Coconut Butter

Try making your own coconut butter at home for a creamy, rich, and tropical treat for your taste buds! With only 3 ingredients, this naturally sweet spread comes in at a fraction of the cost of store-bought jars. It’s perfect for spreading on your morning toast, drizzling over fresh fruit, or even adding to your favorite vegan desserts.

❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe

• Simple to make: With just three ingredients and a blender, you’re literally minutes away from your own homemade coconut butter (manna).
• Contains healthy fats: Coconuts are packed with medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of fatty acid thought to aid in weight management, heart health, and gut health.
• Versatile: You can use coconut manna in your baking, spread it on toast in place of butter or peanut butter, or add it to your smoothies for a creamy, tropical twist.
• Perfect for sweet tooths: The natural sweetness from the coconut combined with a touch of maple syrup will satisfy your cravings in a healthier way.

If you love coconut butter, you should check out our coconut yogurt, vegan custard, vegan whipped cream, and vegan condensed milk.

🥥 What is coconut butter?

Coconut butter is a creamy spread made from puréed dried coconut flesh. Its consistency is velvety and spreadable, similar to peanut butter, but with a sweetness and tropical twist that’s uniquely coconut.

Using a high-speed blender or food processor, the coconut is processed until it becomes a heavenly, milky white spread. We typically like to add a bit of coconut oil and maple syrup to achieve the perfect consistency and flavor, but you can just as easily make this recipe with only coconut.

Whatever the case, it’s delicious served on warm toast, mixed into oatmeal, used to bind energy balls, or even as a topping for your favorite vegan desserts. The options are endless!

🤔 Coconut butter vs coconut oil

Navigating the world of coconut products can be a bit confusing, especially when it comes to coconut butter and coconut oil. Don’t worry, we’re here to clear up the confusion! Here are the differences:

• Source: Coconut oil is extracted from the meat or kernel of mature coconuts. On the other hand, coconut manna incorporates whole coconut flesh.
• Texture: Coconut oil is clear and liquid at room temperature, solidifying when cooled. Coconut butter has a thick, spreadable consistency at room temperature (similar to peanut butter).
• Nutrition: Coconut oil is pure fat, while coconut butter also contains fiber and other nutrients from coconut meat, making it a slightly healthier option.
• Use cases: Coconut oil is often used for frying, sautéing, and baking recipes. Coconut butter can be used as a spread, in baking, and in a variety of other dishes for a creamy, coconutty flavor.
• Taste: Both have a coconutty flavor, but coconut manna tends to have a richer, creamier taste due to the coconut meat.

Both coconut products have their unique uses and benefits, so it’s best to have both on hand when the need arises!

🛒 Ingredients & substitutions

• Dried coconut: Provides that classic, tropical flavor. Make sure to use unsweetened coconut shreds or flakes for the best results.
• Coconut oil: While not 100% necessary, we find it helps achieve a smoother coconut manna texture. MCT oil will also work as a substitute.
• Maple syrup: Also optional, but maple syrup adds a hint of extra sweetness to enhance the natural sugars in the coconut. Agave syrup also works here.

For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.

📝 How to make coconut butter

Step 1: Blend the coconut 

It’s best to use a high-speed blender or food processor for this recipe. This will help you create the smoothest, most buttery-smooth texture.

Add the coconut shreds, oil, and maple syrup to the blender and pulse or blend it until the texture turns creamy. You’ll need to stop every now and then to scrape down the sides and give your blender a rest.

Step 2: Transfer and store 

When the coconut butter is nice and smooth, transfer it to a mason jar for easy storage. Happy eating!

If you have questions about this coconut butter recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!

🥐 What to serve with coconut butter

• Toast: Spread some on a slice of toasted dairy-free bread or sourdough bread.
• Fruit: Drizzle it over fresh strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
• Oatmeal: Stir it into your morning vegan oatmeal or high-protein overnight oats.
• Smoothies: Add a spoonful to a mango pineapple smoothie for more tropical vibes.
• Pancakes: Add a drizzle on mini pancakes or even sourdough French toast.
• Baking: Mix it into your vegan baking recipes.

🌡️ Storage

Keep these tips in mind when storing and using your homemade coconut butter:

• Room temperature: Store your coconut butter in a tightly sealed jar in a cool, dry, and dark place (like a cupboard) for up to a month.
• Fridge: If you’d prefer, you can keep coconut manna in the fridge for up to 2-3 months. It will become solid, but it can be easily softened when you need more.
• Freezer: We don’t recommend freezing coconut butter, as it may change the texture too much once thawed.
• Softening: You can warm and soften your coconut manna by placing the jar in a bowl of hot water. Stir it until it’s spreadable again.

♻️ Variations

• Vanilla: Add a splash of pure vanilla extract before blending the coconut butter.
• Chocolate: Blend in some unsweetened cocoa powder for a chocolatey twist.
• Spices: Add a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, chai spice, or pumpkin pie spice.
• Matcha: Blend in a teaspoon of matcha powder for a superfood boost.
• Citrus: Add in some lemon, lime, or orange zest before blending.
• Berries: Blend in some freeze-dried strawberries or raspberries.

🧑‍🍳 Top tips

• Use a high-speed blender: This will give you the creamiest coconut butter results.
• Scrape the sides: Make sure to stop and scrape down the sides for even blending
• Adjust the sweetness: Feel free to adjust the amount of maple syrup based on your preference. You can even omit it completely.
• Try different coconut shreds: Experiment with different types of shredded or flaked coconut to find out what you prefer most in this recipe.
• Have patience: It takes a solid 5 or more minutes of blending to reach the right consistency. Just keep stopping and scraping the sides until the coconut releases its natural oils.
• Reheat it correctly: Do not microwave coconut manna. Heat it up by placing the jar in a bowl of hot water to prevent it from turning grainy.

💬 FAQ

🍴 More vegan basics

If you like kitchen basics like this coconut manna recipe, check out some more of our vegan basics like these:

• Vegan Heavy Cream: A rich and flavorful alternative to heavy cream.
• Vegan Pizza Dough: Simple pizza dough made at home.
• Dairy-Free Sour Cream: Rich, thick, and creamy sour cream replacement.
• Vegan Cream Cheese: A tangy cream cheese made from tofu and a few other pantry staples.

Note: We’ve updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.