After camembert, blue cheese and yogurt, now comes butter. It’s starting to feel like a real creamery here!
The recipe was supposed to be released a looong time ago, but I kept tweaking it because I was not fully satisfied with the texture.
I tried many recipes for vegan butter but couldn’t find one that smells, tastes and spreads like real dairy butter. So I had to make my own version. I don’t claim to have created cultured butter though since there are already recipes that rely on yogurt to give the butter a tangy flavor. Anyway, this butter is flavorful, has the perfect texture and is soy-free, dairy-free and palm oil-free. Did I mention it also melts like real butter?
After some research on how butter is made, I found out it’s actually a fermented product, did you know that? I didn’t. But we know making fermented food is easy, right? So, ready to make your own butter?
WHY MAKE YOUR OWN BUTTER?
There are several advantages of making your own vegan butter from scratch:
- Ingredient control: Did you know that over 80% of vegan butter available in supermarkets contain palm oil and flavorings? By making your own butter, you know exactly what you put inside, meaning no palm oil, no flavorings, no preservatives. AND you can flavor it! Add chives and garlic for a savory spread, or cinnamon and raisins for a sweet treat.
- It’s a fun process! Don’t be scared to try it, this recipe is very easy, the only thing is that it requires some patience. Like any fermented recipe.
- Save money: Vegan butter alternatives can be quite expensive, and not available everywhere, especially if you live in a small town. With just a few ingredients from your pantry, you can make your own butter anytime. I made a quick calculation and the cost for 16 ounces of butter comes at around $5,8. This is over half the price of store-bought vegan butter!
HOW TO MAKE VEGAN CULTURED BUTTER
Before starting, you will need a few specific ingredients:
- Raw cashews
- Acidophilus probiotic (or a pinch of mesophilic culture)
- Refined coconut oil
- Liquid sunflower lecithin
The process starts like cheese making, you soak the raw cashews and blend them with some water and cultures. Then let the cashew milk ferment at room temperature for 24-48h, depending on the temperature of your house. Culturing the cashew milk gives the butter a tangier taste, a more complex body, and a richer texture. It’s the secret to make it smell and taste like real dairy butter!
After about 24 hours you should see some air bubbles in your cashew milk, this means the fermentation worked and it’s now ready to use. It usually let ferment mine at room temperature for 36 hours, then cover, place it in the refrigerator and use within the next 4 days to make the butter.
Once the milk has a thickened a bit and has a sour, lemony smell you blend it with refined coconut oil, grapeseed oil (or sunflower, canola oil), sunflower lecithin, salt, and a teaspoon of carrot juice for the color. I first tried using turmeric to give it a yellow color but it didn’t look natural, too yellowy. So I went back to testing and I found out carrot juice gives it a nice beige color, don’t worry you can’t taste the carrot!
Sunflower lecithin is mandatory, without it the cashew cream will separate from the coconut oil and you will end up with two different layers. Definitely not what you want! You can also use soy lecithin if you prefer, both work.
In my opinion, 1/4 tsp of salt is the perfect amount, it’s not too salty but enhances the flavor of the butter.
Once this is done you can transfer it to a plastic box and let harden in the freezer. After chilling in the freezer for a few hours, transfer to the refrigerator.
Thick, creamy, soft, it has the perfect texture. It’s spreadable right from the fridge and works so well in baked goods!
Since this butter is traditionally cultured, it won’t keep as long as margarine. You can keep the butter for up to 7 days in a fridge, or 2 months in the freezer. If you plan to freeze it I recommend cutting it into small cubes so you can thaw just what you need.
HOW TO USE IT
You all know where to use butter, but here are a few ideas of what you can do with it:
- Breakfast: Spread on warm toast, sandwiches, top your pancakes or even stir into oatmeal. Breakfast will never be the same!
- Use in baked goods: Cookies! Banana bread, cupcakes, pies, the possibilities are endless. Oh, and what about puff pastry!
- Make frosting: Yep, you can use this butter to make buttercream frosting the traditional way, it will be soft and fluffy.
- Brown: I successfully made brown butter from it, you have to be careful not to burn it though. Then use in cookies, sauces, etc.
- Add flavor: Stir in risotto before serving, add to sauces, or melt on vegetables, a knob of butter will take your meal to the next level.
I’m sure you guys won’t be disappointed by this butter, it smells and tastes like real butter! Plus it’s cheaper to make than store-bought, and you know exactly what’s inside!
Let me know in the comments if you try it!
Vegan Cultured Butter
Creamy and spreadable cultured vegan butter that smells and tastes like real butter! Palm oil-free, soy-free, and dairy-free!
Yield: 16 oz (450g) 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
Cultured Cashew Milk
- 1/2 cup (75g) raw cashews
- 2/3 cup (160g) water
- 1 capsule (about 1/8 tsp) acidophilus (or a pinch of mesophilic culture)
Cultured Butter
- 1/2 cup (130g) cultured cashew milk
- 1 and 1/4 cup (250g) refined coconut oil
- 1/3 cup (64g) grapeseed oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1 tsp liquid sunflower lecithin (or 2 tsp powdered lecithin)
- 2 tsp carrot juice (for color)
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Place the raw cashews in a bowl. Cover and let soak overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
- Drain the cashews and put them back in the bowl. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, pour the water over the cashews. This step will kill possible bacterias. Drain the cashews.
- Add them to a blender with the 2/3 cup water and blend on high speed until smooth and creamy. Scrape down the sides from time to time until everything is smooth.
- Transfer to a small bowl or container and stir in the acidophilus powder. Cover with a clean towel and let sit at room temperature for at least 24 hours. The cashew cream should have a light sour taste, and you should see some air bubbles.
- Melt the coconut oil over low-medium heat. Measure 1 and 1/4 cup of melted coconut oil and put it in a blender. Add 1/2 cup of cultured cashew milk, neutral oil, sunflower lecithin, salt, and carrot juice. Blend on high speed about 1 minute.
- Line a 6×4-inch container with parchment paper. Transfer the mixture to the container and place in the freezer at least 1 hour, or until firm. Once firm, transfer to the refrigerator. It will become softer after a few hours.
- This vegan butter will keep for up to 7 days in the refrigerator. Since this butter contains live cultures it might get stronger in taste/smell as time passes. If the smell is too strong, trash it. It will keep in the freezer for up to two months.
Notes
Recipe adapted/inspired by Vegan Baking, Miyoko’s VeganButter, and Nutcrafter’s Bettah than Buttah, as well as traditional butter-making techniques.
If using mesophilic instead of acidophilus, just use a tip of a fork, or a pinch. If there are too many bacterias the cashew milk will turn bad.
To make flavored butter: follow the recipe as stated. Once firm, let the butter on the counter for 1-2 hours, or until soft. Stir in your add-ins (herbs, garlic, or raisins, cinnamon, or chocolate for a sweet version), and transfer to a container. Place in the refrigerator until firm again.
Nutritional information is an estimate.
Soy lecithin can be used as a substitute for the sunflower lecithin.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 tbsp
- Calories: 96
- Sugar: 0
- Fat: 10.5g
- Carbohydrates: 0.5g
- Fiber: 0.1g
- Protein: 0.3g
Can i use sunflower lecithin powder instead of liquid. What will be the proportion.
You need to use a bit more if it’s powdered, about 2 teaspoons should be enough.
If we opt to use soy lecithin (because we cannot find sunflower), it is always in powder. Would we use 2 tsp? You’re very innovative with your recipes. I am not a vegan and will never be because I don’t think it’s healthy, but I like to eat a variety of things and this is really cool!
Thanks Monika!
Yes 2 tsp of lecithin powder equals about 1 tsp of liquid lecithin. Soy or sunflower, it doesn’t really matter, you can use the same amount.
Hi Monika!
What do you think is unhealthy in a vegan diet?
Thank you Thomas!
Hi Thomas I could only get granules. Will I grind them into a powder?
Thanks
MairiAnna
Yes, I think it can work if you grind it into a powder. I’m also going to try using a powdered version next time to try it. I will make sure to update the recipe with the results!
Butter is another raging success in this house. Many thanks Thomas. Can the butter be frozen?
MairiAnna
You’re welcome! Yes, it can be frozen and freezes very well. Just thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using.
You really are amazing! I have made some of your cheeses and theu are so time intensive, but worth it (ie i could never have come up with it myself)
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for the rating 😉
Thanks for another great recipe, Thomas!! This butter tastes great and made wonderful gluten, dairy and soy free pie crusts.
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Glad to hear you liked it Sandy! 🙂
It came out just perfect. I love your very creative recipes.
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Thanks for the feedback Maria!
This is brilliant! I’m curious if you can use other nuts besides cashews as a base – so many people seem sensitive these days. Will have to give your version a try! Bravo!
Thanks Dana 🙂 I guess it could work with almonds, or maybe macadamias but haven’t tried it yet.
I’ve just made this with sunflower seeds instead of cashews and it worked perfectly
Awesome! Glad to hear it worked!
Hi what was the weight of the sunflower seeds you used, thanks
Thank you very much for this recipe. It works really brillant and also omnivores are satisfied. As I am vegan since more than 5 years, was looking for a product without palmoil-seeds. Perfect and thank you very much for your work! As I held workshops for making vegan cheese I always recommend your page.
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You’re welcome Robert! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Hi Thomas,
I was wondering : is refined coconut oil the same as deodorized coconut oil? Meaning, if I buy some for this recipe, will I be able to use the rest for the foie gras recipe? 🙂 It says it has a neutral flavor on Amazon.
Thank you!
Hi Anne,
Yes it’s the same! So you can use this coconut oil for both recipes 🙂
So I made this butter. I was buying Miyoko’s vegan butter at Trader Joe’s, but then they stopped carrying it. It was right around then that I got your recipe. You made it look like something I could do. I really wanted to make it a couple days ago, but I didn’t have sunflower oil. I had already cultured the cashews, so I decided to go ahead and make it. I used about 1/8 cup olive oil and a little extra coconut oil to make up for the other oil. I happened to have some red palm oil that I had bought on a whim and I added a teaspoon of that. It made it THE perfect color. Mine is like real butter – hard right out of the refrigerator, and better to spread after it warms up. I like it like this. It is soooo good! I love this butter. It’s my new favorite thing! I made bread just to go along with it.
Thomas, you are genius. I think your blog is really underrated. You should be nominated for one of the most innovative vegan chefs!
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Victoria!
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe and that you can now make your own instead of buying it!
I agree 100% I’m blessed that he is here sharing all of this talent with us. This is making me happy and satisfied to eat vegan!
I am definitely making this butter again for Christmas. I will flavour it with dill and salt flakes. The basic recipe is also very good, first I thought it was bland but I got used to it and it is just the best butter! Perfect with my homemade sourdough bread. Happy Christmas!
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback and rating Riikka!
Usually, the butter flavor develops even more after a few days. Have a Merry Christmas too!
Wow! You did it once again! This is so much better than most of the vegan butters on the market, and SO MUCH less expensive than Miyoko’s.
It is delicious! Unfortunately, I love spreading it on fresh bread and toast. I say unfortunately, because well, it’s hard to stop eating it!!!!
★★★★★
I know, it’s super addicting! Spread it thick! 🙂
Thanks again for your feedback Bev!
Hi! I tried making Myiokos butter from her book and it doesn’t taste the same as her butter that you buy.
I’m looking forward to your version. It is way too expensive at $6.00 a block.
Hi Debra, I never tried the version from her book or the store-bought one, so I can’t say for sure but I think you will like this one 🙂 Since it’s cultured, it has the same taste and flavor as regular butter. Let me know if you try it!
I have everything to make it. I’ll be doing it this weekend and let you know 🙂
Hi There. I have a question if that’s ok?
The butter mixture looked curdled after blending the cashew cream, oils and lecithin. I’ve put it in the freezer to see how it looks afterwards but, I think something has gone wrong.
Maybe too much pro-biotic? – the cream was quite thick when I added it.
Or maybe not enough Lecithin? – I have a powder so used 2 tsp
Maybe coconut oil too warm after melting?
I’m ready to give it another go anyway so, if you have any advice, that would be great. I can tell it’s going to be great when I get it right!
Thanks for any help
Jacky, Mine did something similar the first time. It seemed as though the powdered lecithin would not blend entirely in the blender. I now use an immersion blender to blend the 2 teaspoons into the cream mixture first. I blend till I can hardly see the lecithin specks. Then add the remaining oils and blend till creamy. It’s perfect!
Amazing. thank for the tip. I’ll try again at the weekend and report back.
Hi Jacky,
I never had this problem, so I’m not sure what went wrong. I don’t think the thick cashew cream is the problem because mine is also thick. Maybe the coconut oil was too hot, not sure.
I have some powdered lecithin so I’m going to try it soon to see if it works the same as the liquid one.
Regarding your first batch: maybe try to let your butter sit at room temperature for one hour, then put it in your food processor and process until smooth and fully combined. Transfer back to the container and place in the fridge to harden.
Thanks for the advce. I’m trying again right now! I’ll report back the results.
The second batch came out amazing! a mixture of ensuring the oil was sufficiently cooled, stirring in the powdered lethicin to the cashew first and then pouring oil in slowly made the resulting mixture much creamier. I thought I could see it start to split a little when I stopped blending but a coupe of hours in the freezer sorted it out.
Thanks Sandra and Thomas for the tips to get it right and Thomas, thank you so much for the recipe, it’s really is great…we are just shovelling it in spread on fresh bread!! My New year diet has taken a sudden downturn
So glad to hear your second batch went well! I’m sorry to hear about your New Year diet but it had to stop at some point right? 🙂
Can we use guar gum or arabic gum instead of sunflower lecithin. Pls reply. Thanks
I’m not the ex pert but that doesn’t sound like it would work.
I saw it here and hence asked .
https://www.myspicesage.com/lecithin-powder-p-543.html
Thanks 🙂
I’m afraid it won’t work as those are not emulsifiers.
Hi…Thanks for sharing! I’m trying out this recipe… Question: As the recipe only requires 1/2 cup of cultured cashew milk what are your suggestions to do with the rest of the milk in the recipe? Looking forward to your comments!!
Most of the time I use it in curries, it adds a nice sour cream flavor. You can also use it to make pasta sauces!
Hi Thomas!
Great recipe, I decided to give it a shot as I am familiar with Miyoko’s Vegan Butter in stores and wanted to make a similar product myself.
Everything went super great! However, after going over the recipe a third time after making it and noticing a slight separation, I realized I used all of the cashew cream from steps 1-4. Whoops!
Might I suggest adding n step 5 the words “1/2 cup” before “cashew cream”. Even though I read through your whole post twice and recipe twice before starting, I still assumed you meant “all of the cashew cream you made” because there is no separation of the cashew cream instructions and the final butter instructions. I now have a very off-balanced proportion, but luckily I measure everything by weight and take notes so I’ll be able to figure out how to save it! I’ll let you know how it all works out 🙂 I’m always up for a challenge 😉
I also used Victoria’s suggestion of 1 tsp of organic, fair trade and sustainably sourced red palm oil, and it really does make the perfect color for those who don’t mind that type of ingredient. Thank you for that tip, Victoria!
Thank you again, Thomas- I’m glad I stumbled upon your blog, and I am excited to try my hand at your cheese recipes as well.
Sincerely,
Chef Bug
★★★★★
Hi Chef Bug!
Cool name by the way 😉
I try to make the recipes as clear as possible but you are right, if you don’t read very carefully it can be confusing. I edited the recipe and added “1/2 cup” as you suggested. The reason I recommend making more cashew milk than needed is that it’s very difficult to blend to a smooth consistency if you use less than 1/2 cup of cashews.
Regarding the red palm oil, that is interesting and will definitely try it next time as making carrot juice for just two teaspoons is a bit time-consuming!
Anyway, thanks for your feedback!
Thomas, you can always freeze the carrot juice in an ice tray, so that whenever you need 2 tsp, you can pop out one cube and dissolve it into your mixture.
Great idea!
Hi Thomas,
Thank-you for generously sharing your creations. I’m in the process of fermenting my first batch of cashew camemberts. They are maturing into very convincing cheeses so far. My confidence in your research and my comfort with fermentation led me to try the butter. I completed the butter today and the texture is wonderful. However, as a non-vegan I can’t say that it tastes like traditional butter. My batch is similar in flavour to raw button mushrooms! I’m open to the unexpected and I’m sure any number of things could have happened in the process that created this flavour, including the fermentation or perhaps the quality or quantity of cashews.
It won’t be solo on toast, but I will find many ways to integrate it in dishes. I just thought I’d share my results and will try it again to compare notes. Although I commend you for creating a butter with a good texture, I can’t offer a higher rating at this time due to the flavour and the slight difficulty of accessing the lecithin and refined coconut oil in a small community.
★★★
I made this butter but added a half a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar to give it some acidity as my fermenting didn’t produce much. Also put half a teaspoon of nutritional yeast. My whole family are just amazed! It’s LIKE BUTTER. My husband who has joined us on the vegan path could not let his cows milk butter go. He has now. Thank you so much Thomas.
I used soya lecithin granules , sokaedthem for an hour in water then added.
I might have half of England reading your blog soon.
★★★★★
So glad you and your family liked it!! 🙂 Your comment made my day Lynn!
Regarding the acidity, maybe try to let the cashew cream ferment a bit longer at room temperature next time. I even noticed that the cream becomes sharper in the fridge after another 2-3 days.
Hi! Thanks for sharing! I bought Now’a 50 Billion Probiotic Powder (https://www.nowfoods.com/supplements/probiotic-10-50-billion-powder), and I use about 1q4 teaspoon to make cashew yogurt with it.. How much would you recommend to use for this butter? And cheese?
Hi Waleska,
Well, it’s hard to say exactly…your powder has a lot of probiotics. I wouldn’t use more than 1/8 tsp for 3 cups of cashews.
I have made your butter and it is delicious. I wanted to tell you that I colored mine with annotto (achiote) oil that I had on hand from cooking asian food. Just a few drops colored the butter beautifully. One recipe keeps in the fridge for a long time for use in cooking or coloring.
Thanks for sharing Sandra! I think annatto is also used in some cheeses to give them an orange color.
Does the coconut oil have to be refined or does unrefined work as well?
Unrefined coconut oil will work but your butter will have a coconut flavor 🙂
Hi Thomas,
I am your number 1 fan for the camembert and I would love to try this butter but I can’t find edible liquid lecithine. I see you are living in France now, as I am : can you tell me where to find it please ? The one I bought from Amazon said “do not ingest” on it. Thanks !!
★★★★★
Hi Deb,
You can find sunflower lecithin here: http://caramel-a-tartiner.fr/nosproduits/lecithine-de-tournesol-ogm-100-gr/ or soy lecithin here: http://caramel-a-tartiner.fr/nosproduits/lecithine-de-tournesol-bio-460-gr-copie/
Hi there, I haven’t yet made this but I have started with the cashew mixture. I could only find refined coconut oil in liquid form, rather than the usual solid stuff. Will this work?
Thank you in advance. I was really excited to see a Vegan butter recipe as it’s impossible to find one in the shops that doesn’t contain palm oil!
★★★★
Hi Sally,
I’m not sure what you mean by liquid form, does it harden if you put it in the refrigerator? If it does then yes you can use it, otherwise, it won’t work as coconut oil is essential to help firm up the butter.
Hi, Thomas,
New subscriber here, and I’d like to try this butter recipe. I have the Silk brand Cashew Milk in my fridge at the moment. I assume that I can start out with this product, rather than making my own cashew milk from scratch, right?
Hi Charles,
I have never tried using store-bought cashew milk to make this recipe so I can’t tell. In my opinion, this milk is less rich in cashews than making your own. The fact that it contains natural flavors may also affect the taste of the butter.
Okay, thanks. Also I’m not sure if using coconut oil is good for my personal dietary needs. Is there an alternative oil that suits the purpose? Thanks.
I’m afraid there is not…maybe use refined cocoa butter, but you will have to tweak the recipe a bit to get a spreadable consistency.
I do not know if the local CVS carries Acidophilus Probiotic. May I purchase any probiotic in capsule form? I have a feeling the answer is no, but I did want to ask. Thank you.
Unfortunately, I can’t give you a precise answer on that subject. There are so many different probiotics that some may work and others won’t, it really depends on what/how many cultures they contain. If you make your own yogurts from a brand of probiotics, then use these, it will work. Otherwise, I would recommend acidophilus, or maybe check online to see which brand can be used to make yogurt.
This is ridiculously tasty. I had to invest in the ingredients as I didn’t have them otherwise but it was well worth it! Thank you so much! I put smoked sea salt in mine!
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Rox, smoked salted butter sounds amazing!
I love your recipes,thanks for everything
Angy
★★★★★
Thank you Angy 🙂 You’re welcome!
Is it ok not to perment the cashew ?
★★★★★
I’m afraid it’s not, the fermentation is really essential to get a butter flavor.
Hi Thomas, thank you for the recipe! A quick question: When I use 1/2 cup cashews and 2/3 cup water, it makes 1 cup cultured cashew cream. But in the recipe it says 1/2 cup cashew cream. Is that correct?
Thank you!
Hi Diana,
That is correct! You can use the full cup of cashew cream if you want but you will have to double the other ingredients. I recommend making 1 cup of cashew cream because it’s very difficult to blend the cashews if you make less than that. Otherwise, you can use the cashew cream (add salt) leftover in curries, sauces, on top of potatoes, etc.
Hey there! BIG FAN!
Just one prob – If I follow the link for the Acidophilus probiotic – the page is blocked..
is there something I have to consider before ordering my own Acidophilus probiotic ?
can I get organic ones? what’s the name of the ones you usually use?
And are the capsules vegan too? 🙂
★★★★★
Hey Valli,
Thanks! I assume it’s because you are not from the US and Amazon redirects doesn’t always work. Here is the one I use. It’s the Solgar Advanced Acidophilus Plus that contains 500M microorganisms. Sure, organic can work too!
Absolutely, delicious, Thomas. My lecithine had gone hard so I did without, making using the mayonnaise method of pouring the oils in slowly. Maybe the texture is not perfect but the taste…oh my goodness!!
The same happened to me once! Even though I close the packet very well the lecithin became hard after a few months. Happy to hear you still liked the butter!
This looks amazing! I’d love to try it.
I have BlueBonnet’s acidophilus probiotic that expired 12/2017. Do you think I can still use it? It was kept sealed in the fridge…
Thanks Liron!
Okay, so apparently one capsule of BlueBonnet’s acidophilus probiotic contains 3B microorganism, which is quite a lot. The brand I’m using contains only 500M so I would recommend using only 1/3 to 1/2 capsule. Regarding the expiration date, I wouldn’t worry too much about it, especially if you kept it in the fridge.
Recipe is great! Slight sunflower seed taste from the lecithin but I think it tastes great. I used the other half of the cashew milk to make a 2nd batch. With miyokos being $5.99 per small box of butter I’m saving about $2 each batch using this recipe and buying raw cashews and coconut oil in bulk. So it’s worth the savings for me since it doesn’t take that long to make and not a lot of active time preparing. WHEre do you buy your raw cashews from? Thank you for concocting!!
★★★★★
Thanks for your feedback Heather! I found that the sunflower seed flavor goes away after a day or two. If you don’t want it then use powdered soy lecithin, you won’t taste anything. I think that powdered sunflower lecithin might have a more neutral taste but I have never tried.
I’m happy to hear you are saving money 🙂 It’s true that buying artisan vegan cheeses/butter can be quite expensive.
As I’m experimenting a lot, I’m also buying cashews in bulk from a European website (around $9 per pound).
I saw this on a group,I absolutely love it and have just gifted a friend almost 1 portion as her and her daughter are vegetarian – I have made cakes with it, adore it on crackers – life has changed for the better now we no longer have to have nasty plastic stuff – thank you, first recipe that actually looked doable and is awesome.
Great! Happy to hear you also had success by baking with it!
Thanks for your feedback Maz!
Hi Thomas, thanks for your inventiveness and this great recipe! I’m trying it again today with hemp seed oil to get all the good omegas. It’s delicious!
★★★★★
Hi Michaela, thank you!!
I have a question, its pretty hot here in israel at summer.i left it overnight and it looked kind of too much sower in the morning. Can it be possibly ruined by the temperature?its about 25-26°here
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It turned out too sour and the texture is not perfect, may be it went wrong because it was too hot here? 25-26 °. Should i put it in the fridge next time for 24 hours or more? Why is it too sour taste and smell? Is it ruined? Also, my lecithin is very thick ( i bought online and i opened it was very thick like honey)may be it didnt work and thats why i havent succeed with the texture?
★★★
Yes, the temperature is the problem. What you could try is leave the cashew milk at room temperature for 2-3 hours and then place in the refrigerator for 36-48 hours. Then taste to check if it has a yogurt flavor.
Liquid sunflower lecithin is always very thick in texture, a bit like molasses. This is normal. I guess it’s a temperature problem again. Make sure the coconut oil is just melted, not hot as it can make everything separate.
It’s a possibility yes. Maybe you have a ceiling or a small refrigerator that you could put on the lowest setting so it’s not too cold?
I love it. It’s as good as Miyokos and a snap to make. Thank you for all you do.
Thanks Ray!
Hi Thomas. I made this yesterday and it was fantastic! I don’t use spreads often at all but sometimes I miss that buttery flavour.
I froze it in little portions and I’m thrilled with it. Great flavour, great recipe.
Thanks for sharing!
Moya
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Thanks for the feedback Moya!
is it normal for a purplish color on top cultured cashew milk?
No it’s not, I would recommend starting again. Maybe you aged it at a too warm temperature.
Thank you for your reply. My house is continuous at temp of 74-75 degrees in my house, too warm? I have used the acidophilus strength that you recommended. Will attempt to culture cashew milk again.
75°F is a bit warm but it should be okay. Make sure everything you use (bowl, blender, etc) is very clean. Also, pouring boiling water on the cashews and letting sit for 1-2 minutes helps kill possible bacterias.
I love this recipe, it’s easy and it tastes DELICIOUS. Unfortunately mine separated a bit when setting…is there anything I can do to try and stop this when I make it again?
Thanks Belinda, glad to hear you like it!
Do you place it in the refrigerator or freezer to cool? Also, make sure your coconut oil is just melted, not hot.
Thanks for the recipe! Why do you refer to the dairy products as “real” and “natural”? Ist your cashew butter unreal and unnatural?!!
★★★★
I refer to dairy butter as “real” because the name butter officially describes something made out of dairy milk, which is not the case here with vegan butter. So to differentiate the two I refer to the dairy butter as the real one.
Hola, voy a hacer esta mantequilla para los clientes de nuestro restaurante y le pondremos el nombre de la “Butter Thomas”.
Muchas gracias por compartir tu conocimiento.
Really delicious! Thank you!
★★★★★
Thanks for the feedback Birgit! 🙂
Hi Thomas—Thanks for sharing this recipe! Curious if you’ve ever tried using rejuvelac in place of the acidophilus probiotic?
Hi Sheena, not in this specific recipe but I did try for some cheeses and cream cheeses. It works pretty well!
I would recommend using 3-4 tbsp of rejuvelac and use a bit less water when blending the cashews.
Thanks Thomas! I’ll let you know how it goes when I give it a try. : )
I was wondering about using rejuvelac also. Did you try it?
Do you recommend vacuum packing the butter? And what about the cheeses? Would they go bad if vacuum sealed?
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Hi John,
I’m not sure what you mean, why would you want to vacuum pack the butter?
Regarding the cheeses, I have never tried but I think it could work if you want to keep them longer without freezing them.
I just thought I might be able to vacuum pack the butter or some of the cheeses to keep them fresh in the fridge instead of freezing them. Sorry if it was a silly question, I’m new to this. I’ve ordered the culture and penicillin and I’m so excited to try this! Thank you so much for publishing all these amazing recipes, I will forever worship your work 😀
Ah, got it! I honestly have no idea as I don’t have a vacuum sealer. It might be worth trying though. Apparently, some people are vacuum sealing dairy butter so I don’t see why this wouldn’t work with this one 🙂 Let me know if you try it!
This looks really amazing !!
How long do you think it is possible to keep it to consume after it is done ?
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Thanks! About 7 days!
I am doubling this recipe and plan on freezing the extras until needed. I soaked 1 cup of cashews, which once soaked, yielded 1 1/2 cups. So does this mean I would be tripling the recipe??
Also, I doubled the water when I creamed the cashews and then used two capsules of probiotics in stead of one. Was I correct in doing so?
When it has fermented, will I only measure out the 2/3 cup from what I have made, in order to make a single batch?
Sorry about the 50 questions! Just want to make sure I understand before the complete assembly.
Thank you for your assistance.
No, it’s 1/2 cup (1 cup if doubling) *raw* cashews, so you measure it before soaking.
Yes, if you double the recipe you use double the water and 2 capsules probiotics.
Then, you will measure 2/3 cup of the fermented cashew cream and mix it with the rest of the ingredients. You will have some cashew cream leftover that you can use in curries, sauces, or use to make another batch of butter.
This butter is absolutely amazing! The only change I made was that I used homemade rejuvelac instead of the acidophilic / mesophilic cultures.
It is large recipe and so makes waaaaaaay more butter than I will use in a short period. I let it set in the freezer then chopped it up into 16 blocks and froze them individually. I think the next time I make the recipe (in at least 6 months!) I think I will just pour the mixture directly into an icecube tray.
Thanks for the feedback Jack! Glad you like it 🙂
It makes about 16 ounces of butter. Since I don’t eat butter for breakfast I also freeze it in small portions, then you can stir it in your sauces or pasta at the last minute and it will melt easily.
I LOVE this recipe! I doubled the quantity to save time and I just cut off chunks and keep the rest in the freezer.
Once the cashews are fermented it’s actually a really simple recipe.
It has a really great taste which all my non-vegan friends loved it when they were staying with me.
I had some left over fermented cashew cream, which is delicious and makes a great base for a sauce.
I have just received the cultures in the post to try the camembert recipe, I can’t wait to give it a go!
Thanks Thomas, you are a legend.
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I’m happy you liked this butter recipe Jenna!
I do the same, keep small portions in the freezer, then add it directly to sauces or curries.
Thanks so much for your feedback!
You are amazing. Now I can really say it “I can’t believe it is not butter” LOL. And it tastes so amazing. Thank you very much. You are a genius
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Thanks for your feedback Bernardo! 😉
What about using a carambert mesophilic strain for this? It’s supposed to give “butteryness”
https://www.thecheesemaker.com/mesophilic-starter-series-mm100-101/ this one? the Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis biovar diacetylactis may make it even butterier with the diactyl production
Sure, this will work. There are many aromatic cultures that can be used to improve the flavor of cheeses.
How much mesophilic would you recommend? 1/8, 1/16?
1/16 tsp is enough.
Thanks so much for this recipe! We are not vegans here, but I really enjoyed this butter recipe. It works really well on toast, and in my chocolate chip cookie recipe. I also followed another commenter’s suggestion and used sustainably sourced red palm oil rather than carrot juice since I didn’t have any carrot juice. I made them into sticks and froze them in a bag, so that I can just take one out as I need it. I’m can’t wait to be able to use these for someone who can’t do dairy and misses butter. I can’t say enough how amazing this recipe is!
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Thanks for your feedback and rating! I’m so glad you liked this butter, it’s even better that this is coming from a non-vegan 😉
I have yet to try red palm oil but will definitely try it soon! Thanks for sharing!
any alternatives to Lecithin? cocoa butter??
I’m afraid there is no alternative to lecithin, it keeps the oil and cashew cream from separating.
What’s the reason for using refined as opposed to unrefined coconut oil? Did it not come out right with the unrefined coconut oil? Let me know!
Unrefined coconut oil has a strong coconut flavor, not something you want in butter.
You can buy Biona coconut oil and it doesn’t have any odour.
Have you ever tried making vegan butter without oil?
I haven’t, in my opinion, butter without fat will never taste like butter.
hello
Can i substitute the cashews with something else? I’m allergic to cashews
hope i can get a reply on my email
Thanks
Hi, you could try almonds or macadamias but I’m afraid the result won’t be as smooth.
Hi – coconut oil has had a lot of bad press recently so I was wondering if there was a healthier
alternative oil that we could use?
Hi Janet,
I’m not really paying attention to what the news are saying about X or Y ingredient as it keeps changing. You could use deodorized cocoa butter if you want to avoid coconut oil.
This is AMAZING ! I’m newly vegan and have been trying out all sorts of spreads, but here in France there’s not a great deal of choice. Made the butter this morning and it’s now in little packets in the freezer. Love it, Thankyou !
Thanks Bev! Can’t agree more, the butter alternatives in France are not that great, plus they are usually too soft. Happy to hear you liked this one!
I have made vegan butter before but this is the first time I tried it with the cultured cashew milk…. WOW! what a wonderful difference adding that one step makes. Thank you for a great idea and recipe. I am off to the store to stock up on popcorn. 🙂
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Thanks for your feedback Sherri! 😉
I a little confused about the quantity for the butter. Do you double he recipe fir the butter, because it is double the amount specified to use for the butter. Or do you di something else with the rest of the cultured cashew milk? Thanks much in advance!!!
You make more cashew milk than needed, you can use the remaining milk for another batch of butter or simply use as a cream in other recipes. I recommend making more cashew milk because otherwise, it’s too hard to blend.
Hi!
I was just woundering of how this butter holds up in the room temp, will it get soft?
And I guess it will be quite firm in the fridge?
Hi,
Yes, it gets softer and spreadable at room temperature. It’s harder in the fridge. If you are looking for a spreadable butter right out of the fridge I would recommend increasing the amount of neutral oil.
Hi Thomas, thankyou for this recipe. My cashews are soaking as I type ready for butter making tomorrow. The probiotic capsules I bought contain 2 billion probiotics. It’s not just acidophilus but also bifidus. Will it still be ok to use and how much? Thanks again.
Hi Charlotte,
I’m afraid I haven’t tested with all the probiotics available so I cannot predict the results. If your capsule contains 2B, then I would probably just use half of one as it should be more than enough.
Let me know how it goes 😉
Thankyou for your reply. I ended up going onto town and getting the same probiotics you use. Our kitchen temperature is quite cool. I will put my cashew/probiotic mix in the fridge in the morning before work. That will be 42 hours culturing. I will let you know how it turns out.
Hello. Thank you for recipe. Can i use Solgar – Advanced Acidophilus instead Solgar – Advanced Acidophilus Plus
Hi,
That should work!
Sorry I am a bit confused covering the cashews am I covering with some water? How much? I see where the 2/3cup is used later it is the beginning step I am not sure of thanks. The cultured butter.
You simply soak the cashews. Place them in a bowl and add water until they are fully submerged. The amount of water is not important since the cashews are then drained.
The 2/3 cup of water is used when making the cashew cream, when you blend the cashews with the cultures. Hope this helps!
Once i soaked the cashews and blended them with water I ended up with 1 Cup of cashew milk. Is that correct? I didn’t know what to do with the other 1/2 C so I doubled the rest of the ingredients. I’m thinking this was wrong as I don’t have much flavor and the butter is very bland. Not much butter flavor at all.
You want to use 1/2 cup of the cashew milk to make the butter, so yes you will have leftover. Regarding the flavor, did you let the cashew milk ferment enough? Was it slightly sour to taste?
Thanks for posting your recipes in grams rather than cups. There are so many great recipes out there but cup conversion is a bit hit and miss. I do have a set of cups but, do they all have the same measurement?
Well if it’s US cups then yes the measurements should be the same. Be aware that Australian measuring cups are slightly different.
Hi! So we have a water bath and set it to 30 degrees celsius as by our research this is ideal for acidophilus. We sterilised cashews and all utensils/containers with boiling water as instructed, but after 24 hours our cashew cream had surface mould. We tasted some underneath and had light sour taste with consistent small bubbles throughout, so at least those aspects were on point. It’s hard to avoid all bacteria as they can travel even in the air. The main prob is likely leaving it too long, or too high a temp. We would like to continue with the water bath for a consistent temp but may adjust both temp and time. Let us know if you can suggest an ideal temp, or any other tips at all, we will try again! Thanks
Hi Claire,
In my opinion 30°C is too high, I would rather leave it at 20-22°C for 36-48H. You will have fewer chances of seeing bad mold develop. Also, have you considered covering the cashew cream with plastic film to touch to prevent bacterias from “reaching” it while fermenting?
I’m definitely going to give it a try. Have made Miyokos Shinners glorious butterless butter with great success and will compare the 2!! How fun! Will do an update asap.
Let me know how it goes!
Hi! So still having trouble with getting this perfect. First time the butter separated a little as coconut oil was still very warm from melting, so this time I kept the melted coconut oil at room temp (barely warmed over the stove) as I found that the heat makes it separate more easily. It has separated slightly again! I can see through the sides of my clear containers the little flecks if separated oils 🙁 Any tips? I really want that smooth even texture throughout.
Hi Claire,
Yes the coconut oil should be just melted, not hot or warm. What kind of lecithin do you use? Is it powdered or liquid?
Hi Thomas. I use liquid sunflower lecithin by NowFoods. If lecithin is still not the issue – is it possible to use room temperature soft coconut oil, even if it is not fully clear and liquid? Or must it be fully liquified before blending? Reason I ask is I figure the blender would do most of the job getting it into liquid state. Let me know your recommendation for next time.
Yes I think it should work if the coconut oil is soft, the blender should do the work.
Hello!
I’ve tried culturing cashew milk twice using the instructions you gave with no success. I bought the acidophilus you linked to in the recipe but the cashew milk doesn’t get bubbles and doesn’t get an overt cultured scent after 24-36 hours (I’ve tried both times to see if the milk just needed a few more hours to culture). Do you have any ideas of what has gone wrong? I’m not sure what seems to be killing the organisms. 🙁
Thanks!
Hi Jeniffer, I’m subscribed to this thread and thought I could help with your question as I’ve made this recipe several times.
My suggestion would be to be even more strict about sterilising equipment than instructed. The items I sterilise with very hot/boiling water (hot enough to kill bacteria) include the soaked cashews (as Thomas says, let them sit in the hot water for a couple of mins to ensure any bacteria on the cashews is killed), the strainer/sieve that I will use to drain the sterilised cashews, the inside of the blender jug (don’t miss the pouring spout) and the lid, the spatula I use to scrape the cashew cream out of the jug, the jar or container I use to pour my cashew cream into. I try to sterilise items about 30 mins before I start so there is time to let them cool as well – the boiling water will make all your equipment very hot – then lay them on a clean paper towel or something else completely clean and dry. I also recommend gently blending the acidophilus inside the blender itself with the cashew cream on the lowest speed for a few seconds (maybe 5 seconds) as this ensures even distribution, then pour it into your container for culturing. Use clean plastic wrap to seal over the cashew cream immediately before starting the culture process to stop any airborne bacteria getting inside.
This might be overkill (no pun intended), but this is exactly what I’ve done, and it works every time this way – in fact for me it usually works too well and I have some mould starting to grow on the 24 hour mark.
My last couple of tips. Take note of your kitchen temperature, as if it gets extremely cold overnight, this could be slowing the culturing process. If you think it’s not even happening at all, use my previous tips AND check your acidophilus is fresh and that you’ve been storing it in the fridge (which I’m sure you have). All the best!
Tom, I love your clear instructions for your recipes. I have been making the butter over the last couple of days and had it on my toast this morning and it’s soooooooooooo good! In a comparison taste test I did with the latest new kid on the block, Naturli spreadable, the commercial brand is smooth and I like the flavour. Your recipe butter has a slight graininess but once it’s on a piece of bread that is completely unnoticeable and the flavour though is far superior.
Because I’m transitioning bit by bit to veganism I also taste tested alongside dairy, the cashew butter has a much cleaner fresher taste that when compared with the dairy butter made the dairy butter taste off. I can’t believe I’m saying this after having been a total dairy addict for my entire 53 years of life, but I actually prefer the cashew butter! Now I just need to wait for my camembert to ripen!
I’m so glad you liked this recipe Amanda, your comment made my day 🙂
Hi! My butter consistency turned out beautifully and the colour. But the coconut taste is overpowering. I live in Bali and use fresh cold pressed oil, do you think that the oil quality is too strong and I should change to store bought? Or did do you think I made another mistake along the way?
H,i you need to use naturally refined coconut oil which does not taste or smell of coconut.
This butter is amazing! A friend asked me to make him vegan baklava and I wasn’t sure if I could make that because with traditional baklava, every single layer of phyllo pastry is brushed with melted butter. I decided to make this butter recipe and use it for the baklava rather than just using coconut oil or another kind of oil. It came out amazing! Beautifully golden brown and perfectly crisp. I used agave in the syrup instead of honey and added orange blossom water. Perfection. My friend couldn’t have been happier (or more impressed). Thank you so much, Thomas.
I have never tried baklava! But I’m sure it was delicious, I love orange blossom water 🙂
Thanks for your feedback!
Hello! I made your butter and it’s delicious! I was so excited about this as butter is one of the things I’ve really missed since going vegan. The texture and the taste are exactly the same – I’m so impressed.
The only thing I’ve found is that mine is not very spreadable, it is quite crumbly straight out of the fridge. Do you leave it to warm up for a bit?
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I made this and it tastes great! However, it definitely didn’t come out creamy, The texture is a bit dry/chalky/powdery. When scraping the surface of the block of butter with a butter knife, it doesn’t act like butter, but instead comes off in sort of crumbs. It almost reminds me of sorbet texture.
Do you know how I might be able to get a more creamy texture?
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I realized that the butter seems to have separated quite a bit and now, in it’s finished form, it’s got a top layer that seems to be where lots of the cashew is and a middle later that seems to be more coconut oil.
What did I do wrong?
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Hi Jesse, I’m subscribed to this thread and saw your question. I’ve made this butter several times now and pretty much nailed the method to avoid separation as you’re describing. I don’t recommend following the recipe in regards to melting the coconut oil, it’s not necessary and leads to splitting. You can place your coconut oil chilled or room temp into the blender, and the heat generated by the blender will be more than enough to soften the oil and blend it through. Blend until mixture is completely smooth and incorporated, on very high for maybe 20-30 seconds, then stop to avoid it heating up. I recommend touching a little with your finger before freezing – if it feels on the warm side, let the mixture cool down and blend again. If even slightly warm, it will split. All the best.
I’ll try that, thanks! The mixture was very warm indeed when I put it in the freezer due to the oil having been warmed on the stove.
Looking forward to trying your way
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