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These three easy methods will help you make perfect coconut milk at home using shredded coconut, coconut cream, and more!

Homemade Coconut Milk

Coconut milk can be a staple of dairy-free diets, both for drinking and cooking. It’s perfect for drinks like this Pink Drink, curries like this Turmeric Chicken Curry, and more. However, it can be expensive to buy good quality coconut milk, and hard to find.

Homemade coconut milk is simple to make at home, and we’re going to explore three different ways to make it!

Benefits of Homemade Coconut Milk

  • No added ingredients. Store-bought coconut milk will often have gums, thickeners, and preservatives. All you need are simple ingredients to make your own at home.
  • It’s fast! Unlike almond milk, you don’t have to do any soaking to make homemade coconut milk, so it’s much faster.
  • Add your own flavoring. Choose how much sweetener you want, or if you want any at all!

How to make Homemade Coconut Milk (3 Ways)

How to make coconut milk from shredded desiccated coconut

Also known as shredded coconut, this is the most traditional method for making coconut milk. All you need is…

  • Shredded coconut
  • Water
  • Optional flavoring (like dates and vanilla extract)
  • A blender
  • A nut milk bag

Here’s how you make it…

  • Add 2 cups of shredded coconut, 1 date and 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional, for sweetness… omit if you want a more neutral flavor) and 4 cups of water to a blender.
  • Blend on high.
  • Use a nut milk bag to strain your coconut milk into a large bowl, discarding the pulp.

 

  • Pour into a glass jar and serve!

How to make coconut milk from coconut cream

  • Using 1 can (5.4 fl oz) of coconut cream, scoop out the thick cream and add to a blender with 2 cups of water. Add any desired sweetener or flavoring.
  • Blend on high until fully incorporated. Pour into a glass jar.

How to make coconut milk in the almond cow

The Almond Cow is my new favorite kitchen gadget! It’s a plant-based milk maker that makes plant-based milk (almond milk, oat milk, and more) in minutes and requires no straining! You can make just about any flavor combination in it, and it makes plant-based milk so much easier. I have an affiliate code UNBOUNDWELLNESS for $15 off the Almond Cow! Here’s how you use it…

  • Add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 date (optional) to the collector cup of the Almond Cow.

  • Fill the base of the Almond Cow to the minimum fill line with water.
  • Connect the collector cup to the top of the Almond Cow and close. Press the button and let it do its magic!
  • Once the light stops blinking, remove the top of the Almond Cow and pour the milk into a glass jar (no straining required!)

How long can you store fresh coconut milk in the fridge?

  • 3-4 Days

Can you freeze coconut milk?

You can easily add this coconut milk to an ice cube tray to save any excess and to add it to your morning iced drinks.

Can you use homemade coconut milk in recipes? Or is it only for drinking?

You can easily use homemade coconut milk in recipes.

Is it cheaper to make your own coconut milk?

Though it depends on the brands of ingredients that you’re using, I find it way cheaper to make it at home. Here’s my own price comparison from my local store…

  • 1 can of coconut milk- $3.69 
  • 1 batch of homemade coconut milk with desiccated coconut- $2.64

Help! My coconut milk is separating! Is there something wrong?

This is totally normal for homemade coconut milk without any gums or thickeners to separate. Shake it up and it’s good as new!

Variations on coconut milk flavors

  • Strawberry Coconut Milk. Add fresh strawberries!
  • Cinnamon Coconut Milk. Add a pinch of cinnamon.
  • Coconut Milk Sweetened with Dates. This is the method I default to, but you can also use maple syrup.
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How to make Perfect Homemade Coconut Milk {3 Ways}

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 1 review
  • Author: Michelle
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Drinks
  • Method: No Cook
  • Cuisine: Global
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

For the Blender Method

  • 2 cup shredded coconut
  • 2 pitted dates (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • 4 cups water (use 3 cups for thicker coconut milk)

For the Coconut Cream method

  • 1 (5.4oz) can of coconut cream
  • 2 cups water

For the Almond Cow method

  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • 1 pitted date (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Water

Instructions

For the Blender Method

  1. Add the ingredients to a blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds or until fully incorporated.
  2. Use a nut milk bag to strain your coconut milk into a large bowl, discarding the pulp.
  3. Pour the milk into a glass jar and store in the fridge.

For the Coconut Cream method

  1. Using 1 can of coconut cream, scoop out the thick cream and add to a blender with water and any desired flavorings.
  2. Blend on high until fully incorporated. Pour into a glass jar.

For the Almond Cow method

  1. Add the shredded coconut, date, and salt to the collector cup.
  2. Fill the base of the Almond Cow to the minimum fill line with water. Add vanilla extract.
  3. Connect the collector cup to the top of the Almond Cow and close. Press the button and let it do its magic!
  4. Once the light stops blinking, remove the top of the Almond Cow and pour the milk into a glass jar (no straining required!)