The Best Vegan Butter Substitutes

When giving up dairy I realised quite how often butter featured in my life, from late night snacking on toast to baking birthday cakes or cookies.  Thankfully, there are loads of vegan butter substitutes, and these are a few of them.

Vegan appropriate brands of butter tend to clearly label themselves, and you can even consider margarine as long as it is only made of vegetable oils.  However, if your veganism is for ethical reasons then be careful with the brands you choose, as a lot of margarines will contain palm oil, and the production of palm oil is extremely damaging for the planet, rainforests, local communities and vastly contributes to animal endangerment.

A great option is olive oil,  ¾ cup of olive oil will substitute 1 cup of butter, and it can easily be used to grease baking tins.  Olive oil can be used as a vegan butter substitute for most recipes, from baking to pasta.  This is also a really good substitute for products that contain palm oil.

Coconut oil is my favourite substitute, it is just the best at so many things.  It’s a great source of essential fatty acids, and aids the body in digesting vitamins such as A, D, E and K.  Also, because you can buy coconut in either solid or liquid form, you can use it in baking (in solid form) or to grease tins or pans.  Coconut oil is actually a superfood, containing healthy fats called medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs).  91% of coconut oil is healthy saturated fat, meaning that it is one of the most beneficial fats on the planet.

A less obvious vegan butter substitute is avocado.  When blended into a pulp, avocado is a great option for baking cakes. Avocado can be used in a 1:1 ratio for the amount of butter called for in recipes.  It is also amazing for spreading on toast, and with avocado toast you can have the avocado as lumpy or smooth as you want, and adding salt, pepper, chilli flakes or garlic powder makes it taste amazing. It is also rich in monosaturated fats and essential fatty acids, meaning that it lowers bad cholesterol and raises good cholesterol.

When it comes to baking, bananas are typically seen to be an egg replacer.  However, you can also use bananas to replace butter.  Using equal amounts of mashed bananas for amounts of butter, you can use bananas for cakes or pancakes.  However, be aware that bananas will affect the flavour of a recipe, as well as the texture as they are pretty dense.  Bananas are really good for you, especially post-workout, as they are high in potassium, which helps with cramps.  They are also helpful in keeping a regular heartbeat, and reduce the effect of sodium on blood pressure.

There are tons of vegan butter substitutes, meaning that you can completely cut out dairy without having to worry, and you can experiment with all of these options to find the best substitute for each situation.  Vegan Supplement Store offers a range of vegan supplements designed to support you through any of your goals.