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Coconut butter is healthy and easy to use, a wonderful staple to make often and to keep on hand. But it can be quite expensive to buy. This recipe is fast, easy and economical to make (about three times less expensive than buying it)! I provide both food processor and blender instructions below.
The culinary uses for coconut butter are multitudinous! ๐ My favorite way to use this ingredient is in Paleo or grain-free baked goods (like this one)! It can also be used to make raw energy balls, truffles, as a spread, in sauces and dips and so much more.
Plus, I love when I find a food that’s perfect for so many wellness diets: Paleo, AIP, GAPS, Keto, Whole30 and Vegan diets.
Coconut Butter in a food processor or high-speed blender
Food processor
To make Coconut Butter, you simply place shredded coconut into your work bowl with the metal blade insert. Turn the motor on and wait 5 to 10 minutes, depending on your food processor, and you will have “manna.” Very magical. My Cuisinart (this one) is super fast and super quiet; so it’s a quick and easy process that is also inexpensive.
5 cups finely shredded dried unsweetened coconut yields just a teeny bit more than the 1-1/2 cups butter. Five cups of unsweetened coconut is about 16 ounces.
You can literally walk away and let the food processor turn the solid to liquid.
High speed blender
Coconut butter can also be made in your high-powered blender. I’ve used both the BlendTec (this one) and the Vitamix (this one).
If using a blender, you may need to stop and start the motor a few times to scrape down the sides … and babysit the process a bit more. It works best to use your lowest power setting. And the tamper can be helpful. Once the shredded coconut begins to liquefy, the power can be increased from “1” to “3” and eventually to “6”. But the lower power settings are necessary in the beginning.
Having used all three appliances, food processor and two high-speed blenders, I do find the food processor to be slightly more efficient at the job. The motor is less taxed. But when we moved into our tiny house last year, I gave away all the appliances I didn’t use on a weekly basis. I got rid of my food processor because coconut butter (and pastry dough) were the only things I made in it often. So now I always make our coconut butter in our blender, and it certainly works fine.
You can also buy Nutiva Organic Coconut Manna here (it’s the best priced option for already made butter).
Healthy MCTs
I can’t write about this healthy condiment/ingredient without at least briefly mentioning its health benefits! Coconut butter is truly a super food.
Why? It’s packed full of medium-chain-triglycerides โ fatty acids that are small molecularly and therefore, easy to digest. Instead of being stored as fats, MCTs burn right up and become fuel, or energy, for our bodies. This process speeds up our metabolism! (Carbohydrates go through a similar process; the difference being that they produce an insulin spike.) MCTs go one step further: They help our bodies to burn fat for energy. MCTs are a great fat to assist healing and to boost the immune system.
The coconut oil in coconut butter also contains lauric acid, a compound that gets converted into monolaurin. I have purchased monolaurin alone for its pathogen killing properties. It is both powerfully anti-viral and antibacterial.
Suffice it to say, whole ground up coconut is a fabulous food, yielding energy and many wellness properties. Coconut butter is also delicious and satisfying, helping us to feel satiated, because nutritionally we are!
COCONUT BUTTER RECIPE
Equipment
- high-speed blender OR food processor
Ingredients
- 5 cups unsweetened coconut dried, about 16 ounces
Instructions
- Food Processor: Place unsweetened coconut into work bowl of food processor, with metal blade insert. Turn the motor on and wait 5 to 15 minutes, depending on your food processor. The butter is ready when it is runny and as smooth as possible.Blender: Place unsweetened coconut in blender. Put on lid, and start motor at lowest speed. Maintain lowest speed about 2 minutes, then increase speed gradually as it liquefies. Use tamper as necessary to keep coconut pieces processing until it moves on its own. After about 4 minutes and coconut is liquidy, increase speed to medium-high for an additional 2 minutes.
- Use a spatula to scrape butter into a jar with a lid. Store in the refrigerator. The butter will harden. To soften, place jar into larger bowl of hot water and stir occasionally; or place jar in warm oven for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Nutrition
Toasted Coconut Butter
If you warm your coconut butter in the oven, to soften it, and leave it in the oven too long, it will become Toasted Coconut Butter, which I discovered by accident! ๐ You can also make Toasted Coconut Butter on purpose, which turns out better ๐ by slowly toasting the dried coconut in a skillet before purรฉeing it. This condiment is a great alternative to nut butters and delicious to bake or cook with. Here are three photos of that process.
Have you cooked or baked with Coconut Butter before?
Here are some of my favorite recipes that use it:
- Double Chocolate Coconut Butter Cookies (GAPS + Paleo)
- Lemon Blueberry Coffeecake (AIP, nut-free, egg-free, dairy-free)
- Grasshopper Pie (Paleo, dairy-free)
- Chocolate-Peppermint Cupcakes (Keto, Paleo, GAPS, Gluten-free)
Renee D Kohley says
That is just too easy! My girls like coconut butter and raw honey sandwhiches – I think i’ll make them some this week!
traildawg says
You don’t mention it in your recipe/direction, but do you mean to say “dried” coconut (not fresh)?
Megan says
Yes, dried. ๐
Hanlie Coetser says
dried
Emily says
Thanks so much for including blender and food processor versions, I only have a blender. I love how easy this is to make, so much better than the store-bought coconut butter and cheaper too! The toasted version sounds yummy.
fitasamamabear33 says
Yum! Coconut butter can make so many things super tasty!
RR says
WOW! Thank you.
Raia Todd (@RaiasRecipes) says
I’ve sadly failed every time I’ve tried to make coconut butter. But I will try again! You’ve inspired me. Haha.
celticnonna says
Which is more economical, making it yourself, or buying it. I’ve bought coconut butter before, and depending on where you buy it, it can be expensive.
Kari says
Love this, and you’ve inspired me to start making my own coconut butter again! It’s pretty expensive where I live, but dried coconut is very cheap!
whatggmaate says
SOOO easy! I really need to try this at home. I love coconut butter, and it can get pricey when you buy it. Thanks for sharing this easy recipe!
Joni Gomes says
Omg SO EASY! I am definitely going to try this!
CHIHYU says
This is so fun! I’m going to make it, too!
annelawton says
ohhh I have to give this a try! It looks so easy to make.
meredith says
I have been wanting to experiment with coconut butter, thanks for this recipe! How long do you think this can keep in the fridge?
Megan says
Hi Meredith – ages! It hardens in the fridge, and I’ve never seen it go bad, for months. It’s dried coconut we’re using, so no water, so therefore almost no chance of spoilage I think. Maybe 6 month shelf life to be safe? If you know you want to keep it that long, I’d just let it cool before putting on the lid so there’s no steam, although I’ve never had an issue with that.
Linda says
Any idea why mine comes out “gritty”? I used my Vita mix.
Megan says
Hi Linda, you can run the motor for longer. But as I mention in the article/recipe, there is no way to get homemade coconut butter completely smooth. I suggest buying coconut butter if you need it completely smooth, or making it homemade if you don’t mind a little nubbiness.
Carol Little R.H. @studiobotanica says
HI — Can’t wait to try this. I also have a VitaMix so wondering re question above re ‘gritty’.
Is there another ‘idea’ re using VitaMix? YUM!
Megan says
Hi Carol, I would not say it’s gritty at all. I would say there is a little nubbiness that’s going to stay. I don’t mind it. For those who do, I suggest buying coconut butter. Also, make sure to run your motor long enough to get the butter pretty smooth and very liquidy.
Nicola says
Hi! I tried to make this in my Ninja blender and it just keeps pushing it to the sides and not emulsifying it further. Any tips or should I just keep it running? Thank you so much!
Megan says
The Ninja is one machine I haven’t used. But I can say that that is what happens first in the high powered blenders I use, before the coconut begins to liquify. So it’s just a matter of how the motor is doing … if it gets over-heated or not, running for that long.
Crystal says
WOW! I had so much leftover coconut, so I tried this. Thanks so much, this saves so much $. It was a little gritty, but I used it on corn on the cob with a little salt and that was fun for me!
Margaret Crowder says
Using my vita mixer and itโs not going well- I have a dry paste – certainly not liquid and I keep having to stop and scrape down the sides- I used organic unsweetened coconut- is very dry- should I have used the โdryโ Viatmix blender pitcher for this?
Megan says
Coconut butter can be made in either a blender or a food processor. In normal size blender jar or a 12 cup standard food processor (or 14 cup) the 5 cups of dried coconut (yes, unsweetened) purees in 8 to 15 minutes, or less (5 minutes), depending on the machine used. Occasional scraping down is the most that is needed, but a tamper can be helpful with some blender models. Make sure to start at a lower speed setting. Good luck. You need to get past that dry stage, and you’ll be fine just as long as you’re using 5 cups of coconut.
Saลกa says
Is it ok to mix it with cacao powder and stevia or erythritol? To make some sort of spread?
Megan says
Yes, Sasa, that would be amazing and delicious!
Edythe Monroe says
Can I use this to make coconut milk?
Megan says
To make coconut milk, yes, you could do that. You’d add water and blend; you’d just need to figure out what ratio of water to use to get the right creaminess of milk for your needs. Be sure to use warm water. ๐
Susan MacRae says
I have tried to make in the food processor and my vita mix. I canโt get it into liquid just paste.
Any ideas on what I can do today make it a liquid? Sue
Megan says
Hi Susan, probably you need to keep running the machine. It takes 8 to 15 minutes. Did you use the full 5 cups? This recipe works great in both machines. But you do need the full time and the full amount of shredded coconut.
Kari says
So I can take a glass container of store bought coconut butter and toast it??!!:):)
What temp and how long?
Should I put it in a different container?
Do you have any recipes using coconut butter and toasted?
I saw the few posted above. Iโve been looking for more and no luck.
Kindly
Kari
Megan says
Hi Kari, you can actually put a jar of store bought coconut butter in the oven on very low heat. Just check it and stir it often, so it browns evenly. It’s been a while since I did it accidentally, so I don’t remember how long it took. To protect the jar, I’d keep the oven temp to 225 degrees or lower. What kind of coconut butter recipes are you looking for? I actually have several of coconut butter baked goods on the blog, where it’s used in the batter in place of flour. Otherwise, you can also use toasted coconut butter wherever you’d use regular coconut butter OR nut butter in recipes.
Shawna says
Going to try this TODAY! Can coconut butter replace dairy butter in recipes?
Megan says
Hi Shawna, no. It is used instead as a baking ingredient, for example, to replace almond butter, or it can be used for making chocolates, in sauces, raw or Paleo desserts, no-bake treats etc. Coconut oil would be the butter sub.
Anita says
Hello, love your website, it’s so rich in information. I always find myself referring back to it. Thank you. I have a question. I’m currently insulin resistant, but it is going down with intermittent fasting and some major changes I made. Believe it or not, natural stevia extracts, allulose, and even natural monk fruit syrup spikes my insulin pretty high and fast. It also ruins my digestion. So it’s a bit frustrating for someone like me who would like a treat once in a while. I can’t even eat fruit, because it gives me fatty liver. I can get away with 1/2 a cup of wild strawberries from the back yard now and then, but more than that, nope. I thought of coconut manna, what do you think about that for someone like me? I love coconut, but not sure about manna for insulin. Thank you for all you do.
Megan says
Hi Anita, great questions, and thank you for your kind comments. So glad you asked. I don’t think that coconut manna would be a good choice, partially because it’s higher in copper and vitamin A, which throws off the balance in our bodies. I want to refer you to the article on low vitamin A and low copper in case you haven’t read it, and also to my doctor, Dr. Smith. I heartily and highly recommend you watch some of his free YouTube videos. See if you can find some with the insulin topic. I think you’ll be amazed and excited about his insights and the potential for healing, beyond what you’ve already accomplished. ๐ Best!! https://eatbeautiful.net/vitamin-a-detox-diet-free-printable-food-lists-avoid-eat-toxicity/ and https://nutritiondetective.com/ and https://www.youtube.com/@NutritionDetective
Anita says
Megan thank you so much, you are so kind. I will check out your Doctor and these links to his channel. Thank you for your feedback. Any little golden nuggets that can help, I am all ears. ๐ Thank you again!
Megan says
Great, Anita!! My pleasure, and best wishes in your next steps and onward! ๐