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Coconut Milk Recipe: How to Make in Two Easy Ways

When I first attempted at making Coconut Milk, I was on my digital nomad adventure in Costa Rica way before digital nomading was a thing. At the time I was married and on my 5th week of living here in Tamarindo, Costa Rica.

I couldn’t believe how fast time is going by. Each day, I had to pinch myself as I thought to myself ‘I can’t believe that this is my life.’

Being in Tamarindo, I had been so fortunate to have an abundance of amazing fresh fruits and vegetables. One thing that I couldn’t get enough of is pipa fria (fresh, cold coconut water). There is nothing more refreshing in the heat than fresh, cold coconut water.

Because of all of the coconuts I was buying, I didn’t want the coconut meat to go to waste but there was only so much coconut I could drink and eat. So I set out to learn how to make coconut milk. Yesterday, after walking along the beach, I quenched my thirst with one. I ended up saving the coconut to make Coconut Milk. It was fairly easy to make, just like almond milk. If you’ve ever had coconut milk you’ll know that the texture is uber creamy, pretty much like that of half and half cream.

Why Make Your Own Coconut Milk vs In-Store?

There are several reasons why making your own coconut milk is better than buying the store versions.

For starters, you get to choose exactly what goes into your milk. Canned and carton versions often contain at least sweeteners, if not thickeners and preservatives as well. Carton versions also contain very little actual coconut, so you’re getting more flavoring — likely sugar — and water than anything else.

With canned coconut milk, you run the risk of unsavory chemicals like BPA in the aluminum. Not only do you have to be on the lookout for “BPA-free” cans, as well as those extra added ingredients mentioned already.

If you DIY, you control pretty much everything about what you’re putting into your body. Not only can you avoid additives, but you can also decide where to buy the nuts. It means you can consider the farming practices and sustainability behind each nut, and whether organic nuts are important to you.

Coconut Milk Nutrition Information

Store-bought coconut milk tends to be lower in calories, fat, and protein, typically because they don’t contain much actual coconut. Remember, they’re likely to also contain some kind of preservatives, flavorings, and sweeteners.

When you use Almond Cow you get to enjoy delicious, creamy, homemade coconut milk at the touch of a button. The sky’s the limit with how you incorporate coconut milk recipes into your life. Not to mention, you can also use the pulp in recipes.


Two Ways To Make Coconut Milk

There are two methods to making coconut milk: blender and a nut milk bag or with the Almond Cow nut milk machine.

I recommend using the Almond Cow for quick and easy coconut milk making. But, if you can’t wait for your machine to arrive or you just want to give this a go before investing in a machine, I’m sharing how to make it using a nut milk bag.

How to Make Coconut Milk with Almond Cow

What You’ll Need:

  • 1 cup coconut shreds (coconut meat or flakes work as well)

  • ¼ tsp sea salt

  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

  • 3 chopped, pitted dates or 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional)

What You’ll Need To Know:

Place all ingredients in the filter basket. Attach the filter basket to the top of the Almond Cow and twist in the direction of the close arrow to secure. Fill the Almond Cow base to the MIN line (5 cups) with warm water*, and attach the top. Plug in the Almond Cow and press the cow start button! It will run through 3 automatic stages. When the green light stops flashing, your milk is ready!

After the milk has been made, pour it into your container and let it cool completely. Once cooled, give it a shake and place it in the refrigerator. This helps reduce the chance of getting coconut fat clumps in the milk.


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Homemade Raw Coconut Milk | www.letsregale.com

How To Make Coconut Milk With A Blender + Nut Milk Bag

  • Flesh from one coconut (or 1 cup coconut shreds)

What You’ll Need To Know

Once you’ve got that coconut flesh all extracted from the hard shell and peeled and ready to go, just add it to your blender, along with 2 cups of water from your coconut and an extra cup of plain filtered water. Process that on the highest possible speed for at least 5 minutes, maybe even 10. I used the Nutribulet since it is the blend I currently have while I was down in Tamarindo.

You really want to get the most out of that coconut flesh as you possibly can. You’ll notice, as the flesh spins around, that it will get looser and looser and will spin more freely after a while, liquefying into a silk white liquid. You want to be able to see a good amount of liquid in there.

When you feel your coconut has given all it had to give, transfer the contents of your blender to a fine-mesh sleeve that is lined with a cloth-like a NutMilk bag. You can use multiple layers of cheesecloth, too.

Add another half cup of plain water to your food processor and let it blend to get every last bit that was left behind and add it to the rest. Next, you’ll need to squeeze every bit out of this. You will be left with a whole bunch of dry, and pretty bland and tasteless, shredded coconut flesh that is paste-like, almost the consistency of marzipan. You can save this and dehydrate it to make into coconut flour or for cooking.

Transfer the coconut milk to an airtight glass jar or container and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. This recipe makes 24 oz of coconut milk.

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If you are interested in trying out Almond Cow be sure to use code VALERIEA and enjoy $20 OFF your first order. We may receive commissions on purchases made through links on our site. As always, all opinions are solely our opinions.

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Your wellness bff to a balanced and healthy lifestyle, offering approachable recipes, mindfulness tips, honest product reviews, and inspiring travel experiences to help you prioritize self-care and well-being.