COCONUT CREAM VS COCONUT MILK.

Written By Talula Dempsey

Coconut has been rising in popularity for the last few years due to its positive affects on health as well as its versatile uses. Coconut is a great ingredient to add to your desserts to enhance the flavor in a fresh and fruity way, and luckily there are many different varieties of coconut to add to accomplish this task.In this post I will be focusing on coconut cream and milk, as I find them to be an incredibly important ingredient to have up your sleeve. Both of these products are incredible substitutions for dairy when trying to bake dairy free, plant based, or vegan. Since it can be quite difficult to figure out which product to implement in your baking as there is a lot of knowledge available online, I hope the information below is easy to digest and helps you further elevate your baking endeavors. 

*Please note both coconut milk and coconut cream can be used interchangeably, but will differently affect the flavor and density of the overall product. Each example of when to use the product can be made with the other as well. You can also use a combination of both in the same product, such as coconut cream pie. 

COCONUT MILK:

  • Created by incorporating equal parts coconut flesh with water and then blending until fluid

    • Removes the excess oil 

  • Has similar texture properties of milk as it is equally as thin in liquid form 

  • Has a mild coconut flavor and is more favorable than coconut cream when adding to products that do not want to have a strong coconut taste

  • A good thinning agent 

  • Good substitute for regular milk in recipes 

When to use:

  • Frostings, instead of adding in other types of milk

  • Cookies, such as chocolate chip 

  • Coconut Flan 

  • Brownies 

  • Coconut Tres Leches Cake 

  • Pastry Cream

    • when looking for a more tropical taste like coconut or piña colada

  • Coconut Macarons 

  • Tapioca Pudding 

  • Chia Seed Pudding 

Favorite Brands:

$1.69 at Trader Joes: Organic Coconut Milk 

$2.10 at Wholefoods: Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut Milk 

$4.99 at Erewhon: Pacific Foods Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk Original 

$5.99 at Wholefoods: So Delicious Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk

COCONUT CREAM:

  • Created from coconut milk by allowing the thick cream to rise during a refrigeration period or blending 4 parts coconut flesh to 1 part water 

    • you can make this at home 

    • Even though coconut cream is made from coconut milk, they have different properties 

    • Keeps in the oil removed in coconut milk 

  • Has a higher fat count & less water than coconut milk

  • When added to recipes, the product will become more dense 

  • Has a strong coconut flavor 

  • Has a higher amount of calories than coconut milk 

  • A good thickening agent 

  • Good substitute for heavy cream in recipes 

When to use:

  • Coconut Mousse 

  • As a thickener in the base of ice creams 

  • Coconut custard 

  • Coconut Pudding 

  • Cakes 

    • Coconut, Coconut Tres Leches, Coconut Lemon 

    • Makes cake extremely dense in a delicious, spoon licking way 

  • Whipped Cream 

  • Using the densest part of the cream, usually the part that rises to the top, you can add it to ganache to make the overall result thicker 

Favorite Brands:

$2.29 at Wholefoods: Native Forest Organic Unsweetened Coconut Cream

$1.69 at Trader Joes: Organic Coconut Cream

$2.99 at Erewhon: Blue Monkey Coconut Cream

$7.99 at Wholefoods: Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut Cream 


Talula Dempsey
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