Today’s butter substitute recipe comes from my daughter. She’s a DYI queen. She’s also very sensitive to dairy products, so she’s always hunting for good replacements for them. She recommends this one, so I gave it a try yesterday and took pictures of each step since it’s a foray into new territory for me. Maybe for you, too.

This was very easy to make, though clean up was a bit…greasy. Later this week, I’ll use 1 cup of the “sticks” to make chocolate chip cookies. The remaining 3 tablespoons will be used to butter toast, muffins and the like. Next week, I’ll be back with a report on how that goes. For now, here are the results from yesterday’s experiment. In each case where ingredient options are listed, the one I used is indicated in parenthesis.

Butter Substitute

2 tablespoons water (3 tablespoons if using saucepan on stove instead of microwave)
1 teaspoon cornstarch OR coconut flour OR 1/4 tsp. xantham gum (cornstarch)
1/8 teaspoon liquid aminos OR soy sauce OR scant ½ tsp. nutritional yeast (soy sauce)
½ teaspoon salt
A pinch each turmeric and paprika, optional for color (omitted)
½ c. coconut oil, softened just til creamy and stirrable
½ c. olive oil or other liquid oil like canola (olive oil)

In a glass 2 cup measuring cup, stir together water and cornstarch.  Microwave until it boils, stir until smooth. The small amount of liquid makes it hard tell when it’s boiling in the microwave. But it hasn’t boiled unless the cornstarch mixture has turned clear. Like this:

Mix in the soy sauce and salt, turmeric and paprika. Scrape the bottom and sides of cup well and stir some more. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.

After it’s cooled to nearly room temperature, mix in the coconut oil. Again, scrape the edges and bottom of cup and stir again. Really well. Or you’ll discover lumps later on. (Don’t ask how I know this.)

Add oil in a thin stream, whisking continually with a fork until smooth. Again, scrape edges and bottom of cup and stir some more.

If desired pour mixture into two miniature loaf pans. Put mixture in fridge to chill.

Stir with a fork after it starts to thicken, about 15-30 minutes. The photo shows one pan straight out of the fridge after 15 minutes. The other’s been stirred. Store covered in the refrigerator.

If you want a firmer consistency, put mini-loaf pans the freezer to solidify. After they’re hard, pop them out of the molds and store in ziptop bags or wrapped in plastic. Label and keep in the freezer for longer storage, or keep in the fridge for short term use.

This recipe makes just over 1 cup–9 ½ ounces or 3 tablespooms more than 2 sticks of butter.