What Do Vegans Use Instead of Butter? A Comprehensive Guide

January 5, 2026 •

4 min read

The global market for plant-based foods, including vegan butter alternatives, is experiencing rapid growth, reflecting a broader shift in dietary preferences. As more people adopt a vegan lifestyle or simply reduce their dairy intake, finding suitable substitutes for staples like butter becomes essential for everything from baking and sautéing to simply spreading on toast.

Quick Summary

This guide details a variety of vegan butter alternatives, including commercially available products, whole-food substitutes like coconut oil and avocado, and homemade recipes. It explains how to best use each option for different culinary applications, addressing concerns like flavor profile and baking performance.

Key Points

Vegan Butter Spreads: Commercially available vegan butter sticks and spreads are formulated to act as a 1:1 substitute for dairy butter, especially for baking.
Coconut Oil: Refined coconut oil is a versatile solid fat that can replace butter in a 1:1 ratio for most cooking and baking, though it may impart a faint coconut flavor.
Liquid Oils: Neutral vegetable oils like canola or olive oil can replace melted butter, typically at a 3/4 cup oil to 1 cup butter ratio, but are not suitable for creaming.
Whole Foods: Mashed avocado or fruit purees like applesauce can add moisture and fat, especially in baked goods, though they may alter the final texture and sweetness.
Nutritional Yeast: This inactive yeast provides a savory, nutty, and buttery flavor, making it an excellent additive for mimicking butter taste in mashed potatoes, sauces, and spreads.
Recipe-Specific Choices: The ideal vegan butter substitute depends on the recipe's requirements—solid fats for creaming and flakiness, liquid oils for sautéing, and purees for moisture.

For anyone transitioning to a plant-based diet, butter is one of the first ingredients to replace. Fortunately, the market now offers a wealth of options that mimic the texture and richness of dairy butter. The best substitute depends entirely on its intended use—a spread for toast, a fat for baking, or an oil for sautéing.

Store-Bought Vegan Butter Spreads

Modern vegan butter alternatives are formulated specifically to behave just like dairy butter, making them ideal for a 1:1 replacement in most recipes. Brands like Earth Balance, Miyoko's Kitchen, and Country Crock offer creamy spreads and sticks made from a blend of vegetable oils such as soybean, palm, or coconut.

Using Vegan Butter for Spreading and Finishing

Many of these spreads are designed to be soft and easy to spread straight from the refrigerator, making them perfect for slathering on warm bread, toast, or bagels. Cultured vegan butter, in particular, offers a tangy, rich flavor similar to European-style dairy butter, perfect for a finishing touch on mashed potatoes or steamed vegetables.

Baking with Vegan Butter Sticks

For baking, vegan butter sticks are the most reliable option. When a recipe calls for cold, solid butter (like in a flaky pie crust), using chilled vegan butter sticks ensures the right texture. The high-fat content and solid consistency replicate the creaming process required for cakes and cookies, yielding a tender, buttery crumb.

Natural Whole-Food Alternatives

For those who prefer a more minimalist approach or want to avoid processed products, several whole-food ingredients can replace butter effectively.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is a versatile, plant-based fat that is solid at room temperature and melts when heated, just like butter.

For baking: Refined coconut oil, which lacks a strong coconut flavor, is an excellent 1:1 substitute for butter in most baking recipes. Use it in cookies, cakes, and muffins. For flaky pie crusts, ensure the coconut oil is solid and very cold, similar to using chilled butter.
For cooking: Coconut oil has a high smoke point, making it suitable for sautéing vegetables, frying, or adding to sauces.

Olive Oil and Other Neutral Oils

In recipes that call for melted butter, olive oil or other neutral vegetable oils (like canola or sunflower oil) can be used. Olive oil adds a distinctive flavor, while canola is more neutral.

Rule of thumb: Substitute 3/4 cup of oil for every 1 cup of butter in baking recipes. This ratio is crucial for moisture balance.
Best for: Sautéing, pan-frying, and baking savory items like herb breads.

Avocado

Thanks to its creamy texture and healthy fat content, mashed avocado is a great binder and moisturizer in baking. It's especially useful for enriching brownies, cakes, and quick breads.

Pro tip: Use an equal amount of pureed avocado to replace butter. Since avocado is green, it works best in recipes where the color won't be noticeable or is desirable, like in rich, dark brownies.

Applesauce and Mashed Bananas

These fruit purees are perfect for adding moisture while reducing fat and calories in baked goods like muffins and breads.

Substitution ratio: Replace half the butter with unsweetened applesauce for best results. Using a 1:1 ratio might affect the texture too much.
Considerations: Both add natural sweetness, so you may need to reduce the sugar in your recipe. Mashed banana works particularly well for banana bread, while applesauce is more neutral in flavor.

Nut and Seed Butters

Natural nut and seed butters offer a flavorful, rich alternative for spreads and certain baked goods, though their dense texture makes them less suitable for creaming.

Best for: Spreading on toast, adding to sauces, or using in recipes where the nutty flavor is complementary, such as cookies.
Avoid for: Recipes requiring a light, fluffy texture, as they can make the finished product very dense.

Other Flavor-Boosting Alternatives

Sometimes, the goal is not just to replace the fat but to replicate the buttery flavor. Nutritional yeast, or "nooch," is a favorite among vegans for its cheesy and savory, slightly buttery flavor profile.

How to use: Sprinkle nutritional yeast into mashed potatoes or add it to sauces and gravies to get a buttery umami taste. It can also be mixed into homemade vegan butter recipes to enhance the flavor.

Comparison of Vegan Butter Alternatives


Alternative	Best For	Flavor Profile	Fat Content	Considerations
Vegan Butter Sticks	Baking, creaming	Neutral, buttery	High (similar to butter)	Ideal 1:1 replacement; check for palm oil if concerned.
Coconut Oil	Baking, sautéing	Neutral (refined), coconutty (virgin)	High	Sets up firm; ensure it's refined for a neutral flavor.
Olive Oil	Sautéing, dressings	Distinctive, sometimes peppery	High	Not ideal for sweet baking or recipes needing solid fat.
Mashed Avocado	Brownies, quick breads	Subtle, slightly grassy	High (healthy fats)	Adds moisture and fat; may affect color.
Applesauce	Muffins, sweet bread	Sweet (unsweetened)	Low	Reduces fat and adds moisture; may require sugar adjustment.
Nutritional Yeast	Flavor enhancer	Savory, cheesy, buttery	Low (negligible)	Not a fat replacement, but adds buttery flavor to dishes.

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Your Vegan Butter

When navigating the wide world of vegan butter, the best approach is to consider your specific needs. For reliable, foolproof baking, a store-bought vegan butter stick is the most consistent and recommended choice. If you're sautéing or need a liquid fat, olive oil is a heart-healthy option. Coconut oil is a powerful, versatile choice for both sweet and savory applications, especially when refined. Lastly, for those aiming to reduce fat and calories in baking, fruit purees like applesauce are an excellent tool. By understanding the properties of each alternative, you can confidently replace dairy butter in any recipe while maintaining flavor and texture.

For a delicious, savory way to incorporate nutritional yeast into your cooking, try this Vegan Cheese Sauce recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

Some margarines are vegan, but many contain dairy-derived ingredients like whey. You must check the label carefully to ensure it is 100% plant-based. Non-vegan margarine is not a suitable substitute.

For baking, commercially prepared vegan butter sticks (like those from Earth Balance or Miyoko's) are the most reliable option for a 1:1 replacement, as their fat content and solid texture closely mimic dairy butter.

For spreading on toast, vegan buttery spreads, nut butters, or mashed avocado are all great choices. Vegan buttery spreads melt nicely, while nut butters and avocado add a nutritious layer of flavor.

Nutritional yeast is a popular choice among vegans for its cheesy, nutty, and slightly buttery taste. A small amount can be added to sauces, mashed potatoes, or homemade spreads to achieve a savory, buttery flavor profile.

Unsweetened applesauce or other fruit purees like mashed bananas are excellent low-fat substitutes in baking. They replace fat with moisture, which can be useful for reducing the overall fat content of a recipe.

For a flaky pie crust, very cold, solid vegan baking sticks or solid refined coconut oil work best. The fat must be kept cold to create steam and flaky pockets when it bakes.

Yes, for liquid oils like olive or canola, use about 3/4 of the amount of butter called for. For fruit purees like applesauce, replacing half the butter is a good starting point. Commercially prepared vegan butter sticks can often be used as a 1:1 replacement.

Refined coconut oil is a versatile 1:1 substitute in many recipes, especially for baking. However, virgin coconut oil has a strong flavor, and coconut oil's texture can differ from butter, which might require some recipe adjustments.