When most people turn vegan, they try to find vegan alternatives to their favorite non-vegan food items. While finding an alternative to dairy milk (soy, almond, coconut) and meat (jack fruit) is easy, nothing seems to perfectly replace regular butter.
You can always go for alternatives such as margarine (flavor is not nice), avocados, or coconut oil (bad smell), but nothing matches the actual flavor, richness, texture, and consistency of regular butter. Well, if that's what you think, you're mistaken.
Amid the rising popularity of the vegan culture, several reliable vegan butter products have made their way into the market. They look like butter, have the same consistency, and even taste like butter. Want to know more about them? Read along.
Although the market is full of vegan butter products, all of them aren't as tasty and reliable. So, to save you some research and help you decide better, we have curated a list of the seven best vegan butter products for 2022. You can go through the list, compare the products and make an informed decision.
However, before jumping right into our list of best vegan butter for 2022, let's learn some basics.
What are Some Popular Alternatives to Regular Butter?
While there are numerous alternatives to regular butter, we're only considering the most popular ones:
Margarine
Margarine is by far the most popular alternative to regular butter. Earlier, it was made using animal fats, but considering the vegan situation, it's now made using vegetable oils. Margarine has a whitish texture and looks like lard, making it unappetizing for some people.
Also, margarine has a different consistency and doesn't match butter's richness or creamy nature. No wonder people are always looking for better alternatives.
Refined Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is an excellent alternative to your regular butter. It's solid at room temperature and melts when heated. So, you can spread it on a hot toast, and it will melt almost immediately. However, as it contains no salt, you may want to sprinkle some from your side.
Unfortunately, coconut oil has a distinct smell and flavor which you may not like, especially on your toast. However, you can always use refined coconut oil with almost no odor or taste.
Avocado Aka. Nature's Butter
Avocado is called nature's butter for a reason. Just grab an avocado, peel the outer layer, and you can spread it on your toast as you would butter. It shares a similar consistency and is quite nutritious. And if you add some salt or garlic, you can make yourself savory toasts that taste better than butter toasts.
Alternatives are alternatives in the end. None match the consistency, richness, texture, creaminess, and flavor of regular butter as plant-based or vegan butter does. So, let us dive into some of the best vegan butter products for 2022.
What is Vegan Butter?
Vegan butter aka. Plant-based butter is a non-dairy subsite to your regular butter. Commonly, it's created by combining water with different plant-based oils such as olive oil, avocado, palm kernel oil, etc. And what oil it contains decides what flavor it's going to have.
Top 7 Best Vegan Butter Products for 2022
1. MIYOKO's, Organic, European Style Cultured Vegan Butter
The name says it all. MIYOKO's organic vegan butter actually matches the European-style butter. This vegan butter tastes really premium. So, make sure to use it only where you can embrace its taste, like spreading it on a special cinnamon toast.
MIYOKO's vegan butter is completely organic and non-GMO, which makes it a perfect product for vegans. Also, it weighs around 0.5 pounds and comes in the delicious "Hint of Sea Salt" flavor.
Ingredients: MIYOKO's vegan butter is made using sunflower oil coconut oil, cultures, sea salt, and nuts such as tree nuts & peanuts.
What can you use it for?
MIYOKO's vegan butter has a fantastic flavor and spreads or melts conveniently. So, you can use it for various purposes, from baking and stir-frying potatoes to popping some popcorn kernels and making shortbread.
Pro Tip: This vegan butter tastes exceptional when slathered on grilled corn on the cob.
2. Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
Just ask any vegan baker what butter sticks they use. The most common answer you'll get is "Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks." Earth Balance's Vegan Butter Sticks are possibly the most accurate alternative to regular butter sticks.
It's completely plant-based, kosher, non-GMO certified, and not n-hydrogenated. And these aspects make it favorable for vegans. This product comes in a pack of 4 vegan sticks and is highly rated online. So, it's something you can bank upon.
Ingredients: Earth Balance's Vegan Butter Sticks are made using a natural oil blend that contains olive, flax, palm fruit, soybean, and canola oil along with water, soy protein, and natural Annatto for coloring.
What can you use it for?
You can use Earth Balance's Vegan Buttery Sticks for baking perfect pie crusts and cookies and preparing buttercream for your macarons or pastries.
3. Land O Lakes® Plant-Based Creamy Spread
Land O Lakes® Plant-Based Creamy Spread is yet another reliable substitute for dairy butter. It's completely plant-based, kosher certified, and gluten-free, which makes it a good choice for vegans.
Coming to the taste, Land O Lakes® Plant-Based Creamy Spread resembles the taste of regular dairy butter pretty well. So much so you may not even be able to distinguish it from dairy butter.
Ingredients: Land O Lakes® Plant-Based Creamy Spread is made using vegetable oils (palm and soybean), salt, water, emulsifiers (mono and diglycerides), beta-carotene, and lactic acid.
What can you use it for?
The Land O Lakes® Plant-Based vegan butter is multipurpose and can be used for everything from baking, topping, spreading, etc. You may even want to melt and slather it on mashed potatoes or your favorite cinnamon toast.
4. Melt USDA Organic Rich & Creamy Butter
Melt USDA Organic Rich & Creamy Butter is a healthy alternative to regular butter. Not only does it tastes good, but it also comes with half the saturated fat and fewer calories than your regular butter. So, you can experience the best taste and stay healthy simultaneously.
This vegan butter from Melt spreads like butter and comes in a pack of 12 tubs. So, if you're someone who butters their toasts daily, ordering the pack would be a great idea.
Ingredients: The Melts organic butter is made using vegetable and plant-based oils such as canola oil, coconut, sunflower oil, sea salt, etc.
What can you use it for?
Its smooth nature makes it very easy to spread. So, you can spread it on your toasts and even top your muffins with the same.
5. Country Crock Plant Butter
Country Crock Plant Butter is another dairy-free creation that is completely plant-based. It's a one-on-1 substitute for regular butter and spreads pretty easily. Also, this product is free from gluten and is kosher certified.
Coming to the flavor, Country Crock Plant Butter has a distinct olive oil-like flavor and is a bit salty. However, other flavors are also available, such as almond oil and avocado oil. You can choose whatever suits you better.
Ingredients: It contains a blend of plant-based oils such as virgin olive oil, palm kernel oil, soyabean oil, palm fruit oil, etc. Along with that, Country Crock Plant butter uses vitamin A palmitate, beta carotene, vitamin E acetate, soy lecithin, salt, and citric acid.
What can you use it for?
The Country Crock Plant Butter can fully replace your regular butter in any and every recipe. You can stir fry, cook toasts or crackers, or even make popcorn using this vegan butter product. However, it's a bit saltier. So, keep this in mind when adding it to your favorite recipes.
6. Kite Hill Plant-Based Butter
Kite Hill Plant-Based Butter is our 2nd European style butter that's pretty popular among vegans in America. After all, it’s a plant-based, vegan, non-GMO, kosher-certified, and gluten-free product. And because of its natural flavor, this plant-based vegan butter tastes just like your regular butter.
Kite Hill's vegan butter is really easy to spread. While you have to wait for your regular butter to come at room temperature before spreading, Kate Hill's butter is ready to be spread almost instantly. And this saves a lot of time, especially when you have to prepare breakfast for your kids.
Ingredients: The best thing about this vegan butter from Kite Hill is that it doesn't contain any canola, soy, or palm oil. It's made using the finest ingredients such as cultured almond milk, sunflower and coconut oil, beta carotene, sea salt, cocoa butter, and natural flavors.
What can you use it for?
Kite Hill Plant-Based Butter can substitute butter in almost all recipes. You can use it as a tasty salad topping or for baking, cooking, and spreading purposes.
7. Miyoko's Creamery Butter Oat Milk Garlic Parm
If you've been looking for a distinct new flavor in your butter, your search ends right here. Miyoko's Creamery Butter Oat Milk comes in a unique garlic pram flavor which is irresistible. And the best part, it's completely organic, gluten-free, and vegan.
Miyoko's Creamery Oat Milk Garlic Parm butter is easy to spread and has less saturated fats and calories than regular butter. So, it's both easy to use and healthy.
Ingredients: Miyoko's Creamery Oat Milk Garlic Parm butter is made using organic cultured oat milk, sunflower oil, garlic oil, lactic acid, sea salt, organic parsley, and flavors derived from plums, oregano, and flaxseeds.
What can you use it for?
Remember that Miyoko's Creamery Oat Milk Garlic Parm butter comes with a distinct garlic flavor, and use accordingly. Nevertheless, it can be spread on a plain bagel or avocado toast, or can be used to add flavor to your baked potatoes.
FAQs for Vegan Butter
How to choose the best vegan butter product?
There are different definitions for best for different people. For some, it's the taste that makes vegan butter best, while for others, it's the texture.
So, to choose the best vegan product, list down the attributes you want. For instance, the consistency, flavor, right ingredients, etc. Any vegan butter product that checks all the attributes is the best.
What is vegan butter made of?
Vegan butter is devoid of meat and dairy ingredients and is made using plant-derived oils such as avocado oil, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, etc.
Is vegan butter healthier than butter?
Vegan butter contains fewer calories and fats than regular butter. So, yes, vegan butter is healthier than regular butter. But that doesn't mean you can consume vegan butter like crazy. Consuming it in excess may prove harmful.
Which vegan butter is healthiest?
You can compare the calories and fats each vegan butter product contains, and the ones with the least amount of these elements are the healthiest.
Does vegan butter cause allergies?
It depends on what you're allergic to and what ingredients the vegan butter product contains. For instance, if you're allergic to soy, you should avoid Earth Balance's vegan butter sticks as they contain soy protein and soyabean oil.
Can I use vegan butter for baking?
What you can use the vegan butter for actually depends on the product. For instance, some are meant for spreading, some for baking, and some for cooking. Fortunately, all of the aforementioned vegan butter products can be used for baking.
How to store vegan butter?
Storing vegan butter is pretty similar to regular butter. You need to keep it refrigerated, especially if you live in a tropical region. And if the temperature where you live stays low, you can even leave it out.
However, the exact procedure for storing varies from product to product. So, look for the instructions on the back and act accordingly.
Wrapping Up
Plant-based or vegan butter products are the closest you can find to butter. So, if you truly love the aroma, texture, and creamy nature of regular butter but want to stay vegan, you can rely on the aforementioned vegan butter products.
All of these vegan butter products are non-GMO, kosher certified, free from gluten, and completely plant-based. So, you can consume them and experience the almost same taste of butter without hurting your ethical feelings.