Whipped Mango Body Butter Recipe
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This whipped mango body butter, made from an ingredient most people throw away with the mango seed, has become the most-commented recipe on the site — readers keep coming back with their own troubleshooting wins.
With winter fast approaching, give your body the TLC it needs with this DIY nourishing whipped mango body butter. What’s more, it comes together with minimum fuss using completely all-natural ingredients.
It’s been a while since first starting to make homemade skin care products, and experimenting with different natural ingredients and playing around with essential oil fragrances has become a genuine hobby. This all-natural whipped mango body butter is bound to become a favorite too, leaving skin smooth, silky, and well nourished through the winter months.
Table of Contents
What Is Mango Butter?
Mango butter is a natural butter made from the kernel of the mango fruit — Mangifera indica, scientifically speaking, and in fact the very first scientific name ever learned in a biology class. Growing up in India meant looking forward to dozens of mangoes every summer, since mango has always been a favorite fruit. It took years to realize that the seeds thrown away back then actually held real value for skin care.
Mango butter is off-white in color, similar to cocoa butter, and made from the seed. Since it comes from the kernel, it doesn’t smell or taste like mango at all — which makes it an ideal choice for skin care.
Benefits of Mango Butter in Skin Care
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Mango butter is rich in antioxidants and offers real benefits for the skin, which is why it turns up in so many skincare products. It doesn’t clog pores and works well for acne-prone skin, making it suitable for all skin types. To sum up: mango butter softens the skin, may help with dermatitis, psoriasis, sunburn, and eczema, moisturizes and protects against UV rays, helps prevent premature aging, supports wound healing, and may help support overall immune health.
- Mango Butter
- Cocoa Butter (optional, if using only mango butter)
- Sweet Almond Oil or any carrier oil of choice
- Coconut Oil (if omitting cocoa butter)
- Lavender Essential Oil
- Sandalwood Essential Oil
- Hand Mixer for whipping
- Mixing Bowl
Two Ways to Use Mango Butter
Ingredients List
- ½ cup mango butter
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 2 tbsp cocoa butter (optional)
- ¼ cup sweet almond oil
Cooking Instructions
Straight from the Block:
Mango butter’s real specialty is that it can be used as-is, rubbed directly onto the skin — just cut off a small piece and rub it in, letting it melt easily with body heat.
Whipped Instead:
For whipped mango body butter, melt the butter on low heat and mix it with a carrier oil, adding a few drops of essential oil for fragrance. Cooling and whipping it afterward gives it a light, fluffy, cream-like consistency.
Avoiding Harmful Ingredients:
The first reason for making homemade creams and potions was to avoid harmful substances. Commercial cosmetics are often laden with chemicals and preservatives, including hormone disruptors like parabens, paraffin, and EDTA. While these chemicals extend shelf life, they can mimic estrogen and contribute to endocrine and reproductive issues. A daughter’s skin also reacts immediately to any kind of disturbance because of her eczema, which made homemade nourishing mango body butter an excellent solution for the whole family.
Cutting Down on Plastic and Cost:
The second reason was to cut out plastic and packaging entirely, and the third, simply, was to cut costs.
How to Use Homemade Body Butter
Since body butter tends to be thicker, a little goes a long way. Use a small dollop and apply it directly on the skin, rubbing it in until fully absorbed. It can also be used on hair — soak for half an hour, then wash out with a mild shampoo, since mango butter can moisturize and soften hair too.
Important Tips
Exact measurements aren’t essential: the recipe still works even without them.
No need to refrigerate: keep the body butter in airtight jars instead.
Scale up easily: increase the quantities freely, just keep to the same basic ratios.
A great Christmas gift: ideal for natural-loving friends.
Watch citrus essential oils: they’re photosensitive, so avoid the sun after using them — the body butter is still fine to use at home.
Personal favorites: sandalwood, lavender, and rose are the essential oils reached for most often here.
Troubleshooting Tips
Can you remelt whipped body butter? Yes — if the consistency doesn’t come out right the first time, remelting, whipping, and cooling it again hasn’t affected the recipe in any way. Genuine trial and error went into these recipes early on before landing on the right consistency.
Why does body butter turn grainy? This happens when whipped body butter experiences a temperature increase and then cools too slowly. Gently remelting it — without melting it too quickly — and cooling it again fixes the grainy texture.
Can you skip the arrowroot powder? Homemade body butters can run a little greasy because of their all-natural ingredients, so a little arrowroot powder cuts that down. If it’s still too oily, add a bit more while whipping.
Reader Questions on Substitutions
A few substitutions readers have tried successfully: shea butter in place of sweet almond oil or coconut oil, mango butter in place of cocoa butter, and even homemade calendula oil made with grapeseed oil in place of one of the carrier oils — grapeseed oil is light, not greasy, and absorbs well. Regular coconut oil (not fractionated) is what’s used here, since fractionated coconut oil is harder to source locally.
How Much Does One Batch Make?
A batch like this typically fills around 2 jars, roughly 250ml combined — usually 1 mason jar of about 450–490ml and a couple of smaller 50–200ml jars, though this hasn’t been measured with strict precision.
Watch the Video
Recipe Card
Whipped Mango Body Butter Recipe
- Total Time: 15
- Yield: 100 servings 1x
Description
A nourishing, non-greasy whipped mango body butter, made completely from natural ingredients — built for the fall and winter months ahead.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup mango butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons cocoa butter (optional)
- 1/4 cup sweet almond oil
- 1–2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
- 15–20 drops essential oil of your choice
Instructions
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Cut the Butters:
Cut mango butter and cocoa butter into small chunks.
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Melt:
Melt the butters in a double boiler. It’s not necessary to melt the almond oil if that’s your carrier oil of choice. Coconut oil can solidify in colder climates, so melt it together with the other butters.
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No Double Boiler?
Make one by placing a bowl over a pot of boiling water.
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Cool and Add Carrier Oil:
Once melted, cool the mixture before adding the carrier oil, if using.
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Freeze Until Firm:
Place the bowl in the freezer until it’s set — you don’t want it solid, just firm.
-
Whip:
Add essential oils and arrowroot powder to the bowl, then whip the ingredients together using a hand mixer or stand mixer.
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Store:
Store in an airtight container. If stored properly, whipped body butter can easily last up to a year — an airtight sterilized glass jar gives the best results.
Notes
If you’re in a warm climate or making this in summer, try whipping it early morning or late evening in a cool room, or speed up the process by placing the whipping bowl in a bowl of ice and water.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Natural Skin Care
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 100
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 2
Frequently Asked Questions
Your feedback is valuable
Did you like our Nourishing Mango Body Butter recipe? Leave me a comment, I’d really love to know! Have some feedback you’d like to share? Leave a note in the comment section below! Thank you so much for visiting Vital Fair Living – we’re so happy you’re here! and thanks for taking the time to read this post. I would love it if you can share this recipe using the social media buttons you see next to the post and give this recipe a 5 star rating.
34 Responses
Do I have to use arrowroot powder in the recipe in order for it to work and keep well?
No,it is not necessary. Arrowroot powder makes it less greasy. If you don’t have you can also use corn starch. Mango butter is not as greasy as cocoa butter so you can skip it if you want.
I think I’m going to try this soon! I’m new to making my own butters and have found them to be very nourishing but a bit greasy. I’ve been nervous about adding arrowroot as some posts state that it can make the consistency “grainy” or it can be difficult to incorporate into the blend. Can you address that please? Thank you!!
As I mentioned in the post its the temperature that makes the grainy texture. The first time it turned grainy for me too, but that didn’t bother me, as when I rub it in my palms it is spreadable. The key is getting the right amount of arrowroot powder. If you don’t mind it greasy you can omit it. Personally for me, when its too greasy, I don’t like it as it clings to the clothes. Since, I started to make my own, I don’t like the commercial ones. I usually mix in the arrowroot powder, while whipping it and it works well. Let me know how you get on.
thanks for the directions, i tried different recipes and this one was a great one! ill be using it thanks
Thank you for the feedback. I am happy you liked the recipe. I am going to make some tomorrow as I have run out too.
I followed your directions but instead of cocoa butter I used more Mango butter. It’s so runny. What can I do to save it?
Keep it in the freezer and then let it harden a little. While beating it maybe keep it in an ice water bath. Since it is summer it is getting liquid quickly. Add a little more of arrowroot powder. Add a little at a time but don’t add too much. Check out if it is good.
I’m so excited to try this! Can I use Shea nut oil in place of sweet almond oil?
Also, how many jars (or what size) will I need? I may have missed it, but this recipe doesn’t really say how much it makes. 🙂
I don’t see why not, I would try it. Shea is also nourishing. I Use a carrier oil and whatever I can find. This makes a couple of jars of capacity around 250 ml. I really didn’t measure it properly. I filled in 1 mason jar of capacity 490 ml and the remaining into 50 ml smaller jars.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I just tried making it and it was turning out beautifully, but then I noticed that the bottom of the bowl had solidified butter/oil, and when I scraped that in it became lumpy and now it had been overmixed in my stand mixer when I was trying to fix it (and it’s still lumpy), I think I must have left it in the freezer for a bit too long (about 40 minutes) even though there was still some liquid at the bottom. Is there anything that can be done to save it? Am I able to re-melt it and try again even with the arrowroot and essential oil already in it, or do I need to completely start over?
I would melt it lightly again on low heat and if needed add a few drops of the essential oil. And try it again. Wouldn’t harm in any way. At the beginning of trying even I encountered all these problems, I forgot it in the freezer and then I used to correct it. It would be a pity to waste these precious ingredients.
Thank you for your quick response and encouragement. I’m really glad I listened to your advice not to give up on it, because I left it overnight and whipped it up again in the morning and somehow the texture evened out! Thanks again for this recipe, this is my first ever body butter and it feels so lovely. My feet and stretch marks get really dry at night this time of year, and I can already notice a huge difference after a single application (every store bought lotion I’ve tried I need to apply several times to come close to the result I got with this body butter). My feet are now soft and no longer feel cracked! It also feels great to know that I made it myself and that I know every ingredient in it.
Thanks for the feedback. I am happy it worked out. Sorry for the late reply, I have been travelling and had no access to my computer.
Thanks for sharing this!! This is a very great idea!!!
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You are welcome. Was looking at your site, nice products.
How many jars does this recipe make?
I think I made 1 450 ml Mason jar and a couple of 200 ml jars.
Thank you for this recipe. I am loving this body butter !
You are welcome.I am happy that you love this body butter, its also a favourite of mine.
This is fab!! I made some today it’s super easy, but I didn’t have any arrowroot so feel it’s a bit greasy, I have some arriving tomorrow, can I add it to already whipped butter and just whip some more in? Thanks!
Yes, its possible. You could remelt it and repeat the process again when adding the arrowroot powder. It won’t alter the consistency then too much. Its easier to whip it too.
This looks like a great recipe. Can I substitute shea butter for coconut oil? I’m trying to avoid the scent the coco nut oil leaves behind 🙂
Yes, you can I have tried all kinds of combinations and it works. You could also substitute with mango butter.
What happens if I put the carrier oil in with the butters then put in freezer? Your instruction said to add carrier oil when taken out of the freezer. Do I have to start over again? Thanks
I usually add essential oils while whipping after putting it in the freezer. Yes, you can put the carrier oil mix and put the mixture into the freezer. I have now updated the post.
How much would I need in order to make 40oz of this?
I don’t have any clue, Ounces is unheard of in Europe and we use metric system. Maybe there are some ways to convert it online. I checked roughly 1 cup equals 10 fluid ounce Imperial. So I hope it answers your question.
I was wondering if I could use my own calendula oil which was made with grapeseed oil. Can that be uses in place of one oil. I have the mango butter.
Yes, why not. Grapeseed oil is also lighter and not so greasy and absorbs well. I have used it too in my recipe once.
For the coconut oil, do you use regular solid coconut oil or the fractionated liquid oil?
I use regular coconut oil. I do have fractionated but its difficult to get here, so use it only for some recipes.
I don’t understand- when you look for a recipe on how to make mango butter- one of the ingredients is MANGO BUTTER. Is that a natural product of a mango?
Yes, its a natural product. Mango butter is made from the inside of the seeds of mango. Its one of the best butters for your skin, its not too oily unlike Shea or cocoa.