I love coconut butter. You will notice that in many of my recipes, I use coconut butter instead of coconut oil. Why? Because it has a richer flavor and a better texture than coconut oil. But coconut butter is both expensive and hard for some people to find. The solution? Make your own. But be sure to read the comments at the end of the post. It is good, but it isn’t exactly like Artisana coconut butter
, my favorite.
I have seen a lot of posts on making your own coconut butter. I was pretty convinced that homemade coconut butter (made from dried coconut) could never be as good as the brand I like to use which is made from raw coconut. But this post, coconut butter, inspired me to try. I will walk you though the steps.
Homemade Coconut Butter
16 oz organic, unsweetened, dried coconut
Place dried coconut in food processor. I have a 12 cup processor. If yours is smaller, you can adjust and make two batches.
After 2 minutes
After 4 minutes
After 6 minutes. The oils are starting to release.
After 8 minutes it is looking pretty good.
After 10 minutes it is pretty liquid.
Pour it into a clean jar and let cool. Don’t worry, it isn’t hot, just slightly warm. As it cools it will harden.
Conclusion and Tips
I must admit, I was pretty impressed. It hardened (see first picture) after sitting at room temperature for a bit. It looked like coconut butter and it tasted pretty darn good. And I am very picky about the qualities of my ingredients. What I didn’t like was that it is grainy. Even after a turn in the high speed blender, I could never get the beautiful smooth consistency of the Artisana coconut butter I was comparing it to. But in a pinch, especially in recipes that the consistency would be covered up by other textures, it could work. And oh my, it is a fraction of the cost. My 16 ounces of dried coconut made over 2 cups. Probably the equivalent to a 10 ounce jar of the Artisana.
Note: My food processor is a 12 cup KitchenAid. It is a work horse. It didn’t even bat an eye at making this. But all food processors are different. Keep an eye on yours while running it this long.
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Hi
Would you use the coconut butter just like coconut oil??
Thanks
I have made this quite a few times. It could be your food processor or the coconut you were using.
I use it in quite a few dessert recipes. It has more flavor and richness. It would depend on the recipe as to if you could substitute it for plain coconut oil. Cheers!
I have never had coconut butter, so I cannot compare consistency. In my Hamilton Beach (hey- I am single so I have to do the housewife work as well!, it took about 5 minutes to get to liquid state, but was pretty grainy. I went an extra 5 minutes nad it got a lot less grainy- not completely, but barely noticeable. I am very grateful for your instructions- I read about some benefits of coconut butter this morning- now I can try it out with a lot less expense!
Thank you Kenny. Sometimes depending on the coconut, your equipment, etc. you need to alter the instructions a bit. Great job! Cheers!
Can’t wait to make this. Is the dried coconut the kind you buy in a bag like Bakers?
No…you don’t want to use Bakers. You want to find a dried, organic coconut. Check your coop or Whole Foods. It should be unsweetened.
This is one recipe I look forward to make and hoping it is tasty like coconut cream!
Hi there this looks fantastic! Just one question: Can I make this with fresh coconut?
Hi, Maria, It won’t work with fresh coconut. Cheers!
I tried Artisana coconut butter for the first time last week (had their Cacao Bliss awhile back + fell in love). Will definitely have to try making my own as well.
Michele
short girl, long island
Susan
I tried to make coconut oil with my Angel twin gear juicer. I bought Fresh shredded coconut from the local market, I live in Vietnam dried it in the dehydrator. put it through the machine it jammed after awhile, worried about breaking my machine I gave up on thT idea.
I got the idea from you tube but he used an omega single gear juicer. What little product I did get I was very happy with though. he also made coconut butter. I love this guy. The both of you are my kitchen gods.
CaiHong
Hi, Susan. I tried to make coconut butter with my Omega single gear juicer according to the video I saw on youtube. In the end everything seemed all right. I put the jar with coconut butter to the fridge and after four days I wanted to use it. However, it was totally sour. Could you tell me, please, if there are some special requirements for storage of coconut butter? Thank you in advance.
Since I don’t know anything about the video, instructions, ingredients, etc. I can not tell you what went wrong. This recipe lasts for weeks. Cheers!
Hi, Susan. The only ingredient is coconut meat from freshly opened coconut. Nothing more, nothing less. Could it be that the coconut was wrong? In my location is impossible to buy coconut butter so I am no able to compare how it should taste. However, after making it was all right (I guess). I would like to prepare it according to you recipe but I don’t have food processor, so I try this alternative with juicer. Thank you.
I’m curious as to why you say it won’t work with fresh coconut? If I had my heart set on using fresh coconut, what would I need to do? Is it a moisture thing?
Hi, Dan, This recipe only works with dry coconut. If you use fresh, you will get a coconut puree, not coconut butter. Cheers!
wondering if i could toast the coconut then make it butter for a different flavor?!
Because this is a raw site, I have not tried that. You are free to and report back but know that toasting is not the most nutritious way to consume. Cheers!
If you would like to use fresh coconut, what you need to do is process it to flakes, then dry it in a food dehydrator, and finally reprocess the dried coconut to achieve coconut butter. I’m going to try this using the dehusked coconut available at the Asian Market.
Thanks for this recipe it is great. I have been wondering how to make it. The step by step photos are very helpful.
How long will this last? I made some a few months ago and put in cabinet, went to use today & it smelled fine but there were these white circles on top. does this have to be stored in fridge?
Could I make this in a Vitamix instead of a food processor?
You probably could but I haven’t yet. You will have to experiment. Cheers!
This website is such an inspiration! I’ve tried making coconut butter using Magic Bullet with the flat blade. It takes not more than 2 minutes to turn about a cup of dried coconut into butter. Thanks for great idea!
I tried making this once in a blender and it failed. I’m sure it was just the lack of power. It looks so perfect here, it may be worth the investment in a new food processor (especially with the price of store bought)
Thanks so much for a great post!
thanks, just did a small amount in a mini blender a bit like a magic bullet (just a cheap $20 mimic) and worked a treat. Have never tried coconut butter as the local organic shop only sells the oil and said to use that. I am making Frosted B-raw-nies for the first time and wanted to stick as close to the recipe as possible and this looks and tastes great. I’m sure my reluctant hubby wont even know we are dairy and cane sugar free, let alone raw. Really happy with the coconut butter, thanks heaps, am sure I’ll use this often.
I made it using coconut from the fresh market. took a lot longer to get to liquid than 10 mins or so. maybe my old processor.
Hi Susan,
How do you store this? In the fridge?
Thank you,
Enjoy your day!
i want to try the SCD diet please give me some tips sincerely suzanne curran
my son is sick im trying to help him i have bad eyesight sincerely Suzanne Curran
I would suggest that you look for a SCD site. Cheers!
Hi Susan! I just tried this and have got to a point where the bottom layer is buttery (not quite liquid) but I’m getting a lot of coconut thrown up on the sides of the bowl by the blades. I only put about 3.5 cups of shredded coconut in and I have a 12-13 cup bowl: I’m guessing I’ve put in too little? Thanks for your help!
Just scrape down the sides and keep going. Cheers!
Kept trying but I can’t seem to progress past oily to liquid. I’ll try again with more coconut – determined to make it work
For the grainy issue has anyone tried straining it through a cheese cloth?
The grain is extremely fine. Plus, as this is a butter, it would be next to impossible to strain.
Hi Susan,
OMG , I am learning lots of tricks from you! I did not read all the above comments but wanted to ask, after your did the FP and ran it in a blender, did you use a Vita mix? just asking as thats what I have and would try. Thanks so much I picked up some coconut at the farmers market. I adore you! Thanks
I have only made this in the food processor, not the high-speed blender. You certainly can try but I would do it in smaller batches and make sure you scrape it down a lot. Cheers!
Anyone know of a brand that sells raw coconut flakes I can uses for this recipe??
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