The 3 Best Vegan Butters (Plus 3 Recipes!) for Your Next Grilled Corn on the Cob

3 vegan butter brands and 3 vegan butter recipes for corn on the cob

Pair your grilled summer corn on the cob recipe with one of these vegan butters.

What’s corn on the cob without a rub of garlic, a touch of butter, and a dash of sea salt? For vegans, the butter part can get a bit iffy. However, the buttery taste is a crucial part of the experience and vegans shouldn’t miss out on it either. Luckily, they don’t have to. Here are 3 tried-and-true vegan butter brands and 3 deliciously animal-friendly butter recipes for you to slather on your cob without the afterthought.

3 Vegan Butter Brands

When it comes to making something as sensitive as butter, which demands a particular taste, texture, and appearance, I’d rather leave it to the pros. The following three brands are my favorite so far and pair perfectly with grilled corn on the cob!

1. Earth Balance

Earth Balance is the go-to vegan butter in the vegan world. It tastes just like butter and has the texture and aroma to match. For corn on the cob, I prefer the Original Buttery Spread version, which is made from a combination of expeller-pressed palm fruit, canola, soybean, flax, and olive oils.

2. Miyoko’s Kitchen

I love the packaging of this butter – so sophisticated! This company’s cultured vegan butter is the purest version of vegan butter I’ve seen yet. It’s made with organic coconut oil, organic cashews, organic safflower oil, organic sunflower oil, soy lecithin, sea salt, and cultures. It also melts, cooks, bakes, spreads, and tastes just like butter. Win-win in my book!

3. Nutiva

Nutiva is known for its superfood selection, but it also boasts a coconut oil with a buttery taste! It’s made from organic expeller-pressed coconut oil, organic vegan buttery flavor, and organic unrefined red palm oil. It spreads and melts a lot like regular butter.

3 Homemade Vegan Butter Recipes

If you are feeling more creative, try your hand at making a homemade version of vegan butter. The recipes are plain, but consider mixing in any of the following combinations for extra oomph and a more satisfying corn on the cob experience.

1. Go-To Vegan Butter Substitute

Fork & Bean’s makes an incredibly simple vegan butter recipe that is nut-free, soy-free, and looks and feels so much like regular butter. The recipe is based in coconut oil, non-dairy milk, canola oil, sea salt, and liquid lecithin. Simple as that!

2. Planet Pusherne’s Vegan Aquafaba Butter

Aqua…what? Aquafaba is the name given to bean juice. It is the thick substance you generally pour out when draining a can of beans. Aquafaba is a popular substitute for eggs in vegan dishes. Now, it can make butter too! This recipe from Planet Pusherne combines chickpea water with coconut oil, rapeseed oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt.

3. One Green Planet’s Vegan Butter (Nut-Based)

This vegan butter is based in raw cashews, apple cider vinegar, coconut oil, sunflower lecithin, canola oil, and guar gum. Because it is based in cashews, it has a markedly thicker feel than the other two homemade butters on this list. It spreads well and stores in the freezer for up to a year!

Compound Butter Ideas

Corn on the cob is delicious with just a pat of butter and a dash of salt, but it is elevated in status with the addition of spices and herbs. Butter acts as a great vessel for whatever herbs you’d like to add onto your cob. Simply mix them in your vegan butter and lather your corn up! The following 6 combinations are inspiration for your next compound vegan butter.

  1. Shiitake + Tarragon
  2. Fennel Pollen + Honey
  3. Sweet Paprika + Chipotle
  4. Sumac + Mint
  5. Basil + Pest
  6. Garlic + Lemon Zest

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Corn on the Cob with Shutterstock