Review: Koko Dairy-Free Spread


New, from the makers of Koko coconut milk, a margarine / spread made with coconut oil. There are lots of vegan margarines on sale in the UK, but most are very similar. They no longer contain hydrogenated oils, but most still use a blend of palm oil and sunflower oil. This one is different:



Koko is a blend of coconut oil and rapeseed oil. This is significant, because the coconut oil is taking the place of palm oil. Coconut oil, while a saturated fat, is full of medium chain fatty acids and is considered healthy in moderation. Rapeseed oil also has a far better omega 3 to omega 6 balance than sunflower oil. 


This is a 45% fat spread, which is far short of the 70% required to be called margarine. Consequently though, it doesn't melt very well. We buttered some hot toast, and the spread barely melted at all.

Taste wise, this spread has a pretty mild flavour. It's not as buttery as Vitalite, but is more akin to one of the Pure range of spreads. You can taste the oils, with a very slight coconut taste and a hint of nuttiness from the rapeseed oil.

We find the labelling a little ambiguous. We'd like this spread to be made with cold-pressed oils, but the lid just states 'made with pressed coconut oil'. If you're looking for unambiguous clarity, then the Vitaquell range lurking in the fridge at wholefood shops is a good alternative.

Koko Dairy-Free Spread will be available in Waitrose stores from 20th April.

The Good: Heart healthy fats, mild taste
The Not-so-Good: Oil processing isn't crystal clear


Veganoo Score: ★★★★☆
Koko Dairy-Free Spread



Footnote: Ingredients
Here is the ingredients panel from the pack we reviewed.



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9 comments:

  1. Hi, I rang my ingredients supplier after seeing the new Koko spread in their new catalogue and they unfortunately confirmed to me that it does still contain palm oil. In the ingredients list at the bottom of your review it says palm oil as an ingredient so I am a little confused to why your review suggests that it is palm oil free?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi guys, thanks for the feedback. It doesn't say palm oil free in the review. The palm oil is further down the list though (minor proportion) and is declared as sustainably sourced.

      Delete
    2. It does say palm oil free: "the coconut oil is taking the place of palm oil"

      Delete
  2. It says palm oil on the list of ingredients?!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coconut oil has different properties to palm oil so they haven't been able to remove it entirely. It's declared as sustainably sourced though.

      Delete
  3. Can we make it clear we are not endorsing Koko, only reviewing it. It was not sent to us for review, we bought it from a store.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think its the best tasting non dairy spread I have had. It says palm oil from sustainable sources.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Found this written on the KOKO website describing this product

    Palm oil from RSPO sustainable sources.

    ReplyDelete

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