Coconut milk is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s! Not only does it make a fresh-tasting addition to recipes, but it has incredible health benefits. Rich with energy-boosting fats and trace minerals, the unique composition of coconut milk makes it a very helpful and healing addition to many Western diets. Learn how to make coconut milk at home in just about 10 minutes using dehydrated organic coconut flakes. This DIY coconut milk recipe is a great real food tip you won't want to miss!
Contrary to what many people believe, coconut milk is not the clear, sugary liquid you hear sloshing around inside of the furry brown globes you see at the grocery store. That liquid is coconut water, which has its own slew of health benefits (the fresh kind that is- store bought is an entirely different story), but is altogether different in composition from coconut milk. Rich, creamy coconut milk is made by extracting the juice from the brilliant white meat of a fresh coconut. Depending on the amount of water used in the processing, coconut milk contains 17-24% fat, making it a fantastic source of energy-giving saturated fatty acids and medium chain triglycerides. Because coconut milk maintains many of the natural oils of the coconut meat, it possesses many of the incredible health benefits of coconut oil. It makes a pleasant, bright tasting addition to many recipes of sweet and savory design, making it a truly enjoyable and simple way to get more coconut oil into your diet. Coconut milk can also be used to nourish the skin and has been used in some cultures as a functional “wrinkle-remover” and primary soothing treatment for cuts, burns and sunburns. It is also wonderfully moisturizing for the hair and scalp and can be helpful in controlling dandruff, as well as conditioning the hair to be strong, silk and shiny.
Most people think of coconut milk as the stuff found jammed into a can in the grocery store. While store bought coconut milk is one of the few canned products deemed “acceptable” by many traditional food enthusiasts, you have to be careful when selecting a brand. It is important that the can be BPA-free, as this harmful agent has been linked to neurotoxicity and has also been shown to have estrogenic effect. You also want to make sure that the coconut milk you select is free of stabilizers and/or additives which can be gastric irritants, and that it has not been strained or watered-down to create a “lite” version that is sadly stripped of the beautiful fats that make coconut milk so healing. There are also some truly simple homemade alternatives that provide a trustworthy, additive-free, fresh-tasting coconut milk. While some people choose to make coconut milk from fresh young coconut, these can sometimes be difficult to hunt down in store and it also requires the daunting process of cracking the hard outer shell open. For some tips on how to do this with greater ease, see our post on homemade coconut milk ice cream.
How to Make Coconut Milk at Home with Organic Coconut Flakes
Another way to make coconut milk is by using high-quality, organic dehydrated shredded coconut and filtered or purified water. This DIY coconut milk recipe, inspired by Chris Kresser, takes only about 10 minutes to make and yields rich, nutrient-dense coconut milk. All you need is 1.5-2 cups shredded coconut and 4 cups of hot filtered water. We had some fun capturing the process on film in our kitchen. Click on the video below to check it out!
Resources
Coconut Oil: Discover the Key to Vibrant Health by Siegfried Gursche, MH
The Coconut Oil Miracle by Bruce Fife
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