This recipe is one of The Healing Kitchen’s most charming creations — a whole-food plant butter that spreads, stores, and satisfies like real butter, made entirely from cooked cornmeal (or leftover grits or polenta), coconut milk, olive oil, and salt. Blended smooth and chilled, it sets into a spreadable, creamy butter that stores in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. The corn provides the golden color; the coconut milk provides the richness; the olive oil provides the heart-healthy fat. No palm oil, no synthetic emulsifiers, no hydrogenated fats — just whole food, ingeniously reconfigured.
🌿 The Healing Ingredients
- Cornmeal Mush (or cooked grits/yellow polenta) — The starchy, neutral base that gives this butter its body and spreadable texture when chilled. Made by cooking fine yellow cornmeal in water until thick — or simply using leftover grits or polenta, making this an excellent zero-waste recipe. A small amount of carrot blended in deepens the golden color. → Shop Cornmeal, Yellow, Organic | Shop Cornmeal, Blue, Organic
- Coconut Milk — Provides the fat and richness that makes this butter feel luxurious. Rich in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), which are metabolized differently than long-chain fats and provide rapid, clean energy. Tasty Tip: For an alternative, use ½ cup rinsed cashews or ½ cup sunflower seeds. → Shop Coconut Milk, Organic, Unsweetened | Shop Coconut Milk Powder, Organic | Shop Cashews, Whole | Shop Sunflower Seeds, Raw, Organic
- Olive Oil — Provides monounsaturated oleic acid, vitamins A and E, and the characteristic richness of real butter. Heart-protective; extra virgin olive oil is one of the most well-documented foods for cardiovascular health. → Shop Olive Oil | Shop Olive Oil, Extra Virgin, Organic, Braggs | Shop Olive Oil, Extra Virgin, Organic, DeLallo
- Salt — Essential for flavor and for mimicking the savory quality of real butter. Adjust to taste.
📖 Why Cornmeal?
Cooked cornmeal is one of the few whole-food starches that sets to a firm, sliceable consistency when chilled — similar to polenta. This property, combined with the emulsifying effect of blending with fat, is what allows this recipe to function as a spreadable butter substitute. The corn starch molecules form a gel network when cooked and cooled, providing the structural firmness that holds the butter together in the refrigerator while still being soft enough to spread at room temperature.
📋 The Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cornmeal mush (or cooked grits or yellow polenta)
- 1 tsp. Salt
- ½–¾ cup Water (depending on desired thickness)
- ⅓ cup Coconut milk
- 2 Tbsp. Olive oil
Directions
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Slowly add ⅓ cup fine cornmeal and cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, until cooked. Alternatively, use cooked grits or yellow polenta. Leftovers may be used; simply warm and proceed with the recipe.
- Note: If using cornmeal, add a small amount of carrot to achieve the yellow color.
- Place all ingredients into a blender.
- Blend well, until smooth and creamy.
- Place in a container and cool.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Tasty Tip: For an alternative to coconut milk, use ½ cup rinsed cashews or ½ cup sunflower seeds.
💡 Tips & Serving Ideas
Use warm (not hot) cornmeal mush for blending — hot liquid can cause the blender lid to unseal under pressure. A high-speed blender produces the silkiest result. Start with ½ cup water and add more for a softer, more spreadable butter; less water for a firmer, more sliceable result. Pour into a small container or butter crock and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before using. Use exactly as you would dairy butter: spread on bread, toast, crackers, or corn cakes; melt over steamed vegetables; or use as a finishing fat for soups and grain dishes.
Part of The Healing Kitchen series at Black Hills Health Retreat.
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