Vegan Butter Chicken (Butter Tofu Recipe) - Running on Real Food (2024)

FAQs

Does vegan butter cook like regular butter? ›

Even though butter, margarine, and plant butter all have slightly different ingredients, you can still cook and bake with all three equally. The taste will not differ too much, but the texture of the food may change a little.

In a blender or food processor, blend the cashews, melted coconut oil, water, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and salt until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into a jar and refrigerate until firm—wait at least 2 hours. Once the vegan butter has solidified, you can use it just like traditional dairy butter.

Nut-Free Option: If you have a nut allergy or prefer to avoid cashews, you can substitute them with sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds for a creamy texture and added richness. Vegetable Variations: Feel free to add a variety of vegetables to the dish to enhance its nutritional value and flavors.

Plant-based butter is high in monounsaturated fats because they are prepared with plant-based oils instead of dairy. According to the American Heart Association, these fats are considered healthy fats that can help lower bad cholesterol and provide the body with essential minerals and antioxidants.

The main difference between margarine and plant butter is that while margarine may still contain small amounts of dairy, plant butters are free of any animal products. Although plant butter is typically 100% vegan, it can contain saturated fats due to the use of coconut and palm oils.

Whipped butter, margarine, compound butter, and vegan butter are more prone to spoilage and should always be refrigerated.

Doesn't Vegan Butter Taste Bad? I know what you're thinking, but no. Vegan butter has come a long way since 2004 and there are so many more plant-based options that have the flavor and properties of real butter. You can generally substitute vegan butter for regular dairy butter in most baked good recipes.

In many recipes for butter chicken, copious amounts of butter and heavy cream supply richness, but we do as we were taught in India and use cashews pureed with a small amount of water until smooth. The nut puree adds creaminess without making the dish heavy.

Is it cheaper to make your own cashew butter? It absolutely can be cheaper to make your own. I like to get my organic cashews at Trader Joe's, and that runs about $8 for the bag. I get double the amount of nut butter than I would in a store bought jar, which normally runs $7-9 for non-organic, and $12-15 for organic.

What is a good substitute for cashews if you are allergic to nuts? ›

Roasted chickpeas are another excellent substitute for cashews if you want something to snack on, as well as seasoned pumpkin seeds (check out the brand Superseedz). If you're looking to replace cashews in a trail mix, peanuts (legume, not a tree nut) make for a great substitution.

It's a 1:1 swap! If a recipe calls for 227 g (or 1 c) of dairy butter, you can use the same amount of vegan butter as an equal swap. Remember, though, that for baking, you want a higher-fat vegan butter.

You can use the exact same ratio of vegan butter as you would regular butter in your baking, which makes it a 1-to-1 replacement. This makes it easy to swap out vegan butter in any recipe without having to do the math.

If you use vegan butter for frying or cooking, consider getting one with a high smoking point, such as coconut oil-based vegan butter. And when baking, you may have to slightly adjust the time and temperature. The important thing to note is to use vegan butter of similar consistency as traditional butter.

It is my personal opinion that vegan butter:1) works much the same as traditional dairy butter, when it is worked properly; 2) gives excellent texture to baked goods, when you use a high-fat vegan butter; and 3) lends excellent color and flavor.

In recipes where they're the only vegan substitute, both vegan butters will produce baked goods with texture similar to that of dairy butter, with flavor being the main difference.

In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.

Yes, you can! While you can usually swap vegan butter at a 1:1 ratio, coconut oil should be 1: ¾ oil + ¼ water. In baking, you may need to use a combination of vegan butter to get the right texture for your recipe - try mixing coconut oil with applesauce, mashed banana with canola oil, etc.