Cacao butter, or cocoa butter, is still somewhat of a secret in the wellness world, despite boasting a number of healthy properties that can rival the more well-known cacao powder. One tablespoon of cacao butter has 27.1 mg of phytosterols1, a compound that’s been found in studies to help lower bad cholesterol levels. It’s also been found to be anti-inflammatory in a number of studies. Cacao butter can also work well in savory dishes—it goes particularly well with basil, peppercorns, green peas, roasted cauliflower, and flaky fish dishes. Experimenting with cacao butter can yield unexpected, exciting results and make you excited about getting into the kitchen. One caveat—while cacao butter is healthy (keto diet fans, in particular, laud the substance), it’s still high in saturated fat and shouldn’t be eaten in high amounts daily. But don’t worry—if you have any left over, you can always use cacao butter in its more common form, as a sweet-smelling moisturizer for dry or chapped skin.
