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    Home » Recipes » Bread & Quickbread

    Easy European-Style Vegan Butter

    This European style dairy-free vegan butter is essentially a homemade vegan butter substitute. It is very creamy, rich, and flavorful. It comes together quickly, and spreads beautifully over a piece of bread, toast, muffins or warm baked goods.

    JUMP TO RECIPE

    overhead image of vegan butter  spread on a piece of bread.

    The term "butter" refers to a dairy based spread when not qualified by other nouns. However, when you add descriptors, you can have fruit butters, nut or seed butters, body butters (but I wouldn't necessarily eat those), cocoa butters...you get the idea. 

    But what about vegan butter?  Sounds like an oxymoron to you?  Well, it's perfectly legitimate to question that, considering what is commonly used as butter replacements in vegan recipes. 

    Conventional vegan butter

    Although I have used them in the past (sparingly), conventional vegan butter replacements are not my cup of tea. Not only are these "butters" loaded with hydrogenated oils (making them margarine instead of butter), the non- hydrogenated versions mostly contain palm oil, which is sadly attributed  to rain forest destruction.  But what about sustainable palm oil,  you ask?  I don't know if that really exists or if it's a marketing ploy.

    What you will soon discover is that this homemade european style dairy-free vegan butter recipe yields a final product remarkably like dairy butter. I encourage you to stick (no pun intended) around and delve into the wonderful world of homemade vegan butter.

    European style vegan butter

    So what makes this recipe European style?  European butters are cultured/fermented to add richness and depth of flavour. They are also exceptionally creamy.

    To achieve that for this recipe, apple cider vinegar, nutritional yeast and salt are added to a base of nuts and vegetable oils.  The nuts give this recipe that smooth and creamy base while the other ingredients mimic the taste of "culture". 

    Uses for this recipe

    So, what about satisfying that craving for, say,  butter on toast?  I've always been a "dry toast" kinda girl, but since I was introduced to the idea of making my own vegan butter, I've put that sh-- on everything, and so will you. Steamed veggies, potatoes, scones, toast, pancakes, waffles etc.

    Using this recipe in baking and cooking

    I have yet to use this vegan butter in baking. However, I note that other variations of vegan butter contain lecithin (not as scary as it sounds) which ultimately helps the butter hold a shape at room temp and allows it to be whipped/pipped. 

    I have used it in cooking and, so long as it is not high heat cooking, the cashew component of this butter does not burn.

    There is a great resource for other variations of vegan butter from Mattie  at www.veganbaking.net (white chocolate vegan butter? yes please).

    This recipe is inspired and adapted from Mattie at www.veganbaking.net.

    head on image of a loaf of bread, a old fashioned toaster, and vegan butter in a jar.

    Are you craving some fresh bread with your vegan butter?

    If you love this recipe, try pairing it with a loaf of fresh bread or one of my quick-bread recipes. Here are some of my favorites:

    No knead maple oat spelt bread

    Rosemary Date & Walnut Bread

    No knead garlic fougasse

    Harvest Apple Crunch Loaf

    overhead of a slice of bread with butter, a loaf of bread, and jar of butter with a knife.
    5 from 4 votes
    Print

    European Style Vegan Butter

    an easy dairy-free vegan butter recipr which is super creamy, rich, and flavorful. It comes together quickly, and best of all, it spreads and melts beautifully over a piece of bread or toast.

    Course condiment, Side Dish
    Cuisine European
    Keyword dairy-free butter, european style butter, vegan butter
    Prep Time 5 minutes
    Setting Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 20 minutes
    Servings 50 teaspoons (or 250ml)
    Calories 28 kcal
    Author Heidi Richter

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon raw cashews pieces
    • 5 tablespoon non-dairy milk I use unsweetened almond milk
    • ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
    • ¼-1/2 teaspoon sea salt to taste
    • 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
    • 2 tablespoon olive oil
    • ½ Cup melted coconut oil

    Instructions

    1. In a high powered blender (I use a Vitamix), add the cashews, non dairy milk and apple cider vinegar. Blend these ingredients on high until all the cashews are broken down and you achieve a creamy consistency. Turn off the blender and scrape down the sides. Blend again until smooth (about 30 seconds).

    2. Add in the sea salt (to taste), nutritional yeast, olive oil and melted coconut oil. Blend the mixture on high for approximately 30 seconds or until smooth aerated and creamy looking.

    3. Pour the mixture butter in a mold. There are several ways to mold it: use a silicon ice cube tray for squares shapes (very pretty and easily portioned for brunch or breakfast). Or use a clean 250 ml mason jar with a lid (the latter is my preferred method for ease of storage).

    4. Place it in the freezer for 15 minutes to set up, then, move it to the fridge for storage. It will stay firm, yet spreadable right from the fridge.

    Recipe Notes

    This butter does not stay very solid at room temperature; store it in the fridge when not in use. This butter will keep for a least a week, but that doesn't mean it won't last longer; I haven't actually uncovered how long because it's eaten before the week is up in our home. It also freezes well if you prefer to make a double batch and freeze half in a freezer safe container.

    Nutrition Facts
    European Style Vegan Butter
    Amount Per Serving (1 teaspoon)
    Calories 28 Calories from Fat 27
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 3g5%
    Saturated Fat 2g13%
    Sodium 12mg1%
    Potassium 7mg0%
    Carbohydrates 1g0%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 6IU0%
    Vitamin C 1mg1%
    Calcium 2mg0%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. This is an approximation of the nutrition offered in this recipe, and is created using a nutrition calculator. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your preferred calculator.

    More Breads & Quickbread Recipes

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      Easy Garlic Herb & Spring Onion Focaccia Bread
    • a head on shot of a baker holding a pan of cinnamon rolls.
      Easy Gooey Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
    • a overhead image of a baker holding a basket of fougasse bread.
      No Knead Garlic Fougasse
    • overhead image of a slice of Double Chocolate Banana Bread on a white plate on a marble surface.
      Vegan Double Chocolate Banana Bread

    About Heidi Richter

    Heidi is the recipe developer, photographer and gardener behind The Simple Green. She fuels her passion for food, gardening and photography with plenty of matcha tea and sourdough bread.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sydney Ojeda says

      April 07, 2020 at 4:16 am

      5 stars
      I made this butter for the first tine a couple weeks ago and have been loving it ever since, especially on my toast. It’s so delicious; texture is so incredible and creamy, flavor is wonderful, and I love that it’s homemade. I have been looking for a recipe like this for a while, and I’m so happy I came across this one. Thank you so much for sharing this gem!

      Reply
      • Heidi Richter says

        April 08, 2020 at 12:27 am

        Thank you so much, Sydney! It makes my day to hear how much you like the recipe!
        -Heidi 🙂

        Reply
    2. Alina says

      August 30, 2021 at 6:00 am

      Can I add probiotic capsules to this recipe to make it a cultured butter?

      Reply
      • Heidi Richter says

        August 30, 2021 at 7:02 pm

        Hi Alina! That is a great question and I haven't tried it myself to know whether it will work well. Let me know if you give it a try and how it works out 🙂

        Reply
    3. Alison says

      March 31, 2022 at 1:10 pm

      I haven’t tried making this yet but I was wondering if the butter tastes of coconut at all?

      Reply
      • Heidi Richter says

        April 02, 2022 at 5:30 pm

        Hi Alison! I don't find this recipe to taste of coconut oil, however, if you are concerned about flavour, I would try using refined coconut oil which has a more mild taste than unrefined.

        Reply
    4. Ann Walker says

      September 27, 2022 at 4:04 pm

      5 stars
      Heidi, thank you so much for fulfilling one of my health goals--giving up butter. Before I discovered your recipe, I came across ones that required using a probiotic, so I wasn't sure if your recipe would do the trick, look, spread and taste like butter. But, your simple butter is fantastic! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Heidi Richter says

        December 07, 2022 at 4:26 am

        Ah thank you so much, Ann! Im happy you like the recipe. My family loves it too!

        Reply
    5. Lauren Cantrelle says

      December 29, 2022 at 6:49 pm

      5 stars
      I actually made this Vegan butter recipe from the remnants of the cashew milk I made earlier. The recipe was a success and I absolutely love it!! It was easy to make and I hade all the ingredients on hand. Instead of sea salt, I used the Himalayan pink salt and it came out awesome! This will be a great addition ro my Plant-based lifestyle. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!

      Reply
      • Heidi Richter says

        January 01, 2023 at 8:47 pm

        That's great to hear, Lauren. I'm glad you like it 🙂

        Reply

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    Hi! I'm Heidi, the recipe developer, gardener, and photographer behind The Simple Green. I specialize in simple and seasonal plant-based recipes, both sweet and savory!

    Learn more about me.

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