How To Toast Coconut (Easy Recipe)

Toasted coconut is used in many dishes and is a beautiful topping on cakes, cupcakes, and many desserts. Learn how to make this tasty coconut treat at home in less than 5 minutes!

Making toasted coconut at home may seem like a big ordeal, but it’s one of the easiest things you could ever make! Unlike coconut chips, which are marinated and baked sweet coconut flakes, toasted coconut only requires one ingredient: shredded coconut! (And it only takes five minutes to make, so it’s a cinch.)

How to use toasted coconut

Toasted coconut brings three distinct benefits to the table:

A) It’s visually appealing (just look at that cake above), so it makes your desserts look even more tempting and tasty!

B) It’s crunchy, which provides great textural contrast for smoother desserts like cakes, ice creams, and dessert bars.

C) It brings a mild, sweet coconut taste, which complements fruit, vanilla, almond, cream, and chocolate flavors. (So, like, just about any dessert.)

Here are a few great desserts I’ve made that benefit from toasted coconut:

• Keto coconut cream pie. Chances are good you’ve had coconut cream pie with toasted coconut before, so I don’t think I really need to sell you on this recipe. The only thing I’ll add is that, if you’ve never had homemade coconut cream pie with homemade toasted coconut, you’re in for a real treat.
• White chocolate coconut fudge. This delightful dessert recipe I recently made includes shredded coconut for texture and flavor, but to be honest I think toasted coconut would elevate it even further. White chocolate fudge can get a little sickly sweet for some, and toasted coconut would really help round it out and provide some contrast!
• Coconut macaroon brownies. These brownies are on the fudgier end (thick and chewy), which is typical of coconut flour bakes, so toasted shredded coconut would again provide some textural diversity and really help bring out the coconut flavors already in the brownie!
• For more ideas, check out these lists of top almond flour and coconut flour recipes!

Oh, and of course, you don’t have to just use it for dessert – toasted coconut is great for topping homemade granola.

There are two ways to make toasted coconut, and both only take 5 minutes to prepare. Below, I’ll share step-by-step instructions along with photos on how to prepare this recipe.

How to toast coconut

For this recipe, you will need shredded coconut, coconut flakes, or desiccated coconut (learn how to make desiccated coconut from fresh coconuts here). There are a few different ways to make toasted coconut at home. Below I cover how to make it on the stove top and in the oven.

Toasted coconut recipe – stovetop method

1. Pour the desired amount of dried shredded coconut into dry skillet.
2. Heat over medium-low heat, constantly stirring to prevent burning. The coconut will toast quickly, so make sure to keep a close eye on pan to prevent the coconut from burning.
3. Remove the large skillet from the heat when the coconut is golden brown.
4. Let it cool, then store it in an airtight container.

Toasted coconut recipe – oven method

Another method for making toasted coconut is to bake the coconut shreds in the oven. I used two cups of coconut and spread an even layer over my cookie sheets.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spread a thin layer of the desired amount of coconut over a large baking sheet.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 3-5 minutes, or until the coconut is light and golden.
4. Stir the coconut halfway through baking to ensure the coconut toasts evenly.

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If you love this recipe, then please check out my other coconut inspired recipes and articles like:

• How To Make Desiccated Coconut
• How To Use Coconut Milk Powder
• Coconut Ice Cream
• 50+ Coconut Flour Recipes
• Iced Coconut Milk Coffee Latte
• How To Choose The Best Coconut Oil

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