5 Paleo Substitutes for Butter

Paleo diets call for avoidance of processed foods that do not follow natural processes. Commercial butter is typically 80% fat, the remaining 20% is a mix of water and milk solids, making it unsuitable for paleo diets.

However, butter is a key ingredient in countless dishes and recipes. So, what paleo-friendly food can work in place of butter?

Our 5 Paleo Substitutes for Butter

Made by churning milk and cream until it is thick and silky, butter is used in a range of dishes to add richness, thicken sauces and simply for fatness.

Here are our top 5 paleo substitutes for butter:

1) Ghee

The preferred fat used all over Indian cuisine, ghee is butter that has been clarified. Butter is simmered until the milk solids and fat are fully separated. Then the milk solids are removed, and the pure fat is left to solidify, forming a clear, pure slab of ghee.

Separating the milk solids means removing the lactose and casein from the butter, leaving paleo-friendly ghee.

The remaining ghee has a substantially higher fat content than butter, allowing for a creamier dish, perfect for soups, sauces, and pasta.

As butter is melted down to form ghee, its taste changes slightly. It takes on a more nutty, caramelised tone as the butter browns. The slight alteration will not change your dish too much but be cautious of this new flavour.

High Smoking Point
Ghee smokes at a much higher heat than other paleo butter substitutes due to its very high-fat content. This makes it the better choice for frying or sauteeing veggies.

2) Coconot Oil

Made by pressing coconut flesh, coconut oil not only has a whole bunch of health benefits but is also used widely as a paleo diet replacement for many food items.

Textually and structurally, coconut oil is the closest substitute to butter. Though it is undoubtedly healthier. Coconut oils with a high MCT content will, reportedly, speed up your metabolism and help aid inflammatory issues.

As for taste, coconut oil tends to be a neutral option that can be used to replace butter in any dish. Though it can have a slight coconut undertone – it’s not as strong as you’d expect!

Low-quality coconut oil will make for a poor butter substitute. Its additional chemicals hinder its butter-like performance, lowering its heat tolerance.

Choose Unbleached Coconut Oil
Bleaching chemicals are often used to whiten some coconut oils, making them unsuitable for a paleo diet.

Refined coconut oil will not have these extra, damaging chemicals. It will also taste more neutral, making it easier to incorporate into a range of dishes.

3) Applesauce

Despite its lower levels of fat compared to other substitutes on this list, applesauce does make a great paleo butter replacement.

Applesauce is extremely dense but not fatty. This makes it the perfect butter substitute for when you are trying to lose weight.

Better yet, its mild sweetness means that applesauce is better used in baking recipes. Applesauce functions the same as butter when used in muffins, cakes, and pastries, so you can enjoy a sweet treat while dieting.

Even unsweetened applesauce is still significantly sweeter than butter. To avoid making your baked goods too sickly, add less sugar. Other than its sweetness, applesauce tastes very similar to butter and lacks any distinct apple flavour.

Use in Moderation
Applesauce’s lack of fat means that tends to be a very moist food. This can cause your muffin or cake batter to develop an odd texture. Instead of adding more flour and ruining your bakes’ balance, use less applesauce.

4) Mashed Bananas

One of the best sources of potassium available, bananas are full of heart health benefits.

Though bananas are lacking in fat like in butter, their unique texture is different from butter but makes for a great stabiliser in baked goods. You will want to thoroughly mash your bananas before using them to avoid lumpy, overly thick batter.

Bananas do have a very different taste to butter but pair well with plenty of other popular baking ingredients such as dark chocolate, nuts, citrus fruits, and spices.

Use Riper Bananas
While any banana will act as a good butter substitute, riper bananas are more flavoursome. Though bananas are naturally sweeter than butter no matter how ripe.

Balance out overly sweet flavours with a little bit of salt of a bitter pairing such as lime.

5) Lard

Less commonly used in modern cooking, lard has been a kitchen staple for years and is paleo-friendly.

It is made using pig fat and is healthier than butter, contains more healthy fats than unhealthy fats. However, it does still have enough saturated fat to withstand high cooking points as well as butter, making it good for frying and sautéing.

With such a neutral pallet, even more so than butter, lard can be used in any recipe that requires butter.

Less is More
You will only need to use ¾ as much lard as you would butter in any given recipe. This is because butter is mixed with water which dilutes its cooking abilities where lard is undiluted.

Other Paleo Substitutes for Butter

There are some other variolations of regular butter available to buy. But they may be harder to find in your regular supermarket.

Still, if you want the full, unprocessed butter effect then here are a few other paleo substitutes:

  • Nut Butter – Essentially butter is made from nut-based milk, nut butter is only paleo-friendly if is it made using 100% ground nuts with no GMO nut products.
  • Grass-Fed Butter – Grass-fed butter is less processed. Some debate its validity as paleo-friendly, but if it uses pure fat and water with no extra ingredients, then it is safe to use.

Summary

Butter is too valuable an ingredient to dismiss when making paleo-friendly dishes, so you will need to substitute it.

Ghee is the best paleo substitute for butter, removing its processed milk solids. But commoner ingredients like coconut oil works too.