How To Make Coconut Milk From Fresh Coconut {VIDEO}

Heather Dessinger

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How To Make Coconut Milk From Fresh Coconut {VIDEO}

In this video, my lovely assistant and I will demonstrate how to make coconut milk from fresh coconut. And for those of you that like written instructions:

coconut shreds
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3.25 from 4 votes

How To Make Coconut Milk From Fresh Coconut

For this recipe you will need: hammer, meat mallet or rolling pin, kitchen towel, sharp knife, stainless steel table knife (it will bend so maybe dedicate one for this purpose), medium bowl, blender, butter muslin or clean, old cotton t-shirt, pillowcase, etc., large jar
Calories 0kcal
Author Mommypotamus

Ingredients

  • 1 coconut
  • 1 – 1½ cups water

Instructions

  • Using the sharp knife, pierce the eyes of the coconut and drain water into a bowl
  • Put coconut on a hard surface (preferably concrete, tile might crack!) and smack with hammer/meat mallet/rolling pin until it splits open. It’s wonderfully therapeutic.
  • With your kitchen knife, pry the coconut meat from its husk. I used a paring knife in the video, and you’ll notice a Hello Kitty bandaid appears on my thumb halfway through. A kitchen knife is stiff and well-suited for the purpose, but it will bend so don’t use your good stuff.
  • Peel away any brown pieces of skin that adhere to the coconut meat.
  • Place coconut meat and coconut water in a blender, adding 1 – 1½ cups water (hot water will draw out more coconut oil from the meat and yield a thicker product).
  • Blend until smooth.
  • Pour coconut mixture through a butter muslin or clean old t-shirt into a large jar. Squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
  • Store in refrigerator

Enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 0kcal | Carbohydrates: 0g | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Saturated Fat: 0g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0g | Trans Fat: 0g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 0mg | Potassium: 0mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 0IU | Vitamin C: 0mg | Calcium: 0mg | Iron: 0mg

    Waste Not ~ Want Not

    How To Make Coconut Milk From Fresh Coconut {VIDEO}

    Your leftover coconut makes delicious shredded coconut. It’s wonderful for making Leite de Coco (coconut fudge), Coconut Cremé Brulee, and more. And it’s easy to make, too! Simply place the shredded meat in your dehydrator for 5-7 hours at 95 degrees F, or until the shreds feel very dry.

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    About HEATHER

    Heather is a holistic health educator, herbalist, DIYer, Lyme and mold warrior. Since founding Mommypotamus.com in 2009, Heather has been taking complicated health research and making it easy to understand. She shares tested natural recipes and herbal remedies with millions of naturally minded mamas around the world. 

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    33 thoughts on “How To Make Coconut Milk From Fresh Coconut {VIDEO}”

    1. This post has a special place in my heart!! Katie looks adorable.
      On another note, we drink a lot of coconut milk in our house. Do you happen to know how long yours will last for and about how many cups/oz it makes?

      Reply
      • One coconut made about five cups for us. Not sure how long it lasts, but it’s so good I’m pretty sure it will be gone before it goes bad

        Reply
      • I live overseas and work a lot with coconuts (like from under the tree), and I do not have refrigeration where we live, but fresh coconut milk will stay good about a half a day, give or take some time, in 80-90F weather, not in the sun, but in the bush kitchens (not that it ever lasts that long). I hope that helps for judging keep time in a fridge at least a little.

        Reply
    2. ….thanks to my husband, all I can see in this video is the fact that you need sharper knives!!!! LOL!
      On another, not neurotic note…This was adorable

      Reply
    3. Thanks so much for the video!! Is this like coconut milk from a can or is it close to coconut beverage from the cold chest at the supermarket?

      Reply
          • Our water was heated and it was still thinner than the canned stuff. We could probably have used about half the amount of the water than we did . . . will try next time and let you know how it turns out. No coconuts at the store today so the earliest we can try it is next week. 🙁

            Reply
    4. Thank you for this video! I’ve thought about making coconut milk, but thought it was much more involved. Your little assistant was just so sweet. Looking forward to more of your videos!
      Many blessings…. ~Colleen~

      Reply
    5. @Michelle – Unlike a lot of things that require concentration in the kitchen, this was really fun and easy to do with little ones 🙂

      Reply
        • It’s so easy!! Basically the same thing….we flavor ours with real vanilla bean and a tad of real maple syrup…..its so good!! I also make “PINK MILK” by blending it with strawberries and then straining out the seeds!!!

          Reply
    6. great video! I need to make some coconut milk again….got out of the habit a while ago (it’s can be a hassle to find good coconuts!) LOVED seeing Katie in action! She’s too sweet! 🙂

      Reply
    7. Just made this with a whole coconut just because it looked like fun. When I traveled to Bora Bora, I learned that natives don’t take off the brown part of the coconut (the part that stays on the meat when you remove it from the shell), so I didn’t either. That saved a lot of time using a vegetable peeler. I also drilled the holes with an electric drill, and used a screwdriver to get the meat out of the shell. Overall I would say it took us less than 20 minutes start-to-finish and it was a fun experiment! But I’ll probably be using coconut shreds if I decide to do the process more regularly. 🙂

      Had a busy day so this was our only “homeschool” lesson for the day. Very successful experiment with very yummy results! 🙂

      Reply
    8. Heather, I just watched this with my kids (homeschooling, right?) and it was SO cute. I loved it when Katie put the coconut up to her mouth and then threw it into the bowl. My daughter Ruby was like “OH NO! She put it by her mouth!” (she is 4). 🙂 Thanks for sharing!! Adorable!!

      Reply
    9. Hello,
      I blended the coconut and the water and did not strain it.
      I am making coconut milk kefir and I want the extra fiber.
      Hoping that is okay.

      Reply
    10. 5 stars
      I live overseas in a bush setting and I work with coconuts a lot (like I go get them a couple times a week from the plantation). I have a few comments after watching the video.

      Coconuts are pressured, so when poking the hole in the eyes it may squirt a little water, so point it away from your face (may or may not have totally drenched my face with it a couple times with the green ones (drinking coconuts) (lots)). Also, the water will come out easier if you poke two of the eyes. And coconuts have three eyes, but one is generally softer, Mommypotamus noticed that in the video.

      The water is extremely good for you. It is more hydrating than water and is what the clinic in Vanuatu tells the mothers to give their babies when they are sick, along with breastmilk. It is heavy in electrolytes and has a pretty good taste. I add the water into the grated coconut meat when I make coconut milk. It won’t change the flavor of the milk, but gives that added boost of nutrition. If you want to do this, either open up an eye and drain it into a bowl, or open it with the tip below over a bowl.

      A tip for opening the coconut itself. I have well-made kitchen knives so I use them for this, or a machete if I am not at my home.
      I hold the coconut in my non-dominate hand with the “face” upright, and the face near my thumb and the pointy side opposite the face hanging off the side of my palm. I hold the knife with the blunt side down so when I strike the coconut with it I am not dulling the knife and the sharp side is not flying at my hand and arm 🙂 I strike the coconut hard (like harder than you would think) in the center of the shell with the blunt side of the knife until it cracks slightly. Then I rotate the coconut a little, keeping the face in the same place, but not upright, and I strike the coconut again. I do this all the way around. It will break open, usually in halves, but not always; and a lot of times, I will just pull it open after a bit. This way of opening coconuts also has a tendency to detach the meat from the shell depending on how old the coconut is, which is irritating for me because I hand grate it.

      Ok, the “face” I mentioned. If you look at the eyes of the coconut, you can see two eyes and a mouth. (this is from the national who taught me how to open coconuts) He told me to always start striking the coconut with the face upright and strike it perpendicular to the “grains” of the shell hair.

      *Note to Mommypotamus: I may have a video somewhere, if you want it, or I can make one when we return to Vanuatu from furlough in November.

      Reply
    11. Hi Mommypotamus. I make coconut milk every week & I just wanted to make a suggestion. If you are storing the coconut milk for a few days you might not want to blend it with the water that came out of it. Sometimes it will make it go bad quicker. You can still drink it if you like but for making the milk I would use purified water. Lovely video. Thanks.

      Reply