Home Diet Preference Gluten-Free How to Make Coconut Butter

How to Make Coconut Butter

By Brittany Mullins

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Published May 08, 2017, Updated Sep 03, 2021

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GFGluten-FreeDFDairy FreeVVeganVGVegetarianPPaleoLCLow Carb

Learn how to make coconut butter at home in your blender or food processor! Once you figure out how easy, inexpensive and delicious it is you’re going to want to spread coconut butter on everything.

Ohh coconut butter! This delicious spread made from coconut meat. You’re likely familiar with peanut butter and coconut butter is basically the same sort of thing, just made with coconut instead of peanuts. You can enjoy it the same way you’d enjoy any nut butter: as a spread for bread, as a dip for your favorite fruit, in smoothies, protein balls or simply by the spoonful.

I was first introduced to coconut butter a few years ago when I stumbled upon a raw dessert recipe that called for it. I searched my local grocery stores without much success and ultimately just ended up figuring out how to make my own coconut butter at home.

Now you can find coconut butter at almost any natural grocery store (or order it online). That said, one jar can set you back around $15 so making your own is an easy and inexpensive alternative.

Coconut Butter vs. Coconut Oil

Before we get started with how to make coconut butter I just want to point out that there is a BIG difference between coconut butter and coconut oil and they’re used for different things.

Coconut butter is made by grinding dried coconut meat into a paste. So a jar of coconut butter is the pureed meat but it has some coconut oil in there too — just like almond butter has a little almond oil in it.

Coconut oil on the other hand is JUST the oil that’s been extracted from the coconut meat.

When you think of it like almond butter and almond oil or tahini and sesame seed oil it makes a ton of sense!

How to Make Coconut Butter

Making coconut butter couldn’t be easier. All you need is a bag of dried shredded coconut or coconut flakes and a food processor or blender.

Place coconut shreds or flakes in a food processor or high powdered blender and process until a smooth, runny butter forms.

It takes about 15 minutes in a food processor and about 2 minutes in high powered blender. (I’ve found that my Vitamix works best for this.) You may need to scrape the sides of your food processor or blender mid-way through the processing, but that’s it. The process is so simple!

How to Soften/Melt Coconut Butter

Like coconut oil, coconut butter is solid at room temperature so in order to use it as a spread or drizzle you have to warm it up. I like using the water bath method — placing the sealed jar in hot water for 5-10 minutes until it’s melted and you’re able to stir it. If you’re in a rush the microwave also works.

Once melted, you can use coconut butter to replace cream, cream cheese and butter or blend it into smoothies, sauces, dressings, desserts and baked goods. I’ll do a roundup post soon with lots of coconut butter ideas. For now, let’s make some!

Recipes That Use Coconut Butter:

• Coconut Butter Cups
• Coconut Protein Balls

More Coconut Recipes:

• Coconut Flour Banana Bread
• Coconut Flour Cookies
• 4-Ingredient Almond Coconut Cookies
• Healthy Coconut Macaroons
• Sweetened Condensed Coconut Milk

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3.90 from 10 votes

Coconut Butter

By: Brittany Mullins

Making coconut butter at home is so easy and inexpensive! All you need is one ingredient (shredded coconut) and a food processor or blender.

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 16

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 4 cups unsweetened shredded or flaked coconut

Instructions 

• Place coconut shreds or flakes in a food processor or high powdered blender and process until a smooth, runny butter forms. It will take about 15 minutes in a food processor and about 2 minutes in high powered blender. (I’ve found that my Vitamix works best for this.) You may need to scrape the sides of your food processor or blender mid-way through the processing.

Notes

Store coconut butter in an airtight jar at room temperature. It’s shelf-stable and doesn’t need to be stored in the fridge. Depending on the temperature of your house the coconut butter will likely harden up so you’ll need to warm it up before using. The water bath method works great or you can scrape a chunk off the top and place it on something warm to melt (like pancakes, waffles or toasted bread) or simply pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Tablespoon | Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 6mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Sauces/Condiments

Cuisine: American

Keyword: coconut butter

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