Sandro Turriate

Homemade Coconut Milk: Rich, Creamy, and Ridiculously Easy

Forget the cans — homemade coconut milk is creamy, easy, and about three dollars for a batch. Here's how to make it with dried coconut, hot water, and a handful of soaked almonds: organic, clean, and delicious with a spoonful of honey.

Homemade coconut milk is just dried coconut, hot water, and a handful of soaked almonds, blended and strained. That's the whole trick. What you end up with is a jug of milk that's noticeably fattier and more coconut-forward than anything from a carton — and if you buy organic coconut, you know exactly what went into it, which is three ingredients.

Why Bother Making Your Own?

• It's cheap. Organic desiccated coconut runs about $4/lb at my co-op's bulk bin, and almonds around $8–11/lb. A standard batch of this recipe costs roughly $3–4; the half batch about $1.50–2.
• It's clean. Coconut, water, almonds. No stabilizers, no gums, no preservatives — and organic, if you buy organic.
• It tastes like coconut. The fresh stuff is fatty, though not super velvety — that smoothness comes from the gums in store-bought milks — and that's fine. It's delicious, especially with a spoonful of honey.
• It's easy. Blend, strain, refrigerate. Anyone with a blender can do it.

Ingredients

Three ingredients, two batch sizes. The steps below describe the standard batch; the half batch is handy if you just want enough for a day's coffee.

Optional: honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and a tiny pinch of salt, added after straining. You'll also want a nut bag (a.k.a. nut milk bag) for straining — that's its real name.

Step 1: Soak the Almonds (Overnight, or Not)

Measure out ½ cup of almonds — about 60 nuts for the standard batch, 30 for a half batch — and soak them in water overnight. Soaking softens them so they blend completely, but it's optional. Forgot, or want milk tonight? Use them dry. It still works.

Step 2: Hot Water + Coconut

Put 2 cups (160 g) of coconut in your blender. Heat 3 cups (720 ml) of water until it's hot and steaming, but not boiling — boiling water gives the milk a slightly cooked taste. Pour it over the coconut and let it sit for ten minutes or so, until the water has cooled a bit. This is where the fat loosens and the water turns into a pale, fragrant coconut tea. Cut the water back to 2 cups if you want a richer, creamier milk closer to canned coconut cream; 3 cups is the everyday drinking-milk ratio.

Step 3: Blend

Add the soaked almonds and blend on high for a minute or two, until completely smooth. The almonds act as an emulsifier, keeping the coconut fat suspended in the liquid, so the milk stays creamy and pourable in the fridge instead of separating into a solid disc. It will still separate a little as it sits — that's normal — but it comes back together easily.

Allergic to Almonds? Swap the Emulsifier

The almonds have one job: their protein and fat keep the coconut fat suspended so the milk stays creamy and pourable. Any of these in a similar amount (about a half-cup, soaked if a nut or seed) works just as well:

• Cashews — the closest swap: nearly flavorless and blends perfectly smooth.
• Sunflower seeds — mild, cheap, and protein-rich; a great budget pick.
• Rolled oats — a couple of tablespoons add silky body (oat starch is a natural stabilizer); blend cold and brief to avoid slime.
• Xanthan gum — a quarter teaspoon or less, blended in, does the job with no flavor at all; it's also why store-bought nut milks have that suspiciously perfect texture.

Step 4: Strain

Pour the blended milk into your nut bag set over a bowl and squeeze. The liquid is your coconut milk. Keep the leftover pulp for smoothies, oatmeal, or baked goods.

Step 5: Flavor It, If You Like

The milk is good plain, and a spoonful of honey makes it properly delicious. Other options, all added after straining:

• Honey
• Vanilla
• Cinnamon
• A tiny pinch of salt — trust it; it rounds out the flavor.

Storage

Pour into a sealed jar and refrigerate for up to a week. Shake well before each pour — the fat separates as it sits, which is normal. Use it in smoothies, over granola, in curries, or just over ice.

The Whole Recipe, At a Glance

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HOMEMADE COCONUT MILK (standard batch)
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2 cups (160 g) desiccated coconut, unsweetened
3 cups (720 ml) hot water (hot, NOT boiling)
½ cup (78 g) almonds, soaked overnight (optional)

Half batch (1-cup base): halve everything.
Reduce the water for a creamier milk (2 cups for the standard batch).

1. Soak almonds overnight (optional but nice).
2. Pour hot water over coconut; let sit until cooled somewhat.
3. Add almonds, blend on high 1–2 minutes until smooth.
4. Strain through a nut bag, squeezing well.
5. Optional: stir in honey, vanilla, cinnamon, tiny pinch of salt.
6. Store in a sealed jar in the fridge up to 1 week.
   Shake before each use.

Cost: about $3–4 for the standard batch at $4/lb coconut
and $8–11/lb almonds.

That's it — a blender, a nut bag, three ingredients, and roughly three dollars for a week of coconut milk that's organic, clean, and tastes like actual coconut.