Just like almond milk, there are many ways to make home-made coconut milk: creamy and rich or a light and refreshing drink for sunny days.
However, you shouldn’t expect your coconut milk to turn out like canned, store-bought version: that’s usually stabilized with xanthan gum. I don’t have any problems with xanthan gum, but some people are intolerant and it’s also quite difficult to purchase (at least for me) and to work with. So, if you’re looking for whippable coconut cream, you need to buy it.
This home-made, plant based milk can be used to make smoothies with an exotic twist!
Ingredients (approx. 800ml)
100g desiccated coconut
800 ml water
pinch of salt
sweetener (xylitol, stevia, etc.) to taste
cheese cloth, sieve
blender machine (1000ml volume)
1. At first you need to soak the coconut flakes in about 400ml of water. The consistency of your milk depends on how you do this: for a stronger flavor, use hot, but not boiling water or soak for a long time (overnight) in the fridge. Using hot water also dissolves more fat, so your milk is going to be creamier.
2. Now pour the mixture in the blender, gently rinsing all the coconut flakes with the remainging 400ml of water. Add salt, sweeteners and blend thoroughly for 1-2 minutes.
2. Now pour the mixture in the blender, gently rinsing all the coconut flakes with the remainging 400ml of water. Add salt, sweeteners and blend thoroughly for 1-2 minutes.
3. Filter your coconut milk with the sieve and cheesecloth as explained by the almond milk recipe.
This amount should yield 700-750 ml of fresh and fragrant coconut milk, with about 1,2g CH/100 ml carbs (without sweeteners).
Fresh coconut milk can be kept in refrigerator for a maximum of 5-6 days. The melting point of coconut fat is at 24°C/75°F, so if kept below that temperature, the fat content of the milk is going to turn solid and float on the liquid.
Coconut milk cannot be steamed for lattes, like raw almond milk, but you can use it for drinks, Thai dishes, stc.
I hope you enjoy experimenting with home-made plant based milk as much as I did and you find your perfect match! 🙂
This was my second post about my favorite plant based milk drinks. If you liked this, you may also enjoy home made almond milk, and I’ll be back soon! 🙂
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