From its humble beginnings in France in the 19th century, margarine has always used the simplest ingredients to bring balanced and tasty treats to every family table. Ask how margarine is made and you will be surprised that it can be made with just five ingredients. These include natural vegetable oils, milk, lemon juice, egg yolk, and salt. And believe it or not, making margarine on a larger scale is no more complicated.

More on the essential ingredients of margarine

Before discovering how to make homemade margarine, let’s take a closer look at the main ingredients in margarine.

The first is a blend of nature’s best vegetable oils, such as soybean, sunflower, rapeseed, and palm or coconut oils. All of these oils contain essential fats that the body cannot produce, so they play an important role in anyone’s daily diet.

The second ingredient is water. Normally, water makes up one-fifth of regular margarine, but it could be more in low-fat or light spreads. The water content of margarines also differs from brand to brand.

Third are vitamins. In 1925, someone first had the brilliant idea to add even more goodness to margarine. Today you will find vitamins A and D in all good quality margarine containers. Vitamin A helps improve normal vision and healthy skin, while vitamin D strengthens bones and teeth.

Margarine is also made with emulsifiers and preservatives. And while the word ’emulsifier’ may sound a bit scary, it’s actually a very friendly thing to do. Lecithin is a natural emulsifier found in foods like egg yolks. It is great for helping oil mix with water and keeps margarine smooth and spreadable day after day. To help your margarine stay fresh, citric acid or lemon juice is added to make each container last longer.

Last but not least, there is a little bit of salt. Salt has been used to preserve and enhance the flavor of food for thousands of years. But today, all good margarines have just enough salt to enhance the flavor.

Now is your turn

Making margarine at home is as easy as. And if you don’t believe us, here is a simple and carefully selected recipe that is also vegan.

You will need soy milk, vegetable oil, lemon juice, and a food processor. If that is! Start by putting the soy milk in the food processor and let it run for a minute on high. Then add the oil in a slow, steady flow while continuing to process the mixture until emulsified. This shouldn’t take more than two minutes. Next is the lemon juice and if you want to add other flavors like herbs or pepper, now is the time to do it. Blend your mixture well, turn off your food processor and enjoy.