How to Make Homemade Coconut Milk

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Buying cans of coconut milk is definitely easiest for the convenience factor, but if you're on a diet like Autoimmune Paleo (AIP) and/or are avoiding additives like guar gum or carrageenan, finding coconut milk you can have is a bit harder.  Luckily, making your own homemade coconut milk is really quite simple.

Sometimes making your own things can be painful and a bit, well, pointless.

Sure, it's great to know HOW to make some things, and sometimes there's great satisfaction in knowing you can if you need to, but it can be time-consuming and expensive.

Luckily making your own coconut milk at home is NOT one of these time consuming and expensive tasks – it actually is quick AND can save you a lot of money!

Plus you've got the added benefit that you know exactly what goes into the milk, so no additives that might cause you harm.

Only Two Ingredients in This Homemade Coconut Milk

Just like most things out there, there are 101 ways to do something, and this is no different.

The way I like to make coconut milk is just with:

• shredded, unsweetened coconut  (also called desiccated coconut)
• water

That's it! Just two ingredients and it all takes less than 10 minutes to make, including cleanup time.

How to Make Coconut Milk At Home

Making your own coconut milk is really simple too.

Equipment/Materials You Need

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You just need a blender and some sort of straining device – I recommend a nut milk bag but a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth could work as well.

Nut Milk Bag

The Process of Making Coconut Milk

All you need to do is put the water and desiccated coconut into the blender and blend on high for about 3 minutes, or until it's all liquid.

Then pour into a nut milk bag or a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl, or into a bowl covered with cheesecloth.

If using the nut milk bag, squeeze all of the liquid into the bowl. (preferred method)

If using a fine-mesh sieve, press down with your hands or the back of a large spoon to squeeze all of the liquid out.

If using the cheesecloth, make sure you pour slowly so it doesn't overflow and then one most of the liquid is through, gather the cheesecloth around the coconut solids and squeeze until all of the liquid is out.

How to Make Coconut Milk Video

If you're more of a visual person, watch this full-length YouTube video to see a demonstration on how to make the homemade coconut milk from desiccated coconut and then go below to get the recipe.

How to Store Your Dairy-free Milk

You can store this homemade coconut milk in the fridge for up to a week, but note that it will separate. Just simply shake it before serving or using.

You can also freeze the coconut milk for later.  I recommend freezing in an ice cube tray and then removing from the tray once frozen and then storing it in a plastic bag or another freezer-safe container.

This way you can add the frozen coconut milk directly to smoothies, hot beverages, soups, stews, or quickly thaw to use in other applications.

You can freeze in larger portions, but it does take considerably longer to thaw and unless you want to heat the milk up, I'd recommend thawing in a fridge overnight.

Recipes That Use Coconut Milk

AIP Chai Latte

Paleo & AIP Hot Chocolate Mix

AIP Thai Chicken Soup

AIP Breakfast Parfaits

Homemade Coconut Milk Recipe

I hope you enjoy this homemade coconut milk! If you make it I'd love to hear how it turned out! Either comment below or share a pic on Instagram and tag me @thrivingautoimmune!