7 easy vegetarian recipes using coconut milk and how to make coconut milk

Coconut milk is the most versatile and nutritious drink that lends a creamy and naturally sweet taste to the dishes.
In this post, I will show you how to make coconut milk in just 10 minutes and various easy vegetarian recipes using coconut milk.

Coconut is a local superfood with many health benefits. In India, fresh coconut is easily accessible to everyone. I make laddoos using freshly grated coconut. You can find a laddoo recipe with jaggery and sugar.

Coconut milk, a vegan alternative to regular milk, is used extensively in my kitchen. After being vegan for more than a year, I find coconut milk as the best alternative in Indian food except for Indian chai or tea.

Try using coconut milk more even though you are not vegan for its high nutrient profile.

Health benefits of coconut milk :

• Coconut milk is rich in medium-chain fatty acids and lauric acid that is antiviral and antibacterial.
• It is also rich in iron, folate, Magnesium, Potassium, and Manganese. (Source)
• Try to make it at home as packaged coconut milk will have preservatives.

How to use coconut milk

• Use it in place of regular milk or cream in all Indian curries. You will not be able to find any difference.
• Make yogurt with coconut milk and use it in place of regular yogurt.
• Use it milkshakes and smoothies.
• Coconut milk is a good alternative for regular milk in pudding type of Indian sweets like kheer, payasam, halwa, etc.,
• Make pulao with coconut milk or add it to any one-pot rice recipe for a richer flavor.
• You can use coconut milk in cupcakes, muffins, and cookies in place of regular milk. Fat in the coconut milk makes baked goodies rich.

How to store coconut milk

If you are using fresh coconut for making the milk, you can store coconut milk in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Storing it on the inner side of the refrigerator keeps it fresh for more days.

If you are using frozen coconut, then the shelf life of coconut milk might be less.

You could store the coconut milk in the freezer for months, but you will lose the texture of milk. And, I generally don’t do it.
Instead, I store excess fresh coconut in the freezer and thaw it when making coconut milk.

How to make coconut milk at home

1. Prep the coconut

If using fresh coconut, break the coconut. Collect the water( it’s the coconut water) and chop the white flesh of coconut into small pieces.
You could even grate it but, I don’t do it as we are adding it to the blender to make the milk.

If you are using frozen grated coconut, thaw the coconut and add 2 cups of tightly packed coconut to the blender.

If using frozen whole coconut, I don’t even chop it into fine pieces as the texture is a little smoother when compared to fresh coconut.

2. Blend the coconut with water

Add 1 cup water to the chopped coconut and blend it for 5 minutes. Make sure to stop the blender in between to avoid getting overheated.

3. Strain the coconut mixture

Strain the mixture using a nut milk bag or strainer or cheesecloth. The strained white liquid is coconut milk, usually called thick or first extract coconut milk.

You should not boil this first extract coconut milk as it curdles.

Now put the residual coconut mixture into the blender again and add 1 to 1.5 cups of water. Blend it for 3 to 4 minutes. Extract the coconut milk like you did before into another bowl, and this yields a little thin coconut milk and called second extract coconut milk or thin coconut milk.

If you do not want to extract twice, add 2 cups of water for one coconut, blend it smooth, and squeeze the milk.

Recipe tips and notes:

• You can boil the thin coconut milk, and as it has left fat content, it will not curdle.
• Use thin coconut milk for cooking purposes and thick coconut milk for milkshakes or add it at the end of the dish as the replacement for cream.
• To make the thick yogurt, I use thick or first extract milk.
• And unless making Indian sweets or any recipes that need boiling of coconut milk, I don’t extract coconut milk second time from the same coconut.
• You will get almost everything from coconut in the first extract itself.
• As I prepare coconut milk every other day, I find it as time-consuming to make two extracts of coconut milk.

Healthy and easy vegetarian recipes using coconut milk:

Homemade coconut milk recipe: