Kitchen Experiment: Homemade Coconut Milk

I was skeptical when I came across a recipe for homemade coconut milk that didn't require any fancy gizmos and used a simple bag of shredded coconut. I gave it a try and my only thought was where have I been and why didn't I make this sooner? It's ridiculously easy to make, it's easy on the wallet, and it has a delicious creamy consistency.  Ready to try it? Here's the recipe!

The Necessities:

2 cups of shredded coconut
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of water

Optional- vanilla and/or cinnamon for flavor

I've tried it with both unsweetened and sweetened coconut, and I like it both ways. If I'm putting it in tea or a smoothie, I'll make it with the sweetened coconut because it's cheaper and it saves me a step because I normally add some sort of sweetener to them anyways.

Bring the water to a simmer and add the coconut.

Let the coconut simmer in the water for 2-3 minutes.

Let the mixture cool off and then blend it for 2-3 minutes. The "let it cool" part is key here, because otherwise you might crack your nice glass blender and make your husband upset, not that I did that or anything...

Place a tea towel, over a strainer, over a measuring cup. . . It's a good idea to keep it in that order.

Pour your mixture into the tea towel.

Let it do its thing. Unless it doesn't want to. Then you might need to work your muscles to squeeze out every last drop of goodness.

As you can see here, I got just under two cups of coconut milk.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to the coconut milk. I know it sounds gross, but you actually can't taste it and it keeps the milk from separating. You can also add other flavorings here. If I know I'm going to use it for tea, coffee, or smoothies, I'll add a splash of vanilla or a pinch of cinnamon.

Enjoy! My favorite way to use it is to froth the warm milk with an immersion blender and add it to chai tea for a coconut chai latte- it's the perfect companion for an afternoon of editing. It's also delicious in smoothies, rice, soup, and curry.