Here's a quick, easy way to make coconut milk with hot water and unsweetened coconut flakes or shredded coconut. It will not have as much fat in it as a commercial can or container of coconut milk, so I recommend using it for recipes that don't require full-fat coconut milk.
There are some commercial sources of coconut milk on the market that don't have any additives. That said, the safest bet if you're sensitive to additives, is to make your own coconut milk using unsweetened shredded coconut and water. Just make sure the coconut has no additives, and the only ingredient is coconut. If you absolutely need thick coconut milk or coconut cream, I like these brands (but check to make sure they don't have any additives since they change from time to time):
You can make coconut milk using a fresh young coconut, but it's a lot of work. That said, crack open the coconut and collect the liquid coconut water. Scrape or peel the coconut flesh that is soft and combine the coconut water and flesh in a high-speed blender. Pulse the mixture until creamy. You may need to add additional water to the coconut flesh. Finally, separate the milk from the pulp as in the instructions below.
Homemade Coconut Milk
Equipment
- 1 Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes; no additives or sweeteners
- 4 cups hot water
Instructions
- Soak the shredded coconut in the water for at least 10 minutes.
- Pulse the mixture in a high-speed blender or food processor for a few minutes.
- Use a nut milk bag (or cheesecloth or a very fine-mesh sieve) to separate the pulp from the milk.
- Store the milk sealed in the refrigerator for a few days.
Mariel says
Thank you so much for the recipe and great info on coconut milk.
I was also wondering what to do with the pulp, especially with almond pulp.
Erica says
Hi Mariel! You're welcome!
Sue says
Thanks for this recipe for coconut milk, it's easy and delicious. Have you found any uses for the coconut pulp that's left over, or do you toss it? Thanks!
Erica says
Great question. I haven't tried using it in baking, but I imagine you can. It's not as finely ground as coconut flour, but you can use it in recipes that call for coconut flakes or shredded coconut, like coconut macaroons.
Cynthia Stark, soon-to-be CNP (certified nutrition practitioner) - holistic nutrition therapist says
Toddler milk
Put a few holes in the 3 "eyes" of a young green coconut, and pour the liquid in a blender, crack it open to scoop out the soft gel-like flesh. Make sure that the coconut meat is bright white meat and the coconut water is clear. Discard if pink, purple, or brown. (Or you can buy the coconut flesh and coconut water at places like Organic Lives, see http://organiclives.ca/organic-food/cacao-and-coconut). Blend the liquid and gel to a smooth consistency. Add an infant probiotic with acidophilus infantis, micro distilled fish oil (Nordic Naturals is good), sea buckthorn oil for vaccenic acid (found in mother's milk) borage oil for GLA and pure water if needed. (If you omit the water and leave it on the counter covered overnight it becomes a delicious yogurt, then add supplements. Before serving you can add a little powdered green stevia leaves, dates, or honey (if older than 1 year) to sweeten, and blend in fresh fruit for flavour if desired.
Adapted from https://comfybelly.wpengine.com/2010/06/coconut-milk/
Jeni says
Thank you for the info. Just recently started shopping at TJ's happy to know I'll be able to get the coconut milk from them.
Thanks a bunch 🙂
Erica says
just fyi, TJ's is "light" coconut milk, so it doesn't have as much fat as the others. This can affect recipes.
Danielle says
Thank you for posting this! I know this article is somewhat old, but I have been on SCD for several months now and ready to start exploring some "milk" options - I just didn't know where to start. This is really helpful! I've heard good things about the TJ coconut milk before and will definitely check them out. Do you know if the Thai Kitchen is still ok?
Erica says
I think the Thai version has gum in it.
Danielle says
Thanks - will stick with Trader Joe's then.
Susan says
They are certainly filling a big void.
I talked to the customer service person at Native Forest about SCD and including it in their Special Diet profiles and being aware that guar gum is illegal for many people seeking coconut milk.
Who knows if it will do any good. I think Iĺl call the other companies too and try to raise their awareness.
Erica says
Thanks Susan. Looks like Trader Joe's may be the only one left that doesn't use guar gum.
Susan says
Native Forest has guar gum as well...
Erica says
Hi Vernon. Here goes: https://comfybelly.wpengine.com/2009/03/assorted-macaroons-lemon-vanilla-and-chocolate.html
Vernon "Vito" Johnston says
Thanks for the info on cocounut. Any favorite recipe for coconut macaroons dipped in chocolate? Vernon
Erica says
Some people use guar gum as a laxative: http://www.allergyfreeandsugarfreesnacks.com/guar-gum.html
Erica says
Wow. What a bummer. Thanks Holly. There is debate about whether guar gum is ok or not. I don't have trouble with it, but I know others do.
Holly says
The Natural Value Coconut Milk now contains guar gum. There are a lot of unhappy people at amazon because they ordered it thinking it was pure coconut milk: http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Value-Coconut-14-Ounce-Containers/dp/B000LKVIEG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1278829011&sr=1-2
Erica says
Great news about Trader Joe's coconut milk - Nothing in there but coconut and water. They confirmed it for me. They also said that they always list their ingredients, even if they're present in trace amounts. Good to know.
Erica says
I can't seem to find the 2% rule on the FDA website (not sure where I originally read this) but it's not clear that trace additives are required to be listed on labels unless one of them is an allergen. Here's the link to the FDA website: http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation.
The best thing to do is contact the manufacturer and ask them what's in their product. I pinged Trader Joe's, so we'll see if I hear back from them.
Erica says
This is a post from Holly:
Manufacturers do have to declare all ingredients, even those under 2%. I found the following statement at http://www.kashrut.com/articles/LabelingLaw/: "The two per cent rule plays a role in the following: all ingredients must be labeled in order of predominance, by ... See Moreweight. The heaviest is first, and so on. All ingredients that are less than two percent of the weight of the product are freed from being placed in a specific order – that is, order of predominance by weight. As long as the ingredients label writes: “the following ingredients are present at less than 2%” or “1.5%” or so on, the ingredients can be in any order that the manufacturer chooses."
Erica says
Thanks Rebeca. I forgot about TJ's light coconut milk. FYI - it's really hard to tell what's in processed stuff, particularly coconut milk because the manufacturer can add under 2% of an ingredient without having to declare it in the ingredients list.
Rebeca says
Trader Joe's Light Coconut Milk doesn't have anything but coconut and water. I like the full fat stuff better, but in a pinch it's good to know.