Best Dairy-Free Butter Substitute – 7 Keto Friendly Options
After fat was wrongfully demonized, processed vegetable oil spreads marketed as margarine were produced and sold to the masses as a “healthy butter substitute”. These products however, are loaded with unhealthy hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, man-made trans-fats and refined seed oils.
Grass-fed butter has made a comeback recently, largely due to the popularity of the keto diet, but nearly 75% of all people are allergic or sensitive to dairy, or unable to digest the sugars (lactose) or proteins (casein/whey) in dairy. I have therefore provided a list of healthy dairy-free butter substitutes for those navigating keto without dairy.
7 Dairy-Free Butter Substitutes
Miyoko’s Organic Cultured Vegan Butter
Miyoko takes great pride in creating high quality ethically sourced products including a variety of dairy-free vegan cheeses, spreads, and butter.
Miyoko’s European Cultured Butter is coconut oil, sunflower oil, and cashew based, and comes salted or unsalted. It is a firm, sliceable butter substitute that is smooth and creamy, and very much resembles a traditional stick of butter.
Miyoko’s also offers two oat milk based vegan butter spreads that are slightly softer, more like margarine, and available in salted, or garlic parm flavors.
All four Miyoko’s butter alternatives are high in fat, and extremely low in carbs, making them a great option for keto. They don’t contain any artificial ingredients or food colorings which can sometimes contain allergens.
Normally I would recommend shying away from sunflower oil, however the sunflower in all Miyoko’s products is non-GMO, organic, and expeller-pressed, which makes it better than standard sunflower oil.
Although some people suggest that these butters can be used for cooking or baking, I would recommend against it. Although they do contain coconut oil, which is predominately a saturated fat with a high smoke point, the other fats in these products are fragile and likely to denature if heated.
European Style – Hint of Sea Salt
Ingredients: Organic Coconut Oil, Filtered Water, organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Cashews, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Cultures.
Macros: Per 1Tbsp (14g) serving – Calories 90, Fat 8g, Protein 0g, Carbs 0g.
European Style – Unsalted
Ingredients: Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Cultured Cashew Milk (Filtered Water, Organic Cashews, Cultures), Filtered Water, Organic Sunflower Oil, Contains 2% or less of: Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Organic Cultured Dextrose, Natural Flavors Derived From Oregano, Flaxseed and Plums, Lactic Acid.
Macros: Per 1Tbsp (14g) serving – Calories 90, Fat 10g, Protein 0g, Carbs 0g.
Cultured Oat Milk Butter – Sea Salt
Ingredients: Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Cultured Whole Grain Oat Milk (Filtered Water, Cultured Organic Oats), Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Organic Cultured Sugar, Lactic Acid, Natural Flavors Derived From Oregano, Flaxseed, and Plums.
Macros: Per 1Tbsp (14g) serving – Calories 80, Fat 9g, Protein 0g, Carbs 1g.
Cultured Oat Milk Butter – Garlic Parm
Ingredients: Organic Sunflower Oil, Organic Cultured Whole Grain Oat Milk (Filtered Water, Cultured Organic Oats), Organic Coconut Oil, Organic Garlic, Nutritional Yeast, Organic Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Organic Cultured Sugar, Organic Parsley, Lactic Acid, Natural Flavors Derived From Oregano, Flaxseed, and Plums.
Macros: Per 1Tbsp (14g) serving – Calories 80, Fat 9g, Protein 0g, Carbs 1g.
Where to buy: Miyoko’s vegan butter is available at a variety of grocers and natural food stores throughout the US and a store locator tool is available on the Miyoko’s website. It can also be purchased online directly from the Miyoko’s website, Farm Fresh to You, Instacart, Amazon, or Fresh Direct.
Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil – Butter Flavor
As the name suggests, this product is simply butter flavored coconut oil. According to the package labeling, the butter flavor is made from pure, non-GMO, certified organic, fermented, gluten free plants, including sunflower, coconut, and mint.
Annatto extract is a natural food coloring that is derived from the seeds of the achiote tree native to tropical regions of Mexico and Brazil. It is safe for most people in food amounts, but may cause allergic reactions in those who are sensitive
Although this product is labeled as a butter and ghee alternative, it more closely resembles ghee. Since it is essentially just flavored coconut oil, it is a great dairy-free butter substitute for cooking, baking or melting onto foods, but it doesn’t work as well as a cold spread.
Nutiva Organic Coconut Oil – Butter Flavor
Ingredients: Organic Refined Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil, Organic Vegan Buttery Flavor, Organic Annato Extract (For Color).
Macros: Per 1Tbsp (15ml) serving – Calories 130, Fat 14g, Protein 0g, Carbs 0g.
Where to buy: The Nutiva butter flavored organic coconut oil is available at various natural food stores, but is not as commonly found in the big brand supermarkets. It is also available online from the Nutiva website, iherb, Thrive Market or Amazon.
Thrive Market Organic Buttery Coconut Oil
Thrive Market has created their own butter flavored organic coconut oil similar to the Nutiva brand described above. Thrive Market is known for replicating popular products, and they often do so using higher quality ingredients while lowering the price.
The ingredients in this case are identical to Nutiva, and are all organic, vegan and sustainably sourced. If you are a Thrive Market member however, you can get their version of this product at a slightly better price.
Thrive Market Buttery Coconut Oil
Ingredients: Organic Refined Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil, Organic Natural Flavor, Organic Annatto Extract (For Color).
Macros: Per 1Tbsp (15ml) serving – Calories 130, Fat 14g, Protein 0g, Carbs 0g.
Where to buy: Thrive Market products are only available from the Thrive Market website. Thrive Market is a great resource for specialty foods that are often not available at many mainstream grocery or natural food stores, or on Amazon.
With special offers and free shipping on qualifying orders, they also often offer the best prices.
Traditionally Made Cultured Ghee
Traditional ghee is one of the most sacred and healing foods described by ancient Ayurvedic (alternative Indian medicine) texts. When made properly, ghee contains high amounts of naturally occurring Vitamins A, D, & K, as well as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an antioxidant and essential fatty acid.
Traditional ghee is also extremely high in butyrate which helps to fuel and protect the gut lining, reduce inflammation, combat obesity and diabetes, and protect against certain cancers.
In traditional ghee, cultures are added to grass-fed cream before it is made into butter. These cultures consume the lactose (sugar) in the cream converting it to lactic acid, and help breakdown proteins (casein/whey), making it much easier to digest.
Instead of simply heating the butter and removing the milk solids by skimming them off the top, traditional ghee is made by slowly heating cultured butter over an extended period until all of the moisture is removed. Any remaining milk solids are then browned (caramelized) in the fat, and strained out.
It is possible to certify that ghee is lactose, and casein/whey-free through batch testing, however very few brands are willing to make this commitment. To qualify for this certification, test results must confirm that lactose and casein/whey levels are maintained below a set threshold measured in parts per million (ppm).
Ghee products with this certification are considered to be safe to consume even by those with known dairy sensitivities or allergies. However, if you have severe or life-threatening allergies to dairy, it is recommended that you consult your physician before consuming any dairy foods.
Only two of the eight popular brands of ghee I examined are both cultured and certified lactose and casein/whey-free. I have listed them below.
2 Brands of Ghee That Test For Purity
#1 Pure Indian Foods Cultured Ghee
Pure Indian Foods Cultured Ghee is the only ghee recommended by Nora T. Gedgaudas, a leading expert on keto and author of the books Primal Body, Primal Mind, and Primal Fat Burner.
*According to the the Pure Indian Foods website – This product is batch tested to contain no gluten, and no more than 0.25% lactose, and 2.5ppm casein/whey.
#2 Tin Star Foods Ghee
Tin Star Foods Ghee is made in Texas from cultured New Zealand butter.
*According to the Tin Star Foods website – This product is Certified lab tested to be lactose and casein free. With less than 2.5ppm (<0.01%), it is nearly untraceable and safe for those with dairy sensitivities, and many of those with dairy allergies.
Healthy dairy-free butter substitutes are becoming much more available in common grocery stores and online, and due to their popularity, they are being incorporated into recipes and commercial products as well.
With all of the options listed above, there is no need to consume unhealthy butter alternatives or margarine that contain unhealthy hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Do you have a favorite dairy-free butter substitute? Please consider sharing your experience by commenting below in order to help others living a fit keto lifestyle.
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