Coconut Oil: What Is It {And How I Use It!}
Here’s everything you need to know about coconut oil, specifically what it is and how I use it in my kitchen!
Ah, coconut oil.
Have you jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon yet? It’s a trendy topic these days.
Today, I want to talk about how I use coconut oil in cooking and baking. I am not here to tell you whether or not coconut oil is healthy or whether it will cure your gout or whether or not it will help us all lose 33 1/2 pounds or whether or not you should swish it between your teeth and rub it on your feet.
You can decide for yourself whether or not you feel coconut oil is the new superfood or a miracle oil. And heaven knows there are about a million and one articles online that will convince you in any direction. The basis for its popularity, I’ve learned while reading up on it over the last year or so, has to do with the presence of lauric acid and the fact that it is made up of medium-chain fatty acids which are smaller fat molecules.
It’s a popular oil for vegan cooking (which I don’t do a lot of, let’s be serious) because it isn’t animal-based and if you follow a paleo diet, I’m pretty sure it’s widely used for that lifestyle, too.
So why do I use coconut oil? To be honest, I tried it out initially because of all the buzz. And I loved it.
It is solid at room temperature and doesn’t need to be refrigerated which I like. It also melts at a low temperature (around 70 degrees or so) – I found that out after my house was a sweltering 82 degrees this summer and I glanced in my pantry and saw my jar of coconut oil was completely liquid. Hot! I love the flavor of extra-virgin coconut oil (I’ll talk about the two types in a second) and the fact that refined coconut oil has a neutral taste.
Also, it has a high smoke point which means it’s good for frying or other recipes where you need really hot oil.
Before I get to how I actually use it and for what recipes, for those that may be new to coconut oil, here’s a super-duper brief overview.
There are two main types of coconut oil. Refined/expeller-pressed and unrefined/extra-virgin (or virgin).
Refined or expeller-pressed coconut oil is refined from dried coconut and doesn’t taste or smell like coconut. Because it is processed, it does require chemicals and isn’t considered as pure or life-changing as the extra-virgin oil. UPDATE: Thanks to those of you who corrected me – some brands do NOT use solvents for refined coconut oil including the one from Tropical Traditions which I use so check the brand you buy to be sure.
This is the oil great for deep-frying because it can handle higher cooking temperatures. It is usually a bit cheaper than unrefined coconut oil but check sources/products closely because quality can differ significantly among brands (I’ll give some sources at the end).
Unrefined or extra-virgin (or virgin) coconut oil is pressed from raw, fresh coconut and doesn’t require the use of any additional chemicals (like the refined coconut oil does).
This type of coconut oil has a coconut flavor and smell; pretty mild in my opinion but does great things to enhance the coconut flavor in baked goods.
Ok, so how do I use this stuff?
I keep a jar of the refined coconut oil next to my stove. I use it most times I’m adding a bit of oil to a skillet or pan (say, for scrambling eggs, sauteing vegetables, starting out a recipe that calls for softening onion and garlic, frying up things like these quinoa patties, sweet and sour chicken, etc.). Refined coconut oil is a pretty one-dimensional oil, in my opinion, but great for the simple purposes of sauteing and stir-frying.
The unrefined, extra-virgin coconut oil is more fun (no offense, refined coconut oil). And I don’t want to embarrass my husband, but I’ve found Brian on at least two occasions smelling the open tub of coconut oil with great contentment as he’s putting it away. He says it reminds him of a tropical vacation. Not that we’ve ever gone on one of those but whatever.
Here are a few recipes I’ve used unrefined coconut oil in – it gives an extra boost of coconut flavor, so keep that in mind, but we have loved the result:
The Best Cornbread in the World (melted it and used it in place of the oil)
White Texas Sheet Cake
Coconut and Cashew Granola
My Favorite Cookie (used it soft, like butter, not melted)
No-bake Healthy Granola Bites
Chewy Granola Bars
Pie crusts (can’t wait to share the step-by-step with you; I use it in place of the shortening for my recipe that calls for half shortening, half butter)
I know there are a few more recipes I’ve used it in but since I’m drawing a blank, I’ll add them in the comments if I think of them.
I’m still a bit of a newbie to the coconut oil world (about a year, I’d say). I’m not using coconut oil exclusively, either. Sometimes I just really need butter.
I love butter (no haters, please). And I like to think of myself as a lover of all oils (except shortening, I don’t like it much). But coconut oil is definitely moving it’s way up in what I grab when I need something to cook or bake with.
As an FYI, I have tried using it in pancake and waffle recipes and it’s caused some major stickage to my griddle so I need to figure out how to make it work there. Also, it’s important to note that if you have melted coconut oil to liquid form and add it to other liquids (say, milk or water or whatever for a muffin recipe or something similar) and those liquids are cold, the coconut oil will solidify into small clumps and won’t stay liquid like vegetable oil.
It won’t necessarily ruin the recipe, it’s just something to be aware of.
Since I can’t find coconut oil where I live (at least not without selling my firstborn child to afford it), I’ve bought it with great success and joy at Tropical Traditions (they often have coupons and deals for a buy one, get one free type thing, or free shipping, etc.).
I’ve also had people who love me that live near a Costco pick it up there and I’ve bought it on Amazon, too.
Now it’s your turn!
How do you use coconut oil in cooking and baking? Also, if you don’t mind, please reference any great sources for purchasing it in the comments if you have any others to add.
I’m really curious to know how many of you are using the almighty coconut oil!
I live in Texas where room temperature is below 70 only in the winter months. Consequently, my coconut oil is rarely solid. I do use it for sauteing vegetables but have never tried baking with it. I also add about 1 tablespoon to our great dane’s breakfast. He is prone to dry, itchy skin, and the coconut oil has greatly improved the condition of his coat.
Hi Mel, I am from a state called Kerala in India, which means “land of coconuts” in our language. So the only oil I seen my mom used for cooking is coconut oil. After coming to US, I started using other oils, but I still like the smell and flavor of coconut oil more. You can use it for any Indian dishes, its perfect..gives a little more that authentic flavor of the dish. Hope this helps…!!!
I love coconut oil. I use it in everything too. I first ran into it when I was doing a Paleo Whole 30 eating challenge. Then afterwards I used it in place of vegetable shortening in a cookie recipe I have it was fabulous and I guess I felt probably healthier than hydrogenated shortening. Now I use it in place of most oils in all cooking and I use it as a skin care product for dry skin. LOVE IT!
I use coconut oil when i’m baking my sandwich bread. The recipe needs only a couple of tablespoons of oil so I use coconut oil. Its such a small amount that you can’t taste the coconut and it helps with the rise.
I learned about coconut oil because of homemade Magic Shell chocolate topping. Not necessarily a healthful recipe, but delish! I find it at my local grocery store, as well as at Walmart.
I have been on a paleo diet for a while and I use coconut oil for everything. Love it! Have found that you can find it at walmart pretty cheaply now. Also, we are military, and the commissaries are now carrying it.
I love using coconut oil and with this post I’ll be using it more and more. I have loved it in your Hawaiian haystacks. Can you say dessert for dinner. Our family was licking the pan clean. Great post!!
I jumped on the coconut oil bandwagon a few years ago. Started out with using it for oil pulling, and then tried some cooking and baking with it too. There were a few successes, but when I tried to use it (even the refined) instead of oil in my homemade pizza crust dough recipe, my hubby ended up with heartburn. Same thing happened when I baked cookies with it. (My poor hubby!) So I’ve gone away from baking and cooking with it, but I still use it lots. It’s the base for my homemade deodorant and it’s fabulous as a skin lotion and has helped my son’s eczema. Perhaps it’s time to give it another go with the cooking though! π
I have a mild coconut allergy (some congestion and mouth itching). Does anyone know if coconut oil would be trouble for me?
The only thing I will use now to roast sweet potatos, it gives them amazing flavor. I don’t need to add anything else.
Thanks for this post, and for all the wonderful comments! I have some coconut oil in my pantry and in my bathroom, but have only used it a little bit. I appreciate the suggestions in the comments…especially the one about anti-fungal since I have some sort of thing on my big toe…I am going to give it a try to see if I can kill it before going to the doctor next week!
Thanks to all.
Tropical Traditions Expeller-pressed coconut oil does not use chemicals! That is why I use that brand because I don’t care for the coconut taste/smell of the unrefined. (maybe you could update or correct your post? I would hate for others to feel that it is not a good option for them because of the misinformation.)
Love your site!
You don’t want to refrigerate it because it becomes too hard. It naturally melts at 76 degrees and it doesn’t clog your arteries like other fats do.
Oh, gosh, I love coconut oil so much! I just use the extra virgin all the time, we really don’t notice any flavor it might impart, though I wonder if people that don’t like coconut flavor at all might notice it more than we do? We also use it as diaper rash ointment, my second baby used to get bad rashes quite frequently and we found that coconut oil was better than any of the store bought stuff we were using. Plus, it made her smell deliciious :).
I love butter too, don’t worry about those haters!
No it doesn’t go rancid, and it is anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-aging, and anti-viral, so it’s perfect for your skin. I slather my whole body in it after I shower and it’s the only moisturizer I use on my face. I put some coconut oil in a smaller jar to keep in my bathroom and I have the bigger jar in the kitchen.
The one girl says she uses it for lotion on her face body ect.. and that it lasts forever. Doesn’t it go sour or ransom if not used or refrigerated?
thank you
We purchase our extra-virgin, cold-pressed, coconut oil from Wilderness Family Naturals. I use it in cooking, mainly. I have a hard time adjusting to the coconut flavor when a recipe like brownies ask for 2/3 cup of oil, when I substitute it with the coconut oil. I had to get use to it in popcorn, now I don’t even notice it. I have also tried to make natural products with it (like deodorant, sugar scrub, shaving cream, etc.). The deodorant worked well, until the summer time, our skin started to break out; not sure if it’s from the coconut oil or from the arrowhead powder in it. Also, I would love to use the sugar scrub, but just figured out that I should not use it when I live with a “septic system” in our back yard. Since coconut oil solidifies in colder temperatures, we didn’t want it to clog up our pipes. Love to know how I can use it on other ways, besides cooking π
Can I use refined coconut oil in place of shortening in my cookie recipes? Or use EVCO? Even if it is not solid when I’m using it?
Been using and substituting coconut oil for about 6-months. LOVE IT! I buy the extra-virgin at Costco. Great deal.
I love coconut oil and use it in all the ways mentioned previously, but I only buy the unrefined virgin type. The best place for me to get it is Vitacost.com online, and I buy the Vitacost brand because the quality is comparable to other pricier brands. You can usually get it on sale for $18 for a 54 oz jar, and you get free shipping if you spend $25 in Vitacost products, which is very easy to do.
One other thing I really like about coconut oil is that when you use it in frying or sauteeing foods, it doesn’t stink up your house like vegetable oil does. It leaves a clean fresh scent.
I use it any chance I get when I’m baking! I have a recipe for the BEST banana muffins using coconut oil π
I LOVE LOVE to use it when I am making popcorn on my stove. Adds a subtle sweet flavor and I just can’t use regular oil anymore. It is absolutely delicious!!
I discovered coconut oil when I had to give up dairy… But I use it in apple crisp and rice krispie treats. Just yesterday I used it for roasting sweet potatoes and greasing muffin tins to make egg muffins.
I use coconut oil for almost all of my baking. I also like to use it for popcorn – sprinkle with nutritional yeast & a little salt – yummy! I am with your husband – LOVE the smell of the virgin oil! I purchase mine from Bountiful Baskets Co-op – about $20 for 64 oz. of organic oil.
So yummy spread on toast with a little honey drizzled on top…..mmmmmmm…..
I love the EV coconut oil for cooking summer squash and sweet potatoes. It’s also pretty great in brownies. I find it at Sam’s, but we also have Meijers here, and you can find it in the Asian food aisle – near the Indian food. (Where incidentally, you can buy huge containers of things like turmeric and curry spices super cheap.)
Love coconut oil. I’ve been on the “bandwagon” for probably about 16 yrs now? (wow!) hehe I’ve tried a lot of different kinds/brands over the years. These are my three favorite sources for CO when it comes to taste, quality of oil and most cost effective, esp. in larger amounts [some oils can contain more water than others and spatter more]: Rose Mountain Herbs 5 gal bucket (esp on sale), Wilderness Family Naturals, Green Pasture Blue Breeze $49/gal. Blue Breeze is my hands-down favorite! I had to find another source when they stopped carrying it for a while, but it’s back now. I’m currently working my way through a 5 gal of Tropical Traditions Gold Label that I received as a gift and I have to say, the taste is definitely “off” from pure coconut taste and other brands that have been my “go to”. I won’t be buying that brand again. (I grew up in the tropics, I know what fresh coconut should taste like)
I use coconut oil for pretty much everything! π All cooking and baking (altho’ living at high altitude, I find it works better if I go half and half with butter in my baking, plus I love good butter!), smoothies (run the blender, and slowly add the melted CO, it won’t form lumps that way). I keep a qt mason jar of the oil on my stove top and use it for all my “oil” needs when sauteing or frying, browning, etc. It’s THE oil I use for my cast iron. I’ve never had any trouble with sticking of pancakes/waffles/etc. The only thing I don’t use CO for is my mayo; the texture isn’t right when it solidifies in the fridge. π
I also use CO for deodorant, foot/shoe deodorant, moisturizer, any healing salves (I keep a jar of calendula infused CO in my bathroom as a healing salve; unrefined CO has excellent anti-microbial and anti-viral properties built in), hair moisturizer, make-up remover, oil-pulling (teeth), if I feel a UTI or peri-menopause vag discomfort (hope that’s not TMI cuz it’s not food-related, but it works wonderfully for soothing burning/itching feelings and it’s being anti-microbial helps too.)
I love coconut oil! My family is dairy free due to food allergies so I use coconut oil in just about everything.
I use it in my protein shakes and your coconut lime cilantro chicken – it’s so yummy in there! However I didn’t realize the differences between the two kinds and I just purchased one of TT’s 5 gallon buckets of extra Virgin (ON SALE! Lol) but didn’t realize till I received it that it was the “smelly” kind as I had only used the expeller pressed previously. So I was somewhat bummed but you have given me hope that my LARGE purchase was not for naught! Lol thank you! π
I mostly use coconut oil in my pancakes and waffles. Always unrefined. I melt it completely first and have never had a problem with sticking. It is super yummy in rice krispie treats instead of butter. I love it on toast with strawberry jam. I feel like over the last few months it has boosted my metabolism. One think I love to use my coconut oil for that is not cooking related is to remove my eye makeup! Also it is supposed to be anti fungal and my husband swear it killed his athletes foot. (You didn’t hear that from me π )
This may sound strange but I put a spoonful in vegetables. My 1 year old is teething and wants to eat purees mostly and no veggies. So I steamed carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and peas. Added coconut oil, splash of half and half and a little cheddar. Blended it up and he gobbled it down! It seemed to make the veggies sweeter.
I love the expelller-pressed coconut oil because of its health benefits and neutral taste (EVCO is too strong of a smell and taste to be multipurpose in my opinion). We love that it’s safe for higher temperatures on the occasion we fry or stir fry in it too! We use it in place of “vegetable/olive/canola” oil in any recipe (but if the recipe calls for butter, we still use butter then).
However, I wanted to correct something in your write-up. You stated expeller pressed coconut oil uses chemicals, but that is not true of all brands. The brand you show does not for example. From their webpage: “Tropical Traditions Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil DOES NOT use solvent extracts. It is made the βoldβ way by expeller-pressed mechanical extraction.” Some expeller-pressed do use chemicals, but I buy TT on purpose because they don’t.
I have used it in your zucchini bread and it’s wonderful!!
I do use coconut oil. I have my awesome Coconut Chocolate Chunk Cookies on my blog that are fabulous with it.
To be completely honest though it’s all the way in the back of my pantry and I completely forget about using it most days. I should stick in next to the stove as you mentioned.
I currently have only ever purchased from Amazon.
Thanks for the insight.
I use it a lot in baking. I love the flavor it gives to baking powder biscuits. I don’t even have to put butter on the biscuit! π I melt it and add it to my liquids I just add while my mixer is on and I’ve had no problems. Also have not had the sticking problem with pancakes waffles or crepes. I still spray surface with Pam first.
Oh and I love popping popcorn with it again no butter necessary just add salt while it’s popping. So good!
I put it in my oatmeal almost every morning and have used it instead of butter when making hash browns and eggs.
I have used it instead of butter to fry eggs. I have also put about 1/2 t in my cup of hot chocolate.
I’m so glad you covered this topic. I’ve been considering buying coconut oil but was overwhelmed by the choices (and the prices). This gives me a better idea of what to buy and how to use it. I’ll start with the extra virgin. Thanks!
well, I couldn’t wait to comment and scream POPCORN, but I see so many have already mentioned this! It’s seriously the yummiest way to eat popcorn, it’s almost a daily after school snack around here. I put about 5 or 6 tablespoons in the bottom of my heavy soup pot, add 1/2 cup of popcorn. As it’s popping and once it’s finished, I shake the pot with the lid on very well to coat the popped kernels with the melted coconut oil. Season well with kosher salt, it’s beyond delicious!
Also, I cook things like quesadillas in it, and basically anything else that I need to brown in a skillet. LOVE coconut oil!
oh, and it makes a great nighttime eye cream!
I use coconut oil in green beans, frying chicken, or anything really. I also put it on my grill to do pancakes and have never had it to cause a sticking problem. I do use the unflavored for all I mentioned. I love using the one that taste a little like coconut ion muffins, quick breads, etc.
I have only bought it at Tropical Traditions. Great company and customer service. I love their testimony about how they started the business.
I love coconut oil – I use Tropical Traditions expeller pressed oil in every recipe that calls for oil, for sauteing, etc. My husband hates coconut, so I avoid using the regular oil in my cooking. FYI, THEIR expeller pressed oil does not contain chemicals or solvents. I still use butter for cookies and such, and occasionally olive oil for certain things, but I mostly use coconut oil. I have a container of organic virgin oil in my bathroom that I use for eye-make up removal and for moisturizer, even for putting on minor scrapes and cuts. Seems to help them heal faster.
I’ve also ordered organic expeller pressed coconut oil from Azure Standard and thought it was excellent as well.
I use EVCO with Asian dishes. Particularly all things Thai, from stir fry to curries. Can even add a little into a pot of rice while it’s simmering.
Coconut oil also pairs well with Caribbean food. Some jerk with a side of rice and red beans with EVCO, awww yaaa!
And it’s stupidly good as spread on some toast.
Have you tried Kelapo brand coconut oil? I tried other brands and discovered this one after my friend started working for the company here in the Tampa area a couple years ago. It has turned into my favorite and now it is the only brand I use.
I know people have mentioned popping their popcorn in it, which I did for awhile before I found a brand new air popper at Goodwill, but now we melt it and pour it over the popcorn instead of butter. So good! It’s just like movie theater popcorn.
The only baked good I’ve used it in is those applesauce oatmeal muffins you posted a few weeks back. I’ve made them twice already, very tasty.
I love to pop popcorn in it with our Whirley Pop. Words cannot describe how amazing it smells!
I love coconut oil. I’ve only dabbled a little into using it for baking/cooking. I usually make any muffins (banana, pumpkin, etc.) with coconut oil instead of veg. oil. Fabulous!
What I really love this coconut oil for is ‘body lotion’. I use it everyday on my face, arms and legs. A little goes a long way, so the jars last forever. My skin loves it! I have never had dry skin after I started using this every morning. I also choose to use the organic/unrefined version.
In short (kind of), I keep one container in my bathroom and the other in my kitchen.
Such fabulous info and insights. I love it!
Thank you so much for this article! I’ve been contemplating jumping on the coconut oil bandwagon but haven’t really found a good reason. I am a creature of habit and tend to stick with things that I am familiar with when it comes to cooking and baking. Next time I go to the store, I think I am definitely going to pick some up. Cant wait to try it with some of your recipes π
We love to pop popcorn in coconut oil. Just add salt after popping. Yum!! Hershey’s chocolate cake is also wonderful. Like you, we love it in granola bars and eventhough the pancakes have sticking problems we love it in your oatmeal pancakes. I use my immersion blended to break up the nasty clumps it gets.
I too love coconut oil:)
I have used coconut oil in several of your recipes. My favorite is your sweet and sour chicken! it takes it to new levels of yumminess:)))))) I also, love sauteing chicken for a quick stir fry with just a little bit of salt and pepper in the coconut oil.
I also use a half and half mixture of coconut oil and butter, for the cooks illustrated thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies.
Angie – thanks for the reminder, I use it for the sweet and sour chicken, too (and just added it to the post!).
Thanks for the correction on the Tropical Traditions coconut oil everyone! I’ll edit the post.