How to Make Coconut Butter

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Using a spoon to grab a scoop of homemade coconut butter

Have you ever wanted to make your own coconut butter but didn’t know how? This is the recipe for you. Bonus? It requires just 1 bowl, 1 ingredient, and 10 minutes. Shall we?

Measuring cup and spoon of shredded coconut for making homemade coconut butter

The 1 ingredient is shredded unsweetened coconut. I find that using desiccated coconut (buying options included below) works best. But I speculate you could also use any unsweetened shredded coconut you can find.

The next important part is equipment! I highly recommend using a food processor as the design of blenders isn’t conducive to blending coconut butter. It tends to kick up the flakes and not allow them to blend, which is how it gets creamy.

So stick with a food processor for best results. Then, it’s just blend, blend, blend until you have creamy, delicious coconut butter on your hands!

Food processor filled with shredded coconut for making homemade coconut butter
Food processor with a batch of partially-made coconut butter

Coconut butter is:

Unsweetened
Wholesome
Creamy
Rich
Super coconutty
Delicious
& So easy to make

It’s perfect for snacking on straight out of the jar, but also pairs well with things like baked sweet potatoes, ice cream, smoothies, muffins, banana bread, waffles, pancakes, and more!

I’ve also used it in recipes to make delicious things like Vegan Fudge, Peanut Butter Fudge, Vegan White Chocolate Truffles, and Vegan White Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs!

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

Food processor filled with delicious homemade coconut butter

How to Make Coconut Butter

An easy 1-ingredient, 10-minute recipe for how to make coconut butter at home! No sweeteners or flavorings – just pure, creamy coconut butter! Perfect for topping desserts, baked sweet potatoes, or simply as a snack!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Food processor filled with our delicious homemade coconut butter recipe
4.34 from 106 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 16 (1-Tbsp servings)
Course Dessert, Sauce
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 2 Weeks

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups desiccated (or shredded) unsweetened coconut*
  • 1 pinch sea salt (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (optional)
  • 1 dash stevia (optional)

Instructions

  • Add lesser amount of shredded coconut (3 cups or 240 g as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size) into a food processor. If your food processor is larger than 7 or 8 cups, you may have to add the additional  shredded coconut (1 cup or 80 g as original recipe is written // or more // adjust if altering batch size) so there’s enough content to grind and churn into “butter.” In addition, we have tried using a blender and have to say it doesn’t work because the blender kicks the coconut up and doesn’t allow it to process. It’s also important that you have a good quality food processor. We recommend the 7 or 8 cup Cuisinart Prep. We’ve heard mixed reviews on the Ninja blender / processor being able to churn the coconut into “butter.” So for this reason, we highly recommend using the Cuisinart food processor, or a similar model.
  • Mix until a creamy butter forms – sometimes up to 10 minutes – scraping down sides as needed. Mine usually takes about 8-10 minutes, and I scrape down the sides 2-3 times to ensure the coconut is getting processed well.
  • Once it’s gone liquid and creamy, you can add things such as salt, vanilla extract, or stevia. But it doesn’t need anything at all in my experience! If you still don’t have coconut butter at this point, it’s likely you either a) didn’t add enough coconut flakes to the food processor ,or b) your food processor likely isn’t designed for this type of recipe or isn’t powerful enough. The main issue with making coconut butter tends to be an issue of equipment rather than method.
  • Store at room temperature up to 2 weeks (sometimes more). Depending on the temperature of your home, it will likely harden once cooled. To use, you can either heat it up in the microwave, or place in a shallow pot of very hot water and it will soften. Alternatively, if placing on hot food, scoop out and it should melt quite easily on the food.
  • I love putting coconut butter on things like baked sweet potatoes, bananas, muffins, waffles, pancakes, smoothies,ice cream, and oats, and especially just eating it straight from the jar!

Video

Notes

*I like Bob’s Red Mill brand shredded coconut, or just getting it from the bulk bin at Whole Foods.
*Recipe makes ~1 cup coconut butter.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with lesser amount of coconut and without optional add-ins.

Nutrition (1 of 16 servings)

Serving: 1 one-Tbsp servings Calories: 100 Carbohydrates: 4 g Protein: 1 g Fat: 10 g Saturated Fat: 9 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 5 mg Fiber: 2 g Sugar: 1 g

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    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Michelle, we think you’d also need to dehydrate it because otherwise the moisture content would cause it to spoil.

  1. Nonna Amy says

    I want to make vegan white chocolate that calls for coconut butter. While searching, came across your recipe for coconut butter. In the images it looks like it has chunks, which would not work well in a chocolate. It is creamy or does it have chunks? TIA

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Nonna, it doesn’t have chunks, but it also isn’t completely smooth and creamy. It should be creamy enough for vegan white chocolate. We have a vegan white chocolate truffle recipe here that’s made with homemade macadamia + coconut butter. Store-bought coconut butter is usually slightly more creamy, though a little grittiness is normal for all coconut butter. Hope that helps!

  2. Aaron Lee says

    1 hour blending with fresh unsweetened coconut. Bagged. Ninja Auto iq professional processor 9 cup. Still not liquidity. I used 4 bags unsweetened coconut.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so sorry it’s not working, Aaron! We aren’t familiar with that food processor and wonder if perhaps it doesn’t work well for coconut butter?

    • Holly says

      Same here, with the adjustment of using the Cuisinart noted in the recipe. It would seem implausible at best that two different food processors with the same ingredient wouldn’t be able to make this work. I’m at 30 minutes and still just flakes. :(

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Oh no! We’re sorry you had a negative experience with it, Holly. Confirming you used the full amount of coconut?

  3. Cath says

    Have you ever tried lightly toasting the coconut first? (After letting it cool of course.) I feel like it could taste amazing, the way brown butter amps up butter flavour, but don’t know if the toasting would negatively affect the finished product.

  4. BreAnn East says

    Way too many ads on the page. After every paragraph or image. Difficult to read the actual text recipe

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for your honest feedback and sorry for any inconvenience. We always try to optimize for user experience, while also having ads to keep the content free and high quality.

  5. Sarah says

    Hello! I am just trying to figure out how this homemade coconut butter can be low histamine since shredded coconut is high histamine? Thank you!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sarah, we’re not sure what you mean! We don’t label our recipes as low histamine, so perhaps someone else did?

  6. Catherine says

    Love the idea of making this. I’m tempted to use my magic bullet – have you tried this option? Do you recommend it, or is it best to use the food processor? (Which I do have, it’s just not as convenient).

    Thanks for the concept. It’s easier to keep shredded unsweetened coconut in the cupboard than search shops for pre-made coconut butter.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Catherine! For this recipe, we suggest using the food processor because of the bigger blade. We definitely agree though! Hope you enjoy. xo

  7. Anita Hegg says

    I just made this and I used my hand blender that came with an attachment similar to a food processor. It came out amazing!!! And it only took me about 6 mins for it to be ready. Excited to use it in a new cookie recipe I found. Thanks for sharing!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Amazing! We’re so glad it worked out well. Thank you for sharing your experience, Anita! xo

  8. Kathi S Peters says

    I have been processing for over an hour and it won’t turn to butter! What am I doing wrong? Can I add water?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kathi, sorry it’s giving you trouble! We wouldn’t recommend adding water, but you can try adding a little coconut oil! A couple reasons it could be giving you issues: 1) not using enough coconut (for the volume of the machine), or 2) if the machine isn’t powerful enough.

  9. Faye says

    I made ths with coconut flakes that I had had for a while so I ended up with coconut flour! Added a little melted coconut oil and voila, creamy coconut butter.
    I used a thermomix on speed 10 and then speed 3 to blend it together.

  10. Jennifer says

    Recipe works very well. And very tasty. I used a 2qt Cuisinart pro custom 11 food processor and used 10 ounce bag of unsweetened coconut flakes.

  11. Mary Kay says

    OK…followed directions to the T. The unsweetened coconut I had was too dry. Used a Cuisinart. After 8 minutes, added a little bit of unsalted butter and then a tablespoon of cream. Ended up with something workable.
    The organic dates were very hard. Even so, it was edible and tasty. Will trade out of other dates.

  12. Kit Jackson says

    Can you over process the coconut butter? And if so can you still use it as coconut butter or is it useless?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hm, we don’t think it can get over-processed, but not certain! We’ve just never had it happen.

      • Kit says

        I was just wondering because I made it the other day and it got thick but wasn’t sure what the consistency was supposed to be and then it went pretty liquidy fast

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          That sounds normal! It should be somewhat liquidy and pourable, but you can stop sooner if you prefer it thicker.

  13. Temptd2 says

    You have just made my day! Maybe month and year…. My husband LOVES coconut butter and we’ve been buying the very expensive stuff from Artisana. However, we live in the desert southwest which right now is on SUPERINCINERATE so didn’t want to chance ordering it for shipping. Ran across your recipe, drug out my 11 cup Cuisinart, added three slightly heaping cups of some sugarfree/nothing added coconut flakes I’ve had for quite a while, and VI-OLA! In just about 9 minutes I had beautiful COCONUT BUTTER! And it’s delicious. So thank you very much for posting this – we’ll be making our own from now on!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Melissa, We’re not sure what you mean! Perhaps you meant to comment on a different recipe that calls for coconut butter and you’d like to sub coconut cream? In general, we’d say they are quite different and wouldn’t work interchangeably, but it will depend on the recipe.

  14. Shelley says

    Can you keep the good processor going for 10 mins without overheating? I have a Bellini Supercook which is a cheaper version of a very well known German multicooker. What speed would I have to select to get the desired consistency? Thanks 😊

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Shelley, we aren’t familiar with that model, but if it seems like it’s getting too warm or if concerned, you can pause every few minutes and restart when it’s cooled down a bit (~5-10 minutes). Hope that helps!

  15. Jess says

    I just made this 2 minutes ago with 3 cups of unsweetened shredded coconut in my ninja blender. It worked out really well, except that it was a bit grainy. Probably because it’s homemade, not sure. But the added salt helped a lot. This could be a replacement of peanut butter according to my daughter (who isn’t a fan of coconut).

  16. Kaylee says

    I’m very surprised others had issues with this recipe. I did it in my food processor and it worked perfectly. Didn’t even take the full 10 minutes and it was amazing! Thanks so much for the great recipe.

  17. Kelly G. Aderholt says

    I’ve made it twice and can’t complain.First time I put it in the frig and t hardened. I made it for my oatmeal so when I carved out two tablespoons and added to the oatmeal it melted right in. Thanks for the instruction.

  18. Shonlyn says

    Yes, of course! I’m glad you asked because when I found the manual, it’s actually a Cuisinart Elite Collection 10-12 cup processor! That must be the issue. I did put the whole bag of coconut which was almost 5 cups and didn’t work. I’m gonna get two bags and try again with a lot more coconut! It’s 1,000 watts.

    • mike says

      Using a Cuisinart 14 cup processor and 6 cups of dried coconut but it has stayed solid is far? The coconut isn’t ‘fresh so maybe that’s the problem? I’m thinking of adding coconut oil or milk to get it started?

        • mike says

          I tried 2 Tb of oil but it didn’t change the consistency so I added a full can of coconut milk. That got it to blend into a thick paste….I’m tempted to add more liquid to smooth this out a little more and something to sweeten it.

        • mike says

          I put in 2 T of melted coconut oil in but it stayed solid. So I added 1 can of coconut milk which did the trick…ended up adding a 2cd can and some elderberry syrup. Put it into a chocolate pie crust, melted chocolate and sliced strawberries on top. Overnight in the fridge…Pretty good!
          I’ll try again with fresh packaged coconut sometime.

  19. Shonlyn says

    I have a Cuisinart food processor and this didn’t work at all for me. I put 4 cups as mine is an 8-10 cup processor. After 20 minutes I just have a hot processor motor and something like coconut powder. The only difference is that they didn’t have unsweetened coconut at the grocery store. Not sure if that’s the reason it didn’t work?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Shonlyn, We’re so sorry it didn’t work out for you! We wouldn’t think sweetened coconut would cause that issue, but it’s possible the sugar somehow interfered with the ability to break down the coconut. Would you mind sharing what model food processor you have and/or the watts? We’d like to look into whether the power of the machine could be contributing to some readers having issues with the recipe.

      • Shonlyn says

        I realized my processor has an attachment to make it into a smaller, 4 cup processor. I did that for about 20 minutes and still no luck. It must be the sweetened coconut. I’ve found some unsweetened and will try that!

        • Lee says

          Is it supposed to be slightly grainy? Or perfectly smooth like commercial peanut butter? Used a Cuisinart 7 cup, 10 minutes, and it came together as expected, but never having used this before I am not sure of the proper end result.

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

            Hi lee, It won’t be as smooth as commercial peanut butter. A slight graininess is normal!

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Sorry that happened, Laura! Would you mind sharing the type of food processor and amount of coconut you used?

  20. Maria says

    Hi I made this with my vitamix and let it go until it was liquidy and have been adding this to drinks but it’s coming out grainy when I drink it. Like I feel the coconut shreds
    I’m using the fine shreds.
    Any recommendations?

    Also tried in food processor. Same result

  21. Marilyn says

    I made this coconut butter because the day before I made some lime marmalade and I thought something coconutty would go very well with it on my rye crackers. After reading such mixed reviews about results, I wondered, will it or won’t it? I’m glad to say that it worked for me, and found it quite fascinating how such a dry ingredient by itself became so liquidy while processing. I guess it’s because the oils are released as the fibre breaks down. I have a Magimix Compact 3100. As the recipe states, it set quite solid overnight, similar to a block of creamed coconut, so I melted it in the microwave and mixed it into some gloopy natural peanut butter, so now I have coconut peanut butter which should be a more spreadable consistency. This was a very easy recipe and so much cheaper than buying it!

  22. Stephanie Waibel says

    I have coconut butter that I bought that is already called coconut butter how would this differ from the flaked coconut in your recipe and how would I alter it gor your almond joys?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Stephanie, the coconut butter you bought should be perfect as-is for using in the almond joys (we assume you mean the dates?). Hope this helps!

  23. Andrea says

    I don’t have a food processor but my Ninja came with a 7 cup dough bowl (maybe a food processor?) and single serving cups. I wanted to make 1/2 the recipe so I started with the single serving cups (2 C coconut). I Didn’t think it was working so I transferred coconut to the dough bowl and added 2 more cups coconut. After 10 minutes, scraping sides a few times the consistency was starting get stickier but not liquidy. I then transferred it back to the single serve cup and within a minute it was liquid! Next time I’ll stick with the single serve but add more coconut to begin with, see what happens ;-)
    As stated several times, the equipment used makes or breaks it here.

    • Bren says

      Used a Kitchenaid food processor with plenty of organic unsweetened shredded coconut. This recipe didn’t work. Nothing but grainy coconut. Nothing butter about it at all. Don’t even bother unless you want to burn out your machine.

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Sorry to hear that, Bren! It’s normal for coconut butter to have a slight graininess, but it shouldn’t be an unpleasant amount of graininess.

  24. Brenda says

    Super easy. Food processor was on for about 8 minutes. I kinda forgot about it since I have tiny humans. But I just scraped the sides and processed for another 2 min.

  25. Tracy Burr says

    I can’t find desiccated coconut in the Philippines. But I do have freshly grated flakes straight from the coconut that we just grated today! Can I still make this? Do I have to dry them first? I’m looking forward to making this!!!

  26. Stephanie says

    I made this with 500g of raw, flaked dried coconut. To my amazement it worked. Slightly grainy, but pourable and set hard in fridge. I have a magimix 5200xl, which bought as sick of motor burning out on previous machines. Previously I’ve tried sesame paste from black seeds, those little buggers were not going to make a paste, even after 30 mins, so pleased with this success, tastes very good.

  27. Kim says

    Ok, so it worked BUT it took me a total of TWO HOURS to get it to liquid consistency. I’d say blending time was about 1 hour but it took me 2 because I had to give my food processor 10 minutes between each blending marathon to cool off as I’d smell the machine starting to overheat.

    I used 3c of unsweetened organic shredded coconut from Thrive Market (doesn’t expire for another 5 months) and a 6 cup cuisinart food processor. Not sure why it took me 12x longer to get the results.

  28. Christina says

    Hi! My food processor was on the fritz so I used my vitamix and it worked perfectly in under 2 minutes on high speed! Now getting ready to make pumpkin fudge for a party with my fresh creamy coconut butter! Thanks for the recipe

  29. Kristin says

    I used the desiccated coconut-4 cups in my cuisinart processor and ran it for about 20 minutes (until the motor was quite hot). It got soft, but not creamy or liquidy as in the recipe. I gave up and added coconut cream and processed for another 5 min. after the motor had cooled. The result was a soft paste, but still not creamy. I’ll try using it like this and see how I like it.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kristin, we’re so sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you! What size is your food processor? We’re thinking it may have been too large for the volume of coconut. We recommend 4 cups coconut when using an 8-cup food processor. If yours is larger, you’ll need more coconut to get it to blend.

  30. Bonnie Ecker says

    I need to find an alternative to heavy cream for making homemade butter. Have you used coconut milk to make butter for use on things like toast and sandwiches?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Bonnie, we haven’t! There are vegan butter recipes on the internet though. We’ve tried a few and some have been pretty good!

  31. Tari says

    I can’t believe this is so easy. It did take 12 minutes in my 7 cup Cuisinart, but I ran it til it was really smooth.

  32. Jenn says

    Used my 9cup Ninja Food Processor. Added 4.5cups, a TBSP coconut oil and about 25 minutes in order for it to get creamy. But excited to try it out in my butter bread!!! ❤️

  33. KAREN LUCAS says

    I love this idea so will be trying it out. This is exactly how i make my own peanut butter! In the food processor add rorganic roasted, salted peanuts, let machine run scraping down sides. I add coconut oil to help bring it together just a tablespoon. Just delicious and cheaper than buying peanut butter.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Homemade nut butters are the best, right?! Hope you love this one just as much!

  34. Monica says

    I have made this with great success, multiple times. I have a Cuisinart processor and agree the second ingredient is patience.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! So glad this recipe has worked well for you, Monica. Thanks for the review!

  35. Fran says

    Tried in my Cuisinart and added more and more flakes until it was past the fill line, but no luck. It did not turn creamy, even with 3 packages of flakes after more than a few minutes. Transferred to my Vitamix, still dry. Added a Tbsp of coconut oil and voila. The oil solved the problem.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for sharing your experience, Fran! We wonder if the coconut may have been sitting around for a while or was a reduced fat version? Either way, glad to hear you were able to troubleshoot!

  36. nancy says

    Did not work, even after over 30 mins using new GE professional processor. I tried the large bowl, and then the small. Used 4 cups of Kroger Simple truth unsweetened coconut flakes. What did I do wrong? Disappointed, as I was making the Almond Joy protein bites for my daughter for valentine’s day.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Nancy, we’re so sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you! What size is your food processor? We’re thinking it may have been too large for the volume of coconut. We recommend 4 cups coconut when using an 8-cup food processor. If yours is larger, you’ll need more coconut to get it to blend.

  37. ife says

    Great recipe! I read the distressed comments and decided to follow the recipe exactly to see what happens. My results were as Dana described. My organic shredded coconut was from Trader Joe’s and feels quite dry. My handy lil food processor is by Black and Decker and NOT state of the art. I did blend a little longer closer to 15+ min (possibly because of my little engine that could). It was like icing. The missing ingredient from the recipe is a TBSP of raw Patience. My 8yo soon watched and helped and at the end he tasted it and proclaimed, “it’s a miracle!”🤣

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Aw, that’s adorable! We’re so glad it turned out well with a little patience =) Thank you for sharing your experience! xo

      • Brook says

        Hi, I also tried making coconut butter several times using different machines and different brands of dry shredded coconut. Not one of the attempts worked, even after an hour of blending. The best version was a more like lard and molded after a week or two. I’m normally a very good cook and baker, but this recipe is too frustrating.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Brook, we’re so sorry to hear it gave to you trouble! If it got moldy quickly, we wonder if there may have been contamination along the way? You can store it in the fridge to keep it fresh for longer.

  38. Max says

    I tried it with frozen fresh, finely shredded coconut, but after more than 30 minutes in 2000W professional food processor the result does not come close to a liquified smooth butter. It basically remained shredded coconut, as I expected when reading the method. Since the fresh shredded coconut is a bit moist I didn’t try with some water or oil. I experimented with various filling levels of the machine, from 50% to 100% but no difference to the end result.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Max, sorry to hear it didn’t turn out! If you were using fresh coconut, that’s the issue. This recipe uses dried coconut, which is necessary for not having excess moisture.

    • Monica says

      Same here!
      Ive tried different machines as well. No positive result. It seems the end result is quite liquid, so I wander if desiccated coconut is a good option?

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Oh no! So sorry to hear that you have experienced issues with this as well, Monica. It’s hard to know if different textures or brands of dried coconut make a difference, but depending on freshness (like how recently the coconut was dried before going into the package) it could change the end result quite a bit. You can see what food processor we use for reference if it’s helpful, and let us know if you have better results with desiccated!

    • Monica says

      THe end result seems not to be too much water, but clearly to little? since it does not come together at all but stays powdery.

      • Jeannie Staller says

        I used a kitchen aid and it never smoothed out like I liked. I added some olive oil since it was too dry but still not smooth when tasting.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Jeannie, what size food processor were you using? Did you adjust the amount of coconut at all? If there isn’t enough coconut in there for the size of your food processor, that can cause it to not get smooth. Hope that helps!

    • Madhu says

      I make coconut butter with coconut milk. The texture is a lot more silky and you don’t have to go through so much trouble. All I do is extract coconut milk from freshly grated coconut and blend it till it’s warm and then leave in the refrigerator for about an hour and voila you have fresh and creamy butter floating over some reusable coconut milk water.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi, I removed the recipe from your comment to avoid any copyright issues. But we think in that recipe, coconut oil would end up too oily and coconut butter would be a better choice. Since the recipe already calls for coconut, you could make your own coconut butter from that. Hope that helps!

  39. Erin says

    Hello, Mine tasted a little grainy. Did I need to mix it more. I was concerned I might mix it too much…I was making this for a recipe to use as icing, which called for melting it in the microwave. When I did, it just got dry and didn’t turn into a liquid…Do you have any insight why? Thank you! I will still use it as butter:)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Erin, it does sound like it didn’t get blended enough. It’s hard to overdo it so don’t worry about mixing too much. We’d suggest taking a look at the photos for reference.

  40. Hali says

    Made this in my vitamix! Worked like a dream and turned the flakes to butter in under 3 minutes. Wonderful recipe, you’re the best as always!

  41. April says

    This could not have been easier. I was going to avoid making it by just buying some, but it’s so expensive. So i went for it. At first I was worried bc so many people commented on having difficulty. I don’t understand why. You just put the recommended amount in, turn the processor on, scrape down the bowl once or twice, and magically 10 min later you have butter. It doesn’t make much either, which I’m happy about. Not a health food so I didn’t want a ton to have to get through.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, April. We are so glad it worked well for you! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

      • April says

        Sure thing! Sorry about that. I didn’t see anywhere to rate the recipe. And i don’t see any star ratings for the other comments. But now I see the stars below this form :) I love your website all around, and I appreciate all the plant based recipes especially!

    • Ruth says

      I also used my vitamix. I added a handful of cashews and its a beautiful runny, creamy result. Plan on using it in curries and savoury mains instead of canned coconut cream. If it gets the flavour and texture I want I’ll be so happy!!!

  42. Indio says

    I’ve made a couple of your vegan staples my favorite were the gluten free lemon bars! So simple and so delicious so i can’t wait to make this! I’ve only ever had store bought coconut butter were is amazing but very expensive. Especially when you consider that most unsweetened coconut shreds are about $2. I’m curious about using this in baked goods. I’ve made coconut cake with coconut milk and virgin coconut oil, aquafaba in place of egg, sadly the end result was very underwhelming. I used it once in a coconut mousse and it was DELICIOUS but not sure if i’ll get the same result in a baked item. Thanks in advance!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Indio! This can be used in baked goods. The main issue people usually have with this recipe is their food processor isn’t strong enough to handle it, so make sure you have a nice quality food processor!

  43. Emily D'Emidio says

    Like some others, I made the mistake of prioritizing emptying my pantry rather than sticking strictly to unsweetened coconut…I should have read the comments first! Only after I was stuck with tiny particles of sweetened coconut refusing to liquefy did I read the comments…but in combining multiple tips, I was able to salvage the mixture into something edible, albeit not a coconut butter! I blended the whole thing for about 15 minutes total, adding in some coconut oil and a little hot water to help it along, and eventually ended up with something the consistency of marzipan. I rolled it into balls, froze them, and coated them in chocolate…hey, after having to listen to the food processor grinding so much, I deserve a treat, right?

  44. Kimberly May says

    I have found recipes for making my own chocolate that required coconut butter…. so excited I found this recipe! Every time I ask at the natural food stores I get take to the hand cream section…….

  45. devan says

    So, the new design of the vitamix motors is to REDUCE huge amounts of kickup. because of this, the blender worked perfectly for me!!

  46. Karla says

    Can you use coconut flakes? They are unsweetened but courser than shredded. I am having a hard time finding unsweetened shredded coconut, everything seems to be sweetened.

  47. Sofía says

    Hi Dana, I can get fresh coconut flesh down here in Mexico. In this case, would the amounts of coconut be the same? Should I use a little coconut oil?

  48. Adriana says

    Hello! Thanks for sharing this recipe…..I have leftover coconut flakes from making coconut milk, do you think it would work??

    I once tried it (toasted it before processing it to a butter) but after 45min got no results…however, I did not add any water.

    Would you have suggestions?

    I know I could always just try, but don’t want to do it again for 45min: rather expert advice hehehe :)

  49. Lili says

    I made the coconut butter with my Philips 300W Pro Mix Titanium blender and it worked! It took a while because I had to let it cool down a couple of times, but I got butter in the end. Thank you a ton for all your wonderful recipes! :)

    • Siva says

      I have made this and it tastes lovely, so I just end up eating it as a snack. It doesn’t work as a spreadable margerine since it is hard. Have you tired adding liquid oils to make it spreadable?

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Siva, we haven’t tried that, but think it would have issues with separation. Let us know if you do some experimenting though!

      • neely says

        I managed to make this happen pretty quickly with an immersion blender in a glass bowl. I used an 8oz bag of coconut and maybe 1-2 tbsp melted coconut oil, for a yield that filled a 10oz jar comfortably. The trick was to add both ingredients gradually. Some oil helped bring the first half of the coconut together. Then I stirred in the remainder in 3-4 portions, a little of each every time. The existing creamed portion helped work in the dry stuff. It took maybe 5 minutes of blending altogether, with a lot of stopping to scrape under the blender head.

        I’m not sure just how creamy and smooth it ought to be, and I’m sure a better blender could’ve taken this up a notch, but this batch is smooth enough and spreadable, sorta reminiscent of natural peanut butter in texture.

  50. Andrea says

    I’m so happy I found this recipe! I thought I would have to go out and buy it for this chocolate fat bomb I am making.
    I only had a 1 cup processor, so I put it in my blender to make the pieces much smaller and slowly added them into the processor. Wow! I never knew how simple this is! Thank you!

    • Denelle says

      Success! My Hamilton is usually TOO high speed for veggies, but perfect for nut butters. This was a well spent 10 minutes. I added nothing but a pinch of sea salt. Perfectly smooth and creamy.

  51. Mayra says

    Is it possible to mix coconut flour and coconut oil to make the butter? I have both ingredients but not a powerful blender so I need something I can make in my Nutribullet :(

  52. Ash says

    I just made this butter, I used a whole pack (250g) shredded coconut. I was a little worried at first as it just kept spinning but eventually turned out well! I am impressed. Prob took about 10 mins or less.

      • Chris says

        Tried this with frozen coconut chunks in this ancient food processor I have. Never made it to the butter phase, but it did adopt this fascinating kinda mousse-like fluffy texture.

        Not wanting it to go to waste, I added some cocoa and sugar and salt, and now I have this fascinating spread (?) that tastes like mounds candy.

  53. Janani says

    Random question. Do you think this could be used as an egg substitute for cookies (rather than apple sauce or pumpkin puree)?

  54. Hwasa says

    I have a cuisanart food processor. I churned the coconut for about 45 minutes, two days in a row, and it won’t go past that clumpy stage. It refuses to liquify. Disappointed I wasted so much coconut. I think I might just order coconut butter online. It’ll save so much time and effort

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      So sorry to hear that was your experience, Hwasa! It definitely shouldn’t take 45 minutes- not more than ~10. Did you reduce the amount of coconut or is your food processor larger than 8 cups? If there isn’t enough volume of coconut, it can have issues blending.

  55. Michelle says

    Where am I going wrong!? I have been trying to make coconut butter in the exact same Cuisinart food processor to no avail. I added about 8 tbsps of water by now and it’s forever just spinning in my processor nowhere near a butter! ? Help!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Michelle, it sounds like there is not enough coconut in there. We find you have to almost fill the food processor with coconut before processing it into butter. You could try adding more coconut. Hope that helps!

      • Michelle says

        I’m not sure how to reply to your response that I just saw in my inbox but I will definitely let you know how it goes next time. I did want to say however that it’s so frustrating that you said that perhaps my machine isn’t strong enough. It’s brand new from my sister in law last December. Plus like I said, it’s the very same machine that you named. It’s really weird because I usually have success with your recipes so I am willing to try again. Thanks!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Michelle, sorry about that! We forgot you mentioned it was the same one. Wishing you better luck next time!

    • Chloe says

      I don’t think adding water helps, it does the opposite I thought when making butters. Better to add more coconut or oil.

  56. Sarah Merrill says

    I have a blender that has a component for blending dry grains. We use it to make powdered sugar from regular white sugar when we need to. I always think it does a great job. Do you think I can successfully use that to attempt this with the coconut?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We haven’t had success making it in a blender, unfortunately. The blender tends to overheat before the coconut butter gets creamy.

    • Srijana Regmi says

      Blender works fine for me. The trick is that you need to constantly move the ground coconut around, as it tend to stick to the wall of the blender after a minute or so. Also, I find it easier to use more shredded coconut than less because then it kinda moves around itself without much stir needed. I hope that helps.

    • Michelle says

      Thanks for answering, Dana. My processor was definitely full. I’m thinking of trying again with unsweetened coconut flakes because I think I just made it more wet by adding the water. I hope that would work for next time

  57. Chris Wade says

    Greetings , I make keto chocolate melting cocoa butter & cocoa paste add stevita and coconut cream . It comes out good ,I use cupcake parchment and add an interior layer of org. teddys peanut butter or use silicone molds. It goes into the freezer but I am wondering what I could add to make a milk bar more like Pure Loves bars milk choc. & cups not their regular bars they are too dark.They have an ingredient listed as coconut and I wonder if I can use coconut powder not sure what type of coconut they are using but it seems to keep firm w/out freezing and milky . Do you think the powder will stay smooth and harden to a more milk choc. bar at room temp?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Chris, we have an upcoming recipe for vegan milk chocolate- stay tuned! In the meantime, maybe coconut butter?

  58. Lisa Ashley says

    I am trying to find something comparable to SimplyNature ExtraVirgin Coconut Spread that I found at Aldi’s a few years ago. I absolutely love it on baked potatoes. I’m at the bottom of my container so I’m going to try this first with my Nutri Bullet and see what happens. Every other spread I’ve seen in stores or online have canola oil in it. :(

      • Lisa Ashley says

        Sustainable oil blend (extra virgin coconut oil, non-GMO Sunflower oil, sustainable palm oil) purified water, sea salt, non-GMO distilled monoglycerides (emulsifier)

        I haven’t found anything comparable so if anyone knows of one, please share!

    • Elisabeth says

      Hi I just had a search too as I eat it for lunch on my rice crackers. You can make it yourself in foodprocessor. Fill up with shredded coconut than blend. I am going to try it as the Aldi store doesn’t sell it anymore

  59. Lang says

    OMG! Where have this been all my life?!

    Nut and seed butters make my face break out. Then coconut butter idea came along. I only had a bag of 8.8oz of shredded coconut, so I had to use something small, but strong and sharp, to blend it… found my Magic Bullet. With patience,
    1) I filled up the cup, blended a little bit,
    2) when there’s room, I added some more coconut, blended again,
    3) then when there’s more room, I added more coconut … repeat until I emptied the bag (or until my cup was full)
    4) finally, last hurrah of blending, until every coconut bits were liquified
    5) And…I got coconut butter! I’m so excited. It couldn’t be easier. Bad points- I blended it too long on my final hurrah; it’s coconut milk. Now I have to wait for it to cool down and solidify a bit. (I would add pics, but I don’t know how : )

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Lang. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Feel free to use the hashtag #minimalistbaker on instagram for us to see the photo. Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

  60. Sylvia says

    I spent over half an hour doing this in my Breville 12 cup mixer workhorse (BFP660). I used the 14oz Great Value sweetened flaked coconut I bought from Walmart (with all the additives : Ingredients: COCONUT, SUGAR, WATER, PROPYLENE GLYCOL (SUSTAINS FRESHNESS), SALT, SODIUM METABISULFITE (TO RETAIN WHITENESS)).
    After about 10 min, I saw that I wasn’t going to get past the finely shredded phase, so I plopped in a heaping Tbsp of unrefined coconut oil (44g). After about another five minutes of processing, it was looking a little better, but not getting far. By now the flakes, that took up almost the whole bowl in the beginning, were shredded down to taking up only 2-3 cups. I thought maybe the blades didn’t have enough material to work with. So I got out the mini-bowl (3 cup?) for the Breville, and started processing in that. Only seemed a tiny bit better. Plus, I sliced off the end of my silicone spatula twice, trying to keep the coconut falling down into the center instead of climbing the sides. (I was putting the spatula through the opening in the pusher.) At about the 20-25min mark, when I was thinking of giving up soon, I decided to put in a couple Tbsp of hot water. This produced a noticeable result after a few more minutes. The mixture was finally starting to look a little like coconut butter. After about 30min (total), I added two more tablespoons of hot water. After a few more minutes, it started looking even better, and even resembled coconut butter. I never got it quite to the consistency of Artisana’s coconut butter (which is almost perfectly smooth), but I got it close enough for making Millionaire Cranberry Salad. Actually, my final product looks very much like the picture in the top of the page with the hand, spoon, jar, and measuring cup of dry, shredded coconut.
    In the future, I think I’ll start with the hot water very early on, after the coconut has shredded down a lot, and will probably switch again to using the small processing bowl once the coconut has compacted down in the large processing bowl. I’m wondering if it’s lack of moisture that kept the coconut from turning mushy. Or maybe the preservatives are interfering???
    But despite the final result not being very smooth, it is still quite yummy and doesn’t have that uncomfortable texture that I find in flaked coconut.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Sylvia, sorry to hear it was more challenging than expected! But way to problem solve! We think the issue is probably the size of the container. We like to use an 8 cup food processor for this batch size in order for there to be enough volume to get it into a butter.

  61. Michelle says

    Hi!
    I tried it, using the coconut flakes already sweetened because it was the only one I had it in my house. It didn’t worked, I put it in the processor for like 10 mins and never made it as a butter ? also tried with the raw natural coconut and didn’t ? if you could help me. Please!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Michelle, it sounds like maybe your food processor isn’t powerful enough. Would you mind sharing which one you used?

    • Betty Gilliland says

      Thank you for posting this information. I have trouble digesting shredded coconut and wondered if a food processor would make it smaller. I’m glad to know that it will.

  62. Maria Guerriero says

    Hey! I made this and it turned out great. The second day I went to go use it, and it got really, really hard. Any tips for softening it up? I was thinking of putting it back in the food processor and adding some coconut oil.

    BTW: made a frosting with the coconut butter, maple syrup, and coconut flour. Really yummy.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      yes! It firms up at room temperature. Simply add a little water to a saucepan and bring it to simmer, then place glass jar in there without the lid on until it melts. OR, take the lid off and microwave in 20 second increments until it’s runny again. No need to reblend or add oil.

      • Michele Caldwell says

        Hello.I have used creamed coconut which I blened after softening in hot water then your recipe.The results were comparable.The creamed coconut was very cheap and already pretty much done .Are they the same ie butter?
        Also don’t leave it in the food processor and go and do something that takes a while or you will be back to a fry pan and boiling water.
        Very nice.Hard to keep to a tsp on toast.
        Thanks for all the recipes and help.
        Michele from Mirboo North Victoria Australia.

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Michele, Thanks for sharing! We believe they are made through the same process. Though we find our homemade version stays more runny while store-bought tends to harden. Hope that helps!

      • Karin says

        I make coconut butter in my Vitamix in 3 minutes, works great. Just dump the shredded coconut into the container and blend at high speed.

  63. Sabrina says

    So, everyone – if you have a food processor use that. If you have a stick blender, use that. If you have a coffee grider, use that.

    You can use anything to blend your butter. Don’t be so stuck on a recipe’s rediculous suggestions that you give up!

    I have a wonderful hand crank food processor, put my coconut in it and it just churned this into pulp. Nothing more, just pulp. Blended in a coffee grinder and I got the butter consistency I wanted.

    Long story short. Use whatever you have. I’d probably have made my butter in seconds rather than hours hand cranking if I didn’t want to follow the recipes instructions of ‘only use a food processor’

  64. Randie says

    Hi. Sounds great and can’t wait to try making the coconut butter. Just wondering, at the beginning of the post you say “Just one ingredient” but there are four. Am I missing something?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Randie, only 1 ingredient is required. The rest are optional. Hope that clears up the confusion!

    • Nikki Earley says

      So I do not have a food processor. I put the coconut in my ninja blender and it got really small but not buttery. I was trying to figure out what to do and then I came across your comment to use the stick blender… Which I have one! Going to give it a try

  65. Max says

    Sadly, after 45 minutes, still nothing but shredded coconut. I added water, milk, and coconut oil. Still nothing but wet coconut.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Max, may I ask what brand of food processor or blender you used? I’m wondering if it’s an equipment issue…Either that or perhaps the coconut flakes were the issue?

    • stephanie says

      same here, i have a powerful food processor, tried for half an hour until machine got too hot. all i had was very finely cut coconut. I added some oil, nothing, then water and got a gritty paste. certainly not butter. I dont think this is even possible.

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Stephanie, sorry to hear that happened! Did you modify the recipe at all? We find that making smaller batches can cause this issue as there isn’t enough in the food processor to keep it blending. Or perhaps you have a larger food processor?

        • Stephanie says

          I have a magimix 5200xl and i used 300g of coconut , which gave a depth of about 2″, which is sufficient for the blender to work on comfortably.

          • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

            Hmm, we aren’t familiar with that blender. How does it do with nut butters?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      I don’t find it requires refrigeration, but I suppose you can. It keeps for 1 month or more!

  66. Carolyn Rordam says

    Guessing my processor is not powerful enough or maybe the blades are tired. I ended up with something that was more like mashed potatoes. I gathered from the comments not to expect anything like super creamy butter but I don’t think I even got close. Sad. I was hoping to pour it over the no bake carrot cake balls, guess I’ll just dip them or something… It tastes great! But I’m worried about serving to someone who didn’t see me make it because of the weird texture.

      • Meli says

        In my experience, sweetened coconut or coconut with other anti-clumping additives can keep the coconut from turning into a butter. Also, less powerful food processors, blenders, etc. can be used, but you really have to watch out for the motor and take breaks so that it doesn’t overheat.

  67. Chelly Hamrick says

    This turned out amazingly. I was hesitant to try it because of all the reviews saying it didn’t work. I did it with my Hamilton Beach Food Processor and only took about 5 minutes. So glad I tried it because I haven’t been able to find coconut butter very easily. Tastes wonderful! Now I can make that Tropical Fat Bomb I’ve been anxious to try.

  68. Ricci says

    I read in many recipes that it isn’t recommended to use a Magic Bullet or similar blender but that’s exactly what I used and it came out unbelievably great! The only thing I did was half the recipe and it worked perfectly. I used Bob’s Red Mill shredded coconut and added a 1/4 tsp of vanilla extract when it started acting like it was too thick and it only took about 10-15 minutes. Thanks so much for this recipe as I am a huge coconut lover. (my only problem with this recipe is that it never lasts long after I make it)

  69. Jennifer Graves says

    Hi. I’d like mine to have a deep browned flavor. If I toast the shredded coconut first do you think it will still turn into the right consistency?
    Thanks,
    Jen

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Good question! We haven’t tried and don’t know for sure.. but if you experiment with it, report back on how it goes! Good luck!

    • Mary Lair says

      Hello Jen,
      I am surprised it wasn’t mentioned in the above reply in February 2019, but there is a very similar recipe to make coconut butter using toasted, unsweetened, flaked coconut–right here on Bakerita. I just looked at it and plan to make it real soon. Good luck!