Homemade Coconut Milk is my new obsession. You won’t believe how easy – and way more yummy than store-bought – it is!
A few months ago, I went back to avoiding cow dairy – except for ghee and butter – because I’d been experiencing some worsening endometriosis symptoms. Bet you didn’t think a homemade coconut milk recipe was going to go there!
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Why Dairy Might Not Work For You
Dairy, particularly the higher casein forms of dairy that come from A1 cows, is known to be inflammatory. Since endo is linked to autoimmunity, it made sense to remove casein-rich dairy for a while. And that meant no more heavy cream in my coffee. Sad trombone.
(I’m also avoiding milk, cheese, and yogurt. Grass-fed butter and ghee have very little casein. Dairy from goats and sheep doesn’t have the same casein structure as A1 cow dairy. And for some people, goat or sheep dairy may be better tolerated for that reason. Like a cryptic Facebook relationship status, dairy is…complicated.)
All of this goes to show you how personalized nutrition really has to be if you’re looking for long-term health improvements. It’s yet another reason why I’m moving away from the “paleo” name for what I do. Bioindividuality and personalization, for the win!
Why Homemade is Better
Okay, so what does this have to do with homemade coconut milk? Unable to use cream in my coffee, I was looking for a better alternative. Y’all, I bought and tried every nut milk replacement available in my local market. They all disappointed me.
Too watery. Too many frickin’ weird gums and additives. Sugar. No thanks.
And to me, canned coconut milk just has a weird flavor when I put it in coffee. (I’m a supertaster.)
I’ve got recipes for Homemade Almond Milk and Homemade Vanilla Hazelnut Creamer here on the site, true, but I decided to get over my intimidation of making homemade coconut milk myself.
The result was way better than I hoped for a few reasons!
What’s In This Coconut Milk
First, there’s just two ingredients: unsweetened, shredded coconut and water. You could certainly add vanilla extract if you want.
Second, there’s zero emulsifiers. Not everyone digests these emulsifiers – additives that keep the water and fat in the coconut milk from separating – very well.
Third, the homemade coconut milk is pleasantly sweet and fresh tasting. I don’t get that same funky taste that I often get from canned coconut milk. (Yes, I’m buying BPA-free cans.) And yes, this coconut milk tastes like coconut.
And lastly, this may sound weird, but making my own coconut milk is a simple way for me to slow down with my food. Look, no judgment. If you’re so busy that making your own coconut milk at home is a total non-starter, that’s okay.
You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. But earlier this year, I realized that I wanted to take a bit more time to make certain things from scratch again like when I first started eating a nourishing whole foods diet. To me, it’s enjoyable and a way to slow down a little.
How to Make Homemade Coconut Milk
Making this Homemade Coconut Milk couldn’t get much simpler. You’ll soak unsweetened, shredded coconut in hot water, blend it up, and then squeeze it through a nut milk bag.
If you don’t have a nut milk bag, you can use several layers of cheesecloth.
From there, you’ll store your Homemade Coconut Milk in the fridge for up to a week. Just give it shake before using since the layers will separate.
If you want an even richer, creamier coconut milk, reduce the water from four cups to three.
Wondering what else you can use this homemade coconut milk in? Try my:
- Kicked Up Hot Chocolate
- Comforting Creamy Broccoli Soup
- Creamy Leek Soup
- Dark Chocolate Coconut Chia Pudding
You will have spent coconut pulp leftover. I’m sure there’s really clever way to use it in baked goods once you dry it in the oven…but I don’t bake so you’re on your own there!
Homemade Coconut Milk
Rich, creamy, dairy-free Homemade Coconut Milk takes just a few minutes to make, and it's absolutely delicious. You'll never drink store-bought again! Find out how in this tutorial.
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 8 oz shredded coconut organic, unsweetened
- 1 tsp vanilla extract optional
Instructions
Boil the water. In a medium saucepan, bring the water just to a boil. While that's going on, add the coconut to the pitcher of your blender. I recommend a high-speed blender like a Vitamix for this job.
Blend it up. Once the water is hot, pour it into the blender with the coconut. Let this steep for about 30 minutes. Then blend on high for about a minute.
Strain it. To strain the coconut milk, I usually place a metal strainer over a large bowl and put the nut milk bag into the strainer. Pour the blended coconut milk into the nut milk bag and allow it to drain. You will need to really squeeze all the moisture out with your hands. Good arm workout 😉
Finish & store. Stir in the optional vanilla if you'd like and refrigerate your homemade coconut milk in a covered container for up to a week. Discard the spent pulp.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
No nut milk bag? No problem. Strain your homemade coconut milk through several layers of cheesecloth.
Pin this Homemade Coconut Milk for later!
24 Responses
I make a double batch about once a week! I buy 25 lbs of shredded coconut at a time from Azure Standard. I use the milk in my coffee, for baking and for my son’s yogurt, since he’s currently dairy-free on his diet for IBD. Homemade blows away every canned one I’ve tried. Better taste, texture and color. Great post!
So versatile, right? And you totally nailed it…so much better than canned 🙂 Thanks Natalie!
WHOA, MIND BLOWN. I had no idea making homemade coconut milk could be this easy!
It was always so intimidating to me because I thought it would be a lot harder. Hope you give it a try Bethany!
I did give it a try and loved it! Making another batch today and trying it with less liquid to see if I can get the perfect level of creaminess. Thanks so much again for sharing this!
Yay!! That’s great news 🙂 I think something like 3-3.5 cups might do it but let me know!
I made this today. Super good but there was quite a bit of coconut thickness on top once I put it in the fridge to cool. I just scraped it out and threw it away. Is that normal? Do you just mix it in or throw it away?
That’s normal. Next time just let it come to room temp and mix it. What you threw away was the coconut fat.
Homemade is best, I am totally with you on funky taste of canned even if you can find one without additives. Not sure if you can get this one in your part of the world but it is great. Only coconut and water, very thick so you can water it down to preferred consistency, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grace-Premium-Coconut-Milk-Litre/dp/B00CPMJCAK/ref=sr_1_4_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1520666194&sr=8-4&keywords=coconut+milk
Thanks for the tip, Lesley! I checked but it looks like only the powdered coconut milk is available here on Amazon. Good resource for the UK folks though so thanks for sharing!
A few years back I tried my hand at homemade almond milk and it was a game changer, but I NEVER imagined making coconut milk could be so easy and SO GOOD! Made this last night and am currently enjoying it in my coffee. Off to go find coconut shreds in bulk, don’t think I can go back! Thanks for sharing, Steph!!!
Yay! I’m really glad you like it Annie 🙂 I have some in my coffee now too!
I want to start making my own coconut milk and coconut cream since it is so expensive in my store. When I use this recipe is it like the can coconut milk or the can coconut cream? Also, how do I make the cream if I need to? Thanks so much for the recipes!!!!
Coconut cream is a higher percentage coconut milk. If you want a denser cream, use less water.
It’s been awhile since I made homemade coconut milk. Thanks for the reminder of it’s awesomeness! I made a batch today 🙂
Yay!! So yummy, right?! I’m glad you were inspired to try it again Terri.
I love this coconut milk! After it is in the refrigerator the fat clumps up on top. How do you deal with that when you want to pour it in coffee? Thanks!
You can warm it gently and then pour 🙂
So this would be to as a replacement to milk right – the coconut milk in a cartoon, not the heavy creamy coconut milk that is in a can?
Hi Michele…it depends…if you use less water it’s more like coconut milk in a can. If you add more water to thin it out it’s more like the coconut milk in a carton.
Hello Steph,
I am trying to make whipped coconut cream from my homemade coconut milk and failing to do so. The cream appears to separate in the fridge overnight but does not solidify enough to be able to whip. Any tips on what I may be doing wrong?
Thanks so much,
Caroline
Hi Caroline…you might not have enough cream in the layer. How thick is the cream layer you are trying to whip?
hello, thank you for the recipe, how many calories per cup….
I don’t provide calorie content.