How to Make Coconut Milk

Making coconut milk is very easy and much more nutritious than store bought. We use coconut milk in a lot of our Clean Cuisine recipes because it tastes incredible but it’s also really good for you.

Nut-based milks in general are far better and healthier than dairy milk. If you want to learn more about why milk does NOT do a body good, check out this top 10 post here.

To learn more about the health benefits of coconuts and why the saturated fat in coconuts is not the same as the saturated fat in animal foods, click here.

Easy Coconut Milk Substitute

I’ll be honest, a lot of times I just use canned organic coconut milk, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But, if you have the time and inclination to make fresh homemade coconut milk it’s definitely the superior choice. We trust Native Forest brand and you can buy it here. If you have some at your local health food store, make sure you look for organic to avoid sulfates.

How to Make Coconut Milk

There are two ways to make coconut milk at home. The easiest way is to use organic unsweetened coconut flakes and the more difficult way is using Young Thai Coconuts Both recipes including instructions are below.

#1: Using Coconut Flakes

The easiest way to make coconut milk is using coconut flakes. Using organic raw dried and unsweetened coconut flakes makes is absolutely the easiest and just as nutritious.

You can purchase organic unsweetened coconut flakes from most natural foods stores, Whole Foods Market or online.

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#2: Coconut Milk from Young Thai Coconuts

The first is the most obvious and the instructions are super simple.

Where Can You Buy Young Thai Coconuts?

Young Thai coconuts are available in many Asian markets, but they are becoming increasingly popular in health food stores too. Want to learn more about choosing the best young thai coconut, click here for more information.

How to Crack a Young Thai Coconut:

Young Thai coconuts generally come with their husks trimmed, so they sit flat with a pointed top. However, they are not particularly easy to open, so you’ll need a hatchet with a super sharp blade.

To crack, lay the coconut on its side (I like to nestle it in some towels so it won’t roll—do note, I would NOT advise holding it with your free hand!)

Hold the cleaver high and then bring it down sharply near the top of the coconut. The knife should sink down about 1/3 of the way the first whack, so you’ll need to keep whacking it to completely remove the top. Once the top is removed, use the back of a spoon to pry the meat from the sides of the shell. Trim away any shell residue with a small knife.

Homemade Coconut Milk with Young Thai Coconuts

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup young coconut meat

Combine the water and coconut meat in a high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy.