I used to think that making homemade coconut milk was difficult, and time consuming, but it actually is quite simple to prepare, and takes a handful of ingredients. All you need is water and coconut plus a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla and you can create a batch of coconut milk. Super simple!
I first started to make coconut milk when I was learning about all the yucky additives that went into dairy-free milks when I was studying nutrition. Homemade coconut milk is so easy to make and much healthier than most store brands. Many non-dairy milks contain ingredients that are not always good for us, like a variety of gums and carrageenan which are used as thickening agents and stabilizers, tricalcium phosphate which is used as an anti-caking agent and can be used as a salt additive, plus there are preservatives and artificial flavors which often are made up of over 100 constituents plus an array of other ugly ingredients. Most of the questionable ingredients are deemed “generally recognized as safe” but long term effects are unknown and many of these can cause disruptions in the gut.
Part of learning about homesteading (even homesteading in the city) is learning to make what you can with ingredients you have. I always am sure to have a good stock of coconut on hand to eat, add to baking or to make coconut milk with. Making our own homemade version of coconut milk is a much healthier option as we can control the ingredients we use. When picking coconut, I always check the ingredients and am sure to purchase coconut that has not been treated with sulphites. We love coconut milk to drink or bake with, and homemade is absolutely delicious.
Let’s get started!
In a large bowl, add 4 cups coconut.
Pour 7 cups of water in. Stir. Let soak overnight. We made ours a bit thicker, but you can easily add more water if you prefer thinner milk.
The next morning, it will be time to blend!
Scoop coconut and water into a blender with a pinch of salt and vanilla.
If you blend the coconut too long, you will get coconut butter. You can drain the liquid out and save the coconut butter which is great on toast, pancakes or used as a whipped cream. Once blended, pour into a strainer. If you have coconut butter, scoop that into a bowl and pour the remaining liquid into the strainer. Rinse the coconut butter much like you would with homemade butter. Keep the coconut butter refrigerated.
Lightly press liquid out of the coconut. You can also use a cheesecloth or nut milk bag to strain the milk out.
The coconut can be used much like a coconut flour in an array of goodies like oat energy bites, pancakes, muffins, scones or even homemade coconut chocolates/macaroons or toss into homemade granola. Keep the coconut in the fridge and use within 2 to 3 days or it will begin to mold. You can also spread the coconut on a tray and toast it in the oven to dehydrate it again so it will keep longer.
Once strained, pour milk into a jar. Place lid on and refrigerate. Shake before use. Keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or pour into a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 30 days. Using 4 cups of coconut and 7 cups of water gave us one litre (about 1 qt) of coconut milk which was rather thick, so we could easily have diluted it, making it thinner which would have given us about 1-1/2 to 2 litres.
I definitely recommend straining twice or using a cheesecloth or nut milk bag to remove fine pieces of coconut. We skipped this step and had bits of coconut in our milk. The coconut milk separates, so be sure to shake before using. It has an amazing flavor and tastes so much better than store bought, not to mention cost effective!
If the milk is too thick, you can easily add filtered water to it which will stretch it to go much further. Adding too much water however will dilute it too much and will taste a bit like flavored coconut water.
Easy Homemade Coconut Milk
4 cups coconut
7 cups water
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla
In a large bowl, add coconut. Pour water in and stir. Let soak overnight. If you prefer thinner milk, you can add more water. The next day, scoop coconut and water into a blender with a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla. Blend. If you blend too long, it will turn into coconut butter. Pour into a strainer. Using cheesecloth or a nut milk bag will help catch the fine coconut grounds. You can also strain twice. Pour into a jar, place lid on and refrigerate. You can add extra water to dilute it some if you like. Adding too much though will turn it into coconut flavored water. Use as you normally would. Keeps well for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Makes about 1L/1qt or up to 2L/2qt if milk is thinner.
enjoy from Our City Homestead to yours