Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (2024)

By: Whitney Barnes | June 18 2019

Here at the Bob’s Red Mill Headquarters we develop and test recipes all day long. In our years of baking, we’ve settled on some pretty tried and true vegan egg, vegan milk, and vegan butter substitutes. These are plant based alternatives to eggs, butter or milk that can be used in most recipes. Vegan baking substitutes are pretty simple, but first we need to understand what roles eggs, butter and milk play in our muffins, cakes, and cookies!Today we’re taking a look at vegan butter substitutes!

What is butter made of?

Butter from dairy is made from about 80% butterfat, 15% water, and 5% milk solids.

What are good vegan butter substitutes?

In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.Keep in mind that the percentages of fat and water will vary with substitutes and this may affect your baked goods in texture and flavor.Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (2)

What does butter do in baking?

Butter provides moisture and flavor in baking. Moisture in the butter helps hydrate flour and starches, binds together ingredients, and adds tenderness and flavor.

What is a good substitute for butter in cookies?

If you're using a vegan substitute for butter, replace the butter with something of similar substance; solid for solid and liquid for liquid. If your cookies call for cold butter, use a solid vegan butter stick, solid coconut oil or coconut butter.If your cookie recipe calls for melted butter, use melted coconut oil, olive oil or applesauce.Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (3)

What is a good substitute for butter in pie crust?

The best vegan butter substitute to use in pie crust is a vegan baking stick (like Earth Balance or Miyoko's) or solid coconut oil. When making vegan pie crust, keep the fat/butter super duper cold until it hits the oven. To do this, you might need to work with cold flour, a cold surface, or stick your dough in the freezer or refrigerator. When the extreme heat of the oven meets cold fat/butter/vegan butter it instantly melts and creates steam which in turn, create those flaky pockets in pie crust!

What is vegan butter made from?

Vegan butter is usually made from a mixture of oils, lecithin, and protein. Some are cultured to mimic the milky-tangy flavor of dairy butter. The oils are then emulsified to create a solid using xanthan gum, psyllium husk powder, sunflower lecithin, etc.

Our favorite vegan recipes

6 Comments

  1. Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (5)

    I have been replacing you 1to1 flour in my vegan recipes and the middle of my baked goods come out doughy and don't rise as much as I would like. Any suggestions.

    Reply

    1. Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (6)

      Hi Coni! Please contact our Customer Service team - they're happy to help troubleshoot your recipes. [emailprotected] or 1-800-349-2173

  2. Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (7)

    Very helpful! Thanks for sharing your ideas

    Reply

  3. Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (8)

    New family member has allergies to wheat , dairy and eggs. I need holiday dessert ideas.

    Reply

    1. Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (9)

      Hi Pam! You can narrow down our recipe site to show only gluten free and vegan recipes - there are a lot to choose from and we hope you find a good fit!

      Bob's Red Mill Recipes: Gluten Free & Vegan

      Reply

  4. Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (10)

    Has anyone ever tried to substitute for the dairy butter using cocoa butter or unsweetened white chocolate (even lightly sweetened thus cutting back the other sweeteners)...

    Cocoa/chocolates (not the powder) have a pretty high fat content...

    Reply

Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter (2024)

FAQs

Vegan Baking Substitutes: Butter? ›

Canola oil, olive oil or coconut oil are three great options for swapping out butter. Coconut oil can be used for thickness and canola oil works well in recipes which use liquid sugars such as agave or solid fats such as nuts.

What do vegan bakers use instead of butter? ›

Coconut oil is a delicious vegan alternative to butter as it behaves similarly to butter compared to other oils. It solidifies when cool and melts at room temperature, making it very versatile. If you use unrefined coconut oil, you can expect a more distinctive taste, but refined coconut oil is basically flavourless.

What if I don't have enough butter for recipe? ›

The Best Butter Substitutes
  1. Margarine. Replacement ratio: 1:1. ...
  2. Cream cheese. Replacement ratio: 1:1. ...
  3. Unsweetened full-fat natural yoghurt. Replacement ratio: 250g or less, 1:1. ...
  4. Full-fat mayonnaise. Replacement ratio: 1:1. ...
  5. Olive oil or vegetable oil. Replacement ratio: 1:1. ...
  6. Unsweetened apple sauce. ...
  7. Mashed banana. ...
  8. Nut butter.

Does vegan butter make a difference in baking? ›

Foods and baked goods that call for traditional butter can turn out great when you use plant-based butter instead,” he says. “We make everything from shortbread cookies to biscotti to omelets with plant-based butter and get the same kind of taste and texture that you expect.” Use a 1:1 ratio.

Can you replace vegan butter with regular butter? ›

Can you substitute regular butter for vegan butter? Yes, you can! While you can usually swap vegan butter at a 1:1 ratio, coconut oil should be 1: ¾ oil + ¼ water.

What is the best oil for vegan butter? ›

Coconut oil is a favorite among vegan bakers as it is healthy, rich and tastes great. It can be used in just about anything from cakes, to cookies, muffins and more, just make sure not to use too much in your more savory treats, as it can start to add a slight taste if enough is used.

What do bakeries use instead of butter? ›

WHAT ARE BUTTER ALTERNATIVES FOR BAKING?
  • MARGARINE. Margarine is a fat that is made mostly from vegetable oil that's flavored to taste like butter. ...
  • SHORTENING. Shortening is 100% fat, made from hydrogenated vegetable oils. ...
  • OLIVE OIL & VEGETABLE OIL. ...
  • COCONUT OIL. ...
  • PUMPKIN PURÉE. ...
  • APPLESAUCE. ...
  • GREEK YOGURT. ...
  • BANANAS.

What happens to cookies with not enough butter? ›

Butter is an emulsifier and it makes cookies tender. It also adds in the crispy-around-the-edges element. Adding too much butter can cause the cookies to be flat and greasy. Adding too little butter can cause the cookies to be tough and crumbly.

How do I substitute 1 cup of butter? ›

So for 1 cup of salted butter, trade 1 cup margarine or 1 cup shortening plus ½ teaspoon salt; ⅞ cup vegetable oil plus ½ teaspoon salt; or ⅞ cup lard plus ½ teaspoon salt.

What happens when you don't add enough butter? ›

Without enough butter, the dough can become dry and crumbly. This can make it difficult to form the dough into cohesive balls or drop it onto baking sheets, and it can result in cookies that are overly dry and lacking in tenderness.

Is country crock plant butter vegan? ›

Could Country Crock Plant Butter be considered vegan? All of Country Crock's Plant Butters are vegan and dairy-free due to the exclusive use of plant-based ingredients.

Can you bake with miyoko's butter? ›

Our butter is perfect for baking.

Does flora plant butter taste like butter? ›

Customers say. Customers like the taste, versatility, and ease of spreading of the dairy-free butter. They mention that it tastes just like real butter, is great for baking, and works the same as butter in recipes.

What is the healthiest substitute for butter? ›

9 healthful substitutes for butter
  • Olive oil.
  • Ghee.
  • Greek yogurt.
  • Avocado.
  • Pumpkin purée.
  • Mashed bananas.
  • Coconut oil.
  • Applesauce.
Nov 15, 2018

When replacing eggs with flax seeds, a common mixture is? ›

All you'll need for our simple formula is Flaxseed Meal or Golden Flaxseed Meal and water. If you're making one flax egg, combine one tablespoon of flaxseed meal and three tablespoons of water and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. From here, you can add this ingredient to your recipe just as you would an egg!

How to replace eggs in vegan baking? ›

9 Best Vegan Egg Substitutes for Baking
  1. Flaxseed Egg. 1 egg= 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed+ 3 tablespoon water. ...
  2. Chia Egg. 1 egg= 1 tablespoon chia seeds+ 3 tablespoon water. ...
  3. Applesauce. 1 egg= ¼ cup applesauce. ...
  4. Pumpkin puree. ...
  5. Mashed Banana. ...
  6. Baking soda and apple cider vinegar. ...
  7. Silken tofu. ...
  8. Plant-based yogurt (unsweetened)
Feb 24, 2021

What do vegans do for butter? ›

Vegan butter is a non-dairy butter substitute made from plant-based ingredients. It is typically made from a blend of vegetable oils such as coconut, palm, or soybean and other natural ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and even algae. This makes it a great alternative for those who: Follow a vegan diet.

What is a vegan fat substitute for baking? ›

To Replace Oil or Margarine In Baking:
  • Apple sauce may be used in cakes, cookies, and other sweet baked goods to replace oil or margarine.
  • Prune Puree may be used to replace the oil. ...
  • Mashed or pureed tofu can replace oil in other (non-sweet) baked goods.
  • Flax meal can replace all or some of the oil in a recipe.

What is a plant-based butter alternative? ›

Plant-based butter, also referred to as vegan butter, is a nondairy butter substitute that's typically made by combining water with a plant-derived oil, such as olive, avocado, coconut, palm kernel oil, or a combination of oils.

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