How to Use Coconut Milk: Recipes, Tips, and Best Brands

Coconut milk is a wonderful food and a truly amazing ingredient for anyone who is dairy-free or vegan. But, many people wonder how to use coconut milk? In fact, when I recently posted about a great deal on coconut milk, a reader asked this question. And that very evening, a friend asked me how to use coconut milk when she spotted a few unpacked cans on my counter. I knew it was time to demystify the powers of coconut milk!

Types of Coconut Milk

First, the three basic types of coconut milk on the market …

Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk

Decades ago, this was a hard-to-find specialty Asian ingredient. But now, every grocery store carries it. Look for it in the ethnic section of your local grocery store, or like me, order it online. Good brands will have a thick cream that separates and rises to the top. The more separation and thick cream, the better the product. Yes, separation can be a good thing!

Light Canned Coconut Milk

This is actually the most popular type of canned coconut milk among Americans and I have no idea why. It’s merely watered down full-fat coconut milk. Save yourself some money. When you want light coconut milk, just use 1 part full-fat canned coconut milk with 2 parts water. Light coconut milk will not separate to give you coconut cream. Light coconut milk may be used in recipes as a substitute for half and half, but the light coconut milk isn’t quite as rich. It has about half the fat of half and half (brands do vary slightly in fat content).

Coconut Milk Beverage

Do not confuse this low-fat milk-like drink with canned coconut milk. This is a milk alternative, and should be used as such for drinking or in recipes. It is sold in cartons in the refrigerated section or with other shelf stable milk alternatives. If you are frugal, you can make your own by simply adding water to full-fat coconut milk. Coconut milk beverage can be used as a substitute for low fat or whole milk in a 1:1 ratio.

Recommended Coconut Milk Brands

Below are brands that I currently recommend, with my top picks highlighted …

Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk:

Thai Kitchen Coconut Milk *Top Pick* – Available in both conventional and organic. I do find the organic version to be slightly better quality.

Golden Star Coconut Milk *Top Pick* – This brand is harder to find, but I love that it has just two ingredients: coconut milk and water. Absolutely no stabilizers or gums in this brand, and it’s relatively cheap. It’s sold in Asian markets and surprisingly at Walmart, but I’ve heard the stocks are sporadic at some locations. Please note that this brand is overpriced online for some reason! Purchase it in-store for a much better value (last price check – $1.49 per can).

Native Forest Coconut Milk – This brand also comes in conventional and organic versions. A huge benefit of this brand is that they use BPA-free cans. I’ve trialed it once. I’ve tried it and it was a good brand, no complaints, but it didn’t wow me enough to stray from the other two brands.

Please note that you may see recommendations for Whole Foods 365 Organic on this website. I no longer recommend this brand because the quality has gone downhill. At least in my local area, this brand is more watery and no longer has a nice thick cream like it used to.

Light Coconut Milk:

Trader Joe’s Light Coconut Milk *Top Pick* – If I need some light coconut milk and won’t be going to another store, I pick up this brand. It’s good, reliable, and one of the least expensive on the market.

Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk – I haven’t used this variety myself, but many Go Dairy Free readers have recommended it.

Native Forest Light Coconut Milk – Again, this is the brand to go for if you want BPA-free cans.

Note that you will find a wider variety of both full-fat and light canned coconut milk brands at Asian markets. Chaokah is a popular one, but there are often others. Sometimes they will also be a much better price, but sometimes they won’t! Shop around.

Coconut Milk Beverage:

Trader Joe’s Coconut Milk Beverage – It never goes on sale, unfortunately, but their price is fair, and it’s always in stock in unsweetened.

So Delicious Organic Coconut Milk Beverage – The original brand of coconut milk beverage, and still going strong. I’ve linked to where you can purchase the shelf-stable varieties online, but So Delicious has pretty good distribution and is one of the easiest brands to find in stores.

There are a few other brands on the market including Coconut Dream and store brands, like Whole Foods 365. Honestly, all of these brands have seemed pretty comparable to me. I recommend just shopping based on price. So Delicious tends to offer more coupons and sales.

How to Make Coconut Cream

One of the most amazing things about full-fat coconut milk is coconut cream. It can be whipped like dairy cream and used in recipes in place of dairy cream.

How to use coconut milk as “cream” in recipes:

1. Shake the can to emulsify the contents.
2. Open and use in recipes in a 1:1 ratio as a replacement for dairy cream.

Full-fat canned coconut milk is slightly lower in fat than full-fat dairy cream. If you need the extra richness then do the following …

How to use coconut milk as “whipping cream” in recipes:

1. For the richest coconut cream substitute possible, let the can settle for 30 minutes or longer. If the room temperature is warm, then place the can in the refrigerator for an hour.
2. Open the can – do not shake it!
3. Skim off the thick layer of cream to use in your recipes or to whip! You will get anywhere from 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup (or even a little more) of coconut cream per can, depending on the quality of the brand.

Coconut Milk Tips & Notes

• Obviously, coconut milk and cream do not taste exactly like dairy cream. They have a definite coconut vibe. The lighter or more watered down the coconut milk, the less “coconut” it tastes. Choose recipes wisely to ensure that the flavor melds.  You may actually be surprised how versatile it is, even though it is coconut. See the recipes below for tons of ideas.
• The watery liquid left after you skim the cream from a can of coconut milk can be used in smoothies or other recipes like coconut water or a light coconut milk.
• Coconut milk freezes well. If your recipe only calls for a small amount, simply freeze it into cubes. I usually portion it into 2 tablespoon cubes. This way I have a small amount and can pop out as many cubes as I need for recipes at a later date.
• Coconut milk and coconut cream really are the “original” dairy alternatives. They branded their names long before milk alternatives and substitutes arrived on the market and the dairy industry got proprietary about titles. So you can refer to them as coconut milk and coconut cream – they are dairy-free, but you don’t have to put “alternative” or “substitute” in their title.
• Of course, cans and cartons aren’t your only option. You can actually make your own coconut milk!

How to Use Coconut Milk … Dairy-Free Recipes!

Most of the recipes below use full-fat canned coconut milk. Some may call for light coconut milk, which you can make from full-fat canned coconut milk as noted above. All of the recipes below are dairy-free, and most are vegan and gluten-free, too!

Sweet

• Rich Peanut Butter Dairy-Free Ice Cream
• Foolproof Whipped Cream
• Girl Scout Samoa Cookies (Dairy-Free and Vegan Caramel deLites)
• The Best Vegan Coconut Cream Pie
• Dairy-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk
• Coconut Joy Vegan Candy Bars
• Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
• Vegan Coconut Frosting
• Bittman’s Coconut Flan
• Chocolate Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Pie
• Chocolate Whipped Cream

Savory

• Creamy Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce
• Peter Singer’s Red Lentil Dal
• Creamy Thai Curry Pasta
• Coconut-Curry Chickpeas and Cauliflower
• Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup
• Creamy Thai Tomato Soup
• Chutney Chicken Curry

For More Great Coconut Milk Recipes, Get Go Dairy Free!