Buzz
When following a recipe, your first task is ensuring you have the correct ingredients. This can be tricky when an ingredient’s name closely resembles another product. While a mix-up between walnut pieces and halves may not cause much harm, the confusion between canned coconut cream and cream of coconut might leave you wondering what's really going on with this fruit. Let’s clarify the most common coconut liquids and how they should be used.
Coconut milk
At its core, coconut milk is made by shredding the flesh of mature coconuts, combining it with hot water, and pressing the mixture to extract a rich liquid. This liquid is opaque, white, and creamy in texture, with a strong coconut flavor and fragrance. Its thickness comes from the saturated fats found in the drupe, while the water content helps keep it pourable at room temperature. The rise of non-dairy milk alternatives has made the distinctions between different coconut milks a bit less clear.
Historically, depending on the brand, coconut milk typically contained just two or three ingredients: coconut, water, and sometimes guar gum (a stabilizer). Today, you’ll find cartons of coconut milk enhanced with added vitamins, minerals, and thickeners, aiming to rival dairy milk in your coffee or cereal. While it’s great to have options for various diets, don’t look for coconut milk in the milk fridge if you plan to use it for cooking.
Coconut milk appears in both sweet and savory dishes, such as Thai green curry, Filipino bibingka, coconut pudding, piña coladas, and as a substitute for milk in vegan recipes. My family’s preferred brand has always been Chaokoh, but many stores offer different brands to choose from. I recommend buying the canned coconut milk from the dry goods aisle to avoid the added ingredients and sugars found in the carton versions. Be sure to check the label for just coconut, water, and guar gum (some organic brands may not use stabilizers).
Lite coconut milk sits beside regular coconut milk on the shelf. (I’m including it here because its name is less confusing.) This variety contains less fat, as the coconut meat is processed with more water, effectively watering it down. While this can be a good low-fat choice for your recipes, water lacks flavor, which results in a product that is less creamy and, unfortunately, less coconut-flavored.
Coconut cream
Coconut cream is closely related to coconut milk, but Big Coconut decided to give it a more glamorous name. While lite coconut milk has a lower concentration of coconut fat and regular coconut milk has a higher concentration, coconut cream contains the highest amount of coconut fat found on grocery store shelves. (Check here for the composition breakdown of commercial coconut milks.) It’s made similarly to coconut milk, using the same ingredients, but in different proportions. When you open a can of coconut cream after it’s been chilled (and before shaking), the cream will solidify, allowing you to separate the solids from the water. When you do this with coconut milk or lite coconut milk, you’ll find much smaller portions of solidified fat.
Coconut cream is indulgently rich and luxurious, making it a frequent star in cold, sweet treats like ice cream, mousses, puddings, and tarts. It also serves as a dairy-free whipped cream substitute. In savory dishes, it works as an excellent non-dairy cream replacement, such as in alfredo sauce or creamy soups. It’s less commonly used in cakes and hot savory meals due to its high fat content, which can alter the proportions of other ingredients. In such recipes, you’re more likely to see regular coconut milk or a mix of both coconut milk and coconut cream.
Cream of coconut
Cream of coconut is the most commonly mistaken ingredient for coconut cream, and this confusion can lead to some real cooking disasters. I can almost guarantee that your non-dairy chicken alfredo recipe doesn't call for this ingredient. Cream of coconut is a sweet, syrupy coconut product, mostly used in cocktails and desserts. It’s made by adding large amounts of sugar to coconut milk along with stabilizers, emulsifiers, and sometimes synthetic thickeners. What you end up with is a thick, translucent syrup that not only sweetens dishes but also imparts coconut flavor in one go. If you want to avoid the additives found in store-bought versions, you can try making your own cream of coconut at home.
Coconut water
Let’s go back to basics. While coconut water once had its moment of fame, it can still cause confusion, particularly when shopping at the grocery store. Coconut water is simply the liquid found inside a coconut. Commercially, and whenever you see a coconut with a straw sticking out of it, it’s harvested from young coconuts. This liquid is light, mildly sweet, and carries a subtle coconut flavor. It may also be labeled as coconut juice, and is available in bottles, cans, cartons, or directly from fresh coconuts.
Coconut water is a popular beverage, but its mild flavor and watery texture make it an excellent addition to cooking, infusing your dishes with a subtle coconut taste. Think of it as water with a tropical twist. You can use it as a base for soup with coconut water, braise meats in it, or even turn it into refreshing popsicles. Have some fun experimenting with the many delicious liquids this fantastic fruit offers (and with a lot less confusion).
