very low melting point, even lower than spreadable butter, and even in its solid state it is quite soft, so I am afraid this vegan butter will not be fit for making puff pastry;
3) for all I know, and I know little, so I am not completely sure of this, coconut oil has a better nutrient profile than shea butter and is less harmful (one may infer it from the resemblance between shea butter and palm oil). That said, I do not make so much of a point of using healthy ingredients, as of using "ethically cleaner" ones. Ethically sourced refined shea butter can be found easily. I thought of using a blend of regular oil and refined cocoa butter but the latter is rare, expensive and its origin is often untraceable.
The final product may have a more distinct flavour and a less pleasant texture, but I will not use it as a spread. It should be suitable for baking.

I'm so excited to make some of these as I'm so inlove with baking and cooking at the moment. Can you cook on stove top with these butter like regular butter? As we all know baking is not the only place butter is used. Like me I usually use them as for making rouxs, bechamel, making scrambled eggs(not for me but for my family), making holandaise sauce. Have you tried using this butter for anything else other than baking or on toast? Thanks.

When followed as written the recipe works perfectly. Tastes buttery (and since I've only been non-dairy for 3 days, I have a good memory of what that should be like). I found a good butter mold on Amazon and doubled the recipe to fill it. Currently chilling--but I may have licked the spatula for a taste test.

As a science based person I really appreciated the background here. To those who have difficulty finding stuff locally--that's what Amazon is for. Even though my local organic store (Sprouts) had refined coconut oil AND coconut vinegar--I ordered online as well. You can get more than a pound and a half (54 0z) of Nutiva Refined Coconut oil for around $17, and the vinegar for around $6. I also got some palm oil as well (since most commercial products I find contain both coconut and palm oil) I hope the environment will forgive me. I also ruined the first 2 batches. I didn't have refined coconut oil on hand so I used unrefined---big mistake--I hoped everything else would mask the coconut flavor--it doesn't. Don't go there! second mistake: I used exactly the blue silicone molds that were in the picture..they had been in the freezer unused for a couple of years and imparted a terrible freezer taste to the butter that penetrated well into it. I could at least get a sense of the flavor though and found that the 1/2 apple cider and 1/2 coconut vinegar was still too much apple cider vinegar for me. Today I made it without apple cider vinegar---It's great!
Other points---I sometimes make homemade soy milk--it's easy---I found that homemade curdles MUCH better than commercial.
While I like both tumeric and saffron (both mentioned by other readers) I didn't want it in my butter---BUT using 1/2 of the oil being palm oil--it comes out a pale golden.
My usual go to vegan butter had been earth balance---no need--this is quick and easy, and especially good for baking

This was my first attempt at making vegan butter. I subbed rice milk (don't use soy), using rice milk powder, reconstituted. It worked well. For color, I added about 1/8 tsp. of turmeric (which couldn't hurt, you know). I might reduce the salt some next time (I love sweet butter.) Or, I'll try making it into an herb butter.

There's a 'gummy' quality to the butter (not in mouth feel, but on the spreader.) Is this the lecithin (sunflower) or the xanthan gum?

I buy "Melt", and it's very similar in taste. Melt has no gums (or milk, for that matter.) Just wondering if one could duplicate this at home.

Thank you for this recipe!

You give some great alternatives in emulsifier, is there an alternative to the Coconut Oil, which is really expensive where I live.

thanks

Obviously, coconut oil is white, and that isn't a problem. But I enjoy the look of pale yellow in my butter. I added a small amount of saffron to the soy milk for a few min before I added the vinegar. It gave this very nice vegan butter the light yellow butter of dairy butter. Also, Saffron adds an undertone of a gentle hay like flavor which reminds me of fresh cow's milk.

My only difficulty was that the lecithin granules did not break down - what do you suggest?

Otherwise this tastes good, spreads well and was quite easy to make.

TO THOSE USING ALMOND/FLAX MILK AND THEN RATING THE RECIPE 3 STARS...it's not the recipe's fault. This will NOT work with anything other than soy milk, because the soy milk is high in protein and that's what makes the curdling happen. Please try again with soy milk and you will have greater success. Per cup of soy milk has 6-8g of protein while almond only has 1. I made this with great success!

I was so excited to make this butter I got all the ingredients except the soy milk. I used Almond milk. It did NOT curdle, but I went ahead and continued to make the butter. It really smelled like vinegar when I poured it into the molds. It is now in the fridge and we will see if it is any good. I am kind of afraid to try it since it smells so strong of vinegar. lol Please tell me how I can get the vinegar smell to go away for the next batch....
I also see that you are not too quick to answer anyone commenting on your blog, which is not cool. Please answer these nice people who have complimented you left and right and have questions... Thank you for this recipe and your scientific explanations they are very appreciated.

Wondering if you had ever tried flax milk? I find it has greater viscosity and thickening properties, sours pretty well and tastes great... I only use the original or unsweetened for my applications, as the vanilla has a bit too much sugar...

Darn... I was so excited about vegan butter... But my dairy and egg- allergic son is also allergic to nuts and soy... So that eliminates this as an option. Man! I was getting so excited :(

I generally need to stay very strict on the fats for health reasons, but this is a great option for those rare exceptions and freezes nicely! Curious if you have ever tried using konjac powder (glucomannan) as an emulsifier...its a natural, dehydrated konjac root ingredient used to make those cool zero calorie"miracle noodles" from Japan. (shirataki). I have been playing with a bag of this stuff, a fine white powder, and it is awesome and amazing in all kinds of applications! Blended into liquid it acts like a thickener without having to heat it, like cornstarch, though warming it makes it dissolve quicker. It has so many useful and unusual properties and applications I have yet to even scratch the surface! It has many health benefits to boot and needs to be better known! I may have to try it if you haven't, the next time I need to make butter. Thanks!

great recipe! I'm only giving it a 4/5 for now because my butter was a fail- I experimented with flax seed milk... curdled just a tiny bit!!!! lol. Going to try again tomorrow with almond milk. I don't have soy milk. Could you possibly include pictures of the curdled milk above or offer suggestions to improve the butter if I want to use something like almond milk? I made the whole thing but it literally has no flavor. I'm inclined to think it's because of the type of milk I used. Also, I don't have a food processor, I have a blender. Do you know how long I should blend for? (I have a blend tec). Recipe shows promise for me and I'm excited to try it again.

I think I'll use my flop batch tomorrow in a baking recipe and try again.

I made this recipe with coconut virgin oil, guar gum and rice vinegar. That's what I had at the time. I realized the really important step is the emulsifying process: because of the Gum gets sticky so fast, you must run the blender or food processor as quickly as you can. I blended it for more than 2 min. I think longer is better. It's a really good amount of liquid and gets hard in minutes. For the question to Julia, yes. You can use lemon juice for it, it works as the same: both they are acids.

Thank you so much for your recipe!!

Hi, is it possible to use this butter to make browned butter, like with real butter? I have read that stuff like Earth Balance does not create the same flavor as real butter if browned, so I'm curious if this recipe would. Thanks!

I used psyllium husk powder and all apple cider vinegar for this recipe. It came out great! I made it in a Magic Bullet (for those who wonder about food processor capabilities) and poured the mixture into a smaller rubber ice tray. The smaller cubes are better for me to comply to serving sizes for other recipes. I did go a bit out of my way to get the lecithin and the psyllium husks, but they were both inexpensive and this recipe only requires a tiny amount (make many batches).

Overall, I think the recipe is great, this was my first time making my own butter, but it will not be my last! I will say that the taste was closer to Earth Balance margerine, but not exactly like butter. Next time I will experiment with coconut vinegar for a slightly different flavor.