The Best Homemade Spreadable Vegan Butter (Cultured, Easy & Creamy, Dairy-Free!)

This Homemade Spreadable Vegan Butter is made with plant-based ingredients like oat milk, coconut oil, and avocado oil. If you’re looking for an easy, spreadable homemade butter that delivers signature creamy texture, with a hint of that cultured butter taste, this will be your new dairy-free go-to butter recipe! 🧈

If you’ve ever wished for a rich, spreadable vegan butter that actually tastes like real butter, this cultured spreadable vegan butter is about to become a staple in your kitchen. I was a huge fan of Miyoko’s Plant-Based Butter, in fact, I’ve used it in many recipes and share it often on this blog. But unfortunately it became nearly impossible to find. I am already making my own homemade peanut butter, so why not my own vegan butter too?!

This vegan butter is smooth, spreadable, and perfect for everything from toast to corn on the cob to buttered noodles. And it’s SO EASY to make!

Why You’ll Love This Butter Recipe

• Rich, buttery flavor with a subtle cultured tang.
• Smooth and spreadable straight from the fridge.
• Dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free.
• Made with simple, wholesome ingredients.
• Works beautifully for spreading, cooking, and baking.

There’s…
✖ No dairy
✖ No gluten
✖ No nuts
✖ No soy
✖ No palm oil
✖ No preservatives
✖ No artificial flavors or colors
✖ No store-bought additives or stabilizers
✖ No seed oils (uses sunflower lecithin but not sunflower seed oil)

What Does Cultured Mean?

In simple terms, cultured refers to adding live cultures (good bacteria) that transform the food—usually by converting sugars into acids. Cultured butter is made by letting cream ferment before churning making it slightly tangy, more flavorful and sometimes thicker or creamier.

Common examples of cultured foods

• Traditional butter (made from cultured cream)
• Yogurt
• Sourdough bread
• Sauerkraut
• Kimchi

In plant-based recipes, “cultured” doesn’t always mean actual fermentation. Instead, it often means adding lactic acid, vinegar, or lemon juice, or sometimes using vegan yogurt or probiotics to mimic the flavor that real cultures would create.

I chose to make this vegan butter recipe “cultured” using a food-grade lactic acid made from cane sugar or beet sugar for a deeper, more authentic butter flavor—not just plain blended oils like you might see with other vegan butter recipes (not that there’s anything wrong with those). I just think this cultured butter version tastes much more delicious!

Ingredients

Refined coconut oil. Creates the firm, solid texture when chilled while keeping the flavor neutral. You’ll want to use refined coconut oil in this recipe NOT unrefined for a butter that doesn’t taste like coconut.

Avocado oil. Keeps the butter soft and spreadable instead of overly hard. I used this one.

Unsweetened oat milk. Adds creaminess and helps create a true butter-like emulsion. I like this brand.

Lactic acid. The key ingredient that gives this butter its cultured, slightly tangy flavor. I used powdered lactic acid made from sugar beets.

Apple cider vinegar. Enhances the cultured taste and balances richness. Here is a brand I like.

Salt. Essential for that classic salted buttery flavor. I like to use Himalayan pink salt for a milder flavor.

Nutritional yeast. A small amount of nutritional yeast adds subtle depth and enhances the buttery notes.

Sunflower lecithin. Helps keep everything emulsified for a smoother, more stable butter. Sunflower lecithin helps make sure the oils don’t separate from the oat milk for a more uniform, creamy butter texture.

💡 What is sunflower lecithin? Sunflower lecithin is made by extracting natural compounds (called phospholipids) from sunflower seeds. Sunflower seeds are pressed to release their oil. The oil goes through a separation process (often using water) isolated from the oil. It’s then processed into liquid, powder, or granules. The result is a natural ingredient that helps bind oil and water together, in this case helping to keep the oils and oat milk blended together, creating a smooth, creamy vegan butter.

Turmeric. Provides a natural buttery yellow color. You’ll want to use ground turmeric.

Ingredients Used In This Recipe

How To Make Homemade Vegan Butter

1. Blend the oat milk, lactic acid, vinegar, salt, nutritional yeast, and sunflower lecithin on low speed.
2. Melt the coconut oil until it is just melted and not too hot. 
3. Slowly drizzle in melted coconut oil, then the avocado oil while the blender is still running on low. Increase the speed to low-medium and blend until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour the butter mixture into container(s) and refrigerate for 2–3 hours until set.

Optional: If you want to whip the butter after it’s set you can! Then place it back into the butter dish and keep it stored in the refrigerator

Storage

Store in an airtight container:

• Refrigerator: up to 2–3 weeks
• Freezer: up to 3 months

💡 If you plan on making your own butter often, you can purchase this cute butter dish with airtight bamboo lid!

Tips for Success

• Use refined coconut oil to avoid a coconut flavor.
• Make sure the coconut oil is melted but not hot.
• Blend while slowly pouring the oils to ensure proper emulsification.

How to Use Vegan Butter

This cultured oat milk butter works just like traditional butter:

• Spread on toast, muffins, or bagels
• Melt over vegetables or popcorn
• Use in sauces and pasta
• Substitute 1:1 in baking recipes

Spreadable Vegan Butter vs. Vegan Stick Butter

The main difference comes down to fat ratio and firmness, which affects how each performs in recipes. This homemade vegan butter recipe is more of a spreadable butter versus a stick butter.

Spreadable vegan butter has a slightly higher liquid content and often includes more neutral oil (the avocado oil in this recipe) making it softer and easier to spread straight from the fridge. It’s perfect for everyday use like toast, sautéing, or general baking like muffins and cakes.

Stick (bar-style) vegan butter has a higher percentage of solid fats (like coconut oil), making it firmer and more structured. This allows it to hold its shape when cold, which is essential for recipes like pie crusts, biscuits, scones, and pastries where texture and flakiness matter.

FAQs

Can I make this without lactic acid?
Yes. Substitute with apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, though the flavor will be slightly less “buttery.”

Is oat milk butter gluten-free?
Yes, as long as you use certified gluten-free oat milk.

Do I need sunflower lecithin?
No, but it helps create a smoother, more stable texture. You can use unsweetened vegan yogurt (1–2 teaspoons) instead (though I have not tried this).

Can I use another plant-based milk?
Yes—this recipe is very flexible, and you can absolutely use other plant milks. The key is choosing one that supports a creamy, neutral, butter-like flavor. The best substitute for oat milk would be soy milk or cashew milk.

Can I use this vegan butter for baking?
Yes! This vegan butter works well for baking and can typically be used as a 1:1 substitute for dairy butter in most recipes like cookies, cakes, and muffins.

Because this version is more of a spreadable-style butter, it performs best in everyday baking. For recipes that require very firm butter—like pastries or extra flaky crusts—you may prefer a bar-style vegan butter for more structure.

More Homemade Condiments

Let me know how you like this Homemade Cultured Vegan Butter recipe down below in the comments section, as well as giving it a 5-star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ so that others can discover a quick non-dairy butter recipe. Tag me on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!

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