15 Best Coconut Butter Substitutes For You To Use

Coconut butter is plant-based, making it highly healthy and fit for many diets. It is rich in many nutrients necessary for our body, like iron and fiber. You must be craving a recipe, have searched up its ingredients, and found coconut butter listed as one of them. 

Many ingredients work as good coconut butter substitutes if you are out of coconut butter. Wondering which are those? Some of the best coconut butter substitutes are peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, tahini, and vegan butter.

In this article, we are going to explore coconut butter – what exactly coconut butter is and some alternatives of coconut butter that can be easily accessible, and DIY coconut butter. Worry not because all your queries will be cleared.

Quick Peek: Coconut Butter

The following sections tell you what coconut butter is, its flavor, texture, uses, and health benefits.

What Is Coconut Butter?

Coconut butter is made from the flesh of the coconut. It is a type of homemade butter that is utterly delicious, creamy, and super smooth.

So what is in it anyway? Just pure, raw coconut, of course! Once you blend or grind shredded coconut in a food processor, you get coconut butter. It has a consistency that is very similar to peanut butter or almond butter.

Describing Coconut Butter: Flavor and Texture

Coconut butter tastes very similar to coconut. It has a pleasantly sweet taste with a nutty flavor. It might not taste the same as sweetened dried coconut. But it sure has the same tropical flavor as that of raw coconut.

Coconut butter has a runny consistency and a gritty texture when warm. When stored in an airtight container, it becomes thick and strong.

Uses of Coconut Butter

Coconut butter is a tasty condiment that can be stirred into beverages, added to smoothies, oatmeal, or porridges, used as a spread, sprinkled over waffles and pancakes, and to make dairy-free fudges.

Did you know that coconut butter is an incredible moisturizer that protects your skin and can help you maintain a youthful complexion?

Vegan chocolate chip cookies, vegan mango cheesecake, coconut butter gingersnaps, sweet potato toffee fudge, and pumpkin cake brownies are some of the wonders that can be created using coconut butter. 

Coconut Butter on The Health Radar | Looking Through The Wellness Telescope

Coconut butter is rich in two very important nutrients, iron, and fiber. When consumed properly, it can help in boosting metabolism and help in weight loss.

As it is plant-based, it is a very healthy alternative to regular butter. It is perfect for everyone who is health-conscious or on a diet. 

Coconut butter is packed with essential amino acids, calcium, and magnesium. Being rich in lauric acid, it can ward off the attack of harmful bacteria, viruses, and funguses. Since it is full of healthy fats, consumption of coconut butter can help you feel fuller for a long time.

Why Should We Substitute Coconut Butter?

Despite all its amazing qualities, coconut butter has a major setback; it is often unavailable. It’s not an easily spotted item in your local grocery store. Coconut butter is also quite expensive for a regularly used item. 

Coconut butter can be made at home as it does not have any complicated ingredients. However, it requires machines like a food processor, which all households don’t have. 

One needs to mimic the perfect taste and the nutritional qualities and texture of coconut butter. This might not be as easy as it sounds. Also, there can be times when you decide to cook a dish and find yourself fresh out of coconut butter. 

Therefore finding an alternative to coconut butter becomes very important. So, shall we get into the important part right away?

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15 Best Coconut Butter Substitutes 

I have done all the research, so you don’t have to. Here is a list of the best coconut butter substitutes for you. Let’s go. 

1. Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a delicious spread made by grinding roasted peanuts. It usually contains added sweeteners, salt, or emulsifiers. Peanut butter has a very similar taste to coconut butter when used in baking. Its natural sweetness is very delicious in smoothies, bakery items, etc. 

Peanut butter can work as an ideal coconut butter substitute when mixed with coconut oil as it has a sweet, nutty flavor and a thick texture. 

2. Cashew Butter

Cashew butter is a creamy paste prepared using ground roasted or baked cashews. In taste, the natural sweetness of cashew butter is quite similar in comparison to coconut butter. The texture is as similar as the taste. When mixed with coconut extract, it is almost identical to coconut butter. 

So next time you run out of coconut butter, you can always use cashew butter instead as a great substitute. It will mimic the taste of coconut butter very well and thus makes a good substitute for it.

3. Almond Butter

The smooth and sometimes crunchy almond butter is made using ground almonds. It is a great choice if other sweet ingredients are present in your dish.

It will balance the sweetness as almond butter is not as sweet as you deem it to be. It is mildly sweet with a salty, nutty flavor. Some of the varieties can have a crunchy texture. 

Almond butter is very comfortable to work with. It is moist and very similar to both cashew butter and coconut butter. For extra texture and flavor, adding some additional coconut oil to it is recommended, making almond butter a good substitute to coconut butter.

4. Tahini 

Tahini is a type of paste made using processed sesame seeds. It is a condiment that is a staple in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine.

It can be made from both hulled and unhulled seeds. However, tahini made from hulled seeds is smoother and less bitter than tahini made from unhulled seeds.

Tahini is highly used in the preparation of hummus. It has a nutty, creamy, and savory flavor. The good thing about tahini is that its texture can be customized based on your recipe. It is found in both thick and runny forms. 

Tahini is a great coconut butter substitute, considering the similarities in texture. 

5. Vegan Butter

Vegan butter also known as plant-based butter is a good coconut butter substitute. It is made by blending plant-based oils such as olive oil, coconut oil, avocado, or palm oil with water. To put it simply, vegan butter is a type of butter devoid of dairy and made from plant-based oils.

Vegan butter has a creamy, delicious flavor and texture, similar to real butter. It is lower in saturated fat and higher in healthy fatty acids (monounsaturated fat). This makes vegan butter a perfectly healthy substitute.

How does vegan butter work as a substitute for coconut butter? Being plant-based, vegan butter has a flavor akin to coconut oil, making it a good alternative to coconut butter. 

6. Applesauce 

Applesauce is the resultant product you get after slow-cooking apples until they are softened. It has a slightly chunky consistency that tastes both sweet and tart simultaneously. As a matter of fact, applesauce has a flavor similar to apple butter.

Applesauce is a healthy alternative to coconut butter that is sweet and devoid of calories. Its naturally sweet flavor can override the flavor of other ingredients in your recipes, so you should be careful while adding it to cakes and cookies. 

Applesauce can replace coconut butter in desserts that are on the thicker side. If the texture bothers you, you can reduce the amount of applesauce you add in half and add a bit of oil to it to work as a good replacement for coconut butter.

7. Greek Yogurt 

Greek yogurt also goes by the name strained yogurt or yogurt cheese. The term strained yogurt tells you enough about it. Greek yogurt is nothing but regular yogurt, which has been strained! The straining process removes all the whey making its texture slightly thicker with the sour taste of yogurt.

Greek yogurt is a great substitute for coconut butter since it contributes a lot of protein to your food. It also carries less fat than butter. Desserts made using yogurts have the same texture as desserts made with butter.

8. Mashed Banana

Mashed banana is another fruit-based coconut butter alternative that is extremely healthy. Filled with potassium, bananas are really good for heart and blood pressure. It can boost your potassium intake. They are usually sweet but not too sweet, like apple sauce.

Mashed banana has a similar taste and texture as coconut butter. This can, too, just like apple sauce and yogurt, be used in the same proportion as butter. 

9. Avocado

Avocado, also known as alligator pears or butter fruit, is a brown-skinned, green-colored fruit. It is loaded with essential nutrients, minerals, and healthy fats. It has a mildly sweet, creamy flavor and a soft texture. It renders a thick texture and consistency when added to shakes or smoothies. 

Avocados can be ground and made into a paste to substitute coconut butter. With a mild flavor and a thick texture, avocado can work as a considerable substitute for coconut butter.

10. Shea Butter

A type of natural vegetable fat, shea butter is simply fat made from the nuts of the African shea tree. I know a question must be racing in your mind, are we talking about the shea butter, a product I find as one of the ingredients in your moisturizer? Yes, it is the same!

Shea butter has a mild, nutty flavor reminiscent of coconut oil. It has a soft, delicate texture with a smooth consistency that makes it easy to use as a spread.

Due to the soft texture and nutty flavor akin to coconut oil, shea butter is a considerable substitute for coconut butter.

11. Melon Seeds

Melon seeds comprise white hard shells with an oval-shaped soft kernel. They are rich in antioxidants, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and protein. 

Melon seeds have a sweet, nutty flavor with no particular distinctive taste. They can either be brought from local stores or sun-dried at home. Drying melon seeds under the sun or dehydrating them will make them hard and crunchy.

Dried melon seeds have a sweet flavor and a crunchy texture. They can be made into a butter mixture and work as a fine substitute for coconut butter. 

12. Coconut-Based Ingredients

Coconut-based ingredients such as raw coconut and coconut oil are considerable ingredients that can work as coconut butter substitutes. 

If you have coconuts at home, you can shred or grate them to replace coconut butter. You needn’t be worried about the flavor because it will be the same. You will be required to adjust your recipe considering the texture of shredded coconut.

13. Coconut Oil

We had already discussed how coconut-based ingredients could work as substitutes for coconut butter. One among them is coconut oil which needs a little discussion due to a lot of queries based on it.

Coconut oil has a flavor similar to coconut butter since they are essentially a derivative of coconut. Even then, coconut oil is a liquid and is thus structurally different from coconut butter. 

The textural differences make coconut oil a good alternative to coconut butter only in baking recipes and sometimes stir-fries. But it is definitely a huge red flag when it comes to replacing coconut butter in toasts or waffles.

14. Chocolate With Coconut Flavor

Using chocolates that are coconut-flavored can help you substitute coconut butter in baking recipes. As with the case of coconut oil, chocolates have textural differences from coconut butter. However, the coconut flavor of these chocolates can save your day.

There are varieties of chocolates with coconut flavor available for you to experiment with. However, using white chocolate, which is coconut-flavored, can help you replace coconut butter more closely in baking recipes with a guarantee in flavor.

15. DIY Coconut Butter

So there is always a case when you are done with trying to find substitutes that you decide to take the game forward all alone. That’s when DIY coconut butter comes in handy both as the substitute and as the ingredient itself!

There may be slight differences between the store-bought coconut butter and the butter you meticulously prepare at home. That said, it is always a good option worth trying if you are out of reach of other substitutes. 

Wondering how to make coconut butter at home? Check out the recipe given below.

How To Make Coconut Butter At Home

Yes, you now know many alternatives for coconut butter. That doesn’t mean you can’t make it at home. Coconut butter only has one main ingredient, and that is dried coconut. You can follow the instructions listed below for a lip-smacking, homemade coconut butter:

1. Get Yourself Some Dried Coconut

Dried coconut can be easily found at every vegetable or fruit market. It can even be found at a regular grocery store. If you are buying dried coconut packets, do check the ingredients. There shouldn’t be any extra added ingredients like sugar or preservatives in the dried coconut.

2. Process Your Coconut Shreds

You can either use a food processor or even a blender to process your coconut shreds. We recommend using a food processor as nut butter, and coconut butter turns out better in those. If using one, use an s-shaped blade.

When using a blender, you might need to take breaks to wipe off the sides of the blender. This might take a while, but it will turn out as good as store-bought coconut butter or even better. 

3 . Ready To Use 

Once the coconut butter is drippy enough to slip off a spoon, it is ready! You can save it for use later or use it right away. Coconut butter will last 3 months in a refrigerator.

Make sure you store it in an airtight container. You can use this homemade coconut butter on bread, waffles, or as an alternative for your regular butter. 

A Short Recap

That was an extensive read on coconut butter and its substitutes. The following points will make things easy for you to remember about coconut butter and its substitutes:

Best Coconut Butter Substitutes In Terms Of Flavor and Texture-

1. DIY coconut butter
2. Peanut butter
3. Cashew butter Almond flavor

Best Coconut Butter Substitutes That Are Not Nut Based-

1. Applesauce
2. Melon seeds
3. Mashed banana Yogurt

Best Coconut Butter Substitutes Should Be Least Considered-

1. Coconut oil
2. Coconut-flavored chocolates

How To Use Coconut Butter Substitutes In Your Recipes

Coconut Butter Substitutes

Many ingredients work as substitutes for coconut butter if you are out of coconut butter. Wondering which are those? Some of the best coconut butter substitutes are peanut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, tahini, and vegan butter.

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Ingredients

  

• Peanut Butter
• Cashew Butter
• Almond Butter
• Tahini 
• Vegan Butter
• Applesauce 
• Greek Yogurt 
• Mashed Banana
• Avocado
• Shea Butter
• Melon Seeds
• Coconut-Based Ingredients
• Coconut Oil
• Chocolate With Coconut Flavor
• DIY Coconut Butter

Instructions

 

• Go through the substitutes and see which one seems fit for the recipe.
• Collect your ingredients and use your preferred substitute.
• Use the substitute in the required amount and proceed to make the dish according to the recipe.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Conclusion

Coconut butter is an ideal ingredient that works as a sweet sweetener! Its flavor, texture, and consistency make it a versatile ingredient that can be used for experiments in the kitchen. Its sweetness is a boon that complements a lot of recipes. 

At times, due to its high price and unavailability, it might need to be replaced by other items. Most of the coconut butter substitutes listed above are healthy and nut-based. Choose a substitute based on your recipe, and let me know what turned out the best for you. See you soon with another write-up!

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