How to Make Coconut Milk (Best Method + No-Strain Option)
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Homemade coconut milk is a fantastic recipe for dairy-free milk that tastes great and saves a lot of money over store-bought options.
You can make it with or without straining, and the no-strain version is naturally creamy and foamy right after blending. It’s made with just dried coconut and water, and both options are simple, affordable, and easy to customize. Using hot water is the best method for a smooth, traditional coconut milk, but you can also skip straining for a faster option.
I'm all about DIY versions of kitchen staples like almond milk, homemade rice milk, powdered sugar substitute, and dairy-free condensed milk.
Basically, if it's possible to DIY it, especially when it comes to food items, you better believe I'm going to try it.
And making homemade coconut milk is one of the easiest things you can make at home.
All you need is dried coconut and water. That's it.
Why Make Homemade Coconut Milk
Homemade coconut milk is so much less expensive than store-bought, and it has no additives. No sweeteners (unless you want them) and no emulsifiers or preservatives.
What You'll Need
How to Make Coconut Milk (Best Method + No-Strain Option)
The best way to make homemade coconut milk is to use hot water to soften the dried coconut. This yields a smoother result that's closer to store-bought.
- Add shredded coconut and hot (not boiling) water to blender
- Let sit 1-2 minutes (optional)
- Blend until smooth and fully combined (30–60 seconds)
- Use as-is (no need to strain), or strain using a nut milk bag or cheesecloth for smoother texture
- Adjust thickness with more water if needed.
Strained vs. No-Strain Coconut Milk
Most recipes for homemade coconut milk require straining. No-strain coconut milk is another option and is by far the easiest method. It’s also what we use most often in our home.
It's super fast and amazingly creamy right after blending, which makes it perfect for busy mornings when you don't have time for straining or heating water.
Simply use room temperature filtered water, blend with coconut shreds, and use. After cooling, it does get grainy, but you can either stir and just make it work or make smaller batches as needed.
No-Strain Coconut Milk
- fastest method
- slightly more texture
- still smooth and rich, especially when fresh
- no extra tools needed
Strained Coconut Milk
- smoother, more like store-bought
- better for coffee or certain recipes
- requires nut milk bag or cheesecloth
- takes a little more time
Best Way to Strain Coconut Milk (Without the Mess)
Straining coconut milk gives a smoother texture, but it’s also helpful to think about cleanup and how you handle the leftover pulp. Fat and fiber can build up in pipes over time and lead to clogs.
Nut Milk Bag
A nut milk bag is a good reusable option for straining coconut milk. After straining, you remove the pulp and then rinse the bag.
Cheesecloth (Easiest Cleanup)
Cheesecloth is the easiest cleanup option. You simply use it and toss it in the garbage after use, so no scraping or rinsing needed. If you buy it in bulk, it's quite inexpensive to use.
Simply cut the cheesecloth into 8-12 inch squares and use a double layer if desired for better straining. While it's a single-use item, it is cotton, so it's a natural material that can even be composted.
Fine-Mesh Strainer
A fine-mesh strainer is another option but it's possibly the most difficult to use. Like the nut milk bag, clean off as much of the pulp as possible and then rinse.
What Happens When You Refrigerate Homemade Coconut Milk
With any homemade coconut milk, it will separate some after chilling due to it not having additives like store-bought milk. Simply shake or stir before serving.
How to Use Homemade Coconut Milk
- In recipes as a dairy-free alternative if you are dairy allergic, vegan, or just plain out of milk
- In smoothies
- Plain: our son LOVES coconut milk with some stevia extract or this Liquid Vanilla Stevia
- Over hot or cold cereal, or even on Baked Oatmeal
- Frozen into coconut milk ice cubes to keep drinks from being diluted with water
- In hot drinks like coffee, tea, coffee substitute or as a base in this Caffeine-free Chai Latte or Protein Hot Chocolate (the creamy no-strain version is especially delicious in these)
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to strain coconut milk?
No — it depends on your preference. Straining gives a smoother texture, but skipping it is faster and works well, especially in hot beverages.
Can you make coconut milk from shredded coconut?
Yes — dried unsweetened shredded coconut works great.
How long does homemade coconut milk last?
Typically 3–4 days in the fridge.
Should you use hot water for making coconut milk?
Yes, using hot water is much better for making homemade coconut milk, but you can use cold water and still get good results.
Homemade Coconut Milk
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
- 3-4 cups hot water (not boiling. Adjust for thickness.)
Instructions
- Place the shredded coconut in a high-speed blender.
- Pour hot (not boiling) water over the coconut. Let sit for 1–2 minutes to soften (optional but recommended).
- Blend on high for 1–2 minutes until smooth.
- Strain through a nut milk bag or cheesecloth if desired.
- Use immediately or store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Faster no-strain option: For a quicker method, blend coconut with room temperature water and skip straining. This version is slightly more textured but still works well for many uses.
- Straining tip: For easiest cleanup, use cheesecloth and discard after use, or remove pulp before rinsing to avoid buildup in your sink.
- Storage: Coconut milk will naturally separate in the fridge. Shake or stir before using.
- Optional sweetener: If desired, you can add a small amount of sweetener such as stevia, maple syrup, or honey to taste after blending. Start low and adjust to taste.
- Salt: If using sweetener, add a dash of salt.
- Yield amount: This will vary slightly depending on how much water you use and whether or not you strain the milk.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is merely an approximation. Optional ingredients are not included and when there is an alternative, the primary ingredient is typically used. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts since they have been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
More Super Fast Whole Food Pantry Staples
- Powdered Egg Replacer – Great for all your baking needs. Comparable to store-bought egg replacers.
- Powdered Sugar Substitute – Works just like the real thing.
- Easiest Almond Milk Ever – Similar to this recipe, and ready in minutes.
- Homemade Rice Milk – So simple and budget-friendly.
- Homemade Coconut Butter – So simple and so frugal!
- Homemade Taco Seasoning – Tastes better than store-bought packets.
- Keto Cinnamon Sugar – A delicious low-carb option. See which blend we liked best.
Have you ever made Homemade Coconut Milk?
How long do you think this would store in the fridge? I tend to forget how long things are in the fridge and don’t drink a lot of milk in general. Thanks!
I would only count on 4 days – might last longer but I wouldn’t count on it. Hope it works for you!
Mine last 2 weeks. My refrigerator is very cold. You won’t forget this milk it’s too delicious.
I’m about to try this using my soyjoy soy milk maker. It also does raw milks! Hopefully I will be in luck!!!
Please do let me know!
Is this using cold water then? So no need to soak the chips with hot water?
No I haven’t done that but it would probably make it smoother.
Bring water just before a boil pour on coconut and leave 10 min. Blend for 2 min. Strain.
I love the recipe! I’m getting a Vitamix soon and can’t wait to try and make almond and coconut milk =)
If you freeze this milk, does it turn into ‘fake’ whipped cream? I have seen recipes where the use coconut whipped cream instead of regular whipped cream.
Typically they whip the chilled solids at the top but I don’t think the DIY version will work. I’m planning to try it w/ a stainless whipper but don’t have one yet!
I make my milk in a regular high speed blender. Works perfectly
Thanks for your post I was able to make a nice coconut milk with this. My question is do you have a full proof method of taking that coconut milk and then making a nondairy coconut yogurt from Coconut yogurt as your starter? I have tried to times both times were epic failures.
No, I don’t but I did try once and it worked pretty well. Hang in there w/ me and hopefully I will have something for you. 🙂
Here’s a page I used to create homemade oat milk yogurt.
https://www.healthygirlskitchen.com/2014/02/adventures-is-vegan-yogurt-making.html
I used gluten free rolled oats, made an oat milk, and used 1/2 cup of store bought coconut yogurt. Another time I used 1/2 a probiotic vegan capsule. I followed the directions from this page and it came out ok for me. What I like about the oat milk is that oat already can be quite thick. I cultured 10 hours in my Instant Pot in 2 pint sized mason jars. I did add some sugar to the oat milk so that the bacteria would have something to eat.
That said, I have heard that coconut milk can be harder to culture because of the lower fat content from soy or oat milk. I have not yet made homemade coconut milk and tried to culture it.
I mean I used 1/2 c of yogurt or capsule as the bacteria/starter to the yogurt.
Love this – thanks! We’re mostly grain free but I am glad to see this!
ive never strained it cuz i just use it in smoothies or recipes. but i use 1c to 2c water, not 1c to 5c water. gotta have that fat!
:).
Ic shredded coconut to 4 c water created a very rich coconut milk.
It’s so nice. please where can I get dried unsweetened shredded coconut and vitamix in Nigeria.
Thanks.
It is so lovely.
Hi there. Sorry but I don’t know. Hope you can find it. Looks like the Vitamix doesn’t have a vendor in Nigeria at this time :(.
I just made it in a blender, but it has a gob of I guess congealed looking fat in the middle of it. I don’t have a Vitamix. Just a regular blender.
I’m thinking a regular blender can’t handle it. Do you have a food processor? You might be able to make coconut butter first and then do the rest in the blender. https://wholenewmom.com/whole-new-budget/make-your-own-coconut-butter/
Thank you for your reply. I will try the food processor. Regardless, I can still put what I make in the freezer and use in my NutriBullet for smoothies. The NutriBullet is just too small to try to make a batch of the coconut milk. All I could do with it was grind up the coconut, then transfer to our larger blender when adding the water. Thanks again!
Hope it works for you!
I made a delicious batch of coconut milk last night and put it in the fridge (I strained it through cheesecloth and it was very creamy, just like I like it!). This morning I took it out of the fridge to use it and there’s a 3/4″ thick layer of coconut oil on top… is that supposed to happen?? Do I just remove the solidified oil and use it for cooking? Or ?? Other recipes I found online mentioned that it will separate and to shake it before using and it’s good to go, but this is *solid* oil… I know coconut oil doesn’t become liquid unless you heat it and I don’t want warm coconut milk in this instance…??
I would bet it isn’t quite coconut oil – but not sure. If it is, in fact, oil, then of course you could do that.
I have tried straining it, and leaving it as is, and for me they both leave something to be desired. Wondering if anyone has tried grinding the shredded coconut into coconut butter and blending that with water instead? I’ll be trying it this way next, and hoping it results in the kind of creamy coconut milk I’m looking for!
Yes, you can do that too!