This is a super easy tutorial this week you guys, literally One Step. One ingredient.
How-to Make Coconut Butter.
What is Coconut Butter?
Coconut butter is basically just ground up coconut meat that has been processed until it is smooth and creamy. The same idea as nuts being used to make nut butter. Though it isn’t quite as creamy as a store bought creamy peanut butter and the texture can vary.
What is the Difference Between Coconut Butter and Coconut Oil or Coconut Cream?
Coconut butter includes the meat of the coconut and coconut oil does not. Coconut oil is used more as typical oil is, when cooking or baking, where coconut butter is more of a spread or dip, it could also be used in baking as nut butters would be.
Additionally, coconut butter is different from coconut cream which contains water. Coconut cream involves cooking down as much as 4 parts coconut to 1 part water, then straining out the coconut. Coconut cream is also what is found at the top of a can of full fat coconut milk. Coconut cream contains less water then coconut milk but coconut butter contains no water at all and there is no straining involved, the meat is left in.
How-to Make Coconut Butter:
Start with a quality brand of unsweetened organic shredded dehydrated coconut. Unsweetened coconut flakes will also work. Not fresh, not low fat, not sweetened, not toasted. Just regular ‘ol unsweetened flaked or shredded coconut. Use somewhere between 2 cups and 4 cups of shredded coconut, depending on the size of your food processor or high speed processor blender. 4 cups of shredded coconut will make about 1 cup of coconut butter. I find in my 14-cup food processor, that using 3 or 4 cups of coconut works much better than just 2 cups.
Using a food processor, process for about 10-12 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, as needed (and to keep your processor from overheating). At 3 minutes it should be crumbly and pastey, at 6 minutes it will be smoother but still a bit pastey, at 9+ minutes it will be creamy, liquid and ready to go. It’s done when the desired consistency is reached.* THAT’S IT.
Don’t worry that it looks pretty liquid, it will solidify as it cools.
So yeh. Basically just process unsweetened organic shredded coconut until it’s a smooth and creamy butter. That’s it. Coconut butter has been made. One step.
I always add a pinch of sea salt and sometimes a few teaspoons of melted coconut oil, to make it extra creamy and rich, but neither are necessary.
Pour the coconut butter into a glass jar and let it cool to room temperature so it has a solid but spreadable consistency.
*Please note:
Depending on your food processor it may take upwards of 20 minutes.
If you are using a high speed blender such as a Vitamix or a BlendTec, it should only take about 3 to 5 minutes, maybe even less time.
Optional Add-ins:
- a pinch or two of sea salt
- coconut oil
- sweetener of your choice; raw sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc.
- nuts or nut butters
- vanilla bean or vanilla extract
- cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
- chocolate chips (after processing)
- spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
Storage:
Store in a glass jar, tightly covered at room temperature or if it is crazy hot out and your coconut butter is more runny, it can also be stored in the fridge to make it more spreadable. Coconut butter will solidify around 77ºF. So anything above that and it will start to liquify. It should keep several months, either in the fridge or the pantry.
How to Enjoy:
- By the spoonful with a few chocolate chips added on top (my fav)
- Added to smoothies
- Blend it into coffee
- Spread on toast, waffles, pancakes, muffins
- Drizzle on fruit
- Add to roasted vegetables or curries
- Use as a frosting
Recipes for Your Homemade Coconut Butter:
- Mandarin Chocolate Truffles from Against All Grain
- Seven Layer Bars from Against All Grain
- Paleo White Chocolate Pie from The Spunky Coconut
- Coconut Almond Butter Dessert Bites from Running to the Kitchen
- Lemon Lime Coconut Candy Recipe from Delicious Obsessions
- Apple Pie Bites from Delicious Obsessions
- Flourless Peppermint Brownies from Savory Lotus
- No Bake Chocolate Fudge from A Girl Worth Saving
- Rose and Coconut Fudge from My Heart Beets
- Dark Chocolate Orange Fudge from Pure and Simple Nourishment
- Chocolate Raspberry “Ice Cream” from Pure and Simple Nourishment
55 Responses
Great tutorial! I’ve never had coconut butter, but it seems easy enough so I ought to try it!
Thanks so much!! It is soo insanely easy and sooo tasty!
Yummy! Thank you! How long will this stay fresh in the refrigerator?
It will keep for several months, in the fridge or in the pantry. Unless it is insanely hot, I recommend storing it at room temperature.
Th’tas going to make things a lot easier from here on out.
Thanks so much for including my recipe Beth! I need to try to make this at home but I need to buy a different jar for my blender. Gah!
You are so welcome. It’s a yummy one. Making this at home has changed the game for me. Sooo much cheaper.
I’m seriously making doe eyes at you right now. I LOVE coconut butter and hadn’t thought to try my hand at it at home. I assumed I would need to get a straight up coconut, hack away at it with a hammer and spend days hucking out the flesh. So psyched there’s an alternate method than the Robinson Caruso version!! 😉 xoxo
haha I am batting my lashes right back at you, girl 😉 It is seriously so insanely easy. No hacking necessary. Start making some coconut butter, lady!
Whoa!! I was just looking at maybe buying some coconut butter, I had no idea I could make it at home, and this tutorial makes it so easy!! I love the idea of using it as a frosting too, you are such a genius!!
Yeh don’t spend the money, soo expensive. Definitely try making your own. I think you will love it.
Yum! I have never had coconut butter before. What a great idea!
OMG it is sooo tasty!! Soo addictive, too 🙂
Heard of different varieties of butters, but not the coco butter…will try for sure as i love butter.
You will love it.
I wonder how this would be as a skin lotion or mask… 🙂
Probably insanely AMAZING and tasty too 😉
This looks so good I may have to bathe in it. Seems pretty easy to make, too!
Haha I am sure your skin would be oh so soft afterward, too 😉 And yes, so easy to make!
We love making coconut butter! My sister turned me onto it last month. My son likes it on his sunflower seed butter and honey sandwiches now for an added flavor.
Soo easy and so yummy right? I like how your son thinks, that sounds absolutely delicious!
love tutorials like these – can’t wait to make this, so much cheaper than buying at the store!
Thanks so much Amanda!! It is crazy how much cheaper this is and it’s just SO yummy.
Oh my God, girl, you have GOT to try toasting the coconut before”butterizing” (is that a word? If not, it should be). Not only does it taste AMAZING, but it cuts processing time by, at LEAST, half! I always keep a jar of both raw and toasted coconut butter on hand. Also, just like with roasted nuts, the result is smoother and creamier. I need to use ALL of my self restraint to keep from DRINKING this straight out of the jar. (I wish I could say I’ve never tried that. LOL)
Oh, and a note to your readers: To keep the butter entirely homgenized and stop the oil from separating and rising to the top as it hardens, while it cools I periodically stir the contents of the jar. Once or twice would be enough as long as the butter has started to firm up but not completely harden (that usually takes a few hours for my 16 oz jar — 2 bags worth of shredded coconut — in the cooler months). As we’re in the warmer months, the stirring may not be necessary since the coconut butter will be staying soft/liquid, but when room temp is much colder, I find it’s worth the effort.
Woah toasting it sounds amazing, I have to try this, thanks for the tip.
Thanks for the tips on stirring. Much appreciated.
I make coconut milk from shredded coconut. Would I be able to dehydrate the leftover pulp and use it to make coconut butter?
Amber, likely it will not work, since much of the fat will have been taken away in the milk. The pulp leftover would be void of much of the fat and other nutrients, so it probably wouldn’t be as creamy. But hey why not try and see what happens, right?
Thanks for the quick reply. I may try it since right I don’t know what to do with the pulp anyways. Thanks! 🙂
Hi! I make coconut flour with the leftover pulp. I got the recipe from wellness mama website, since i make coconut milk very often, and the same as you, didn’t know what to do with the left over pulp. I haven’t baked with it, but I do add it to my smoothies, oatmeal, chia pudding, anything that needs some extra coconut flavor. Is very simple, I just put it in the oven overnight ( oven off ) with the oven light on. It drys out during the night, the next day I strain it and put it in a bag or container in the fridge.
This looks amazing and I am going to try it. I really want to know how much I should eat? I mean does anyone know the calorie content of this and fat content? Is this good for me? I have high cholestrol and high blood pressure and have 50 pounds to lose. thanks for your feedback.
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Coconut butters so expensive to buy, but shredded coconut isn’t! Definitely going to try this!!!
Jada, I know that’s the best part about this. So much cheaper!!
I appreciate reading something healthy that is simple to read and work with.
Glad you enjoyed Michael
I put mine directly in the fridge after making it and….BAD MOVE. This morning upon going to use it (all excited I might add), it is hard as a rock! Not spreadable by any means 🙁 I’m going to thaw to room temp and leave it out permanently I think.
Cassi, yeh I would only recommend adding it to the fridge for a short time, if it is hella hot out and it just won’t solidify. I made this in 90ºF+ temps so I placed it in the fridge for an hour or two to set up, then stored it on the countertop the rest of the time and it was perfectly spreadable. I should add it that info above to be more clear. Sorry about that.
Thank you so much for this amazing tutorial!!! We’ve been going through jars of coconut butter– you’ve saved us so much money! It was oh, so easy to make in the Vitamix! I am making Father’s Day cinnamon rolls in the morning :). As I was processing 4 cups of coconut, I added a half cup of honey, a teaspoon vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt– it resulted in an amazing cinnamon roll icing! If only I can stop eating spoonfuls out of the jar! At this rate, our cinnamon rolls will be bare! Thank you so very much for all your hard work and keep those tutorials coming!!!
so… I like to think that I know what I am doing when it comes to cooking… especially when there is only one ingredient. But, when I tried this in my food processor, I could *not* get it to work. I tried taking out some, thinking that the bowl was just overfilled (I have a smaller processor), but, nothing! I was so looking forward to this… any guidance on what I should try? I have a ninja blender I could try… Or maybe it is the product (I’m just realizing now as I write this that I picked up the *reduced fat* shredded coconut…)?
Thanks for your help!
Hey Katy – bummer it isn’t working out for you, but I think you answered your own question. The reduced fat coconut would be the reason why this isn’t working. The fat is what makes coconut butter creamy, thick and rich. In an effort to save it, maybe you can try adding some coconut oil, if you have some??
I’m currently making this right now, and unfortunately an hour later my coconut is still looking like it’s at 6 minutes. A little disappointed :/
Hmm ok let’s figure this out, that should definitely not be happening. Are you using full fat unsweeted coconut? Is it dehydrated? If it is reduced fat, it will absolutely not work. Additionally, I am not sure if it is toasted if it would work. Are you using a food processor or a blender?
Please let me know what exactly you are using and if you changed anything else, and I will do my best to help you.
Hello! Thanks for the easy instructions for making coconut butter. I’ve never had it, but wanted to try your recipe. My food processor/blender keeps getting really hot, so I have to keep stopping the blending. It’s starting to look creamier, but it seems to be taking forever. Any suggestions?
Thank you for this. I always wanted to try some but it is expensive to buy. I figured I would be one that had to wait 20 minutes for this to make because I have an antique of a cuisinart but it took less than 5 minutes! I laughed because it was so fast and easy and I waited too long to try it.
Just for those who have not done this yet, here is some info: I bought wide chip coconut unsulfured at $3. 99 a lb. I bought .57 of a lb. it cost me $2. 27. It made over 1 cup of coconut butter, perhaps 1 and 1/3 c. The least expensive I saw on Amazon was over $10!
I tried this but it didn’t get smooth, it was gritty. Now I am not known for my patience, and may or may not have quit too soon. If I keep blending, will it get creamy and not gritty?
Yeh, keep the party going and it will get smoother. Coconut butter will a lot of times have just a little hint meaty grit to it from the coconut meat, but it should be mostly creamy.
I like the smell and flavor of coconut but hate the texture of shredded coconut. To me it’s like chewing hair. UGH! I have got to try this!!!
Epic Fail…First of all I couldn’t find organic unsweetened coconut so I tried the regular store bought sweetened and gave it a try. What I did was 6 minutes in a food processor only to find more finely chopped coconut. So I moved onto the Vita Mixer for about 2 minutes. This did change the consistency to coconut that stuck together. It got really hot and steam was coming out of the top so in fear of burning up the vita mixer I moved it back into the food processor. After another 10 minutes the processor turned itself off. I’m not sure if I burned it up or if it is just going to cool. Either way, I removed what was now playdough consistency. It’ll make a nice sugar scrub I suppose. I didn’t see any “butter” consistency. I did add some oil and a little sea salt as recommended thinking it needed a little liquid to help it along. I also did stop the machines to scrape down as recommended. So, my question is…Did I not wait long enough? Was it because it was the sweetened coconut? or Is this what the finished product is supposed to be? Not a total loss, I’ll moisturize my hair with it, scrub my skin with it, and maybe even do a little cooking with it…in the end there is still pieces of coconut within a little pasty too.
Hey there, so I have never made coconut butter with sweetened coconut myself, from what I know, it doesn’t work. So, I would say with 99% confidence that it is because you used sweetened coconut rather than unsweetened, as directed in this tutorial. Blenders and food processors heat up, this is just something that happens, likely this heat caused the sugar to melt and possibly seize up. I have made homemade coconut butter several times, both in the food processor and the blender and have never ever had this problem. I would say try it again with unsweetened coconut as recommended and you will likely have much better results. If you didn’t switch between two machines, I might suggest that your machine doesn’t have a powerful enough motor and that could possibly be a reason, but if you used both and had that problem, I don’t think that’s it. Glad you have some fun and creative ideas on ways you can use up the failed attempt 🙂
I just tried making this and believe I failed lol. I added a little coconut oil when it was almost liquidy. When it was very creamy/watery, as in pretty much done, I decided that was a good time to add the flavor. I added a pinch of salt, and honey. And then all of a sudden it turned very clumpy. I don’t know what happened, but it doesn’t spread right. It’s not smoothe and creamy anymore. 🙁
when i first saw this post i thought it was coconut butter for the body. i guess it could be with a few drops of lavander or rose. what do you think? would that work?
Does coconut butter have all the same health benefits as coconut oil?
I just made coconut butter! thank you so much! so easy and inexpensive! I added salt and coconut oil to 4 cups of shredded coconut, it came out a bit more than 1 cup, with the left over I added cocoa and vanilla stevia….wow! what a treat! I will add the plain coconut butter to my coffee!
Thank you!
I love this recipe madly!!
Does coconut butter work like coconut oil (for body cosmetics, hair, skin…)?
I wanna try this soon!!!
This was SO helpful! Coconut butter is so expensive and our littlest one is so
Iimited in what he can have