People seem to be still be going crazy for coconut butter. For good reason though. It’s delicious and healthy but also comes with a hefty price tag. That’s why it seems bizarre to me that so many still choose to buy it, when you can make your own for less than half the price.
Before I show you how to make coconut butter, let’s go over some coconut butter faq’s for all those coconut butter newbies.
1.) Is coconut butter and coconut oil the same thing?
No, No, No. Peanut butter and peanut oil aren’t the same thing, right? The same goes for coconut butter and oil. Coconut oil is made up of all fat while coconut butter also contains coconut meat. This gives coconut butter a nutritional edge over coconut oil because it also contains some fiber and protein.
Like peanut butter, coconut butter is delicious spread on toast and added in place of butter in dessert recipes. Coconut oil on the other hand is great for cooking.
2.) Can I eat coconut butter all day long? It’s healthy, right?
Well…Sure, coconut butter is healthy. However, let’s remember that it is a healthy fat. 1 tablespoons still has 100 calories so I wouldn’t swap my dinner for a cup of coconut butter and think that my body will thank me. That being said, coconut butter is far more than just it’s calorie content. It’s actually supposed to aid in weight loss by metabolizing the fat effectively into energy and not storing it as body fat. To see an insane amount of health benefits for coconut butter and oil, check this out!
3.) What does coconut butter look like?
The consistency of coconut butter will depend on the temperature. It can be anywhere from thin and runny to “hard as a rock” solid. There is no need to keep coconut butter in the fridge. However if it’s really hot out and you prefer a harder coconut butter then pop it in there. On the other hand, if it is so hard that it’s preventing you from eating it, then heat the coconut butter in the microwave for a few seconds or in a water bath.
4.) What can I use Coconut Butter for?
My favorite way to use coconut butter is to spread it on toast or just eat a spoonful of it here and there. Careful, it’s really addicting! You can also use it in baking. It tastes delicious in cookies or vegan fudge. When coconut butter is in its liquid form, you can drizzle it over ice cream, granola, fruit, or cereal.
5.) How do I make coconut butter?
This is the real reason you are here, right? I’ve called a lot of my recipes “easy” but this one is the easiest, though I can’t really call it a recipe :D
Start by placing shredded and unsweetened coconut in a food processor and pulse. PS: This might work with sweetened but I haven’t tried it and not sure if I would like that sugary taste.
After the first few minutes the shredded coconut will start clumping together (as seen above), keep pulsing…
Several minutes later, you’ll see it turning into a smooth paste. You’ll have to scrape the side down several times at this stage. If you’re food processor starts heating up, give it a break. The coconut won’t go bad if you let it sit in the food processor for 5 minutes or 20 or an hour. Better to do this slowly than ending up with a broken food processor.
Just when you think that there is no way this will turn into coconut butter, it becomes nice an smooth. Due to the heat from your food processor, you will have coconut butter in a nearly liquid form. This actually makes it easy to pour out of the food processor and into your container. Pop it in the fridge to firm it up or drizzle it right away over your favorite vegan ice cream :)
I like my coconut butter best when it has a frosting consistency. Now that it’s colder my coconut butter is almost always hard. So I heat it in a water bath and then whip it with a food processor. It looks nicer and then you can spread it smoothly on anything and everything.
How to make Coconut Butter
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded and unsweetened full fat Coconut
Instructions
Please note that you this DOES NOT work with fresh coconut! Use only unsweetened, dehydrated shredded coconut or coconut flakes.
- Pulse shredded coconut in food processor for 10 minutes until smooth. Scrape down sides when needed and pause occasionally to prevent food processor from overheating.
- Store coconut butter in an air tight container.
Not sure which kind of shredded coconut to use? Bob’s Red Mill Shredded Coconut works wonders!
Now that you’ve made coconut butter, use it! I love using it for these Cranberry Nut Butter Cookies! So good :)
What is your favorite recipe that uses coconut butter?
Hi, I live in coconut land of Indonesia. It’s always hot here like summer all year round. Would my coconut butter set? Another questin is I always freeze my leftover coconut otherwise they’ll go bad. Can I use my frozen coconut or do I need to toast them a bit to reduce the water content? If I use high power blender, how long does it take to get the coconut to turn into butter?
Thanks
Hi Ima, The coconut needs to be dehydrated first before turning it into coconut butter. You can do that my toasting them at very low temperature in the oven for 6 hrs. Hope that helps you make Coconut Butter!!
WOW! Thank you for sharing. I will make is as soon as I can get the coconut 😊
Hi Vanessa, can you use fresh coconut meat to make the butter instead of dried shredded coconut. I am from the Caribbean so its really easy to get a couple of dry coconuts and split them open for the meat.
Hi Anand,
In order to make coconut butter you will need to use dehydrated coconut. Using fresh coconut meat has too much liquid and won’t turn out the way it should. You can shred your fresh coconut meat and then bake it at a low temperature in the oven for roughly 4 -6 hrs. If you have a dehydrator that will work even better. Hope that helps ;)
thank you will definitely try it.
I have the same kind of coconut that you linked to, but it says it is dehydrated? And it seems rather dry. I’m confused because I am used to working with sweetened coconut which is definitely more moist. I put it in water to “fluff” it up like it said on the bag, but it never worked. Just stayed shredded and never came together. Do you do anything to your coconut before you put it in the food processor?
Hi Anna, Dehydrated Coconut is exactly what you want to use to make coconut butter. Don’t add any water to it. It just takes some time for it to come together. It really all depends on the power and speed of your food processor.
I am happy to read your article.
Thanks for share the article.
Thank you so much.
I don’t have a food processor, but I own a ninja blender and an immersion blender. Would either of these work?
Hi Jamie, I’ve never used a ninja blender before but I remember other readers telling me that they made coconut butter using it and it working out beautifully ;)
Thank you for the reply! If I were to buy a food processor, do you have a recommendation on a size/brand? I cook for myself and meal prep each week
I use a Kitchenaid 9 cup food processor right now. However, if you are cooking for yourself then I think a 7 cup food processor would work great for you!
Okay I’ve tried this before in my Vitamix which I make TONS of nut butters in with great results and it DID NOT work. My coconut would not turn into a butter consistency at all and I kept trying and trying and even added some oil to it to try to smooth it out…no luck. What gives? Did I use the wrong type of coconut flakes? I would LOVE to figure this out…
Hi Ashley, Sorry to hear about that. A vitamix should be able to handle making coconut butter without any issues. What kind of coconut flakes did you use?
I use this stuff: http://grocery.harristeeter.com/pd/Harris-Teeter/Unsweetened-Coconut-Flakes/7-oz/072036982674/
It needs to be noted in the first part of the recipe – in a very visible manner – that you cannot use fresh coconut for this. Like others here, I tried it and failed, wasting a significant amount of time and electricity trying to process fresh coconut. Not everyone reads the comments before they try the recipe. I will do something else with the coconut, but was very frustrated that this was not made clear in the recipe. It simply says to use coconut – not dried coconut.
Hi Sue, So sorry you had that experience. I falsely assumed that from the pictures and the shredded coconut I linked to that it would be assumed that dehydrated would be the only one. Thanks for pointing that out though. I’m make a note and changing that now.