Miso butter is a tasty Japanese spread for seasoning, marinating and dipping. Follow this simple recipe for vegan miso butter to add umami flavor to your vegetables and plant-based dishes.
What is Miso Butter?
Miso butter is a Japanese compound butter used for seasoning. Miso butter is packed full of flavor and is traditionally made by combining unsalted butter with miso paste.
There are three kinds of miso paste, all of which can be used to make delicious miso butter:
- White miso: Made using fermented soybeans and rice, white miso paste has a mild flavor to it. White miso can be combined with other condiments or used in salad dressings.
- Yellow miso: Made using fermented soybeans and brown rice or barley, yellow miso paste has an earthy flavor and is classically used in soups and marinades.
- Red miso: Made using a larger amount of fermented soybeans and brown rice or barley, over a longer period of time, red soy paste has a strong umami flavor. Red miso is best used as a glaze for meats, fish and vegetables.
How to Make Miso Butter Vegan
Miso butter can be made vegan. Traditionally, it is made by combining unsalted butter with miso paste. However, dairy-butter alternatives that are suitable for vegans exist and can be substituted for butter to make vegan miso butter.
Butter is made from the dairy milk of cows, so it is definitely not vegan. Thankfully, margarine is a vegan alternative to butter, made from vegetable oil, that is suitable for vegans. Margarine is typically made of water and vegetable oils, like soybean, palm, olive or canola.
That said, there are some margarine brands out there that use milk, lactose or casein in their margarine, all of which are animal-based ingredients. These kinds of margarine are therefore not considered vegan. When buying margarine, check the ingredients list to make sure it is 100 percent plant-based.
Easy Vegan Miso Butter Recipe
Vegan miso butter could not be easier and quicker to make. Follow this easy vegan miso butter recipe for delicious homemade miso butter that is totally plant-based.
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp. room temperature vegan margarine
- 2 tbsp. miso paste of your choosing
Instructions:
Cream together the room-temperature margarine and the miso paste using a fork until fully combined and smooth.
How to Store Miso Butter
Once you have made your own vegan miso butter, you have a few storage options. Vegan miso butter can be used immediately after making it, stored in the refrigerator or frozen.
Vegan miso butter can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Store your homemade vegan miso butter in an airtight container or a butter dish with a cover and place it in the fridge. You can use the miso butter directly from the fridge for all your Japanese seasoning needs.
Storing miso butter in the freezer is also possible and really worthwhile if you know you will not use the whole spread within a few weeks. Simply store your homemade vegan miso butter in an airtight container and place it in the freezer. Remove from the freezer some hours before you intend to use it to allow for the butter to thaw naturally.
How to Use Miso Butter
Miso butter is traditionally used as a spread over fish, meat or vegetable dishes, or as a condiment very similar to soy sauce in which it can be heated and used as a liquid sauce for dipping or making marinades.
Vegan miso butter can be used for multiple different tasty dishes. Marinade aubergines in the butter and roast them for a deliciously glazed aubergine dish, or melt the butter down and drizzle it over green beans or radishes to add an umami punch to veggies. Or simply add to a warming ramen broth or combine with another condiment for spreading.
Read more:
- Homemade Ramen Broth: Vegan & Healthy
- Vegan Fish Sauce: The No-Fish Sauce You Can Make at Home
- Is Soy Sauce Bad For You? Not If You Follow These 5 Rules
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