There are two very different kinds of coconut milk. The term once applied exclusively to a thick and fat-rich canned product that’s perfect for making peanut sauce and Thai curries. Thai cooking is, by the way, one of the most vegan-friendly cuisines in existence. It features rice, vegetables, and coconuts in an unending variety of delicious ways.
You can think of canned coconut milk as coconut cream, since it’s both thicker and fattier than cows’ milk. Recently, the growing market for dairy alternatives has seen the introduction of “coconut milk” that’s packaged in traditional milk cartons. This sort of milk is as thin as regular milk, and you can pour it on your morning cereal, drink it by the glass, or use it for various baking needs.
If you’ve got access to coconuts, you can make either kind of these milks in a Vitamix or Blendtec. Note that you’ll need mature coconuts with substantial amounts of meat. Young coconuts contain sweet coconut water and have virtually no meat. That makes them unsuitable for producing fresh coconut milks.
Nothing tastes like coconut, and plenty of people love its flavor and texture. Unfortunately, this food carries more than its share of health and ethical concerns.
Health Considerations Involving Coconut Milk
Coconuts contain lots of fat, and that fat is highly saturated. Consumption of saturated fat is strongly linked to heart disease. Just half a can of coconut milk contains more than your entire daily recommended intake of saturated fat. With that in mind, I’ll typically use canned coconut milk to make a Thai-style peanut sauce. The peanut butter dramatically reduces the coconut milk used per serving, which in turn decreases the amount of saturated fat.
Additionally, in stark contrast to soy milk, coconut milk contains a negligible amount of protein. So it’s fair to call this the least nutritious of vegan milks. Other vegan milk options with substantially more protein are made from soy, peas, hemp, or oats.
Ethical Issues Involving the Harvest of Coconuts
Some coconut producers use monkeys to harvest their coconuts. It’s reasonable to assert that this amounts to animal slavery. And, unfortunately, it’s difficult to know which brands exploit monkeys for harvesting. This strikes me as a big enough deal that, in the future, many brands will label accordingly.
Brands of Coconut Milk Beverage
You can find canned coconut milk on any supermarket shelf. But coconut milk beverages, sold in milk cartons or aseptic packaging, are harder to find.
In contrast to soy, almond, and oat milk, there are only a few brands of coconut milk beverage:
- 365 Everyday Value: Organic Unsweetened Coconut Milk
- Pacific Foods: Organic Coconut Beverage
- Silk: Coconutmilk
- So Delicious: Coconut Beverage
