When Pete Ghione opened Truth & Tonic Wellness Café, the first and only 100 percent plant-based restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip, he knew he wouldn’t have to sacrifice flavor to make delicious food and baked goods that everyone would love.
In fact, Ghione, the director of Food & Beverage and executive chef at Canyon Ranch, Las Vegas—and a vegan himself—says cooking and baking the plant-based way is his preference. “I’ve managed 22 kitchens and 16 restaurants throughout my career, and the most rewarding work has been when I’ve worked with ingredients to maximize their health benefits,” he says. “When you do that, you can use food to change people’s lives.”
The key, says Ghione, is focusing on a plant-based diet. And the best part is that it’s easier than ever to cook and bake with strictly plant-based ingredients—including butter.
“Foods and baked goods that call for traditional butter can turn out great when you use plant-based butter instead,” he says. “We make everything from shortbread cookies to biscotti to omelets with plant-based butter and get the same kind of taste and texture that you expect.”
TRY:
Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil
To help you get started cooking and baking with plant-based butters, follow this advice:
Use a 1:1 ratio.
When you’re following a conventional recipe and making tweaks so it’s 100 percent plant-based, odds are you’ll have to make some adjustments in how much of a different ingredient you use. Good news: That isn’t the case with plant-based butter, says Ghione. “You can use equal amounts plant-based butters as you would traditional butter,” he says.
Add flavor.
Ghione likes to think of ingredients as if they’re friends and family you’ve invited over for a party. “Odds are you gravitate toward some more than others,” he says. “You can add your favorite flavors and ingredients to plant-based butter to amp up the flavor of whatever you’re making.” For example, you might mix in the zest of one lemon to a tablespoon of plant-based butter before you sauté kale or spinach. Or, mix in a tablespoon of maple syrup to a couple tablespoons of plant-based butter to make a sweet compote for spreading on toast or a scone.
Sauté plant-based butter on medium heat.
While you might use high-heat when cooking with butter or vegetable oil, Ghione suggests turning the temperature down a touch when you’re sautéing foods with plant-based butters. It’ll help you get a great consistency without heating the ingredients in the plant-based butter (such as olive oil) above their smoke point.
Use plant-based butter when you bake.
While you can swap plant-based butter for dairy butter in any of your favorite baked-goods recipes, there are also a growing number of recipes that call for plant-based butter. These Berry Swirl Butter Cake and Apple Cranberry Crostata recipes are proof that you can make dairy-free sweets that are every bit as tasty as their conventional butter-laden counterparts.
Melt plant-based butter to drizzle over veggies before roasting.
Roasted vegetables are one of the easiest ways to boost your produce intake—something experts agree all of us could do to optimize our health. Rather than pour oil over those veggies, melt a serving of plant-based butter to drizzle on top. Try this simple Roasted Kale and Potatoes recipe to get started.
FAQs
Although plant butter is typically 100% vegan, it can contain saturated fats due to the use of coconut and palm oils.
Why is plant-based butter bad? ›
Although plant butter is typically 100% vegan, it can contain saturated fats due to the use of coconut and palm oils.
What do vegan bakers use instead of butter? ›
Coconut oil is a delicious vegan alternative to butter as it behaves similarly to butter compared to other oils. It solidifies when cool and melts at room temperature, making it very versatile. If you use unrefined coconut oil, you can expect a more distinctive taste, but refined coconut oil is basically flavourless.
What replaces butter in a plant-based diet? ›
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.
Which is better for you real butter or plant-based butter? ›
Plant-based butter still contains a large number of saturated fats which are bad for your body. As a result, plant-based butter isn't considered a healthy food and is only marginally healthier than typical dairy butter.
Is plant-based butter inflammatory? ›
While both vegan butter and margarine are better alternatives to dairy butter, they are high in Omega-6 fatty acids. Even though including Omega-3 and Omega-6 in our diet is healthy, increased consumption of them may cause chronic inflammation. Therefore, moderate consumption is recommended to avoid such problems.
Can I bake with plant-based butter? ›
“Foods and baked goods that call for traditional butter can turn out great when you use plant-based butter instead,” he says. “We make everything from shortbread cookies to biscotti to omelets with plant-based butter and get the same kind of taste and texture that you expect.” Use a 1:1 ratio.
What are the pros and cons of plant butter? ›
Pros: Can typically be used as a one-to-one ratio swap for butter, has a similar taste and consistency to butter, and can be used for baking and cooking and as a topping. Cons: Some plant-based butter substitutes (not WayFare's!) may have ingredients that can trigger allergies, like nuts, soy, or gluten.
What do vegans put on bread instead of butter? ›
Mashed banana adds sweetness and creaminess, not to mention potassium, when used as a vegan alternative to butter in baking. It is also fat-free and can be spread on your toast.
Is Country Crock plant butter healthy? ›
Our Ingredients & Nutritional Information. Is Country Crock® better for me than dairy butter? Country Crock® products are all made of plant-based oils – a source of good fats. Because Country Crock® is made with plant-based oils, the product is an easy way to add essential fats and omega-3s to a healthy diet.
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.
Is plant-based butter a processed food? ›
We tend to think of all vegan products as healthy, but vegan products can actually be highly processed and full of artificial ingredients. Vegan butter is one of these products, often including high amounts of salt, preservatives, and artificial flavoring.
Is country crock plant-based butter healthy? ›
Our Ingredients & Nutritional Information. Is Country Crock® better for me than dairy butter? Country Crock® products are all made of plant-based oils – a source of good fats. Because Country Crock® is made with plant-based oils, the product is an easy way to add essential fats and omega-3s to a healthy diet.
Does plant-based butter go bad? ›
Plant-based butter does go bad, but it typically lasts longer than dairy butter when stored properly. This is partly because plant-based options do not go rancid as quickly at room temperature. The ingredients in plant-based butter, primarily plant-derived oils, contribute to its extended shelf life.
Is I can't believe it's not butter healthy? ›
The fact is, just because something is “real” does not necessarily make it good for you. The “real” ingredients that “I Can't Believe It's Not Butter” is touting are oils and salt. The ingredient list of “I Can't Believe It's Not Butter” reveals unhealthy ingredients like tropical oils and salt.
In fact, Ghione, the director of Food & Beverage and executive chef at Canyon Ranch, Las Vegas—and a vegan himself—says cooking and baking the plant-based way is his preference. “I’ve managed 22 kitchens and 16 restaurants throughout my career, and the most rewarding work has been when I’ve worked with ingredients to maximize their health benefits,” he says. “When you do that, you can use food to change people’s lives.”
Use a 1:1 ratio.
Add flavor.
Sauté plant-based butter on medium heat.
Use plant-based butter when you bake.
Melt plant-based butter to drizzle over veggies before roasting.