What’s better than butter? Vegan Butter! ?You won’t believe how simple it is using this easy vegan butter recipe to create the creamiest, best homemade butter ever!
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Butter. It’s one of those everyday basic staples most of us use, but don’t give much thought. Few of us would ever consider eating a spoonful of butter on its own, but we also couldn’t imagine eating a slice of bread or an ear of corn without it. So what is it about butter that we love so much? And why is vegan butter better? Here’s everything you need to know about why you should try this easy vegan butter recipe! In less than 5 minutes, you can whip up a batch of the best you’ve ever had! So what’s better than butter? Vegan butter you make yourself!
Why we love butter
One word: Fat. The fat content in butter enhances flavors and textures, transforming the most bland ingredients into something rich and palatable. That dry piece of toast with a dab of butter suddenly becomes moist, chewy, tastier and easier to eat. It’s one of those all-purpose players in the kitchen – we use it for sauteing, baking, basting, browning, and in savories, sweets, and sauces. The irony is, the very thing that makes butter great can also be harmful to us when we consume too much. Particularly when the source of the fat is animal-derived.
Butter vs margarine
When my brother and I were kids, our mom realized we were eating way too much animal fat. Worried about the future condition of our young arteries, she decided to ditch butter and switch to margarine, assuming it was a healthier option. She, like other consumers in the 1960’s and 70’s, weren’t aware that margarine was just as bad for us as dairy butter. They didn’t know that the process used to manufacture margarine created a different form of unhealthy fat – known as ‘trans fat’.
To make margarine, hydrogen is added to vegetable oil, causing the oil to harden at room temperature. The resulting ‘partially hydrogenated oil’, or trans fat, has been shown to negatively affect cholesterol levels, contributing to heart disease. Plus, most margarines also contain whey or animal-derived milk products. In contrast, vegan butter is not hydrogenated and doesn’t contain milk or other animal products.
Why vegan butter is better
We now know that consuming animal-derived dairy products and trans fats are unhealthy and harmful to us. Yet, many of us who care about animals, are unaware of the suffering and trauma endured by dairy cows. Who doesn’t remember the “happy cows” advertising campaigns? Quite to the contrary, those bucolic images of cows grazing in green pastures were pure propaganda. The truth is, most dairy cows spend the majority of their short lifetimes indoors. Their lives consist of routine artificial insemination, giving birth, and producing milk for human consumption – milk that belongs to their calves, not us. Sadly, newborn calves are routinely taken from their mamas immediately or soon after birth. The stress and grief experienced by the mother cows and their babies is tragic and entirely unnecessary.
The good news is, we can still enjoy everything we love about butter, milk and dairy products without causing harm or suffering to animals. By choosing plant-based ingredients, you can make cheeses, yogurts and butter that are much healthier and taste even better than animal-derived products.
How to make vegan butter
Recently, I had the opportunity to tour Charlie’s Acres, a wonderful and inspiring farm animal sanctuary located in beautiful Sonoma, CA. During my visit, Programs Manager Kaleigh Rhoads, showed me how to make vegan butter from scratch. I had never attempted to prepare it myself, assuming it was a lot of work. Boy was I wrong. Using only a few simple, healthy ingredients, Kaleigh created a batch of delicious vegan butter in less than 5 minutes. I couldn’t believe how quick and easy it was. The results were amazing! You’re going to love this easy vegan butter recipe!
This recipe was inspired by The Homemade Vegan Pantry* written by the award winning vegan chef Miyoko Schinner. You might recognize her as the creator of the amazing Miyoko’s brand vegan butters and cheeses.
If you enjoy this recipe, you’re going to love making your own Citrus Infused Vegan Butter! Check out the recipe.
Watch us make vegan butter in this video
Vegan Butter
Equipment
- Silicone ice cube tray or small covered container
- blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 3/4 C coconut oil melted, refined (not extra virgin)
- 1/8 C grapeseed oil or any light oil of your choice
- 1/4 C plain yogurt vegan – we use unsweetened cashew yogurt
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp lecithin we use sunflower liquid lecithin (it's an emulsifier)
Instructions
- Pour ingredients into a blender or food processor and blend on medium speed for 1 minute.
- Transfer blended mixture into a silicone ice cube tray or small storage container.
- Cover and place in refrigerator for a few hours to harden, or in the freezer to make it set faster.
- It's just that easy & so much better than butter! Enjoy!?
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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