Spooky vegan butter skulls (Easy Halloween appetizer)

Vegan Halloween sun-dried tomato, basil, and garlic butter in skull molds.

5 from 1 vote

Spooky vegan butter skulls (Easy Halloween appetizer)

Add some spooky flair to your bread board with these creepy vegan compound butter skulls. Serve with olive fougasse, sourdough, or any warm, crusty bread. With garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh basil, there's delicious flavor with every swipe.

For this recipe, I used a Makery brand silicone skull candy mold from Michael's, but you can find similar silicone molds at other craft stores or online.

Makes about 30 small vegan butter skulls

Prep Time10

Cook Time0

Total Time10

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Vegan

Keyword: butter spread, halloween appetizer, skull appetizer, vegan halloween food

Servings: people

Calories: 106kcal

Author: Cadry Nelson

Ingredients

8 to 8.8 ounces vegan butter* (about 2 sticks or one block), softened
2 to 3 Tablespoons julienne-sliced sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (Chop small if not using food processor)
2 heaping Tablespoons thinly-sliced basil (About 16 small to medium-sized leaves)
2 garlic cloves grated, pressed, or minced

Instructions

In a bowl or food processor, whip the softened vegan butter until creamy and smooth.
Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Then stir or pulse until evenly combined.
Use a spoon to transfer the compound butter into silicone skull molds (or the mold of your choice).**
Refrigerate until firm. Then remove them from the molds to serve (or refrigerate or freeze for later).
(To use all of the non-dairy butter, you'll be able to make multiple batches. So if you like, continue filling, refrigerating, and unmolding until all of the butter has been used. Or if you have more than one silicone mold, you can fill them all at once.)

Video

Notes

*I recommend using salted vegan butter. But if you prefer unsalted, add salt to taste. Violife and Miyoko’s are great options. Trader Joe’s dairy-free buttery spread (8.8 oz block) was used in the photos, but it has been discontinued.

If using a tub instead of sticks or a block, use a kitchen scale to measure 8 to 8.8 ounces.

**For clearly defined skulls, you can partially melt the blended compound butter in the microwave for just a few seconds. Don't overdo it. Be careful not to fully melt it into a liquid, because the oil can separate. (See the picture in the blog post for various results based on compound butter softness.)

Tip for softening vegan butter: Depending on your kitchen temperature, it can take 20–30 minutes or more for the butter to soften enough to whip easily. To speed things up, cut the butter into small cubes and let it sit at room temperature. Do not melt it in the microwave before blending in the sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and garlic.

Storage instructions: Store the butter skulls in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 to 7 days. They also freeze well for up to 3 months. Put them onto a baking sheet to freeze solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Or transfer to a freezer-safe container with parchment paper between layers.

Serving tip for parties: If you're serving these butter skulls as part of a bread board or charcuterie board, I recommend freezing them beforehand, so that they will soften slowly and keep their shape as guests arrive.

Nutrition