Most of us like butter, but there are issues. If you eat dairy butter, then choose brands from free-range farms (ideally that don’t shoot the baby calves, as happens in a lot of the industry). Even better is to make your own vegan butter (recipes below). But most people will buy it, so here are some brands free from palm oil (you’ll have to recycle the packaging with household waset or at supermarket bag recycling bins). Use them in baked goods, or on toast and baked potatoes. Plant-Based Artisan Honea Butter is made with cashew nuts and cocoa butter, ideal with sourdough bread and crumpets. Keep in the fridge.
Keep vegan butters away from pets, as some contain toxic ingredients like nuts, garlic, chives. Never give birds ‘fatty foods’ like buttered sandwiches/fat as this can affect waterproofing/insulation of feathers (dry stale bread can choke). See how to help our garden birds for info on what safely (occasionally) feed our feathered friends.
- Pips No Udder Butter is also available in garlic herb and spiced cinnamon versions. It’s made with soya and oat milk, sunflower oil and various flavourings. They also make cashew cheese. Sold online at Natural Thyme.
- Naturli Organic Vegan Butter Block can be bought in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose supermarkets (it’s wrapped in paper – there is a spreadable tub, if you want to recycle it). Made in Denmark, this is good on bread or on hot sweetcorn, or use for baking. Made with with organic shea butter, coconut, rapeseed and almond oil, it has organic carrot juice and lemon juice.
- Mouse’s Favourite Vegan Gold Butter is made by an artisan vegan cheese company, to spread straight from the fridge. It’s rich and creamy, sold in compostable packaging and can be used to make ‘butter curls’.
- Mergulo Nut Butters are rich and cream in original, garlic herb or dark salt flavours. Founded by a professional chef who used to use real butter for private events, this is also in plastic-free packaging. Made in Warwickshire with buttery cashews. Also in a garlic herb version.
- Veurre Organic Butter is made by a professional chef, with healthy hemp oil. This is has a smooth texture with a mild coconut, olive and earthy hemp taste, and a solid consistency from the fridge.
- I Am Nut OK Truffle-Infused Cultured Nut Butter is a gourmet offering from an Italian/American couple, in glass jars. Made with nutritional yeast for a cheesy flavour. Eat within 5 days of opening, can be frozen up to 2 months. Also in rosemary sea salt version.
- Mr Hugh’s Infused Baking Oils (Norfolk) are infused with vanilla, orange, lemon or hazelnut, and used like-for-like (250ml for a recipe that uses 250g butter.
Make Your Own Vegan Butter
Vegan Butter (So Vegan) is made with soy milk and coconut oil, and uses carrot juice for the colour (less overpowering than turmeric for taste). You can use other plant milks, but these guys say soy milk words better for a creamy butter (lasts up to 2 weeks in the fridge, or freeze and defrost in smaller blocks).
Vegan Cultured Butter (Full of Plants) looks and tastes just like dairy butter. This recipe was created by a French chef and uses raw cashews, coconut oil, liquid sunflower lecithin and a probiotic, to replicate the taste. Made a bit like cheese, the cashew milk is fermented to recreate the texture and flavour of real butter.
Garlic & Herb Compound Butter (So Vegan) is made with fresh dill, but you can alternatively use other herbs like parsley, thyme or chives. You can also add more garlic or lemon juice, or less of each. It’s up to you!
Homemade Coconut Butter (Lazy Cat Kitchen) is a simple recipe that just uses dessicated coconut and a food process or blender. Ideal for making desserts, cookies an truffles, instead of a vegan block butter or drizzled on pancakes or waffles.
Inspiration from Abroad (vegan butters)
Many of our posts list inspirational ideas and brands from abroad, as it’s always nice to see what’s blossoming around the world. Look for these if you travel, or use them as business ideas for eco-entrepreneurs!
- Miyoko’s Kitchen Organic Vegan Butter is a European-style creamy butter, available unsalted or with a hint of sea salt (in compostable wrapping with baking measurements). Founded by a Japanese-American vegan chef, the company has also recently launched an oat milk butter (also with garlic Parm).
- The Vegan Dairy sells 3 types of vegan butter, in glass jars. Made with organic cashew nuts and coconut oil, the European style butter is lightly salted and tastes, spreads, melts and bakes like the real thing. It has a minimum shelf life of 1 to 2 months, and can also be frozen. The company also makes Garlic Sage & Truffle Butter.
