The One Type Of Vegan Butter You Shouldn't Use For Croissants

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There's no getting around it: Butter is one of the most important ingredients in homemade croissants. The oldest French recipes prioritized a good, high-quality butter, and the amount of fat in yours can make the difference between a croissant that's light, flaky, and delightful, and one that leaves you wanting more. But I have good news for vegans: You can still make vegan croissants. Using a non-dairy butter won't net you bad results, but it's still important to use the right kind, and to know what to avoid. When you're baking a vegan croissant, there's one type of butter you definitely want to swerve, and that's butter in tubs.

So, why avoid butter in tubs? Simply put, since that butter is made for spreading, it has all kinds of things you want to avoid when buying vegan butters specifically for baking. Whipped or spreadable butters often have air added to them to give that light and fluffy texture, but that makes measuring the correct amount practically impossible. A lot of tub butters also have extra water to make them even easier to spread, which will totally throw off your fat and oil ratios — a crucial component in baking your vegan croissants.

We have a whole article with great tips for baking with vegan butter, but let's tackle a few that are more relevant to your vegan croissant baking needs. First, go for a stick butter with at least 70% oil. This ensures you'll have enough fat for the lamination process your vegan croissants need to go through. It'll help the dough crisp up and get that nice flaky separation that's synonymous with a good croissant, rather than becoming glue-y or overly dense. Next, make sure you bring your butter's temperature up to about 60 degrees Fahrenheit before you use it. The butter shouldn't be melted, but should be warm enough to stretch with your dough without breaking into chunks.

If you can, experiment with a few different types of vegan butter. Miyoko's and VioLife, both available on Amazon, are popular options with the vegan baking crowd. With a high oil content and delicious, buttery flavors, you can't go wrong with either. Vegan butter substitutes can be pretty pricey, though, which is something to keep in mind before embarking on your croissant journey. Just know that it is possible to make great vegan croissants, and the trick is all in the butter.