Homemade Coconut Butter

Coconut Butter....Coconut Manna. It's pretty much the same thing.  The only ingredient...Organic Coconut flakes!  If you like coconut then you will probably like this.  Especially if you are sugar free this will be like your Heaven on Earth. :) I haven't had any sugar whatsoever...not even sugar alternatives like honey, stevia, pure maple syrup...nothing for 22 days then I had one thing after 22 days then I went straight back to no sugar (also no legumes, no grains, no dairy for Whole30) for 21 more days and counting. It actually feels really great! Fruit tastes sweeter and overall everything I eat tastes full of flavor.  What is even better is knowing that I am becoming healthier on the inside. Of course I won't go "no sugar" for the rest of my life.  But, this test has definitely taught me a lot and once I do have sugar again, I'm hoping I can control myself and only have it once in a while. Over this last month or so I have come to LOVE Coconut Manna.  I have bought it a few times at a health food store.  I bought the "Nutiva" brand Coconut Manna. I have also tried little packets of Coconut Butter. Coconut is considered a healthy fat. Don't be afraid of Healthy Fats! It helps keep you full and is great to have with other things to make a really great snack. I have used it on fruit like blackberries, strawberries, apples, grapes.  I have also used it on Baked Sweet potato with a little cinnamon. I spread it on my Paleo Pancakes and top with berries.  So Yummy! Have you tried Coconut Butter? What do you use it on?

Each jar of Coconut Manna is about $8 from the health food store.  I also buy the Organic Coconut Flakes from there (they are unsweetened) and they only cost about 1.25 for the whole bag. So, I decided to try making my own Coconut Butter since I use it so much. 

THIS post gave me some inspiration! Other great ideas there of what to do with coconut butter.

There are a ton of Healthy benefits to Coconut!  Whether you’re eating the meat, drinking the juice, or consuming it as oil, coconuts are a delicious and nutritious source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. It has tons of calcium, potassium, and magnesium, as well as plenty of electrolytes. In fact, coconut water is known to have the same electrolyte levels as human plasma, and has even been used for plasma transfusions! Coconut's are excellent for one’s immunity. They are antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-parasitic, meaning they kill harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Because of that, if you consume coconut in any of its various forms (whether it be raw coconut, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut butter, etc.), it can help treat some of mankind’s worst and most resilient of illnesses.

So, what are we waiting for...let's get to it!

These are the Unsweetened Coconut Flakes that I used.  This bag was about $1.25 or so.  The bag pictured is about half gone just fyi :)

The whole process will take you approximately 15 minutes. Each time I have made it I use about 3 cups of coconut flakes. 3 cups will give you approx. 4 oz which actually doesn't last long. Next time I'm going to make more at a time and see how it blends.  If you do less than 3 cups it isn't enough to blend well in your food processor, you'll just have to stop and scrape the bowl a little more often. 

Just put the Coconut Flakes in your food processor and let it start blending. After it looks like it's not blending much and the coconut is stuck to the sides, you will need to turn it off and use a spoon to scrape the sides and let all the coconut go to the middle again.

It's starting to become a little more creamy, but keep going.  Scrape the bowl and let your processor go for a few more minutes.  

Just keep scraping and blending, scraping and blending...be patient! Then it will soon look like this pic below!! Nice and creamy! Coconut butter won't go completely smooth like butter, it still will be a little gritty, but you should blend until it's as creamy as you can get it.  Many people have said that they didn't like Coconut Butter at first but the 2nd time they tried it they loved it! :)

You can just put it into a little container or mason jar.  If it's not quite runny when you want to use it then just put your container in a little hot water for a bit (without letting water get in). Coconut Butter does not need to be put in the fridge, but if you are going to keep it longer than a week or so, I say it wouldn't hurt to put it in the fridge.

This is also great mixed with homemade Almond butter! Yum!

Enjoy!! Let me know if you try it! 

I absolutely Love Coconut!  Coconut flakes, coconut butter & coconut oil.  It's so good for you. In an upcoming post I will talk about Coconut Oil, how I've been using it and many other uses and benefits! So stay tuned! :)