Raw Shea Butter Benefits for Cooking and Baking: Nutrition, Taste and How to Use It

You might assume that shea butter is just a miracle moisturiser for dry skin, but did you know it’s also a traditional cooking fat with a rich and nutty flavour?

Chances are that if you’ve landed on this page, you already know that, and today it’s finding its way into modern kitchens for good reason: raw shea butter benefits go far beyond the beauty cupboard.

Below, we’ll explore the nutritional profile and the benefits of swapping to shea butter, as well as some simple and safe ways to incorporate it into your everyday cooking and baking. Whether you’re passionate about natural ingredients or love experimenting in the kitchen, this age-old staple might just become your new favourite thing to cook with.

Raw shea butter benefits for cooking and nutrition

Raw shea butter benefits in the kitchen are seriously impressive. For centuries, shea butter has been used across West Africa as a reliable cooking fat, renowned for its versatility in both hot and cold dishes. And, thanks to its high content of healthy fats, shea butter holds up well under heat and provides your cooking with a satisfying, buttery finish (and who wouldn’t enjoy that?)

However, what really sets shea butter apart is its distinct nutty flavour and silky feel. It’s hard to get a similar taste from other oils, as the taste of shea butter really is quite unique.

On the nutrition side, raw shea butter naturally contains a handful of vitamins, including A, D, E, and K, plus essential fatty acids that can help to support overall energy, heart health and general wellbeing. Ultimately, raw shea butter is just one of those ingredients that tastes delicious but actually does your body some good, too.

What is food-grade raw shea butter?

If you have no idea what raw shea butter is, or where to start with it, you’ve come to the right place. An important distinction to make is that there are two main types of shea butter: cosmetic-grade and food-grade (and you don’t want to get the two of them mixed up).

Both types of shea butter actually come from the same sun-dried kernels from the very same tree (known as the Vitellaria Paradoxa), the differences appear in the processing stage.

To make raw shea butter, the kernels are carefully dried, roasted and ground before being slowly kneaded and churned to release its natural oils (no harsh chemicals necessary). This is what makes it ‘raw.’

Here’s a brief distinction on how to tell the different types of shea butter apart:

• Raw shea butter - the least processed form, made through traditional methods with no additives or heat refining.
• Unrefined shea butter - like raw in many ways, but it may be lightly filtered to remove any debris while keeping most of its natural goodness and aroma.
• Refined shea butter - this type of shea butter is processed to remove any colour or scent, resulting in a paler product, meaning that it’s better for skincare than cooking.

When using raw shea butter in the kitchen, you must ensure it has a smooth, buttery texture and is light ivory to golden in colour. But we’ll come onto how to choose the best raw shea butter later on.

Nutritional profile and cooking performance

When used in the kitchen in the right way, raw shea butter is rich in essential fatty acids like oleic, palmitic and linoleic acids, which are the healthy fats that help support energy and heart health. These fats give shea butter its creamy texture, and also because of this, shea butter doesn’t tend to burn as easily as, let’s say, vegetable oils.

Raw shea butter will work the best with low to medium heat cooking. It’s particularly good for light sautéing, softening vegetables, or adding flavour to rice and grains. For baking, raw shea butter will give any pastries, cakes or cookies a gentle nutty taste that we’re sure will only add to the sweet treat!

You can also use raw shea butter as a finishing fat by stirring it into stews, soups or cooked greens for a little bit of extra flavour.

Feeling ready to start using shea butter in your own bakes? Our Organic Vegan Butter is perfect for a shea butter first-timer, as it’s made with only the finest organic ingredients, is free from any additives, and is, of course, safe for consumption.

Storage and shelf life best practices:

There are a couple of things to bear in mind when storing raw shea butter, and hopefully, this should make it super simple, particularly if it’s your first time using it in your cooking.

• Keep your shea butter in an airtight container.
• Make sure your shea butter is kept in a cool, dark place away from direct sunlight and heat.
• Shea butter can also be stored in the fridge, although it can cause it to harden - just make sure to heat the butter to room temperature before using it in your cooking.

Flavour, aroma and pairing ideas

As we’ve already covered, raw shea butter will bring a bold and nutty depth to all kinds of baking and cooking, making even those familiar dishes feel entirely fresh. Its flavour sits somewhere between toasted nuts and browned butter, with a taste that can also be described as ‘gently earthy.’

In savoury cooking, shea butter will melt into stews and soups, and can also be added to a warm pan to sauté vegetables - adding extra richness to even a simple stir fry. Read more on how to use shea butter in cooking here.

In baking, the nutty flavour of shea butter pairs well with ingredients like dark chocolate, bananas, spices, nuts and even Nutella (find a particularly excellent Nutella and tahini bun recipe here). To find out more, read how to use shea butter in baking here.

These are some of our favourite shea butter pairing suggestions:

• Grains, pulses and leafy greens - shea butter will gently add to the nuttiness of quinoa and lentils, and will add to the flavour of spinach and kale too.
• Root vegetables and squash - the natural creamy texture of shea butter will pair beautifully with sweet potato, carrot or pumpkin.
• Cocoa-adjacent and nut-forward desserts - shea butter will complement chocolate, hazelnut, and almond incredibly well when baking sweet treats.

If you find that when you’re cooking or baking with shea butter, you want less of an overpowering nutty taste, think about blending it with neutral oil or butters. Mixing shea butter with coconut oil, butter, or olive oil will help to achieve a subtler taste.

Traditional and modern culinary uses

The story behind shea butter is rooted deep in the savannahs of West Africa, where it has long been used as a cooking fat. It’s also a key ingredient in many traditional dishes where its earthy depth balances spicy or tomato-based flavours (a great example of that is in Star Shea’s vegetarian curry recipe).

Today, raw shea butter is making somewhat of a return, particularly with the rise of people wanting to eat natural, whole, or plant-based food. And why not try it for yourself?

A little tip, however, if you’re finding that when you’re cooking with shea butter the flavour is too overpowering for your taste buds, instead use three parts shea butter to one part natural oil to soften the flavour and texture.

Raw vs unrefined vs refined: Which for which recipe?

We’ve already covered how raw, unrefined and refined shea butter differ in both processing and purity, but when it comes to cooking and baking with said ingredient, choosing the right one will make all the difference.

• Raw shea butter brings the most flavour and nutrients, so it’s a great choice for hearty or rustic dishes (aka a good one for those dinners when you want to feel oh-so-cosy). It’s also lovely when baking cookies, brownies or loaf bakes.
• Unrefined shea butter offers a gentler taste while keeping a lot of the nutritional benefits and aroma. A good all-rounder, use when cooking vegetables, or baking muffins or chocolate desserts.
• Refined shea butter is best when you want the benefits of it, without the nutty taste. Use it in delicate bakes or pastries.

Regardless of which type of shea butter you opt for, it’s essential to ensure you have the food-grade, safe kind before consuming it. That’s why we’ve created our own Organic Vegan Butter, which is specifically made with the finest ingredients and crafted for culinary use.

While weighing up the shea butter options on the market, always look for clear labelling that confirms it’s safe for human consumption - essentially, you want to see buzzwords like ‘food-grade’, ‘Grade A’ or ‘organic.’

How to choose the best raw organic shea butter

When shopping for the best raw shea butter for cooking and baking, ensure you don’t make the mistake of not reading the small print. Make sure you know exactly where your shea butter is coming from - West African sources such as Ghana, for example, are known for its top-quality shea butter.

When it comes to texture and smell, the shea butter should be creamy and not overly gritty, with a mild nutty aroma. Steer clear of any chemical or generally off smell. Make sure to also choose a supplier who mentions traceability or those who work with women’s co-operatives, as this supports fair pricing and sustainable production.

All of these things are incredibly important to us at Star Shea, which is why our Organic Vegan Butter is sourced from the Morning Star Integrated School’s farm in Tamale where women are given the opportunity to learn about and help farm shea butter.

Preparation tips and recipe guidelines

Working with raw shea butter can be quite the novelty, to begin with, but once you get used to it, it’s truly life-changing! To start, melt your shea butter gently (or if it’s been stored in a cupboard or pantry, you might be able to skip this step depending on its softness).

The key is to melt your shea butter slowly to preserve all its goodness and nutrients. And, alternatively, if you prefer your cooking and baking to have that smoother finish, you can temper it by melting and cooling your shea butter slowly. This will help to stabilise the texture for baking or blending. The more you know.

Shea butter also blends well with other fats, and can be used in conjunction with coconut oil, olive oil or ghee for a creamier consistency and milder taste.

When substituting your shea butter, you’re going to want to use the ratio of three parts shea butter to one part butter or oil. That’s unless you’re baking pastries or light cakes. In this case, you might want to use equal parts shea butter to regular butter or oil.

So, now you’ve invested in your first block of raw shea butter. What’s next? Well, bear in mind that it’s best to introduce shea butter into your recipes and diet gradually, to find out how you like it. Some people love the flavour of shea butter in their cooking and want to add as much as possible, meanwhile others prefer a slight nutty aftertaste.

Safety, allergens and who should avoid

Of course, before fully integrating shea butter into your diet, there are a couple of considerations to think about, particularly if you, or someone in your household, has any allergies.

Raw shea butter is plant-based, but it can trigger reactions in individuals with nut sensitivities. If this is the case, it’s most definitely a good idea to patch-test or try a very small portion first.

Also, in order for you to safely enjoy shea butter in cooking, proper storage is essential. We covered how to store shea butter safely in the section ‘storage and shelf life best practices,’ but essentially, your shea butter just needs to be in a cool and dry place in an airtight container.

Sustainability and social impact

Perhaps the best thing about the raw shea butter benefits is that investing in it can also help to support people and the planet.

Shea butter is known as ‘women’s gold’ in Africa as it plays a crucial role, not only in cooking, but also in earning a living wage for millions of African women.

Star Shea sources its Organic Vegan Butter from the Morning Star Integrated School’s farm in Tamale, Ghana, which was originally set up for young women who were unable to qualify for higher-level employment. Buying from a trusted source is paramount to ensure that women are both fairly paid and empowered to manage their own business. Read more about the important work Star Shea is contributing to here.

But, the benefits of investing in good-quality shea butter don’t stop there. Communities that harvest shea nuts also practice ecosystem stewardship, and, as the shea tree is incredibly long-living and slow-growing, this is incredibly important. Star Shea’s very own butter ticks these four key boxes:

1. Low on the Glycemic Index.
2. No chemicals, all organic.
3. No industrial fertilisers are used.
4. Handpicked and processed by the farmers of Ghana.

It almost goes without saying that looking after the planet should be a number one priority. So, also keep in mind the kind of packaging used, and whether the company is one which makes low-waste a priority.

Featured snippet box: Quick benefits summary

Raw shea butter benefits for cooking and baking:

• Adds a rich, nutty flavour to both sweet and savoury bakes.
• Packed with plenty of vitamins.
• Melts smoothly, making it easy to fry, roast, or bake.
• A plant-based alternative to dairy butters and oils.

So, if you go away with one thing, know that raw shea butter isn’t just delicious. It will add a nutty flavour, extra creamy texture and a nutritional boost (that let’s be honest, we probably all could do with) to your cooking and baking.

Plus, choosing Star Shea’s Organic Vegan Butter is one way to support women-led supply chains, sustainable agriculture and promote biodiversity.

Yummy, versatile and doing something good for people and the planet - we’ll be adding five to our basket, immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the main raw shea butter benefits for cooking?

To help you decide whether to introduce raw shea butter into your cooking and baking, here are a couple of the benefits.

• Shea butter adds a rich, nutty flavour to both sweet and savoury bakes.
• It's packed with plenty of vitamins.
• It will melt smoothly, making it easy to fry, roast, or bake.
• Shea butter makes for a simple, plant-based alternative to dairy butters and oils.

Can I bake with raw organic shea butter and in what ratio?

The short answer is yes! You can absolutely bake with raw organic shea butter (as long as it’s food-grade). It’s packed with lots of healthy fats, so it works really well in cookies, brownies, soups, stews, and the list could go on.

There are also lots of different ratios you can try - it really does depend on how strong you want to taste the shea butter in your cooking or baking. When mixing with oil, use around three parts shea butter to one part coconut oil to keep the texture tender without overpowering the taste.

What’s the difference between raw, unrefined, and refined for culinary use?

As we covered earlier in the article, here’s a brief distinction on how to tell the different types of shea butter apart:

• Raw shea butter - the least processed form, made through traditional methods with no additives or heat refining.
• Unrefined shea butter - like raw in many ways, but it may be lightly filtered to remove any debris while keeping most of its natural goodness and aroma.
• Refined shea butter - this type of shea butter is processed to remove any colour or scent, resulting in a paler product, meaning it’s better for skincare than cooking.

Does raw shea butter taste strong and how do I balance it?

Raw shea butter has a strong, nutty flavour and people also often describe it as having an ‘earthy’ scent. If you’re someone who doesn’t tend to love a strong flavour, there are ways to make sure the shea butter taste doesn’t overpower a dish, too.

To reduce its flavour, you can mix shea butter with either coconut oil or butter for a sweeter taste.

Where can I buy food‑grade raw shea butter in the UK?

If you’re currently wondering where to start with buying food-grade raw shea butter in the UK - you’re in the right place. Star Shea’s Vegan Butter is available for delivery in the UK and is free with orders over £30.

An excellent way to dip your toe in the world of cooking with shea butter, Star Shea’s Vegan Butter also makes for the perfect beginner choice, as it's organic, free from additives and chemicals, and can be used in cooking or baking straight away.