Check out these 3 awesome ways to replace butter!
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When I went dairy free, I knew I would be giving up many things. But one of the hardest for me to give up was butter! Butter is just so good, and so many recipes call for butter. I needed a dairy free butter substitute!
I also wanted butter replacements that were at least some like butter for two reasons-health and taste!
As far as the health benefits of fat, there are many-you can read some of them in this post about coconut oil.
When I had chronic fatigue, my cholesterol was high. When I started eating a lot more coconut oil (which is full of saturated fat), my cholesterol actually went down. I think one reason that my cholesterol went down was because I was healing, but it is interesting to note that eating more saturated fat helped my lab numbers.
It took me a while to figure out how to replace butter, but I have learned quite a bit since those early days of going dairy free. I will share with you some of my best tips for replacing butter.
Tips for Choosing a Dairy Free Butter Substitute
Coconut Oil
When I first went dairy free, I replaced butter in my cooking with coconut oil. Coconut oil is delicious in main dishes. Most everyone that has tried my cooking likes the taste of coconut oil.
Coconut oil does have a slight coconut flavor, but it is mild. My family liked it right away-we didn’t have to develop a taste for it.
Coconut oil can also replace butter in baking. It will change the taste some (especially if the recipe is based on the butter flavor). But, baked goods with coconut oil can be delicious! Try replacing the butter in your recipe with an equal amount of coconut oil.
There are many high quality coconut oils available. Thrive Market has a really good coconut oil for a competitive price. Vitacost also has a great coconut oil.
Palm Shortening
Palm Shortening is also a high quality fat. It is awesome in baked goods, and doesn’t really have a flavor-which can be a good thing if you don’t want a coconut flavor.
I use palm shortening when making things like baked french fries or baked butternut squash fries. If an item already has a natural sweetness, like butternut squash or carrots, then I will often use palm shortening instead of coconut oil.
Spectrum is a good brand of palm shortening that isn’t hydrogenated. You can get Spectrum shortening at Vitacost. Vitacost is my go to for lots of healthy products because the prices are really good. Make sure to sign up for Top Cash Back first as you will get cashback on your purchase from Vitacost. (I always get cash back on my Vitacost purchases-it is an easy way to earn a little extra cash.)
Ghee
A third option for replacing butter is ghee. Ghee is butter that has all the milk proteins removed. Many people who have a milk allergy or intolerance can eat ghee. It is used on many healing diets even when all other dairy products are excluded.
There is still a small percentage of people who would need to avoid even ghee. For me personally, I have been eating ghee even though I was diagnosed with a severe dairy allergy. I didn’t add it back into my diet, however, until I had worked on my health and digestion for a number of years.
Obviously, if you know that you shouldn’t have any dairy at all, then I wouldn’t choose ghee.
I decided to start eating it when I needed to work on dental health-I had read about grass fed butter and ghee being able to help reverse tooth decay.
The brand I have been eating is Organic Valley Farms ghee. It is lactose and casein free. Another good brand is Pure Indian Foods ghee. (It is actually lab tested to be free of lactose and casein.)
Another option is to make homemade ghee. I have made homemade ghee from Kerrygold’s grassfed butter. It was absolutely delicious!! This would be the best option in my opinion if you need a strong buttery taste (like on toast).
Disclaimer: This post is not medical advice. You should consult your health practitioner before making changes in your diet or supplements. I am not a doctor or medical professional.
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