Homemade Coconut Milk
We are often asked at Tropical Traditions why we do not sell any packaged coconut milks. The answer is that we have never found a packaged coconut milk that meets our high standards. It is a processed product, and freshly made coconut milk will separate and spoil quite easily. The water is heavier than the natural coconut oil, so the water sinks to the bottom and the oil tends to float on top after leaving it sit for a while. Commercially packaged coconut milks must add stabilizers to keep the product from separating, and often these stabilizers are in such small quantities that they are not listed as ingredients on the labels. It could be soy lecithin, or something like guar gum which can cause problems for people who are gluten intolerant. The product then needs to be packaged in air-tight containers to preserve it, and this is often done in metal cans that have aluminum inside, and potentially Bisphenol A (BPA). Since canned coconut milks are over 90% water, you have to be concerned about the source of water that was used in packaging as well. The best coconut milk is one you make fresh yourself!
Since most people reading this probably do not live in tropical places where you have access to fresh coconuts, the best way to make fresh coconut milk is from a high quality organic dried coconut that is not treated with sulfites and is not sweetened. If you live in a non-tropical climate and see "fresh" coconuts in your local grocery store, it's a good bet that they have already started to mold as fresh coconuts have a very short shelf life. They start molding within a couple of days. Some coconuts that are imported to the U.S. are apparently irradiated to prevent them from spoiling.
The recipe below is a simple recipe anyone living in a non-tropical climate can make with a high speed blender and a top quality organic dried coconut. It takes about 10 minutes (or less) and we demonstrate just how easy it is to make your own fresh coconut milk in the video. If you do not use the coconut milk right after you make it, keep it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Homemade Coconut Milk
Servings: 1
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 7/8 cup dry unsweetened shredded coconut
- In a medium-size kettle, heat the water, but do not bring it to a boil.
- Place the coconut in a blender and add 1 cup of the hot water.
- Blend for 2-3 minutes.
- Place a colander in a bowl and line the colander with 4 thicknesses of cheesecloth.
- Pour the blended coconut mixture into the cheesecloth and twist to extract the milk, letting the milk go into the bowl.
- Return the coconut pulp to the blender and add the remaining 1/2 cup of hot water.
- Blend for 1-2 minutes, strain and press through the cheesecloth into the bowl.
Makes about 1 cup
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Thanks!
just curious! thanks!
I am looking forward to watching & trying your other videos and recepies.
If you have dogs, cats, horses, etc., any pet that will eat coconut, give it to them or make pet treats by mixing the coconut with a bit of coconut oil and shaping freezing until hard. You can also use it for granola, cookie add-ins, and things like that. Do some experimenting.
Thank you for this recipe. When I've tried making coconut milk from dry shredded coconut, the oil in the milk solidifies as soon as I put it into the refrigerator. I guess I can reheat it with use, but would it go bad if I just left it out at room temp?
It would be nice if someone would come up with a press of some sort better then the potato ricer to do the squeezing with.
If 1 gallon of coconut flakes or chips weighs 2 pounds, then 1 cup of flakes or chips weighs 2 oz, and 7/8 cup weighs approximately 1.75 oz.
To make this recipe with coconut flakes or coconut chips, either measure 3 oz with a kithcen scale, or measure out 1.5 cups.
I put the jar upside down in my dehydrator (any warm place would do) until melted. When you turn the jar over and open it you can more easily stir it all together
My curry loving man even said it's a keeper
thank you,
Kim
You said about the pulp: "Try using it as you would normally (baked goods, granola, etc.)"
Could you please elaborate?
I have made the milk twice already and I absolutely love it but I feel bad discarding the pulp as it tastes so good. I want to make some macaroons but they call for certain volume of shredded coconut (e.g., 5 cups or so). The pulp is very "compressed". How does it translate?
Thanks!
http://www.freecoconutrecipes.com/recipe_CoconutMacaroons.htm
It's probably just like a nut bag, but a lot cheaper (cheesecloth was about $4 so I wanted to try what I already had). It's used as a filter when making Puerto Rican coffee (a friend gave it to me, it is aka "coffee sock" a cone-shaped fabric sewn over metal ring, with wooden handle, found in Spanish-type stores).
Also, I used very hot water that had recently been boiled, but had no trouble squeezing it out because after blending, it had cooled down. Then I used all the pulp in a triple-batch recipe of banana bread, and it tasted great (barely can tell there's any coconut in it) Hope this helps somebody!
Also, does anyone have an easy method for getting the pulp out of the cheesecloth? I always end up with a huge mess! Maybe the jelly bag is easier to empty/clean. I'll look for one.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together:
1 C. SUGAR (3/4 c. organic brown sugar)
1/2 C. BUTTER (1/3 c. coconut/palm oil blend)
1 EGG
1 TSP SALT (about 1/2 tsp.)
Add 1 C. MASHED BANANA
Add 1 TSP SODA & 1/4 C. BUTTERMILK (coconut milk) ALTERNATELY WITH 1 3/4 C. FLOUR (part flax seed, ground, and add the leftover coconut, and walnuts if desired)
BAKE IN LOAF PAN ABOUT 40 MIN. (I make muffins instead which bake in about 20 min.) They are yummy but my husband detected the coconut texture which he didn't like, but could tolerate. I always double the recipe. Have fun and play with it if you'd like!
One question though -- why is it necessary to use hot water? When I blend the water and coconut in my VitaMix, the pulp is steaming hot by the time I stop the blending (to the point where I need to put it all in the fridge for about 15 - 20 minutes to cool down). I don't know how anyone can be squeezing milk at that temp!
I use cool water, and it works fine in my Vitamix. The way this is...you're right, you cannot handle it, too hot.
I also put a few dates, and a pinch of pink sea salt in mine, as well as some pure vanilla powder. Then put it in the fridge. The next day I pour it into the Cuisinart Ice Cream maker and have vanilla coconut icecream...yummy. A frozen banana can be blended into the milk before putting into the ice cream maker and then you have banana vanilla coconut ice cream. So wonderful for summer or with other desserts in winter.
I was reading through everyone's comments and the one that seemed to be repeated was how to "squeeze" the milk out, without burning yourself. I haven't made coconut milk yet but, I do make soy milk alot and the process of using a bag and squeezing the milk out would be the same. Suggestion: I have a hand held potatoe masher that I use against the bag. Works great for me!
One word of caution, though. Please make sure your coconut is not rancid. I used some that I had in the cupboard for several months. It did not taste good like the newer coconut that I had and my daughter got sick from it and threw up about 1/2 hour after drinking it. However, the newer coconut tasted so yummy! So much better than the store bought cans I have been using for years. Linda
I hope this helps and I will look for that formula and post it. Maxine
If I remove the "cream" will it last longer? I removed the cream to make a "beverage". I made some last night and it was amazing, I just added a generous splash of organic pineapple juice and WOW! I couldn't control myself and gluged down the whole jar full.
Anybody else here have recipes for making coconut milk beverages?
When you refrigerate this, the denser cream will separate and harden from the water, which is a pain if you're making a large batch. You could add a thickener like the canned variety, which is usually guar gum which will help with that, but as far as how long it will last, 4-5 days would be pushing it. It might not be spoiled yet but it won't be fresh anymore. You could experiment with freezing it, but not having done that myself I have no idea whether the texture would remain the same once defrosted.
Coconut Pancakes
1 1/2 cups coconut pulp (squeezed dry, but still moist)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3/4 cup to 1 cup coconut milk (the amount of milk you use will depend on how dry your coconut was squeezed out when you made milk)
Mix all dry ingredients.
Mix all wet ingredients.
Blend wet and dry ingredients together. Do no over-stir. Add more coconut milk if needed to get a pancake batter consistency. Blend just until dry flour is no longer visible.It should drop easily from a spoon.
Heat and oil a griddle. Spoon batter onto griddle, turning when underside is brown and cook other side.
Note: I freeze left-over coconut pulp in zip-lock bags, each bag containing 1 1/2 cups coconut pulp. Take it out of the freezer the night before and let it thaw in the fridge for pancakes the next morning.
Serve with fresh fruit, honey, or agave syrup.
I sell coconut milk at our local market. I pour it into 1/2 pint and 1 pint plastic jars, and freeze it immediately. I take it to the market in a cooler with blue ice and sell it frozen, telling the buyers to use it within two days after thawing it. Coconut milk spoils easily, and that is why I sell it frozen. If I sold it just chilled, but not frozen, it would already have lost one day of its two-day freshness window (if made the day before the market).
It will separate -- that is natural, as we don't use a stabilizer. Just tell your customers to give it a good shake before using it. None of my customers objects to its being frozen, and none objects to the separation.
6 eggs, from pastured chickens
1/2 cup ofGhee or milted butter
2 tablespoons of honey or coconut crystals. I used the crystals.
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup of coconut flour or pulp from a double batch of coconut milk.
Whisk all the ingredients together and pour into well-greased loaf pan and bake for 40min at 350 degree oven. As soon as it is finished baking, turn out onto a rack and let finish cooling.
Thanks!
I have only made the pancakes with whole wheat flour, but I would guess this would work with other flours, if you didn't mind a different texture. Maybe with oat flour?
All: I tried the french press method, mentioned above, and found I ended up with far less milk than I normally do. I ended up putting those remains into my nutmilk bag (what I normally use) to get the rest of the milk out.
I've also tried an auger juicer (*not* a centrifigal one) and decided the cleanup wasnt worth it. The end result was the same as a nutmilk bag for quantity, but more cleanup.
I've also tried a potato ricer (not sure right now if that was mentioned above, or on another site) and found that to take strength I do not have.
For me, the nut milk bag works best, hands down. I have not tried the cheesecloth & colander set up, as I already had the nut milk bag. I tried the other methods because I was hopeful for a method that would keep my hands out of the milk, but have decided that mess is less trouble than any of the other methods I've tried. :-)
Thanks Lee x
If someone can tell me how to substitute the coconut pulp for the flour in this recipe, I'd be thrilled to have it.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Place bowl with the egg beater blades and 6 egg whites in the freezer while assembling ingredients.
Ingredients:
6 eggs –separated into separate bowls for yolks and whites;
1/3 cup (75g) coconut oil, barely melted to liquid state (it is soft solid at room temperature)
1 cup (160g) coconut crystals
½ teaspoon vanilla
Sifted together to remove lumps:
½ cup coconut flour
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
Directions:
• Turn on oven to 325 degrees
• Lightly grease 9-in square non-stick baking pan;
• Separate eggs placing yolks into 8 cup glass mixing bowl and whites into 4 cup glass mixing bowl
(I place whites in 4 cup pyrex bowl);
• Place egg whites in freezer with beater blades to cool slightly while making batter.
• Lightly melt 1/3 cup coconut oil in microwave for about 10-20 seconds, set aside to cool;
• Measure out dry ingredients bowl: flour, cocoa, salt, soda, powder, stir with fork
• Pour into sifter and sift together to eliminate lumps;
• Take whites and beater blades out of freezer, beat whites until stiff peaks form;
• Using same beaters, beat egg yolks thoroughly;
• Add vanilla and oil and beat again; add coconut crystals and beat thoroughly;
• Beat in dry ingredients until combined; batter will be thick;
• Fold in egg whites thoroughly; keep folding until batter is thoroughly dispersed through whites; whites will still show through batter;
• Pour into baking pan and bake for 30-35 min until knife has no crumbs but isn’t dry;
• Remove and cool; re-heat and smoother with either more coconut oil or whipped cream or ice cream;