Is coconut oil and coconut butter the same

Usually, people are familiar with coconut oil. It’s frequently in the health spotlight. Coconut butter isn’t a well-known product.

Though the two products look and smell similar, each has different characteristics. Here’s a look at the benefits of each of them.

What’s the difference between coconut butter and coconut oil?

Coconut oil is made by cold-pressing oil from coconut meat and it’s a solid at room temperature, and becomes liquid when heated. It has an oily, mild to medium intensity coconut odor and flavor.

This coconut butter is arguably the peanut butter of the tropics. It’s made by pureeing coconut meat with the oil. The spread is a kind of solid at room temperature and softens when heated. Finally, the end result is a spread with strong coconut flavor and odor.

coconut butter and Coconut oil nutrition

Coconut oil is made entirely of fat and it’s mostly saturated. One tsp has around 14 grams.

Coconut butter is made from the whole coconut and it also contains saturated fat, around 10 grams per tablespoon. It has nutrients organic coconut oil doesn’t, most notably fiber. One tsp of coconut butter has about 2 grams of dietary fiber.

Other nutrients in coconut butter are below:

• Protein
• magnesium
• potassium
• iron

Coconut butter and coconut oil are high in calories. Depending on the brand, both products have about 110 to 120 calories in one tsp.

Are coconut oil and coconut butter good for us?

The high saturated fat content in coconut oil and butter is controversial. The AHA – American Heart Association Trusted Source warns that a diet high in saturated fats leads to high cholesterol and increases our risk of stroke and heart attack.

There’s an argue that most saturated fat research is outdated. They argue that most of the saturated fat is lauric acid, so it actually increases our so-called good cholesterol and decreases our risk of disease.

Lauric acid isn’t researched as much as other types of saturated fat, but at least one small piece of research supports that it benefits cholesterol. The study on 32 healthy men and women revealed that eating solid fats rich in lauric acid resulted in a better cholesterol profile than eating trans fats.

After a 2010 meta-analysis revealed that saturated fat was not associated with an increase in cardiovascular disease, the coconut waters became murkier. The meta-analysis did not result in the AHA or most cardiologists revising their position on saturated fats, but it has raised legitimate problems.

Time and more research would be solved the controversy. But how coconut oil and butter impact our risk of heart disease today may ultimately depend on many factors, including our activity level and overall diet.

Beauty uses for coconut oil / coconut butter

If you’re concerned about the chemicals in personal care products, keep a jar of coconut oil or butter handy. Their fatty acids may help reduce dry skin, wrinkles, and age spots.

Little scientific studies exist on the skincare benefits of coconut oil and coconut butter, but anecdotal evidence is plentiful. We can try using them in our beauty regimen as:

• skin moisturizers
• lip balm
• shaving cream
• bath oil
• rash or burn soother
• massage oil
• personal lubricant
• eye makeup remover
• body or foot scrub when combined with sea salt

Before using coconut oil or coconut butter on the skin, do a skin patch test to test for sensitivity and possible allergic reactions.

Cooking with coconut oil /coconut butter

Coconut oil is basically used as cooking oil. Coconut oil has a high smoke point and can withstand high-heat cooking. It’s great for sautéing and frying. Extra virgin coconut oil has a lower smoke point and is generally recommended for temperatures of 350°Fahrenheit.

Coconut oil can be spread on toast and alternative for butter, shortening, and vegetable oil in baking. Note that, the flavor of extra virgin coconut oil is not as neutral as other oils and adds a moderate coconut taste to baked goods.

Coconut butter is delicious. It’s tasty as a butter alternative on our morning toast or bagel. Let’s try:

• adding coconut butter to smoothies
• stirring it into oatmeal
• melting it and drizzle over fresh fruit or frozen yogurt
• adding it to a piña colada

Coconut butter burns easily and isn’t our best bet for stovetop cooking over anything higher than very low heat for a brief time. It’s perfect for making fudge and candies and may be an alternative for butter or oil. It will add a sweet, strong, coconut flavor to your recipes.

Where can you buy coconut butter and coconut oil?

A decade ago, we’d be hard-pressed to find coconut oil or coconut butter anywhere but a natural health store. Today, we are staples on supermarket and big box store shelves.

But so many manufacturers have jumped on the coconut products bandwagon that the available selections can be confusing.

Here are a few tips for making the shopping process easier:

• Extra virgin and virgin coconut oil are the least refined and these also have the most nutrients.
• Refined coconut oil is made from dried coconut meat. It has little, if any, coconut odor and coconut taste. Virgin coconut oil is made from fresh coconut meat and should have a distinct coconut flavor and smell.
• If we want less coconut flavor in our recipes or we cook at higher temperatures, we might opt for nonhydrogenated refined coconut oil that uses a chemical-free cleaning process instead of chemical solvents or lye.

Coconut oil and coconut butter should be stored at room temperature. Coconut butter may develop a layer of coconut oil at the top in a similar way as natural peanut butter. Should stir the butter thoroughly before using.