Homemade Coconut Butter
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 – Visual Instructions. Recipe Follows.
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.
Coconut Butter
MAKES 1 Cup
Coconut Butter
- 16 oz dried, non-sweetened flaked coconut
- Place coconut in food processor.
- Process until smooth. (See above photos)
Silvia wrote on August 26, 2013
Thanks for a great recipe.
Cathy wrote on August 14, 2013
Tropical Traditions brand coconut oil has a coconut cream concentrate. Are you familiar with this? Is coconut butter the same as coconut cream?
Steffanie Michelle wrote on July 16, 2013
I have coconut trees in my garden. I used all ways the raw coconut. Can I use raw coconut to make this butter?
And how can I make coconut milk?
Steffanie Michelle wrote on July 16, 2013
I have a lot of coconut tree at my home. Can I use the raw coconut to make this? and how can I make coconut milk?
Susan wrote on July 16, 2013
I have not tried it with raw coconut. I am not sure it would work. Also, there is a recipe for coconut milk. Just search coconut milk in the search box on the right. 🙂
Kiri wrote on April 6, 2013
Anyone know of a brand that sells raw coconut flakes I can uses for this recipe??
clarissa wrote on March 9, 2013
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
Susan wrote on March 9, 2013
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!
ursula wrote on March 5, 2013
For the grainy issue has anyone tried straining it through a cheese cloth?
Susan wrote on March 5, 2013
The grain is extremely fine. Plus, as this is a butter, it would be next to impossible to strain.
Sophie wrote on February 12, 2013
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 🙂
Sophie wrote on February 12, 2013
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!
Susan wrote on February 12, 2013
Just scrape down the sides and keep going. Cheers!