Toasted Coconut Butter
This toasted coconut butter only takes minutes to make, and all you need is a food processor and shredded coconut! Naturally paleo, vegan and gluten-free.
I’ve posted homemade coconut butter before, but this toasted coconut butter deserves its own post. Up until recently, I rarely made coconut butter because it took so long. It’s easy, but I hate running my food processor for 15 minutes straight. You can also use a high-powered blender, such as a Blendtec, which I’ve heard speeds things up (though I don’t have one and have never tried it myself).
After making Samoa treats recently, it became obvious that toasted coconut is WAY better than non-toasted coconut. So, when I ran out of coconut butter the other day, I toasted the coconut for about 10 minutes before adding it all to the food processor. And then I got very frustrated that I hadn’t thought of this sooner! Instead of 15 minutes of processing in the food processor, it took about 3. It’s just like how using warm, roasted nuts considerably reduces the processing time. And it tastes so much better!
I’ve been doing an elimination diet and have only eaten meat, fruit, vegetables and coconut stuff for the past month. This toasted coconut butter is my new peanut butter. It’s not interchangeable with peanut butter in cooking or baking, not even close, but when it comes to snacks? It’s awesome.
The only thing I’m not fond of is how difficult it becomes at room temperature. Every coconut butter I’ve ever tried, including store-bought, is quite firm at room temperature. The first two pictures are what it looks like a few hours after processing. The last picture is of my fork and I on an extraction expedition once the coconut butter has hardened.
I take a small fork or spoon and dig out what I need, but you can also pop the jar in the microwave at half power for 10-20 seconds, and it’ll melt nicely.
I know some people toast their coconut in a pan on the stovetop, but with the amount of coconut you need here, that’s not going to work. You would need to do multiple batches. I filled two large rimmed baking sheets with coconut flakes (you can also use shredded coconut), and even then, my layers were quite thick. Since there’s only one ingredient, you can make as little or as much as you want, but be sure you have enough coconut to fill your food processor at least halfway! If you don’t, it makes processing more difficult and time-consuming.
Now that I know how quickly and easily toasted coconut butter can be made, I’ll be incorporating it into many of my recipes. It does wonders for certain goodies! But just to be clear, this isn’t interchangeable with coconut oil, regular butter, nut butters, or anything else. If you do want to bake with it, look for recipes that specifically call for coconut butter, like these!
Toasted Coconut Butter
Ingredients
- 21 ounces unsweetened shredded coconut you may need more or less, depending on the size of your food processor
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and divide the coconut between two large baking sheets. It’ll be less messy when stirring if you use a rimmed baking sheet. Spread the coconut into an even layer.
- Toast the coconut for 10-15 minutes, stirring after every 3 minutes, and rotating the pans after about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Keep a close eye on it as it can go from untoasted to burned in seconds. Depending on the size of your baking sheets, the top part of the coconut may appear untoasted, but once you stir it, you’ll see that the coconut around the edges and the coconut on the bottom of the pan have toasted quite a bit. Stir frequently to prevent burning! Remove the sheets from the oven and let cool for about 5 minutes.
- Transfer the toasted coconut flakes to a food processor fitted with an S-blade. The coconut should fill the bowl at least halfway. If it’s less than halfway full, it’ll be more difficult to process and it’ll take longer.
- Process until very runny – even runnier than homemade natural peanut butter. Within 2-3 minutes, it was almost as thin as water. Depending on your food processor, it may take longer.
- Pour into a jar and stir every 30 minutes or so. If you don’t stir, the coconut butter may separate a little.
- It’ll gradually harden and after about 12 hours (more or less, depending on the size of your container and your kitchen’s temperature), it’ll completely firm up.
- Store at room temperature for up to 1 year.
Notes
- The nutrition information provided is calculated as a courtesy and is only an estimate. I am not a licensed nutritionist or dietitian. For the most accurate nutritional data, consult a professional or use your preferred calculator. The nutritional values were calculated based on 1 tablespoon per serving. The recipe yields 2 1/4 cups or 600 grams.
(From the Great TP war of 2020). Supply lines being exhausted, i was unable to find regular grated Coconut to use in Monkey Butter. The grocer, sensing my desperation, found two bags of Toasted Coconut. I bartered for his wares using our new currency, toilet paper, and was soon off to find my way home. After several encounters with masked citizens I finally arrived home. Using one of the last connections to humanity, I searched for a new Monkey Butter recipe and found myself here.
I Will attempt this concoction to feed the troops as they are getting restless. Hunger seems to set in just after dark. I accept my mission with humility and hope that others will too. I realize they are wary of new creations and view them with suspicion but I must carry on. This has become the new normal.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of the mighty Coconut. Teach others so they may endure,
God Speed
Fight The Good Fight
Never Give Up
Haha. This is the best comment ever! I hope that you’ll enjoy the coconut butter and that the troops will, too. :D If you’ve already got toasted coconut, you can check out my other post on how to make coconut butter. Thanks again for your great comment! It made my day.
Thanks for the reply would you be able to just let me know what kind of food processor you use?
I live in Germany so we have different processors here but I use a Philips that’s about 10 years old and no longer made. :( Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
I love toasted coconut butter I am looking for recipes that use it in cannot find any please let me know how I can locate some.
Hi there! Sorry for just now seeing your comment. You can use it in place of any recipe that calls for regular coconut butter! I’ve got a bunch here: coconut butter.
I have a Cuisinart food processor it seems to take about 15 minutes is that normal. Is there any low-cost food processors that would work faster
It can sometimes take quite a while depending on the food processor. I don’t think a low-cost one would be any quicker. :( Sorry about that. And sorry for my slow reply (I was on vacation).
Great recipe, Erin. I made this for the kids last night and they loved it!
Thank you! I’m happy that they loved it. :)
This was the first hit on my search for roasted coconut butter, and I’m so happy it was! Perfect recipe. Tastes amazing!
Awesome! I’m so happy that you enjoyed it. :) Thanks a bunch for your feedback!
Seems I made a version of this by accident – I was microwaving a jar of home-made regular coconut butter to soften it, and it turned a strange pink/pale brown (apparently two minutes is too long). I thought I’d burned it. But it seems it’s toasted! Tastes great. Next time, I’ll try toasting it up front as you suggest and then process it into butter. Yum!
Sorry for just now seeing your comment! And wow. That’s an interesting way of toasting coconut butter. Almost seems easier than this recipe, doesn’t it? :D
Haha! Well, toasting it certainly makes the processing *way* faster. So there’s a win. Thanks for this!
Hi Erin, white spots appear in my jar– I made it two days ago, is this possible mold or just hardened coconut oil?
Hi there! It’s most definitely just hardened coconut oil. You can gently reheat it and mix back together. :)
Thank you so much Erin! The recipe was delicious thank you so much for sharing :)
You’re welcome! Thanks for your feedback. :)
You have made my day!!!!!! I LOVE this!!!!!!
So happy you like it! Thanks for your comment (and sorry for my slow reply!). :)
I see there hasn’t been a comment here since 2015 but I HAVE to comment. I tried this the other day and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!! I only had a small bag of coconut. I think it was 3 cups. I toasted it in the oven and went to put it in my food processor and discovered my food processor bowl had melted in my dishwasher. I am bummed about that!! Anyway, I only had the small amount of coconut so I put it in my single serving blending cup. It turned out fabulous! I was having nightmares about having to process it for such a long time, as described in many sites, and the fact that I only had 3 cups worried me too. It turned out so awesome! I will never have to buy nut butter again!! Thank you so much for all your helpful tips!!
I’m so happy to hear that it came out well! And your dishwasher melted your food processor bowl?! That’s crazy. I’m sorry to hear that! Thanks a bunch for your feedback. :) I love comments like this no matter how old the post is!