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Coconut milk is a popular dairy alternative and for good reason too! Coconut milk is a good source of calories and healthy fats. Coconut milk is rich in phosphorous, magnesium, and is one of the few sources of lauric acid which is full of antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties.
If you buy coconut milk from the store then it will probably cost you a lot. Store bought coconut milk is also likely to have added ingredients that most of us would rather avoid.
I personally, would rather not have ingredients like carrageenan, thickeners, or artificial vitamins and minerals. If you buy the canned version of coconut milk then you also have to worry about BPA in the cans.
Thankfully coconut milk is very easy to make. When you make coconut milk at home, you know what ingredients you are using and it costs less.
You can learn how to make coconut milk out of just shredded coconut and water on my homemade coconut milk post. You’ll also find out how much money you can save by making it yourself that way!
However, there is one flaw to homemade coconut milk… you have to spend a bit of time making it. Not only that but it doesn’t have a long shelf life because it lacks all those preservatives so you can only keep it for 3-5 days.
But guess what?
There is a cheater method to making coconut milk!
Cheater’s Coconut Milk
2 tsp coconut butter (I like homemade but you can use store bought as well)
1 cup water
Directions:
Mix coconut butter in water. (I find that it’s best to use warm or even hot water so that the coconut butter can melt in easily.)
Once you’ve mixed it thoroughly, you can use in recipes or cool the coconut milk for drinking.
This results in a grainy, pulpy coconut milk. This is usually not a big deal when used in recipes but if you are wanting to drink it straight you may want to strain through cheesecloth.
Note: This is closer to a coconut “beverage”. If you want something closer to full fat canned coconut milk then increase the coconut butter to 2 tablespoons.
