I just stumbled upon this recipe for dal makhani and I'd like to make it vegan. I'm not vegan though and was wondering how to best replace the butter when you're adding it not just for the fat but for its flavour?
I'm in Switzerland and most of the fancy brands of vegan foods are not available here, so I would very much appreciate if you could point me to ingredients. Thank you so much!
by thisothernameth
26 Comments
I can’t say that I really use any butter substitutes to achieve the flavor of butter; however, here in America, we do have oil based “butters” (like Country Crock) that have a similar flavor to butter. Earth Balance works, as well.
coconut oil is a good substitute if you can find it. Otherwise I just use a neutral-tasting oil.
Make a cashew cream. You’ll only need a little bit of it to make a Dal Makhani. It’s rich, creamy, and traditionally used in other Indian dishes. Dal Makhani is often made with cream and butter, so this is a great substitute for the cream.
As for the butter: I’ve made and eaten a lot of Dal Makhani over the years. It’s one of my favourite things to eat. The butter added a particular mouth feel and made the dish more calories dense, but otherwise doesn’t add much in terms of flavour. You won’t miss it.
Nutritional yeast hits those notes. I personally enjoyed Miyokos butter until my LDL scared me away from it. Everything in moderation I guess
I always feel like nutritional yeast adds a nice buttery flavor to dishes.
cashew butter or cream!! coconut cream concentrate!!! tahini if you’re feeling frisky!
I use vegan butters like [this one](https://www.coop.ch/en/food/dairy-products-eggs/butter-margarine/unsalted-butter/flora-100-vegetable/p/6547795?srsltid=AfmBOoqk5_M-KMt_e0zWa_RbaOmKbXZACNWw1n5wUcV7rqWLYL9l28TS). That’s on a Swiss site so presumably it’s available in the country – not sure if that’s only true for your big cities though.
Cashew cream would probably work quite well for your linked recipe but it won’t be like for like.
Some margarine (oleomargarine, margarina) is incidentally vegan. It will have the flavoring compounds like [diacetyl](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacetyl) that impart a butter like flavor.
When baking, I solely use Earty Balance. When cooking, I use whatever I have on hand, currently Country Crock Plant Based bc I had a coupon. I dont *hate* it, but I do prefer Earth Balance for a buttery taste.
I like Miyoko’s butter
For replacing butter a really flavorful oil, for Indian I would do the oil simmered with spices and infused to add the flavor. I do use coconut milk/cashew cream as well but that is more for cream and texture not taste.
If we are talking flavor boosts in general I use mushroom powder and nutritional yeast a lot for flavor boosts as well as miso (white) and bullion cubes.
Depending on recipe I also use toasted sesame oil, really intense olive oil,
Miyoko’s Creamery plant butter (salted) tastes, cooks and bakes just like butter (and freezes well, too; so buy in bulk on sale). Enjoy and let me know how it works out!❤️
In Australia, there are quite a few brands of ghee that are vegan friendly.
I don’t know if you have it in Switzerland, but there is a product here called Nuttelex that is a satisfying substitute for butter on sandwiches etc.
Earth Balance
For an analog try Miyoko’s creamery butter. It’s sold around the US . I’ve made buttercream frosting with it and made a pie crust and it’s the very closest thing I’ve found
[Try this.](https://youtu.be/4Jwv2OvUsMU?si=hepKp_m-ms0dncXV)
The most flavorful margarine I know of is the original Earth Balance. In the last ~15 years the recipe has been cheapened. In the US the original recipe is now called Earth Balance Soy Free and it’s unfortunately becoming harder to find. (No idea about the Swiss version.)
Any sufficiently concentrated nut/seed milk (basically cream). Cashew is the most popular, but almond, walnut, pumpkin seeds or peanut (not roasted) works. It has a more buttery flavor if fermented, especially with a culture that makes diacetyl.
Coconut milk/cream also works well. Just coconut flavor notes rather than cow milk flavor notes.
I use this same recipe a lot for dal makhani and a neutral oil like canola or sunflower works just as well as vegan butter. The creaminess really comes from blending the lentils and cooking them for a while. You can also add some cashew cream at the end.
I stir some nutritional yeast into warm unrefined coconut oil to form a med thick slurry then I put it in fridge to get it solid. Makes a great butter sub when I want it.
If you can get Whirl, it’s soybean oil with some chemical shit in it that makes it taste like delicious thin butter. I like it a lot.
Married to a North Indian for 12+ years, we love our dal makhani and love this recipe site, good choice!! I actually modify this exact recipe for our (vegan) dal makhani. Personally I use Miyokos butter at the very end only (roughly ~2tbsp), but I’ve used other butters and margarines as others have said with the same outcome. Adding the cashew cream instead of cream is also lovely (tho hubby doesn’t enjoy that level of richness so I omit, but imo it’s worth trying!)
Rapeseed oil with butter flavor is incredible. It tastes just like melted butter, I use it a lot for baking
Coconut milk works. I also use soy yoghurt in Dal Makhani.
When I make Dal makhani I use margarine and a spoonful of peanut butter to make it creamy
I think the V-Love butter (they call it “Bloc”) from Migros is absolutely amazing and as close to real butter as you can get, including taste.