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If you cook with a lot of wooden utensils, then you probably already know what happens if you don’t take care of the wood. It splits in half or breaks, ruining a perfectly good tool. This homemade two-ingredient wood butter recipe will keep your favorite spoons in good shape so you can enjoy them for years to come.
In my seasonal homestead kitchen, I love cooking with wooden spoons and not just cheapo ones from IKEA.
I especially enjoy finding antique or vintage wooden spoons, cleaning them up, then use them for cooking, baking, and shooting photos for the blog.
Add in the wooden handles on my dough whisk and pastry cutter, and there are quite a few wooden kitchen tools that need extra attention.
To keep those spoons and handles in good shape, you’ll want to add wood or spoon butter. It will seep in and nourish the wood, making it more resistant to cracking over time.
This recipe is food-safe, using beeswax and coconut oil, NOT mineral oil, and it costs pennies to make. It makes a great gift, too, and I’m sharing my printable labels below!
⬆️The spoon in the front has not been treated with wood butter and the one in the back has. Can you see the difference?
What is Spoon Butter?
Also sometimes called board cream or board butter, spoon butter is a simple mixture of beeswax and coconut oil.
The coconut oil will nourish the wood while the beeswax gives it lasting power to hold up to all the cooking and chopping you do on a regular basis.
This isn’t the same as cutting board oil, which absorbs into the wood quickly. We want a thicker mixture, similar to lotion, but for wood.
And although I usually use it on wooden spoons and handles, it can also be used on wooden boards, and more!
Reapply every couple of months to keep your tools in good shape.
Ingredients
Coconut oil – I use the regular refined organic coconut oil I normally get from Azure Standard. You do want a solid-state coconut oil, not fractionated, but either virgin or refined will do.
Beeswax – Although you may already have some beeswax pastilles on hand for making beeswax candles, double check that they are food grade. The spoon butter will be used on utensils you use to prepare food, so we want to be picky about quality.
Essential oils – Totally optional. If using, use high-quality food-safe oils. I like to use orange or grapefruit.
How to Make Homemade Spoon Butter
- In a double boiler, combine beeswax and coconut oil and warm over medium heat until liquid.
- Remove from the heat and stir in essential oils.
- Pour into preferred containers and allow the mixture to harden completely at room temperature.
Storing Suggestions
Keep the butter in an airtight container, like a mason jar or aluminum tins. I like to keep 2 oz metal tins on hand for lotion bars and such and they work great for spoon butter, too!
The coconut oil will soften in warm temperatures, so the mixture is softer in the summer and harder in the winter.
Free Printable Spoon Butter Labels
Want to share this recipe as a gift or just have pretty labels for yourself?
Download this 2×2 round label design and upload to your favorite sticker company’s template or print with a thermal printer!
Tips & Variations
Ditch the oils. You do not need to use essential oils for this, but it makes the butter feel a little fancier and adds a nice scent.
Make a larger container. I like to use the 2 oz tins, which are great for gifting and a handy size, but you can also just store everything in a mason jar.
Make cutting board oil. In between feeds, you can hit your spoons or boards with this DIY cutting board oil made with fractionated coconut oil. Super simple and effective!
How to Use Spoon Butter
- Rub a generous layer of spoon butter over your favorite wooden spoons, handles, and other wooden utensils.
- Allow the butter to infuse overnight.
- The next day, rub any leftover butter into the wood and wipe off any excess.
- Use as desired. Repeat as needed.
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FAQs
Really, it’s best to do this every couple of months. I find that my older wooden spoons don’t need quite as much (likely due to the denser, higher quality wood), while the cheaper, newer ones could use it much more often.
More DIY Recipes
This wooden butter makes a great homemade Christmas gift (or housewarming gift) as well as these other DIYs:
- DIY Toilet Spray
- Homemade Lotion Bars
- Beeswax Candles
- Vanilla Sugar Scrub
- Homemade Fizzing Toilet Bombs
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Wooden Spoon Butter Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tbs beeswax pastilles, approximately 2 ounces
- ¾ cup coconut oil, approximately 6 oz
- 10-15 drops orange or grapefruit essential oils
Instructions
- In a double boiler, combine beeswax and coconut oil and warm over medium heat until liquid.
- Remove from the heat and stir in essential oils.
- Pour into preferred containers and allow the mixture to harden completely.
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
Post a photo and tag @milkglasshome!
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This recipe was initially prepared for my seasonal magazine and community, The Handmade Year.
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