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Homemade Coconut Milk Recipe – Do It Yourself
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Why make homemade coconut milk, you ask? When it’s easy to just pick up a can at the grocery or health food store?
Well, you see, we love coconut milk.
We also love dried coconut, fresh coconut, coconut oil, coconut butter (check out my post on how to make your own coconut butter)-well, coconut in any of its forms.
We love coconut milk because it tastes great, but also because it is a great dairy free, lactose free milk alternative (my son has a life threatening dairy allergy and my husband is severely lactose intolerant.)
However, there are two things that I do not like about coconut milk.
- One is its price. One of the biggest obstacles in transitioning to a more whole foods based diet can be cost. As such, we need to try to trim those costs in any reasonable way possible.
- And the second is that, if you aren’t careful, you might end up with a coconut milk that contains sodium metabisulfite, one of those icky preservatives. Who needs ‘em? Better to have your own coconut milk fresh made right in your own kitchen!
Now, coconut milk, even at a good price, costs approximately $1.50 per 14 ounce can, while the organic version typically costs around $2.00 per can. So being the kind of cost-conscious and environmentally conscious person that I am, I sought out to try to make homemade coconut milk myself.
I found that I could quickly
- save a lot of money
- control the ingredients, and, in the process,
- help the environment by reducing excessive packaging.
One thing necessary for me to make something myself on an ongoing basis is that the process must save me money and not be too time-intensive. For example, a one-time trial of making coconut milk from fresh coconut and then straining out the extra flesh might be a fun family activity or homeschool experiment, but I don’t have time to do it on an ongoing basis.
I will preface this recipe by saying that there is a more purist way of making homemade coconut milk from dried coconut. I might just show you that in a future post, in addition to a way to make coconut flour, should you so desire. But for now, this is an easy quick way to get the job done and save you lots of money. And that is the kind of recipe that I like 
.
.
Update: A reader just asked if you can use this homemade coconut milk in my dairy free ice creams. The answer – “Yes!” That’s what I used. More recipes will come, but for now, enjoy
Do It Yourself – Homemade Coconut Milk
Ingredients:
- 1 cup unsweetened, dried medium shredded coconut
- 4 cups filtered water (I recommend reverse osmosis)
Method:
- Blend on high speed for at least
23 minutes. (Note: I adjusted this time from 2 minutes due to a reader’s comment that the previous 2 minutes left some flakes of coconut. This is much better. 3 minutes is sufficient for a high-powered blender like Vitamix. You will need additional time if using a regular blender. Simply blend until the contents are well mixed and frothy on top.)
I really love this milk when it is freshly made. The froth on top is wonderfully creamy and I use it to top a warm mug of coffee substitute in the morning. If you make more than you will use at once, just stir it prior to using to make it more uniform in consistency. Canned coconut milk tends to separate as well, there are just a bit more coconut solids in this version.
It really is that simple.
How can you use coconut milk?
I keep mine in a large pitcher in the refrigerator and use it for:
- smoothies,
- baking, and
- just drinking plain.
- freeze it in ice cube trays and plop into warm coffee or tea when you need some “creamer.”
- If you happen to be one of those lucky Vitamix owners, you can even put the coconut milk cubes into the Vitamix with some sweetener and fruit and make an amazing smoothie!
but it will only keep for about 4-5 days, tops.
Homemade coconut milk will only keep for 4-5 days in the fridge, so could make only 1 3/4 cups at a time, which is the amount in a typical 14 ounce can. Just use 1/4 cup of dried coconut and fill your blender container with water to the 1 3/4 cup mark. Blend as directed above.
Clearly, this recipe meets the “simple and reproducible” requirement. Well, how about the money saving part?
Assuming you spend $4.50 per pound for your organic unsweetened coconut (a typical price), you would be able to make 14 ounces of organic coconut milk for only 22 cents, plus the cost of your water. Now, that’s worth it for this bargain-hunting mom. Let me know how it works for you!
Check out my post on how to make Coconut Butter for another super-frugal coconut treat.
Into Making Your Own Everything? Check out my
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