Homemade Coconut Milk Recipe

If nothing else, this blog shows me for the coconut obsessed person I truly am. Whether it’s making Easy Homemade Coconut Cream 2 ways, DIY: How to make Virgin Coconut Oil, Homemade Dairy-free Coconut Yogurt, or How To Make Homemade Coconut Condensed Milk, I’m slowly working my way through every single coconut DIY that I can think of. Which now includes this delicious DIY coconut milk drink. This homemade coconut milk is made using just two ingredients – coconut meat and water. Plus, it takes just 10 minutes to make (or slightly longer depending on the method you use to open the coconut and extract the meat). The results are a naturally sweet, creamy, unsweetened coconut milk that is dairy-free, preservative-free, with no added sugar, and vegan (with options for flavorings).

A naturally sweet and creamy coconut milk drink

Coconut milk is so super versatile. It can be used in so many recipes, including smoothies, curries, as a non-dairy milk alternative in many recipes. Think of cereal, oats, pancakes, and other baking recipes – they all can use some freshly made coconut milk. Coconut milk can also be used within sauces and soups or as part of a marinade. Or, use it in a whole array of desserts and snacks, including chia pudding, mousse, etc.! Honestly, the list is endless! In fact, I’ll include a small list at the bottom of this post of some of my recipes that you can use this homemade coconut milk in. Not only is it so versatile, but coconut also has many health benefits. This includes containing healthy fats and antioxidants, as well as providing electrolytes. You can see a full list of the health benefits of coconut in this article. When buying store-bought coconut milk, it can get very pricey quickly and, sometimes, you’ll find that your product comes with a whole bunch of unnecessary ‘additional’ ingredients. This homemade coconut milk is made from two base ingredients; Coconut and water. This can then be flavored with vanilla and a variety of other fun options, for an additional sweet touch. This homemade coconut milk is also very cost-efficient and can save you a lot of money if this is an ingredient that you use a lot! You just need the flesh of a mature coconut and some fresh/filtered water.

How to make coconut milk

The process for making this DIY coconut milk recipe is super simple. In fact, there are only really three steps: Step 1: Open the coconut Step 2: Remove the coconut meat from the shell And, finally Step 3: Blend the coconut meat and water into delicious coconut milk. And that’s it! Okay, so there’s a little more to it than that, but let’s get into that now. First, you have to open your mature coconut, to remove the meat. There are a number of ways that you can open your coconut, but first, I like to make a hole ( or 2-3) in the thin coconut’ eyes’ part at the top of the shell. I used a screwdriver for this, but any sharp tool will work. Be careful to place your coconut on top of a kitchen towel to stop it from shooting across the counter. Drain the coconut water from the coconut into a glass ( you may need a small sieve). This is amazing to drink cold and fresh or add to smoothie recipes. With the coconut water removed, it’s time to open the coconut. There are a few methods that you can use to do this; in fact, I have a blog post coming out soon with my top four options. Your preferred method often depends on what tools you have available and if you want the shell in-tact ( to make bowls). One of the easiest ways to open the coconut is to simply tap a hammer along the middle of the coconut a few times, spinning it as you go. The coconut will split in two fairly easily this way. Next, Remove The Coconut Meat From The Shell There are actually a couple of (optional) methods for helping you to remove the coconut meat in a breeze. Method 1: Place the coconut in your freezer overnight before making this recipe ( after draining the coconut water). When using the hammer, you’ll find that the shell comes apart really easily from the coconut meat, and the whole process takes less than a minute. Method 2: Place the drained coconut in the oven at 400F/ 200C for around 15 minutes. The heat should actually cause the coconut shell to crack, and you’ll be able to easily finish off the job with the above hammer method. Plus, the heating won’t affect the flavor or texture of the coconut. Alternatively, simply remove the coconut flesh with a knife (carefully!) or special coconut tool, as I did for the images below. Next, blend your Coconut Milk Drink. Add the coconut flesh and water in a blender/high-power food processor. For the full recipe and ingredient amounts, read the recipe card below. You could also add vanilla extract at this point and possibly some maple syrup, or dates, as a natural sweetener. Alternatively, leave as unsweetened coconut milk. Blend for around 2 minutes, until the mixture looks creamy and thoroughly mixed. Taste a spoonful and adjust the sweetness if wanted. Next, pour the mixture into a nut milk bag or through a cheesecloth to squeeze out all the liquid. Don’t throw away the coconut pulp as this can be used for tons of recipes: Chuck it into your smoothies, from wet. Alternatively, dry it out in the oven at a very low temperature and then use it in place of desiccated coconut in a variety of recipes. For example, you could add some to any of my vegan tart bases, like for this Vegan Chocolate Cherry Tart, or Vegan Earl Grey Blueberry Tart. Use some within this Healthier Homemade Bounty recipe, these 3 Ingredient Healthy Coconut Bliss Balls, or Coconut Cream Cake too. Pour the coconut milk into a glass container and keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

2 alternative ways to make coconut milk

If it’s hard to source coconuts for you, then you can also make this recipe using unsweetened shredded coconut and follow the same process of blending for 2 minutes and straining. You can also make coconut milk using homemade coconut butter, for deliciously creamy results. Simply combine around 1/3 Cup coconut butter per 2 Cups of filtered water, blend as normal and then strain through a nut milk bag ( or not, if you don’t mind the slight texture), voila!

Recipe notes & flavor combinations

For a ‘lite’ version of coconut milk, all you need to do is increase the water ratio in the coconut milk. The coconut milk will separate as it sits in the fridge ( with thick coconut cream on top and the water content below). This is completely normal, and you just need to shake it well before using. If you use fresh coconut and want to save the shell to make it into two bowls, then follow this process.

Flavor options

The flavor of coconut blends really well with a variety of other nut and plant-based milk recipes. So feel free to make a 1/2 and 1/2 blend, for example, with this rice milk, pistachio milk, or cashew milk. For Chocolate Coconut Milk: sweeten with two Medjool dates or a tbsp of maple syrup, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, and 1-2 tbsp cacao powder, depending on how strong you want the flavor. Strawberry Coconut Milk: As above except 1 cup of strawberries instead of the cacao powder. You may also like this sweet Star Wars inspired Blue Bantha Milk. Alternatively, this soothing coconut based golden milk.

How to use

There are tons of uses for this delicious dairy-free milk, for example:

As a coffee milk alternative – like within this Simple Homemade Frothy Dalgona Latte Within curries – Like this Vegan Thai Green Curry. Adding to soups and stews- Like this Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup or Thai Inspired Vegan Green Pea Soup. Within baked goods – cookies, muffins, pancakes, etc. To make delicious dairy-free desserts like this Two-layer Vegan Strawberry Tart, or Vegan no-bake layered Cherry Cheesecake (gluten-free). Smoothie Bowls or chia puddings. To make homemade Coconut Yogurt. Within overnight oats recipes – i.e., this Healthy Salted Caramel Overnight Oats, Healthy Carrot Cake Overnight Oats, or Healthy Strawberry Cheesecake Overnight Oats.