I love coconut, in all forms and fashions. Add in some mango and pineapple, and I could be set for days. Perhaps I missed my calling and should really move somewhere more tropical. The Pacific Northwest is not exactly known for its tropical fruits, after all.
Of the many creations that are made from coconut, I think the most decadent coconut treat is coconut butter. It’s a little thick, and requires heating to be spreadable, but is really so good! Most people spread this on toast or other baked goods – but honestly, I usually just eat it straight out of the container on a spoon.
Reader Janis left me a comment a while back about the feasibility of making coconut butter in the Ninja Blender and a question about the best pitcher to use. Surprisingly, I had never tried this! It only takes one ingredient (unsweetened shredded coconut), and could save significant money over store bought, so I thought I’d give it a shot.
Top Line: The fact is, it is possible if you have one of the “Kitchen System” models with a food processor bowl, but it takes a while.
Update, 5/22/14: Be sure to read the comments on this article, as there are several folks who have had success making coconut butter, including Charee, who uses the single serve cup option.
I referenced this article from The Kitchn for guidance in my project, and started with the 72 ounce pitcher to answer the specific question Janis had. I used this coconut:
Sadly, even following directions from The Kitchn, I just couldn’t get it to work out with the 72 ounce pitcher, even with frequent pushing down, because it kept getting caught in the corners. I used slightly more than called for in the original article — 2 & 2/3 cups, because that’s how much was in my bag, and, more is always better with the Ninja. After 5 minutes, it wasn’t much different than it was after one minute.
As you can see, it sort of holds together, but is fairly grainy.
So, I switched to the 64 ounce bowl of the Ninja Mega KS, and I started seeing the results described in The Kitchn’s article. You can sort of see that the bottom of the bowl is a smoother consistency than the top.
I blended and pushed down a bit more, and finally gave in and added 1 tablespoon of coconut oil. After about 7 or 8 minutes in the food processor bowl, I finally got as much of a butter as I thought I was going to get.
In the end, I had a fairly decent coconut butter, but it is still a bit grainier than what you might buy. After reading a bit on the topic, there are mixed opinions as to what is the best device to make coconut butter. So people say Vitamix; some people say the Vitamix can’t do it. Some people have said Blentec. Some think a traditional food processor is best.
Since I don’t have those other items, I can only say that it is possible with the food processing bowl of the Ninja Blender, and will probably work best in the mini-prep bowl, if you have it. I wouldn’t recommend trying this if you only have a 72 ounce bowl. It could probably work with the Ninja Pulse as well, since the pitcher is round.
Have you tried this before with success? Let us know!
View Comments (25)
How funny. I have had my food processor on my counter for a couple of days now to remind me to try to make a batch of coconut butter!
good to know that you can do it with the Ninja’s FP bowl. Let’s hope that my FP will work
Oh I read and re-read your post, and I don’t see how much you used. Do you think smaller amounts or larger amounts work better? I know some items blend better when there’s more in the bowl. Do you think the problem might have been not enough was in the container?
I’ll let you know. Maybe I’ll try today
sorry, I should have read the referenced kitchn article. 2 cups.
Okay one more post, hehee. I did read the kitchn post and all the comments.
There was one comment about using double the amount and it worked better for her. I wonder if that’s an answer for you angela. Also, one post mentioned sharp blades…do you think the dough blades would work better, since it wouldnt’ slice the coconut, but sort of ‘mix’ it instead.
I am hoping to try 3 or 4 cups in my FP today, and I’ll let you know.
Hahah, Debbie, I love your enthusiasm on this topic!
Funnily enough, when Janis wrote in with her question, the first thing I asked was “how much did you use” because the Ninja definitely works better with more volume. I used the whole back of coconut that I bought, or, 2 & 2/3 cups. I’ll update the post to reflect that – thanks for the call out.
Good question about the dough blades — I don’t really know! That’s something to try out next time for sure.
Looking forward to hearing how your experiment goes with your FP!
Angela,
Thanks for your awesome post, with pictures, about making coconut butter. I had to smile when I saw that you did this all because I asked the original question! I see someone else read the comments on the site you referenced. I read them and noticed the same thing about the sharp blade and the amount of coconut used.
I had used the same coconut as you did. ? I am looking forward to making it again, and per hubby’s request, I will make it while he’s at work so he doesn’t have to listen to me turning the machine on and off.
I might try a larger quantity in both the 72oz blender container and the dough blades in the FP. If I do, or when I do, I’ll be sure to post back my results. It’s really fun to make this stuff and eating it is even better; straight out of the jar!
One more comment, do you think the single serve cups might work for this?
Hi Janis!
Hah, I did project while my husband was out to lunch with some co-workers, since I knew it would take a while. As you might imagine, we have a little bit of tension surrounding just how much I blend. ?
I have been thinking about the single serve cup, and I do think it would work, with a smaller amount. It gives you the power, but the traditional blade. I think it could get annoying having to screw and unscrew it though, as you assess the progress. If you give it a try, along with the other options like the dough blade, let us know. I’ll do the same — the dough blade definitely intrigues me as well…
Hi again,
I have one other coconut question for you. Have you made coconut milk? I have made several different nut milks in the Ninja MKS and it’s so fun to do, but I have yet to make coconut milk. I presume the process might be a bit different from other nuts, but then again, maybe not. I have the Ninja Cookbook on my Kindle, but I only see how to make what I would call standard nut butters.
You are such a blessing with all you do to help us with our Ninjas!
Janis
Yep, I sure have: https://testkitchentuesday.com/2012/06/12/how-to-make-coconut-milk-shredded-coconut-and-coconut-oil-in-the-ninja-blenderand-get-coconut-water-too/
Enjoy!
Thank you!!
Okay, FINALLY, I did it. I tried it myself with my food processor. It was now or never, because the coconut butter was on sale at Tropical Traditions and today was the last day, so I needed to know if I could make it myself.
FAIL!
I used about 2 cups or so. Tropical Traditions brand specifically. This product is dry, I don’t know if that is a problem. I had read on one of the other blogs that the coconut needs to be very dry, but it seems to me that it just spun round and round and needed moisture.
Needless to say, I was very impatient. I added about a Tbsp of melted coconut oil. It was all I had left in my jar. Then I also added a little water. When I first started, all the coconut spun to the edges and after I scraped it off, I tried short pulse bursts, alternating with long spins.
I thought it might be coming together, but nope. And again, I didn’t have the patience, so I just gave up and made some yummy macaroons! LOL
So that’s my story!
Debbie, thank you for sharing! This is good to know! And, your plan B sounds like a delicious one.
Hi, I’m not sure if any of this has been answered yet but here goes ? I’ve been doing some research on making coconut butter and found a few things This blog post is what came up when I googled “can you make coconut butter in a ninja blender” Now for the questions.. 1.Did you use coconut that hasn’t been defatted? (sometimes the shreds are what’s left after they been processed for coconut oil) 2. I have a round pitcher (not a bowl), do you think that would make a difference? (It is a ninja btw) 3. Can I add a little sugar or use sweetened shreds to the mixture?… Just an FYI I’m doing the research because I’ve heard a few people burned the motor on their blenders and I want to make sure I don’t ruin mine lol. Thanks in advance! ANY help would be greatly appreciated
Hi Dezzy,
You know, I don’t know if the coconut had been defatted – that is a valid question and definitely would impair its ability to blend as smoothly. I am betting you are right on the money that it was defatted, at least partially.
I’m not terribly concerned that you would burn out the motor on the Ninja – I ran it for quite a long time for this test with no issues. Most Ninjas have a feature that shuts off the motor if it is getting close to burning up (not sure what model you have, so let me know or check the plug to see if it mentions this feature). However, if you use, a true coconut with the fat left, I’m betting you would have faster results! Personally, I found the time-to-results not worth it so I just buy the coconut butter already made from Nutiva so I haven’t tried again after my initial attempt.
I hope that helps somewhat, and let me know how it works out for you.
Hi Dezzy,
I just stumbled upon this post that uses coconut flakes instead of shredded coconut. I haven’t tried this out myself yet, but, wanted to share with you…
angela
I came across this wondering if the ninja would work for coconut butter. Well after a long time and using all 3 settings on the same batch (dough, blend, crush), it resulted in a grainy liquid formpretty utter like. I used the mini prep bowl. I think it probably should’ve mostly been on crush to get the job done. I had it mostly on dough. Time it took for all 3 settings and some stoppage to cool the machine down was about 50 minutes.
Hi LT,
Thanks for sharing your experience. I decided for coconut butter, it is just easier to buy it already made. It seems like even with a Vitamix it’s a long process…
Angela