Need to make some delicious sugar cookies without dairy and don't want to waste ingredients with a non-dairy butter that won't work? You're in luck! I tried out all the leading non-dairy butters I could find and ranked them by flavor, texture, and spread. Keep reading for the best non-dairy butter for roll out decorated cookies!
Whether by preference or due to an allergy, if you've ever found yourself in need of substituting your tried and true ingredients and brands with an unknown ingredient, it can be frustrating to go through all the effort and expense of making, rolling, cutting, and baking sugar cookies only to discover that they've spread horribly or taste like... well... like nothing YOU want to eat. Much less share with others.
I get asked A LOT about butter substitutes. I've tried a few different kinds of non-dairy butters with mixed results. I was trying to figure out some kind of sciencey-type formula based on the ratio of fat to water to.... I don't even know honestly. And I realized it would just be easier to buy them all and try them out and determine once and for all -- which butter substitute will forever be my non-dairy butter for rolled out sugar cookies.
Let me introduce you to the players.
I mean...non-dairy butters.
Country Crock Plant Butter
Fat grams per serving: 11 grams (14%)
Type of fat: palm, canola, and olive oil
Spread/flavor: This was a delicious cookie with minimal spread. (I define minimal spread as - I can't tell if it spread a tiny bit or if the dough shifted as I moved it to the baking sheet.) It was soft and chewy with an identical crumb and mouthfeel to the original cookie.
Earth Balance Buttery Sticks
Fat grams per serving: 11 grams (14%)
Type of fat: palm, canola, soybean, flax, and olive oil
Spread/flavor: This was another great tasting cookie. It was soft and chewy with minimal spread. Crumb and mouthfeel is identical to the original. The color of the baked cookie was slightly darker than the original.
Smart Balance
Fat grams per serving: 9 grams (12%)
Type of fat: palm, canola, and olive oil
Spread/flavor: This cookie was soft and light tasting. It spread more than 1/4" all around.
Simple Truth Organic
Fat grams per serving: 7 grams (9%)
Type of fat: coconut and sunflower oil
Spread/flavor: This "butter" tasted amazing and I had very high hopes for it! When creaming it with the sugar, everything turned to soup. I kept going and it ultimately baked a soft, light colored cookie with a really mellow flavor. Unfortunately though, it was also quite dry. Skip the cookies and save it for toast!
Califia Farms Pressed Olive Oil
Fat grams per serving: 10g (13%)
Type of fat: coconut, olive, and sunflower oils; cashews; and tiger nuts
Spread/flavor: The cookies were more tan than golden. The cookies were firm with a close textured crumb and a crisp exterior. There was an almost nutty flavor to the cookies. I saw minimal spread with this butter as well. The cookies quickly became hard and lost all softness within 2-3 days.
Crisco Butter Sticks
Fat grams per serving: 12 grams (15%)
Type of fat: soybean and palm oil
Spread/flavor: The cookies had a yellowish tint and a buttery scent. They had minimal spread. Unfortunately, they had a fairly bland flavor and a greasy feel both while handling the cookie, and while eating it.
And the very best non-dairy vegan butter for baking roll out sugar cookies is...
I actually have two favorites. Don't hate me.
My favorites are Earth Balance Buttery Sticks and Country Crock Plant Butter. They both made excellent, easy to handle dough. They didn't spread...even without chilling. They baked up into soft and chewy cookies that tasted nearly indistinguishable from cookies made with real butter. If I HAD TO choose... I think that Earth Balance Buttery Sticks would nudge ahead slightly because those cookies stayed softer 3-4 days longer than the cookies made with Country Crock Plant Butter.
I don't think it's a coincidence that the two best non-dairy vegan butters were both sold in stick form. Maybe it is... but if you don't have either of those brands available where you live, I would recommend choosing a non-dairy butter that is sold in stick form to start your experimental baking!
NOTE: I used the Vanilla 2.0 recipe to test these butters. The Vanilla 2.0 recipe has brown sugar in it...and results in a sugar cookie that has more color than a traditional, all white sugar cookie. All of these cookies were mixed and baked on the same day.
NEED MORE???
You can find my soft and chewy Vanilla 2.0 sugar cookie recipe with brown sugar here.
Or try my incredibly delicious no-chill and no-spread CHOCOLATE sugar cookie recipe here!
Learn how to make and bake the perfect sugar cookie here.
