Creamy COCONUT BUTTER from dry flakes!
First, let’s be clear. Coconut butter that is made from dried flaked coconut flesh (desiccated coconut) is super easy to make at home because of the natural oils contained in that “meat”. It differs from coconut oil because the oil product contains no coconut fibre, only oil. Coconut butter is a super versatile ingredient that can be used by vegans, vegetarians, and might even qualify as a raw food, depending on how the coconut is dried. It is not however, intended for use as a cooking oil. Coconut butter is just so darned easy to make, it might qualify as kitchen magic.
In less than four minutes Thermomix turns a single simple ingredient (dry/dessicated coconut) into a thick pasty yet smooth butter. (And then poof (!) a few minutes later, it settles into a highly usable blended solid state.) It’s both oily and dry at the same time and distinctive in texture, with slight coconut tones. Some people swoon as they eat it by the spoonful. (Not me!) I think coconut butter begs to be blended with whatever you like best — sweets or savouries. Since starting to make coconut butter with Thermomix I’ve found many ways to use it: as an emulsifier in raw sweet treats, and as a substitute for dairy in some recipes.
Creative Thermomix cooks will quickly see the benefits of keeping coconut butter handy at all times. It’s best warmed first before using, so it becomes easier to blend. Consider sweetening your butter by blending it with maple syrup, agave, honey, or fruit. Think about melting a dollop on hot porridge, making raw chocolate treats, icing for baked goods, adding it to curries, stews, soups, and desserts. Thermomix cooks can go crazy thinking of ways to use this healthy ingredient while saving money. That’s right — check the price of coconut butter at your local health food store and I predict you’ll save the equivalent of at least four dollars in the three to four minutes it takes to literally “whip this up”! (At a dollar per minute, coconut butter is a great way for Thermomix to pay for itself…)
Inspiration: Full credit for this Thermomix tip goes to someone who has probably never heard about the super kitchen machine. Her name is Katie, and she lives in USA (where Thermomix is not even sold!) I learned about making Coconut Butter from Katie’s website and ran straight to the kitchen to try it before reading to the end of her article. (Thank you Katie!)
Coconut Butter
400 g dried/desiccated coconut (I prefer organic & unsweetened, but I did test the recipe using a variety of dried coconut products and it worked well with all)
- Put coconut into Thermomix and set to grind for 3 minutes/37°/speed 8. (That’s it, you don’t need to add anything but the coconut.)
- After about one minute, stop to remove lid and push food down from the lid and sides. Continue processing. You will notice the sound change a bit as the coconut starts to become moist and turn to butter. It’s completely possible to turn dried coconut into butter without using any heat, but I find the heat makes for a smoother consistency that is easier to process. Also, when warmed like this, it transfers more easily to jars and containers. You may want to peek again and clear the coconut from the lid, sides, and from under the blades before finishing off the process. For the smoothest coconut butter, you can crank up to speed 9 for the last 30 seconds.
- Pour into a jar immediately. The butter will be almost liquid when done, but hardens as it cools. This is a stable butter that does not need refrigeration. In fact, if you do keep it in the fridge you will likely use it less, as it will get very hard — too hard for spooning. Even when stored at room temp the butter is solid and will require warming first, for certain applications. Play with it to decide what you like best.
A few more thoughts…
You can make coconut butter with any amount of desiccated coconut, but it’s best to have at least 200g in the bowl. I used the amount of 300g just to give people a starting point. Also, I haven’t tried yet, but it might be helpful to set the temperature to 37°C as we process the coconut. This would help the oil to be released. Of course, we could set the temp higher, but that would make this coconut butter not suitable for raw foodists. Please do play with your food, and have fun figuring out what works best for you. (don’t forget to comment here with any helpful discoveries that might help others!)
Want more?
- I do! This is such fun to make, I’d like to be inspired to do it again. How do other Thermomix fans use coconut butter?
- update March 21: Quirky Jo used the coconut butter in her hazelnut-chocolate spread, much to the delight of her daughter who, just like the rest of us was shocked to see how ‘dry’ flakes can turn buttery.
Helene, I can’t wait to try this. I did try it once (inspired by another similar post to your inspiration) but didn’t get the right result, and haven’t got back to it. This is the perfect base for what I’m trying to make – nut free nutella. Or, chocolate coconut butter which is even more expensive than coconut butter! Think of the savings on that one!
_Chocolate_ coconut butter??? I’ve been swooning over the mere idea of coconut butter itself, but now if Cathy is going to put chocolate in with it I think I’ll curl up into a ball around my Thermomix and give it a huge hug!! Quick, somebody post some recipes, please!!
Hi Cathy and Madame: I’ve been playing with chocolate and coconut butter for the past week and though it’s not ‘perfect’… I’ll try to get my recipe up later today. I was aiming for something that would satisfy the raw foodists as well as vegans. The version I have now is easy, tasty and versatile, but doesn’t quite reach the overall standard I’d set to meet the needs of raw vegans. (Watch this space!)
That is exactly what I was going to ask you… what do you use it for. Did the oil separate out of it at all as you processed it? I will have to look up the nutritive details. I imagine you could use it instead of oil – but that isn’t too healthy, I think.
I love your ingenuity!!!
:)
Valerie
How very clever. I will pass this one on to my Vegan rellies. Personally I can not imagine what I could use it for so I will await your followers suggestions.
Thank you for this recipe!! It is delicious! With a little water I have just used this coconut butter as a coconut cream substitute in a curry (I didn’t have any coconut cream in my fridge)….and I have also just made some choc/nut/coconut/chia crackles with it. Thanks you!
Great news Christie, so glad to hear it! It is certainly a different type of ingredient, but very versatile as you have shown. I made my own version of “Bliss Balls” today with a chocolate (cacao bean) version. Too busy cooking to post about it though :-( I think this Coconut Butter is going to unlock a lot of Thermomix-assisted culinary creativity!
Oooooh, this is SO good!! I used it today in my homemade ‘nutella’ instead of butter and it worked beautifully! I really want to try some ‘bliss balls’ too, without nuts – was hoping to experiment today but didn’t get time, so I’ll wait for your recipe, Helene!! xx
So glad you jumped on this recipe/concept Jo, and that it tested out well for you. I was hoping Thermomix fans would find ways to use the magical ingredient in creative ways. I’m linking to your choco spread here now, and in the post above too. Thanks Jo!
Thanks Helene!! :D
I make often coconut cream from dried flakes : http://tebasileskitchen.blogspot.com/2010/12/coconut-cream.html. Never thought of coconut butter ( Hand vor die Stirn klatsch :-) ) and paid a fortune for Artisana. This was soooooo easy and cheap. Thank you Helene !!!
Tebasile — your creamy recipe looks wonderful too. A different result, for different applications, and equally yummy I’m sure. Yes, the potential uses for dry coconut flakes are many. I really hope the coconut people aren’t reading our blogs, or the price of dried coconut flakes will quickly be doubled!
Just wondering,…
what amounts should I use to make the butter from fresh “fleshy” coconut?
Great question Dd, but I don’t know the answer for sure :( I’ve never made it with fresh coconut and my guess would be that the fresh coconut flesh has a high water content and won’t work so well for rendering into ‘butter’. For making coconut butter, all you really want is the flesh and the oil that is naturally contained therein. For that reason, the dry coconut works well.
Maybe we will hear from more savvy readers on this subject?
I have never heard of a thermomix. Is it available in Australia?
Contrary to popular belief, Coconut Oil is VERY good for us, Canadian Foodie, so use it without fear or guilt.
I can’t wait to try making my own Coconut Milk, as I use it a LOT. I am so pleased that I stumbled onto this blog. ?
Oh yes, Thermomix is very popular in Australia! Just do a Google search to get more info ;-)
With this coconut butter you can now make coconut egg custard quite easily. Great to use as a spread on bread or use as a dip for biscuits.
Lightly beat 5 eggs and add 300g sugar and 300g coconut butter in a mixing bowl. Stir till sugar melts and sieve mixture into TM. Attach butterfly and cook mixture at 100C for 40 minutes on speed 1. Do not cover with MC. Meanwhile prepare caramel with 50g sugar. Add to mixture 15 minutes into cooking time. When cooked, open lid and cool for 20 minutes after which close it back and blend mixture for 10 seconds on speed 5. Then open lid and allow to cool completely . Be careful not to allow water vapour to drop into the custard. ENJOY!
Oh wow Elaine, thank you SO much for the detailed recipe response. I can’t wait to try this! (I already have a wee coconut custard recipe due to show up on the blog an day now… as soon as I find a minute to post it ;-) but it’s not nearly as exciting as yours…) It’s so lovely that you took time to type this out and share it with us, thanks again and happy Thermomixing!
Hello-can’t wait to try this recipe ! I use coconut oil and coconut butter in cooking all the time – because it holds it’s chemical makeup at high temps, it’s an ideal oil to cook with. Many other oils, such as olive oil, change there chemical makeup when heated, thus being poorly absorbed by the body… Happy cooking
Hello there: Oh you are going to really LOVE making your own coconut butter if you are a regular user of this versatile ingredient. (Just to be clear for other readers here, the recipe above is for coconut BUTTER, not coconut OIL.) Have fun playing in mud puddles!
What is the difference between coconut oil and coconut butter, please?
Hi Deb — Raw coconut oil is expressed from the coconut flesh and what remains after that — the fibre –is usually made into dry flakes. From these flakes we Thermomix owners can make the ‘butter’, which has enough oily residue to render the fibre into a paste or creamy butter-type product. It might help to liken this to the difference between almond oil and almond butter… or peanut oil and peanut butter. Coconut oil can also be made by heating coconut flesh until the oil separates, but this heated result is not considered to be a healthy oil product. Hope this helps ;-)
On my list…have never done this believe it or not! May blend it with some Crio Bru for a chocolate coconut butter…hmmmn, now we’re talking!
That Crio Bru combo sounds like a great idea Tenina. I can easily believe you’ve never tried the coconut butter because I know how busy you’ve been developing SO MANY OTHER RECIPES for your blog and bookS. (I am far too ashamed to speak of the things I have never yet done with Thermomix. Please don’t embarrass me by asking…)
I’m looking for an actual substitute for butter and thought coconut would be a great healthy substitute. Any suggestions? I was thinking coconut oil with something added to lake it spreadable and sea salt for flavor. If anyone has experimented with it I would love to hear. I think this would be an amazing product to market.
Korisa! The timing of your question is almost ‘spooky’… I have been working on this for the past week. I had some success and took photos yesterday but wanted to tweak the recipe to make it better before posting. I am trying to make it quick and easy using ingredients that most of us have on hand. (i am frugal, after all… so not wanting to use expensive oils.) So far, I’m pretty pleased but want to make it even better. I hope you can hang on for a few more days and soon you’ll see this recipe appear… right on this blog!
make the coconut butter then go over to this site and make the pecan bread
http://quirkycooking.blogspot.com/2011/08/pecan-bread-grain-free.html
great site for thermomix
Thanks Pam, yes Quirky Cooking is a terrific site and that woman (Jo) really knows her way around allergy-friendly ingredients and healthy food substitutions. I wish I had half her brain in my head!
I tried this tonight but unfortunately didn’t get liquid consistency, I kept grinding it for a total of about 5 mins on and off and only ended up with a thick (but reasonably) spreadable yoghurt consistency. Any idea where I might have gone wrong?
Oh no! It sounds like your coconut might be different in some way — dryer than most? … Are you using organic coconut flakes by any chance? I’ve done this method now with different batches of coconut and the organic coconut doesn’t seem to works as consistently as the other.