Oil-Free Vegan Butter Spread

Name: Oil-Free Vegan Butter Spread
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: ¼ cup yellow corn polenta, dry/uncooked (see Note 1); 1¼ cups water, divided; pinch of garlic powder; 1 teaspoon agar agar powder (see Note 2 for options); 2 Tablespoons blanched almond flour (see Note 3); 1½ Tablespoons sweet corn kernels (I use frozen for convenience); ½ teaspoon nutritional yeast, optional; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar; ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (can reduce if you plan to spread on sweet dishes like pancakes)

This Oil-Free Vegan Butter is a healthy plant-based alternative to dairy-based buttery spreads. You can schmear it on your morning bagel, slather it on corn on the cob, stir it into mashed potatoes, and so much more! It's low-fat, low-calorie, free from gluten and soy, and easy to make in just 15 minutes!

oil-free vegan butter in a glass container with a knife for spreading.

It’s amazing how many things can be used as a base for plant-based butter alternatives.

Various oils, cashews, soy milk, and cauliflower have become quite common in a number of recipes.

But what about corn?

Yes, corn! If you’ve read my vegan story, you know how corn-obsessed I am! If you’re also a fan, be sure to check out my oil-free cornbread, jalapeno cornbread muffins, vegan corn pudding, and air fryer tortilla chips next.

half of a bagel on a plate topped with vegan buttery spread.

I enjoy exploring healthier ways to re-create classic dishes and ingredients. I previously experimented with a few different ways to make oil-free vegan butter, including using cooked cauliflower like Anna of Cooking With Plants did in this video.

But with each experimental batch it just seemed like something was missing and I was never quite happy with the results.

Anyway, after seeing a recipe for plant-based butter using cornmeal by Dr. McDougall, I was inspired to use one of my favorite corn-based ingredients - polenta!

With its natural buttery flavor, I knew it would be delicious. If you love polenta, be sure to try my slow cooker polenta recipe. In fact, you can even stir this vegan butter right into it!

Aside from Dr. McDougall’s butter recipe, I also drew inspiration from a recipe a woman shared in a WFPB facebook group I'm in. She used millet, which I also love. I haven't tried her recipe yet but probably should!

But this corn butter turned out so delicious I couldn't wait to share it with you!

Jump to:

Why You’ll Love It
Ingredients
How to Make Oil-Free Vegan Butter
Expert Tips
Variations and Substitutions
Serving Suggestions
Storing
FAQ
More Vegan Dairy Alternatives
Recipe
💬 Comments

Why You’ll Love It

This oil-free vegan butter is made with affordable, pantry-friendly ingredients and easy to whip up in minutes!
With no coconut oil, no palm oil, or any oil at all for that matter, it's a great low-fat alternative to regular vegan butter.
In fact, per ¼ cup serving, it contains just 25 calories and less than 2 grams fat!
There are countless ways to use it! You can use it anywhere you’d typically use a store-bought vegan buttery spread.

Ingredients

For the full recipe and quantities, see the printable recipe card below.

Yellow Corn Polenta - This serves as the base for the butter and adds a natural yellow color. You’ll want to use dry/uncooked polenta.
Garlic Powder - Just a pinch adds a touch of umami flavor and complexity to the mixture.
Agar Agar Powder - This plant-based gelling agent made from seaweed behaves similarly to gelatin and helps give this buttery spread a firmer consistency. If you don’t have agar agar or cannot get it, the butter will still thicken somewhat in the fridge thanks to the polenta. You can also try using tapioca starch instead.
Blanched Almond Flour - This adds a very tiny amount of fat which I realized is what was lacking in my other attempts at making an oil-free butter. Almond flour not only helps make blending a bit easier, it also has a light buttery flavor.
Sweet Corn Kernels - A small amount adds a touch of sweetness without tasting TOO much like corn. I used frozen for convenience.
Nutritional Yeast - Optional for adding a hint of savory flavor.
Lemon Juice & Apple Cider Vinegar - These provide acidity and a slight tang to the recipe. I like to use both so that their specific flavors aren't too noticeable.
Sea Salt - Saltiness is key in creating a buttery taste. If you plan to use your butter on sweeter dishes such as pancakes, waffles, or muffins, you may want to use a bit less salt.

How to Make Oil-Free Vegan Butter

Here's a quick overview of the process. You can see it's pretty simple!

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Dry polenta in a blender with plastic wrap underneath the lid.

Add the polenta to a high-speed blender and cover with a piece of plastic wrap to help prevent it from sticking to the inside of the blender lid. Trust me - this really helps! Then place the lid on top.

Overhead shot of polenta in a blender after blending.

Blend the polenta for a few seconds so that it's broken down into smaller bits. This helps it cook more quickly. You'll have some larger bits and some powdery cornmeal, which is fine.

Whisking ingredients into the polenta in a saucepan.

Whisking frequently, cook the polenta until thick and creamy. Whisk the agar agar and water together in a small bowl. Pour it into the saucepan and return to a low boil. Continue whisking and cook for a bit more to activate the agar. Remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredients.

overhead shot of the creamy butter mixture in the blender after blending.

Rinse out the blender and add the polenta mixture. Blend until smooth, and then pour the oil-free butter into a mold/container.

oil-free vegan buttery spread in a rectangular glass container.

Refrigerate uncovered until cool. Then cover the dish and keep refrigerated until ready to use.

Expert Tips

Breaking the polenta into smaller pieces by blending it first helps it cook much more quickly.
Use caution while whisking the polenta mixture as it tends to sputter out of the pan and can burn you.
You’ll want to transfer the blended butter mixture immediately after blending since agar begins to set very quickly.

Variations and Substitutions

Polenta - You can use cornmeal in place of the polenta, however, when I tested this, we found the flavor to be too strong and more bitter than the polenta.
Almond Flour - If you are allergic to almonds, feel free to swap the almond flour for raw cashews or a tablespoon of cashew butter. If you are completely nut-free, you can use raw sunflower seeds instead.
Sea Salt - Feel free to swap the sea salt for miso if you prefer, which will add a bit more of an umami flavor.
Buttery Flavor - Give your vegan butter even more buttery flavor by adding a hint of this vegan butter flavor extract. A little bit goes a long way!

Serving Suggestions

You can use this dairy-free butter as a spread for dinner rolls, toast, biscuits, bagels, banana bread, muffins, pancakes, waffles, and more!

It’s also great on top of baked potatoes, corn on the cob, and steamed veggies.

It can also be mixed into mashed potatoes, rice, quinoa, or even pasta sauces to add creaminess.

Storing

This oil-free vegan butter spread will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I don’t recommend freezing it as the water tends to separate after thawing.

FAQ

Can I use this vegan butter spread for baking?

Similar to store-bought vegan buttery spread and even dairy-based buttery spreads, this homemade version is not recommended for baking. It contains more moisture, and the fat content is too low to use it as a sub for butter in baked goods.

Can I use it to saute vegetables?

While you can use it to sauté veggies, it’s important to note that it will add a bit of creaminess and doesn't melt exactly like butter. It will, however, add nice flavor to your veggies!

I hope you enjoy this healthy butter alternative! If you try the recipe be sure to leave a comment below. And if you’re on instagram, tag a photo of your oil-free vegan butter spread with @myquietkitchen. I love seeing what you’re making!

More Vegan Dairy Alternatives

Recipe

close-up of vegan butter spread in a glass container with a knife.

Oil-Free Vegan Butter Spread

Author: Lori Rasmussen, My Quiet Kitchen

This Oil-Free Vegan Butter is a healthy plant-based alternative to dairy-based buttery spreads. You can schmear it on your morning bagel, slather it on corn on the cob, stir it into mashed potatoes, and so much more! Free from gluten and soy. Only 25 calories per ¼ cup and less than 2 grams of fat!

Yield: makes about 1.25 cups (20 Tbsp)

5 from 6 votes

Servings: servings

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Chill time: 1

Total Time: 15

Save on Pinterest Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

¼ cup yellow corn polenta, dry/uncooked - see Note 1
1¼ cups water, divided
pinch of garlic powder
1 teaspoon agar agar powder - see Note 2 for options
2 Tablespoons blanched almond flour - see Note 3
1½ Tablespoons sweet corn kernels - I use frozen for convenience
½ teaspoon nutritional yeast, optional
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon fine sea salt - can reduce if you plan to spread on sweet dishes like pancakes

Instructions

Place dry polenta in a high-speed blender and cover with a piece of plastic wrap (this helps contain the powdery bits and prevents a mess from sticking to the inside of the blender lid). Place the lid on top of the plastic. Starting on low, quickly increase to high speed, and blend the polenta for about 10 seconds (breaking it into smaller pieces helps it cook more quickly).
Pour the polenta into a small saucepan. Add a tiny pinch of garlic powder, 1 cup of water, and whisk well. Turn the eye to medium heat and bring to a low boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat to low, and continue to whisk frequently - careful, as it tends to sputter and spit and can burn you! Cook for about 7 minutes or until thick and creamy.
In a small bowl, whisk the agar into the remaining ¼ cup water. Pour this into the pot and return to a low boil. Continue whisking and cook for about 30 seconds to activate the agar. Remove from heat and whisk in the almond flour, corn, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt.
Rinse out the blender, and add the polenta mixture. Cover and starting on low speed, gradually increase to high. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust salt or lemon, if desired. Note that agar begins to set quickly. So as soon as you're finished blending, pour the corn butter into a mold/container.
Refrigerate uncovered until cool, then cover and keep refrigerated until ready to use. Find serving suggestions and other helpful tips in the post above.

Notes

Note 1: I use Bob's Red Mill. I also tested the recipe with medium grind cornmeal, which you can use. For some reason the cornmeal flavor seemed stronger and more bitter than polenta.

Note 2: Agar powder is a plant-based gelling agent made from seaweed. It behaves similar to gelatin and is quite useful in the kitchen! I also use it in my oil-free cream cheese, feta, and mozzarella. Here it's used to give our low-fat buttery spread a firmer set. If you don't have agar, the "butter" will still thicken slightly in the fridge thanks to the polenta. Another option is to use tapioca starch.

Note 3: As mentioned, the oil-free butter recipes I've tried previously seemed like they were missing something (fat). So for the ease of blending, I decided to include almond flour, which also has a lightly buttery flavor. If you're allergic to almonds, you can use raw cashews, a tablespoon of cashew butter, or raw sunflower seeds. Or omit the fat, if you like!

Store oil-free butter in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended as the moisture separates after thawing.

Tip: There isn't a good way (that I know of) to extend the freshness because it's so low in fat and high in moisture. So I like to heat it up once it reaches day 5 or so, instead of using it cold. For example, add it to marinara or heat it up and drizzling over veggies or pasta. Also, since it's not actually rich like regular butter, you'll find you can use much more of it at a time, so the batch disappears pretty easily within 4 to 5 days.