Making your own spreadable butter at home is easy and delicious! Just two ingredients and you'll have delicious butter that is easy to spread.
I've been making my own spreadable butter for about a year now. I started after trying some that I bought at the grocery store that was absolutely delicious.
It was simply a combination of butter and olive oil, but that real butter flavor was irreplaceable. Margarine just isn't the same.
Prior to that, I had been using margarine to spread on my toast and sandwiches, and butter for baking and cooking.
I want to make it very clear that I have no problems whatsoever with the nutritional aspects of margarine. It has gotten a bad rap over the last couple of decades, which is unwarranted now that trans fats are not used.
After all, margarine is lower in saturated fat than butter, and it's spreadability makes it a lot more convenient.
But compared to butter, I just don't find margarine to be as tasty. Enter Spreadable Butter, which just might be the best of both worlds.
What are the benefits of homemade spreadable butter?
It can be cheaper than buying it from the store
It tastes better than margarine
It has less saturated (unhealthy) fat, and more heart-healthy fats than butter
You can control how much salt is added to it
It's more convenient than using butter because it's easy to spread straight out of the fridge
You can keep it in the fridge all the time, so it lasts longer than keeping butter at room temperature, which can go rancid quickly
How do you make spreadable butter?
It's easy!
All you need is 2 (or 3) ingredients:
Butter (salted or unsalted)
Canola or other neutral flavored oil
Salt (if using unsalted butter and you want your spreadable butter to be salted)
Simply mix these ingredients together using a mixer or food processor until the mixture is smooth.
How do you use spreadable butter?
The best way to use your homemade spreadable butter is as a spread for toast, bread, or other baked goods.
However, it can also be used to replace butter or margarine in many recipes in a 1:1 ratio. Don't try to use it in pastry recipes that require chilled butter (like pie dough, biscuits, or scones).
Can I use a different type of oil to make spreadable butter?
I always use canola oil to make spreadable butter because it's economical, widely available, and doesn't contribute a strong flavor to my butter.
However, you can choose to use another type of oil if you'd like.
I strongly recommend using a neutral-flavored oil if you want your butter to taste as much like butter as possible. This might also include vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, corn oil, or safflower oil.
You can also choose to use olive oil, but it will likely contribute a stronger flavor than the above oils.
I don't recommend using coconut oil, as it remains solid at room temperature, and will make your butter hard and less spreadable.
Want more homemade condiment recipes?
Spreadable Butter Nutrition Notes:
Compared to regular butter, homemade spreadable butter has less saturated fat, naturally occurring trans fats, and cholesterol.
It also has more unsaturated (heart-healthy) fats. The amounts of total fat and calories are roughly the same as regular butter.
Overall, if you are trying to choose more heart-healthy fats, or following a Mediterranean diet but still want the flavor of butter, making your own spreadable butter is a good choice.
Homemade Spreadable Butter
Ingredients
- 1 pound salted butter, softened at room temperature (see note)
- 1 ½ cups neutral flavored oil (eg. canola or vegetable oil)
Instructions
- Place the softened butter in a food processor or bowl of a stand mixer. Mix until the butter is very soft and at a whipped consistency.
- Add the salt (if using) and slowly drizzle in the oil with the food processor running. Once the oil is added, scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mix again until the mixture is a smooth consistency (note: at this point the spreadable butter will be very runny. Once it it chilled it will solidify to a spreadable consistency).
- Pour into large airtight container and chill completely. Store in the fridge for up to 1 month (if you think it will take you longer to use this amount of spreadable butter, pour into two smaller containers and store one in the freezer). Use as needed replace butter/margarine as a spread, or in recipes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer: I try my best to make sure the nutrition information I provide is accurate to provide you with the best information possible. However, due to ingredient discrepancies and other factors, the above nutrition information should be considered an estimation only.
Lori
I had searched online for this some time ago with no luck. Not happy with my experiments, I gave up. Now, while searching online for another recipe, I saw this link and I HAD to click on it! I have one pound of butter left and have to make it last because butter, where I live at least, recently jumped in price.
Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Carissa
I hear you - butter is so expensive where I live now too. But then again, so is the oil that I use to make this as well 🙁
cassandra
I will be using this recipe to help cope with this year’s butter shortage and surge in price. Thank you! 🧈 💖
Muffin
Can you use olive oil?
Carissa
Absolutely! Just note that if you use a stronger flavored olive oil, like EVOO, the olive flavor will be more prominent, and you'll be able to taste the butter flavor less.
Karen
Thrilled to have found the recipe, and such a simple one (there are apparently no spreads sold in the country where I'm staying). I used the given measurement, but it turned out a bit too runny (I reckon butter consistency can differ across the globe), so will add less oil next time.
Carissa
Yes, the spread is definitely very runny when it's initially made. However, once you put it in the fridge, it solidifies to the perfect consistency. I will make this more clear in the recipe. Thanks for the comment.
Tommyboy
I use !/3 cup canola and 1 teaspoon water. oil to 1/4 lb. butter