10 Best Vegan Dairy-free Plant-based Butter Alternatives in India
The transition to veganism is often dependent on the quality, availability and cost of dairy alternatives. Many stop consuming meat and dairy products not because they don’t like the taste, but because they cannot digest the ethical issues and want to do better for sustainability, climate change, animal life and our own health and well-being. There is also a growing awareness of lactose intolerance and its often subtle impact on the quality of our lives. Did you know that lactose intolerance has a high prevalence in India where almost about 60% of people are lactose intolerant?
Let’s deep dive into butter
If you are a vegan, plant-based, transitioning vegan, lactose intolerant person or just vegan-curious and if you belong to the “what’s a paratha without a dollop of makhan/butter’ foodie group then this article is tailor-made for you. When we talk about plant-based vegan butters as dairy alternatives, you seek the taste, mouth feel and melt quality of traditional dairy butter. Many of the brands below deliver on that promise and will give you that liquid golden well of butter in the middle of your Pav Bhaji.
1. White Cub
White Cub is one the leading manufacturers of plant-based vegan alternatives from butter to ice cream to vegan fruit yoghurt.
Their butter is made with coconut oil with flavours, cultures added to re-create the traditional butter taste. It is also fortified with Vitamin B12 and D2.
Variants: Unsalted and Salted
Availability: Big Grocers like Big Basket, and Nature’s Basket. Brand website, vegan online stores like Vvegano, Vegan Dukan and vegan specialist stores in your city.
2. One Good (Formerly Goodmylk)
Well-known and loved for their plant-based cashew oat mylk and amazing groundnut curd (please link to Earthen One article about curd alternatives), One Good has a plant-based butter variant that promises delicious rich butter in spreadable consistency straight from the fridge.
Made of coconut oil and sunflower oil with a dose of cashews for the creamy, wholesome mouth-feel.
Variants: Salted
Availability: Big Grocers like Big Basket. Brand website, vegan online stores like Vvegano, Vegan Dukan and vegan specialist stores in your city.
3. Grabenord Premium Butter Range
Grabenord is a plant-based food company that has a range of dairy alternatives.
The butter is made from coconut oil, cashew milk, flavours and cultures. It is free from casein, whey and lactose.
Variants: Unsalted, Salted and Herbs & Garlic
Availability: Brand website, vegan online stores like Vvegano, Vegan Dukan and vegan specialist stores in your city.
4. 1ness Nutter
With a name like nutter, this plant-based butter alternative has got be a cooler and better version of butter.
This butter is made of coconut oil, canola oil, walnut oil, cashew and olive pulp for that buttery sour taste. It is also fortified with calcium.
Variants: Unsalted and Salted
Availability: Brand website and vegan online grocers like Vvegano, vegan specialist stores in your city.
5. Urban Platter Coconut Butter
This butter is made from coconut and can be used in much the way same as you would regular butter – in cooking and baking. It is rich and creamy and melts in your mouth. Coconut butter is well-suited for those who have a nut allergy or want to avoid cashews. Made whole from coconut, this is a single-ingredient butter with no additives.
Variants: Unsalted
Availability: Vegan-friendly online store Urban Platter.
6. Black and Green Avocado Butter
This is made from 100% extra virgin avocado oil extracted from HASS avocados. This also has coconut oil, soy milk, apple cider vinegar and additives to get the butter-like taste. You can use it as a spread, dressing or as a dip.
Variants: Salted
Availability: Brand website, online marketplaces like Amazon, vegan online stores like Vvegano, Vegan Dukan and vegan specialist stores in your city.
7. Notch Up Buttery Spread
Notch Up promises to be better than all other vegan plant-based butters available in India. Not just regular baking but the brand claims that it works even in finicky butter cream and croissants — two finicky dishes in the baking world.
Lactose-free, gluten-free, and cholesterol free, this butter is made with coconut oil, cashew, rice bran oil, apple cider vinegar and flavour additives.
Variants: Salted
Availability: Brand website, vegan online stores like Vvegano, Vegan Dukan and vegan specialist stores in your city.
8. Good Graze Coconut Butter and Chocolate Coconut Butter
Good Graze has become synonymous with coconut-based offerings from sweeteners to butter to even coconut chips.
Good Graze coconut butter claims to be velvety in texture with no added preservatives or emulsifiers. Just pure coconut roasted and then made into butter. All the health benefits of coconut from immune-boosting auric acid, to the amino acids, calcium and magnesium are present in this butter.
It can be used on dishes as a spread and even in baking.
Variants: Unsalted and Chocolate flavoured (Coconut, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla and sea salt)
Availability: Brand website, vegan online stores like Vvegano, Vegan Dukan and vegan specialist stores in your city.
9. Homecraft Butter
This functions similarly to traditional dairy butter and may be used as a spread, for frying or sautéing, and for baking.
This butter is made with coconut oil, rice bran oil, soy milk, apple cider vinegar and other flavours.
Variants: Salted and Garlic
Availability: Vegan-friendly online grocers like Vvegano, Vegan Dukan and vegan specialist stores in your city.
10. Vegan Butter by Crave by Leena
This creamy and buttery butter replicates the taste and mouth feel of dairy butter. Use it on bread, parathas, cook or bake with it.
Made with cultured peanut milk, coconut and sunflower oil, rice and flavours
Availability: Delivery in Bengaluru only from the brand website.
Recipe Time: Home-made Yummy and Good Fat Cashew Butter
If none of these versions works for you, then how about a healthy homemade cashew butter, that is rich, dairy-free and delicious? It might not replicate the flavor and mouthfeel of dairy butter but it’s definitely creamy and, if we may say so, addictive!
Method
- Grind 200 g of raw cashew in a mixer till it turns to powder.
- Keep pulsing and scraping the sides till it turns to a smooth butter. Ensure no lumps.
- Transfer to a glass jar and use within 3-4 weeks.
- You can add a pinch of salt and garlic while making the butter to give you a creamy, garlic cashew butter.
Choose from this list of India’s best cruelty-free, vegan, non-dairy, lactose-free, hormone-free, and plant-based butters! If we’ve missed your favourite dairy-free butter send us a message and we’ll add it in.
