Smooth, creamy and utterly delicious, this easy two-step vegan almond butter works as an ideal base for plant-based baking, or for spreading (and melting) on toast.
Prep: 2 mins Fridge: 3 hours Serves: 35 tbsp
Butter is one of those core cooking ingredients that’s often deemed irreplaceable in the world of baking. How many times have you heard someone say, “there’s no replacement for real butter”? We beg to differ. While solid fats are an essential binding agent in many baked goods (e.g. puff pastries, crusty pies and croissants), vegan alternatives exist that are better for you and the environment, including our Vegan Baking Butter.
It’s smooth, creamy and utterly delicious! Plus, it takes all of two minutes to make. You can enjoy it spread on toast or for sautéing your favourite veggies. But most importantly, it works wonders as a direct substitute for butter in a wide range of baked goods. And we’re not just making that up. It’s been put to the test by Michael James, the Tivoli Road Baker, chef and author famous among Melbournians for his much-loved baked creations. You know, the ones we all cross town for!
But why would you want to bake with almond butter over other plant-based fats, like margarine? It’s related to each oil’s smoke point—the temperature at which it starts to smoke and break down fats. When these fats break down, free radicals are released that can harm the body on a cellular level. Our vegan baking butter contains coconut oil and almond oil, which both have relatively high smoke points (232°C and 221 °C, respectively), which means they don’t release harmful chemicals during baking. Margarine, on the other hand, begins to smoke and turn rancid at around 150 °C.
What’s more, eating too much processed omega-6 rich vegetable oils, like sunflower oil and canola oil, can lead to an unhealthy balance of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids in your diet. Ideally, these essential fatty acids should be consumed in a 1:1 ratio. New research shows that too much omega-6, which is very common in a typical western diet, can promote systemic inflammation. Switching to omega-3 rich oils, like avocado oil and almond oil, can help to fight inflammation by bringing your body back into balance.
