Recipe for dairy free butter substitute (not margarine) please.

[Merrilyn]

I want to go dairy free, but I'm having trouble finding a substitute for butter to spread on sandwiches and the like.

I don't like the idea of margarine, with all it's added nasties.  Can anyone suggest something I can make in thermy to use as a spread?

I used to love making butter in thermy, but that's out now that the doc has declared I have high cholesterol.  Have to rethink my way of cooking and eating.  Would love some suggestions please.

[Cuilidh]

There are quite a few things you can use to replace butter - a lot depends upon whether you want a 'butter' type taste and what you are using it for.  There's always the reliable avocado for bread and sandwiches, etc. Tahini is also good, cashew and tomato dip from the EDC, humus and there are other nut spreads (cashew, hazel, almond to mention a few) that you can use as well. 

I'm not sure what would replace butter in cooking, certainly some oils would probably work but beyond that I am not sure.  There are bound to be vegan based products in the health food shop and there has been a lot of discussion recently about coconut oil.  However, as we all know, there are plenty of people on here with a huge amount of knowledge that will give  you many more suggestions.

[Merrilyn]

Many thanks for that Cuilidh.  I like the idea for avocado for sandwiches.  Haven't tried tahini, but I will give it a try.

A search of the supermarket produced something called Nutelex which is made from nuts and another one made from olive oil.  Might give them both a try, but I bet they don't taste as good as home made butter (sigh).

[quirkycooking]

Have you tried the spread in the vegetarian cookbook, made out of raw cashews & polenta? It's quite good. I use homemade mayo a lot for a spread, or just a drizzle of olive oil & a sprinkle of salt, or avocado. If I'm having jam or honey, I don't bother with any other spreads. The coconut butter on www.superkitchenmachine.com is delicious, you should try that! In baking, I use coconut, olive, macadamia, or grapeseed oils (just use a little less than the amount of butter in the recipe), or ghee if I really want the butter taste & texture. I also use thick coconut cream instead of butter in cakes, like in my flourless pecan cake. If you look on my Blog, at the top is a tab called Dairy Substitutes - you'll find lots of df ideas there. 
(Sorry, can't add links today- computer's not working!)

[mkr]

In cases of high cholesterol I would be much more concerned about refined carbohydrates than butter

That said, I love avocado on sandwiches and toast. Hommus is also a delicious alternative.

[Merrilyn]

Jo, thankyou so much for your advice.  I've just spent a lovely few hours looking around your blog, and you've certainly given me some great ideas for going dairy free.

mkr, thanks for the comments, but we eat very little in the way of refined carbohydrates, and no red meat.  We're all wholemeal here.  The doc's pretty sure it's dairy that's the problem.  I do love my cheese and butter 

[quirkycooking]

You poor thing It's hard sometimes, I love butter and cheese too (and cream!), but there's so many lovely things you can make without dairy. We had pizzas tonight with spelt crusts, garlic confit spread over that, then some bacon (for a treat) and semi-dried tomatoes, baked until browned and cooked through, then topped with 'melty cheese' - a dairy free thick 'cheese' sauce, really yummy! You can pop it back in the oven until the 'cheese' is browned and bubbly, or just leave it as is (which I did cause I was in a hurry) - so good! I'm hopefully going to post that recipe soon. 

[Merrilyn]

That sounds delicious Jo.  I'll look forward to seeing the recipe.

[Cuilidh]

If you are really into the taste of cheese I am sure I saw somewhere that the product "Nutritional Yeast Flakes" is a substitute used by vegans that gives a 'cheese' taste.  You can get it at health food shops (possibly also in the health food section of supermarkets).  It may be worth an experiment or two to see if it works for you.

[quirkycooking]

Yes, that's what I use in my 'cheeses' - yum!