Corn butter is a plant-based sensation, and with good reason: It’s a sweet and creamy easy-to-make vegan alternative to butter that isn’t overly processed or high in fat. Agar powder, a seaweed-derived alternative to gelatin, helps to bind the ingredients while keeping things light. Look for agar powder in the baking aisle next to jello ingredients or at Asian markets.
Ingredients
- 6 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- ½ teaspoon agar powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine corn kernels with ½ cup water in a blender. Blend for a few minutes to achieve a very creamy texture.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the corn into a medium saucepan. Add nutritional yeast, agar powder, salt, and garlic; bring to a simmer on medium heat stirring constantly. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring frequently until the mixture thickens. (If the mixture gets lumpy, you may need to smooth it again in the blender.)
- Pour into a container with a lid and let cool for 10 minutes. Then cover container and chill in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes to set. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Nutritional Information:
Per serving (¼ cup), 134 calories, 28 g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 2.2 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 112 mg sodium, 3.6 g fiber, 9.1 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Has anyone tried freezing this? I wonder how it thaws…runny, or does it retain its consistency?
I tried it to reduce cholesterol in my diet and it tastes great 👍
I haven’t found non-GMO frozen corn yet, all I can find is canned. Will that make corn butter?
Love it! I omit the salt, as it is one of the worst things you can put in your body. I make half the recipe and still have plenty leftover, so I put the remainder in ice cube trays and freeze it.
Good enough
too much waste. i made some but couldn’t use it within a week. It molds. Even a half recipe is too much for one oerson
This was such a disappointment. I think the addition of nutritional yeast ruined it. It completely wiped out the bright corn flavor. I may try again with no nutritional yeast and possibly no garlic and see how that works. My husband and I used about 4 tablespoons and binned the rest. 🙁
Just as an FYI— I did freeze the corn butter and when thawed, it was fine
The flavor is wonderful. However, 6 cups of corn makes way too much for two people. I’m looking for suggestions of how to use up this corn butter, as I hate wasting food.
Can this be frozen?
I blended in a Vitamix for 45 seconds for a very creamy texture. I then spent about 20 minutes trying to get it through a strainer. There was no “liquid,” but i ended up with about 1 1/2 in the pot and threw away the rest. The texture of the final product reminded me of bear mush. Labor intensive and wasteful. I won’t be making it again. Two stars because flavor is good.
Can this be frozen?
Hi Susan,
Chef Darshana provided the following response: “I have not tried freezing it but I would say no when the corn used was frozen to begin with. You would not want to thaw frozen corn and then freeze it again. If you use fresh corn, once the butter is frozen, it will need to be thawed, warmed and blended again in a pan, because upon thawing the water will separate from the corn and just mixing together will make it clumpy.”
I hope this helps!
Thank you,
Courtney
Editor, Forks Over Knives
Can I use yellow turnips or yellow cauliflower as an alternative?
Can you freeze any excess?
I haven’t tried this but I will soon. Just wanted to say Darshana is my favorite recipe creator ever. Regardless of the originality or the idea, her recipes are always worth trying and usually very easy to follow, and delicious, too. Thanks Darshana!!
What does ‘strain the corn into a fine mesh sieve’ mean? Does that mean that you remove the water in the sink and then put the kernels in the saucepan? Are there other fake butters that are compatible with this diet regimen?
Louis, they mean ‘strain the corn [mixture] through a fine mesh sieve’. You retain the liquid and the sieve catches any bits that were not well-blended. Put the liquid in the saucepan and the bits in the trash.
I have been whole-food plant-based for c. 4 years to by no means an expert, but all the other fake butters I have heard about are store-bought and highly-processed.
brandnewvegan has a good corn butter recipe on his site as well that does not require straining and is slightly better-rated than this one.
Love to know if someone has put the butter in the freezer. If, yes how was it after it thawed out. Thank you
Love to know if anyone has put the butter in the freezer. If , yes how was it after it thawed out. Thank you
I have frozen this but the corn butter I made was a mix of this and Brand Vegan recipe. The texture Isn’t great when defrosted but it’s fine after reheating.
Don’t expect “butter” but a wonderful spread! I’m lazy and not so fussy about having a little fiber in my spread so I just pureed a can of corn with some of it’s liquid a, spoonful of soy yogurt, the nutritional yeast and a bit of miso. When it was smooth enough I added about 1/2 tsp or so of konjac powder and blended again, let is sit for a few to thicken, done!(https://www.foodingredientsonline.com/doc/konjac-flour-glucomannan-0001) .
Konjac is a very versatile, flavorless, healthy, low calorie starch that has amazing thickening properties in cold liquids, so no cooking required. Also great for salad dressing, sauces, and on and on! (If you add it to hot liquids be sure to dissolve in cold water first or it will instantly clump into a solid mass!)
Anyone ever add fruit to this recipe for a different flavor?
Can you freeze this recipe?
If you can’t find agar agar, I made a very similar recipe I found on line. It was “easy vegan polenta butter” using polenta rather than corn, so there was no waste and no need for thickeners. It was a vegan recipe, free from dairy, oil, nuts and gluten. I found it at
https://eatlivebnspired.com/easy-vegan-polenta-butter-oil-free-nut-free-dairy-free-gluten-free/
This is very similar to something I often make to dress up veg or baked potato. Only mine is much simpler. I drain a can of salt free or low sodium corn, add Benson’s Table Tasty to taste and a tsp of lemon juice then blend in high-speed blender. A lot easier and still good.
I made this and it tasted good, but doesn’t taste anything like butter. It tastes like corn. Now, corn is delicious, and I did eat all of it. But it was a lot of work, and I had to throw away the solids. I’d rather just eat corn.
Will tapioca powder work?
I can’t get agar powder locally. Is there a substitute?
You can check this website for substitutes and their possible outcomes. https://substitutecooking.com/agar-agar-substitutes/
Can this be frozen and then thawed for later use?
Can you freeze this?
I didn’t strain mine though. And I used psyllium hulls to thicken instead of agar.
6 cups seems like a lot of corn. I just used a 12 oz bag of frozen corn.
It’s plenty.
Can I use canned corn?
Yes, you can. Rinse and drain well before use.
Could corn starch be used as a thickener in place of the agar powder?
Yes, you can use corn starch, but you may find the texture too dense for butter.