Last week on the Lunchbox Envy podcast, the theme was spreads. The hosts made disparaging comments about an Australian food product.

It inspired me to make whipped Vegemite[i] butter using products from Australia and New Zealand.

It was easy to make; it just took a few hours for the butter to soften enough to whip into a light, fluffy butter cream. I was surprised by how little Vegemite was needed to alter the colour and turn the whipped butter into a mousse-like, sweet, chocolate-coloured dessert. Instead, I had a light and fluffy bowl of umami goodness. In my mind, I thought it would be perfect to spread on steak.

Recipe

Whipped Vegemite butter

Ingredients

• Butter — 200 g
• Vegemite — 1 teaspoon

Equipment

• Hand-held mixer

Instructions

1. Allow the butter to get to room temperature.
2. Place the butter in a bowl and, with a hand-held mixer, whip it until light, fluffy, and well aerated.
3. Add the teaspoon of Vegemite and continue whipping the Vegemite butter.

Steak

Ingredients

• Grass-fed scotch fillet steak
• Red cabbage

Equipment

• Water bath
• Precision cooker
• Hooded barbecue grill
• Gas torch

Instructions

• Cook the steak in the water bath for 2 hours at 57 °C.
• Heat the hooded barbecue and plate the cabbage on the cast-iron flat-top.
• Sear the steak on the cast-iron flat-top on the barbecue.
• Serve the steak with the whipped Vegemite butter.

Dessert — A scone alternative

A sourdough hot cross bun with fruit is a great alternative to a scone. The cream was whipped pure-pouring Cream (300 mL), and the “jam” was Ginger Marmalade (365 g). Marmalade also featured on the “spreads” episode of the Lunchbox Envy podcast.

This is my version of a “Devonshire tea,” only it is a dessert.

Photographs

including previous meals with the whipped Vegemite butter.

Vegemite love

When I was in primary school, I used to eat Vegemite sandwiches every day for a year, and the following year I’d alternate with peanut paste sandwiches.

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[i] Vegemite is one of Australia’s most iconic flavours, born in the early 1920s when chemist Cyril Callister set out to create a local alternative to British Marmite. Developed in 1922 and first sold in 1923, it was originally called Pure Vegetable Extract before a naming competition produced the now‑famous “Vegemite.” Although it took time to win over Australian households, wartime shortages of imported goods helped it become a national staple, and it has remained deeply woven into Australian food culture ever since.

At its core, Vegemite is made from leftover brewer’s yeast extract—a by‑product of beer production—combined with vegetable extracts, salt, and malt extract. The yeast undergoes autolysis, a process that breaks down the cells and concentrates the savoury, umami‑rich liquid that gives Vegemite its signature flavour. This mixture is then blended into a thick, dark brown paste with a consistency similar to firm jelly. The exact vegetable extract blend remains a closely guarded secret, but the result is unmistakable: salty, slightly bitter, deeply savoury, and intensely aromatic.

Nutritionally, Vegemite is surprisingly dense for such a small serving. A teaspoon delivers around 1.3 grams of protein with minimal fat and carbohydrates, making it extremely low in calories. Its standout feature is its B‑vitamin content—thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), and folate (B9) are all present in significant amounts, with some versions also fortified with vitamins B6 and B12. These micronutrients support energy metabolism and overall wellbeing, which is part of why Vegemite was historically marketed as a health food. The only caution is its naturally high sodium content, though reduced‑salt varieties are now available.