Homemade Cold Pressed Virgin Coconut Oil
Homemade coconut oil is pure, unadulterated liquid gold. In my video, I show you how to make cold pressed, extra virgin oil. I use this for beauty, cooking and several of my DIY’s.
I love coconut oil, especially homemade coconut oil. For me, it’s simply magical. I’m constantly piping in with “coconut oil is great for that!” On a daily basis, I use it for removing makeup, as a leave in conditioner and to oil pull. Greater still is the fact that as a domestic engineer {haha} I find so many uses for coconut oil that it’s probably easier for me to compile an inapplicable list. When J’s had a long day, it works wonders as a massage oil, especially when spiked with a few drops of frankincense and/or lavender essential oils. As a baker, I can appreciate it for the fact that it mimics butter so well that I can use it for my cookies, scones, cakes, etc. As a cook, it’s just as impressive as its high smoke point lends itself well to stir fry dishes too. Although once demonized, recent studies have shown that coconut oil is mainly comprised of medium chain fatty acids making it a healthier and more versatile choice due to its long lasting, heat stable qualities that are also unlikely to degrade into trans fats when cooked.
A quick peek into my video history will also echo my love for coconut oil. I’ve created fun DIY’s for everyday items like lip balm and body butter or candles and soaps. The best part of these recipes are that they only require 2 or 3 ingredients and one of them, you guessed it, is good ole wholesome coconut oil.
Here are some other amazing things coconut oil can do:
- Emulsified into tea or coffee for a boost of energy. It’s also high in lauric acid and MCFA content to help boost metabolism
- Used as a yummy tropical body scrub {I like it with raw sugar/honey, and lime}
- Used as an spf 4-6 sunscreen, reinforced to a greater spf when combined with zinc oxide and raspberry oil
- Can soothe sunburns {I love this one even more since we moved to the beach}, regular burns, scars and stretch marks {because hey! I have those too}
- Can season cast iron skillets
- Creates a better chocolate “magic shell”
- Used as a shaving butter
- Turned into a simple toothpaste of coconut oil and baking soda that freshens your breath and whitens your teeth {I use this occasionally and oil pull regularly and it’s done a fabulous job of whitening my teeth}
- Pat on hair to not only condition it and tame frizz it but some also swear by it for making their hair grow. I’ve been using it on my lashes and can see a difference. In any event, it makes a wonderful oil for scalp massages.
- Used as a cutting board polish. Coconut oil deeply penetrates the wood to prevent brittleness. {Is said to also be a good leather polish}
There are so many more uses but these are ones I’ve personally tried and tested. Cold processed virgin coconut oil has been a jack of all trades and a solid all purpose life saver in our household. I hope you’ll give a few of these a try and enjoy my recipe for homemade coconut oil. This is a cold pressed method that better maintains the integrity of the fruit and retains more of the vitamins and antioxidants.
- 3 mature, brown coconuts
- Cleaver/screwdriver/hammer
- Food processor or blender
- Unbleached cheesecloth/fine mesh strainer
- Pop a hole into 2-3 of the eyes {depressed circles on one top of the coconut} and drain out the water. 1 of the eyes will be softer and easier to work with.
- Crack open the coconuts {as demonstrated in the video} and obtain all the meat. You can do this by either wedging something blunt in between the shell and meat and carefully wiggling it out or by directly scraping it out.
- In batches, blend the meat with clean water {using a 1:1 ratio}. You want to finely pulverize the meat until it has a creamy, almost cohesive consistency.
- Pour into a large bowl and use your hands to squeeze the pulpy meat for 20-30 minutes. This step is just as important as the next strain through cheesecloth/strainer. As a bonus step, you can leave this mixture to sit for a few hours.
- Collect all the pulp {again in batches} in a cheesecloth or fine mesh strainer and squeeze {with all your might!}. The goal is to leave behind bone dry flakes and extract all the liquid into a bowl. You can press it out twice, if need be. What you essentially have here is coconut milk.
- Cover this bowl and allow it to sit, undisturbed in a dark place for 1-2 days {1 if you’re in a hot environment. If it’s too hot, it will become sour}. I kept mine in the microwave for 1.5 days.
- Afterwards, you can chill it to faster solidify the layers. The bottom will be murky water, the middle layer will be the coconut oil followed by a top layer of cream or curd.
- Skim off the top layer of curd/cream {this can be used for coconut cheese}.
- Spoon out the floating oil and at this point you can either filter the oil through a clean cheesecloth then allow extra moisture to evaporate by covering with a bit of plastic with a hole for air to escape or use right away.
A last few notes to mention: as a by-product, you can drink the milky coconut water fresh from the cracked coconut and you can grind dried coconut flakes to make homemade coconut flour or use as nourishing compost. I’ve also used the pulp with coconut oil and sea salt to make a delicious body scrub. The uses for the humble coconut are endless and magical. Just one humble coconut can produce coconut milk, water, flakes, oil, coconut cream {homemade coconut whipped cream is to die for}, flour, or vinegar {coconut nectar, sugar, and amino come from the plant itself} plus so much more, so enjoy!
Love,
Your Squishy Monster
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Can’t believe that coconut oil can be homemade at all! Amazing!
I had no idea you could do this at home. Brilliant.
are u saying that coconuts migrate? hahaha..cool i never heard of coconut cheese before..had to google because i am behind the times.
oooh too cool! xO!
Awesome tutorial! That’s so rad you can make it at home. Coconut oil is a staple in my kitchen. I made crispy juicy chicken katsu with it yesterday =).
Hi,
I have been trying to get the oil in a separate layer but even after 2 days its still cream on top and water below. I scoop the cream and heat it to separate into oil. What is wrong in my process. I use blender to get the coconut milk and leave it in a glass jar.
Hi, Sushmita! Let’s trouble shoot. It’s important to use a 1:1 ratio when blending. A high speed blender is very useful here as it helps to pulverize the meat. You need it to be almost silky smooth. Next, you want to spend some time really massaging the pulp. This helps jumpstart the process. My hand always gets super tired here but it’s well worth it in the end. Aim for up to 30 minutes of massage time. Later, when you strain it, it’s very important to leave behind bone-dry flakes. This is to mimic the expeller in an industrial setting. You want the least amount of liquid left behind. This takes quite a bit of force. I actually had J help me with this part. It’s also important that at no point you heat any part of the coconut, liquid, milk or pulp. Let me know and we’ll go from here =)
How long the coconut oil will last inside the ref and outside the ref?
Hi, Jereme! I’m currently on a batch that’s 3 months old. It really depends on the temperature of your house and how often the jar is opened. It lasts up to 4-6 months in the fridge for me =)
I live in Nicaragua, it’s very hot(usually upper 90’s-100 every day and no AC). You mentioned it will go sour if too hot, any tips that you can give to avoid it? Coconut oil is very expensive here so I really want to make it myself. Thank you!!
Hi, Tanya! Thanks for being here! This is a tricky one as once it goes rancid, it’s a bad situation. If there are any cool and dark spots in your home like a pantry it may work but if it does get too hot in every spot, I don’t know if this recipe will be viable.
Hello!
I having making coconut oil via the heat process but wanted to try the cold process. I used a high power grinder to grind my coconut into a puréed like consistency. Used a cheese clotte to squize out all the coconut milk. Kept it overnight when I came back to check on it. It has gone sour and it was only cream and a cloudy water. I skimmed the cream out to see if there was an oil in the middle but it was just water.
Can you help me out so I don’t encounter this situation again.
Thanks
Hello, Olive! I have found that if it’s too warm inside of your home, it can go sour. I’ve been having to make this over at our friends houses since we don’t have AC where we live. When you press out the liquid, you want to work on your nut bag/cheesecloth for a long while. The longer, the better. You can even do it twice. This is a very important step in the process. In a factory setting, very strong machines squeeze the flakes dry so with that in mind, you want to use all of your might and make sure every last drop is out of those flakes {which can later be made into coconut flour}.
Can I refrigerate the the liquid and have the same results?
Hi, Joanne! You can chill it to speed up the process but you will still have to separate it =)
Thank you. Trying this method now.
Hi please I want to find out if oil would still be obtained if the mixture is put in the fridge without being kept to ferment in a dark corner for 2days.
Hello, Lynneda! Unfortunately, the fermentation step is very important and cannot be omitted.
Hello Ma. I am so happy getting the instructions here. I have some questions. 1) what should I do if I want to send it overseas? how do I preserve it? 2) How long does it last under the right temperature? 3) is the end product the same as the industrial cold press virgin coconut oil? Thanks Ma.
Hello, Oluwaesun! I’m not sure about shipment as when it gets warm, it reverts back to its liquid state. It’s best preserved by keeping it chilled in the fridge or somewhere dark and warm. Mine lasts up to 6 months to a year, depending on how well I take care of it. I’m not sure what you mean by industrial?
Good day ma,what do mean by using a 1:1 ratio
Afternoon, Fatimah. This means if you have 1 c of this use 1 c of that. Equal ratio =)
Instead of blending, can you use a juicer?
I wouldn’t recommend it.
Wonderful!! Will try it
Hi
I kept mine in a dark place with temperature anything between 20 – 25 degrees Celsius and I got only 2 layers – no oil. ..
The separation into 2 layers is your first step. At this point, you just have water and curd. Depending on where you live/the environment, this may take more or less time. Some readers have told me it’s taken them up to 5 days, but do keep in mind, fermenting it too far will cause your oil to begin to take on a certain smell but as it ferments, the mixture will rise and form 3 distinct layers.
Ill try this method. I have been using the heating method before
Hello
Thanks a lot for sharing this method.. i’ll try it tonight
But a quick question can i use dried coconut flakes or coconut powder instead of fresh coconuts as we don’t have this where i live!
Thanks <3
Hi, Noa! I’ve only tested this with actual, mature coconuts. I wish you much luck! =)
Thanks for posting this awesome article. I’m a long time eader but
I’ve never been compelled to leave a comment. I subscribed to your blog and shared this on my Facebook.
Thanks agaqin for a great post!
Can we use this oil for cooking at high temperatures?Thank you.
Absolutely.
Hi..so glad I came across this blog. Does the coconut oil have an expiration date.
hi, base upon my experience, as I often do this cold press coconut oil, you have to find aatleast coconut that is quite old , if you use coconut somewhat young still, you can not get thar much oil…In three days, you will only get curds and water and rancidity…Thanks squish for this informative articles, getting so much know how from your articles, though been doing the coconut thing and soap for long time now. Thanks again
What about low speed juicer
Could you please tell me some uses of the first layer of coconut curds.
I assume it is very nutritious and rich in taste.
could I use low speed juice extractor to extract juice
Very true.
I realise old coconuts give out much oil for cold pressed.
Made a lot of mistakes when I used new coconuts .love your comment.
Thank you for tutorial you gave us. i’m so happen
The information is rich especially the experiences of others who tried the home made methods.
Thanks a lot.
Hi im edwin.im from Philippine’s we have a lot of coconut in my place.i just want to create my own coconut oil for cooking.please help me.please give me a procedure how to do it.my country temperature is tropical temperature 27° to 32°.thank you.
Am really glad that coconut oil can be used instead of butter. Am into fudgy brownies (not oven baked)… i will try this out and excited for the result…
The left over sour liquid , what do you do with that ? Can it be made into anything ?