Creamy, homemade coconut milk made with 2 ingredients in 10 minutes! Let me show you how.
How to Make Coconut Milk
A quick, 2-ingredient recipe for homemade coconut milk! Creamy, naturally sweet, and the perfect dairy-free alternative to milk!
Servings 6 (1/2-cup servings)
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3-4 cups water (use less water for thicker, creamier milk!)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 whole date or 1 Tbsp (15 ml) maple syrup for sweetness (optional)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
- 2 Tbsp cocoa or cacao powder for chocolate "milk" or 1/4 cup fresh berries for berry "milk" (optional)
Instructions
- Add coconut, 3 cups (720 ml) water, salt, and any additional add-ins (optional) to a high-speed blender. Top with lid and cover with a towel to ensure it doesn’t splash. Blend for about 2 minutes or until the mixture seems well combined.
- Scoop out a small sample with a spoon to test flavor/sweetness. Add more dates, salt, or vanilla as needed. Add remaining 1 cup (240 ml) water if too thick.
- Pour the mixture over a large mixing bowl or pitcher covered with a nut milk bag, a very thin towel, or a clean T-shirt. In my experience, it benefits from a single strain either through a very thin towel or nut milk bag. You can save pulp for baked goods or to add to oatmeal, smoothies, or energy bites.
- Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate. Will keep in the refrigerator up to 5 days (sometimes more). Enjoy cold or hot and shake before use, as it can separate in the refrigerator (due to no preservatives!). Can be used in smoothies, with granola, for golden milk, for matcha lattes, or for baked goods.
Video
Notes
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 of 6 (1/2 cup) servings calculated with 3 cups of water and the leftover coconut pulp nutritional content subtracted.
Nutrition (1 of 6 servings)
Serving: 1 half-cup servings Calories: 53 Carbohydrates: 2.3 g Protein: 0.5 g Fat: 5 g Saturated Fat: 4.4 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 7 mg Fiber: 1.4 g Sugar: 0.9 g
Liked this recipe? Check out our Guide to Dairy Free Milk for 5 more dairy-free milk recipes!
Jina says
Hi! Can I make coconut yogurt with this homemade coconut milk by adding a probiotic capsule? (just like in your other post)
Hi Jina, we don’t think it would thicken enough. But perhaps with less water? Also, you would need to make sure to heat the coconut milk and let it cool before adding the probiotics (for food safety reasons – the canning process is what allows skipping this step in our other recipe). Hope that helps!
Toni says
I am curious which brand of coconut flakes you use? And I apologize if you have already answered this,
Hi Toni, any brand will do! We don’t have a favorite brand, but Let’s Do Organic, Natural Grocers, and Bob’s Red Mill are some we’ve used and like.
Toni says
Thanks! That helps. I used to use the Camino brand, which is delicious but hard to find in my area these days. I will check those out!
Teresa says
Perfect! I am lactose intolerant for 30 years and never even thought of making my own. I do almond milk and I usually buy the blend but now for like $.50 I can make my own blend of almond coconut milk. I used dates as well, no salt and 1/2 tsp nilla. Perfection is all I can say.
We’re so glad you’re enjoying this homemade alternative, Teresa! Thank you for sharing! xo
Gina says
I bought a milk maker and I’m not sure if you use one or not. I made coconut milk and it came out very thin, watery looking. My question is, do I use the same amount of ingredients for the milk maker?
Hi Gina, we don’t use one so we’re not sure! Perhaps another reader will be able to chime in with their experience? If you share which milk maker you have, that might help someone give a more specific answer.
Cristina says
Hi. I am following the recipe using aleays the same amount of Coconut and the same amount of water but I always get different amount of milk. Why isnt it the same amount at the end? I am trying to sell a dessert that includes Coconut milk and need it to be the same in order to. Calculate the prices. Do you have any idea of what could be happening? Thanks
Hi Cristina, we would guess it has to do with how much the nut milk bag is being squeezed each time. Hope that helps!
Mike says
1 tablespoon of Chia seeds per cup of water and after twice heating and coooling I had very little sepatation.
Deirdre says
Mike, can you explain why and how and when in the process you heated it? What does heating it do?
Michael Kelly says
HI Deidre, The heating seems to allow the oil in the coconut to mix with the emulsifier. Lately I have been using Earths Own Oat milk as the emulsifier and mixing it with the coconut milk when it has cooled to slightly warm (after staining and heating) hope that helps :)
Mike says
Hi Deidre, I use the cocnut milk for my coffee and find the Chia seeds or Earths own oat milk both work to some degree as an emulsifier but even the silk cocnut milk has some clumps in it sometimes and does not taste nearly as good as the one I am now making with the shredded coconut.
Mike says
Very good,
I did not use the dates just water and cocnut. I Added 1 table spoon of Chia seeds as an emulsifier and heated it twice. Let it soak for 5 hours before straining.
We’re glad you enjoyed it, Mike! Thank you for sharing!
Farah Imam says
Can I use this milk as a smoothie with banana and berries?
Definitely! That sounds lovely!
Ana says
Tastes great, but this separates in the fridge. Any idea how to make it not do that?
Hi Ana, It’s normal for coconut milk to separate a bit because the coconut fat solidifies below room temperature. We typically just give it a good shake and/or heat the milk. Another option would be to add an emulsifier, but we haven’t tested that ourselves!
Kathy says
The fat separates just like with other milks. You can use it to make coconut whipped cream, coconut yogurt etc.
Rachel Hewson says
This was yummy thank so much, could use substitute the shredded coconut with a portion of a can of coconut milk or crème?
Hi Rachel, sure, you could do that! It may turn our thicker/richer, depending how much you add. Feel free to adjust to preference by adding more coconut milk/creme for richness and water to lighten it.
Raji says
Thanks for this. I made this some days ago before reading this tutorial.
What is the essence of the salt? And also how can i prevent it from forming crystals due to refridgeration.
Hi Raji, the salt enhances the flavor, but isn’t essential. It’s normal for coconut milk to separate a bit because the coconut fat solidifies below room temperature. We typically just give it a good shake and/or heat the milk. Another option would be to add an emulsifier, but we haven’t tested that ourselves!
Laura Scalone says
This turned out so well! This recipe yielded almost exactly 3 cups of coconut milk. I used cheese cloth to strain it and then poured it into a glass quart jar for storage. It tastes perfect in my coffee! I can’t wait to try it in some curry recipes.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it, Laura. Thank you for sharing! xo
Hannah says
i NEVER thought about using a shirt to strain something. my mind is blown!
We’re all for working with what you have :)
Rhi says
Can dessicated coconut be used instead of shredded coconut please?
Yes, that works!
Julia Johanna says
Thank you for this! I made it and I like it! I did not have cups for measuring but I had one little glass and use it to measure coconut and water. I used the ratio 1:3 (1 glass shredded coconut: 3 glass water). I put honey in place of maple syrup, 3 tea spoon, but not the measuring ones, the silverware ones. I also don’t have tea spoons, like those you measure with. 😅 Well, the point is substituted the measuring tools but still made it. So give it a try cause it’s great and easy to make! I was looking for a diary free milk to put in the morning coffee made with a hand blender and here I am writing this. :)
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoy it. Thank you for sharing, Julia! xo
Ray says
Hi.
Have you made this recipe with pre-soaking the shredded coconuts?
I wonder if that makes a difference in creaminess of the final product?
Hi Ray, we haven’t tried that, but it should work well!
Maria Echavarria says
Can I use this homemade coconut milk to make your coconut yogurt recipe?
Hi Maria, we don’t think it would thicken enough. But perhaps with less water? You would need to make sure to heat the coconut milk and let it cool before adding the probiotics.
CarolH says
Their are recipes for cultured non dairy milks at cuttingedgecultures.com I have personally used the coconut non-dairy milk recipe with agar agar instant powder as thickener
Sarah Williams says
I love how easy this is. Do you have any recipes for making coconut ice cream or coconut yoghurt from scratch please?
Hi Sarah, are you hoping to make them with homemade coconut milk? We don’t recipes for that, unfortunately! We do have recipes for coconut ice cream and coconut yogurt using canned coconut milk.
BONITA BUERGE says
YUMMY! THANK YOU FOR THIS!
You’re welcome, Bonita! We’re so glad you enjoy it! xo
Islay says
So easy to make. I’ve made this twice. It’s great in my recipes.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoy this coconut milk, Islay. Thank you for sharing! xo
David says
Please could you advise how you calculated the calories. Raw coconut is ~351Kcal per 100g. Hence 160g =~ 561 calories. I realise that you throw away some pulp but nearly all the fat [calories] are squeezed out prior to it being discarded. Your calculation of 53 Kcal x 6 = 318 Kcal seems too few.
Best Regards
Hi David, The nutrition information is a rough estimate for 1 of 6 (1/2 cup) servings calculated with 3 cups of water and the leftover coconut pulp nutritional content subtracted. We estimated that about two-thirds of the nutritional content is removed in the pulp, but that’s really a rough estimate as we don’t have a way of knowing the precise amount!
Dana says
Hey there. I always love your recipes 😍
I was wondering with the pulp from the shredded coconut can you make coconut flour?
Hi Dana, we haven’t tried that, but think it might work! We’d recommend using this method. Let us know if you try it!
Willow says
OMG. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
xoxo!
Mary says
Would this make the same type of coconut milk that is used in Curries? Also store brand coconut milk is varied in fat content. Would this be closer to a “lite” store bought brand? or Full Fat? Thank you
Hi Mary, the coconut milk used in curries is thicker/richer than this one. This more closely resembles the kind you would get in a carton in the refrigerated section. If making this recipe for a curry, we’d suggest using less water (maybe 1 1/2 – 2 cups water total). That would likely be similar to light canned coconut milk. Hope that helps!
Jordan says
I don’t think this is a coconut milk recipe. I believe this is coconut cream. The milk and cream are sometimes used interchangeably in recipes but there’s a difference between the two. Three, if you consider cream of coconut.
Hi Jordan, hmm, in our experience coconut cream is much thicker than what this recipe yields.
Sean says
Can you sub out the Blender for a Food Processor?
We find with our food processor, liquids splash out the sides too much and it doesn’t break down the coconut quite as well. Different brands/models may vary though!