Coconut oil is not butter, and thanks to the plethora of vegan butter options, we no longer have to pretend it is. Gone are the days of smearing oil on toast and convincing yourself that “it’s the same thing!” Vegans have options, and they are glorious. Whether you cook, bake, or use it as a condiment, these vegan butters really taste and perform just like butter. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the best plant-based butter options. But first, why is traditional butter not vegan?
Why isn’t butter vegan?
Traditional butter is made from churned milk or cream, usually from cows (sometimes goats), which makes it an animal product and therefore not vegan. While margarine often looks and feels like butter, it is typically made with plant-based fats. However, not all margarines are vegan, as some still contain milk or other animal-derived ingredients.
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Today’s vegan butters are crafted from plant-based oils and designed to look, taste, and cook just like dairy butter. They’re closer to margarine in makeup, but with far better flavor and texture than older substitutes like coconut oil.
The future of plant-based butter
According to Future Market Insights, the plant-based butter market was valued at $2.8 billion in 2025, and by 2035, it’s expected to reach $4.9 billion. “The plant-based butter market is progressing steadily as shifting consumer preferences, heightened awareness of health benefits, and sustainability concerns drive adoption,” the market research platform explains.
“The growing inclination toward dairy alternatives is being fueled by rising lactose intolerance rates, ethical considerations regarding animal welfare, and increasing alignment with plant-forward diets,” it continues.
Best vegan butter brands
From baking to spreading on toast, these brands deliver rich, buttery flavor without the dairy.
Miyoko’s Creamery
1 Miyoko’s Creamery
Since its founding in 2014, Miyoko’s Creamery has developed a cult-following for its next-level vegan cheeses and butters. But late last year, its products quietly disappeared from store shelves following a change in company ownership. But now, the brand’s plant-based butters are back in select retailers with the same formulations. Choose between Salted European Style Plant Milk Butter, Unsalted European Style Plant Milk Butter, and Salted Oat Milk Butter. The first two are nut- and coconut oil-based and work incredibly well for cooking and baking—they even brown. The latter is ideal for those with a nut allergy and for spreading liberally on refined carbohydrates—everything from toast and muffins to pancakes and waffles.
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WayFare Foods
2 WayFare Foods
Butter beans serve as the creamy base for WayFare’s vegan butter, which comes in two flavor varieties and formats—choose between Salted, Unsalted, buttery sticks, or spread. This butter is also perfect for anyone with food allergies, as its formulation is free of the top nine allergens including wheat and soy. Plus, its kosher pareve certified and gluten-free to boot. Pat this dairy-free butter on a towering stack of pancakes come Sunday brunch or use it to bake your next vegan dessert.
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UmYum
3UmYum Artisanal Butter
To really elevate your cooking, reach for UmYum’s artisanal butters. The Canada-based brand churns out dairy-free butter in luxurious flavors including herb, slow-roasted garlic, and truffle—they’re perfect for infusing your cooking with added oomph or simply spreading on warm toast. For something a little more traditional, reach for the brand’s classic butter—even without the added flavor of UmYum’s other varieties, this artisanal butter will do wonders for your home cooking. And while you’re at it, be sure to pick up some of UmYum’s world-class artisanal cheese.
4 Country Crock Plant Butter
In recent years, Country Crock has stepped outside of its iconic brown-gray tub and developed different styles of plant-based butter. We bring the spreadable Plant Butter With Olive Oil tub to the table when hosting non-vegan guests. Other options include Plant Butter Tub With Avocado Oil, Plant Butter Sticks With Olive Oil, and Plant Butter Sticks With Avocado Oil. This is a vegan butter you’ll keep reaching for again and again, just ask Khloe Kardashian and Kris Jenner.
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Melt Organic
5 Melt Organic
Made with sustainably sourced plant oils, this creamy rendition of butter is great for savory applications. Add a pat or two to a pasta sauce for a little indulgence, or use the buttery sticks to create a solid roux for mushroom gravy or vegan gumbo. Complete your meal with some homemade vegan biscuits using the Unsalted Plant Butter Sticks, then slather those with the brand’s original, spreadable organic butter. Sometimes, it’s necessary to infuse butter in every part of the meal.
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Monty’s
6Monty’s Cloud Butter
It doesn’t get simpler than this. Monty’s Cloud Butter is made with just four ingredients: cashews, coconut oil, sea salt, and almond oil—and the results are rich and buttery with just a touch of sweet creaminess from the cashews. Monty’s also offers Cultured Cloud Butter, which was developed for baking. Trust us, you’ll be swooning for this cashew-based butter after just one taste.
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Earth Balance
7 Earth Balance
Ask any professional vegan baker what butter they use, and the overwhelming response will be Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks. They are an easy one-to-one swap for dairy-based butter sticks, which makes for perfect pie crusts, velvety buttercreams, and tender cookies. For condiment use, check out one of the many varieties of the brand’s buttery spreads. You can’t go wrong with original, but the olive oil and whipped varieties are fan favorites as well.
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8
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Light Spread
Made from a blend of soybean and palm oils, we really can’t believe it’s not butter. This longtime popular brand makes a light spread that tastes and spreads just like butter, without any of the dairy. Be warned: not all I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter products are suitable for vegans. The Original spread and Extra Creamy product line (which includes a spread and buttery sticks) all contain dairy.
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Land O Lakes
9Land O Lakes Plant-Based Creamy Spread
Yet another dairy-based company has embraced the plant-based trend. Found at many nationwide supermarkets, including Walmart and Kroger, this vegetable oil-based spread offers Land O Lakes regulars a solid dairy-free option. While not suited for baking, this spread is excellent for slathering and melting on everything from your morning toast to a mound of mashed potatoes.
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Le Grand
10Le Grand
Canada-based Le Grand boasts unique ingredient formulations that are unlike most dairy-free butters on the market. Standard ingredients like coconut oil, cultures, and sunflower oil are combined with potatoes and carrots—two whole-food ingredients not often used in vegan butter—to create the brand’s buttery spreads. Choose between Sea Salt and Unsalted varieties for patting on everything from croissants to French toast and beyond.
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11daRosario
Customers won’t find plain old salted and unsalted butter varieties at daRosario. Instead, expect white truffle- and black truffle-infused buttery spreads. The brand crafts its signature product with the help of Melt Organic’s plant-based butter and “100-percent organic Italian truffles.” Reach for daRosario’s truffle butters for next-level mashed potatoes, or use it to elevate your everyday cooking.
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Sarah McLaughlin (@sarahmclaughlin) is the New Products Editor at VegNews and is always on the search for the newest innovations in plant-based food.
Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the plant-based lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include links where we might earn a small commission, but in no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.
