Going to the grocery store to stock up on dairy-alternative milk is a huge expense, as well as a hassle. You can make your favorite milk substitutes from home, for a fraction of the cost!
{Photo Credit: The Memoirs of Megan}
You can also utilize this recipe using the same measurements and process with rice, however, with more recent studies coming out linking harmful carcinogens with rice, we decided to test it out using organic coconut instead of rice and see how it would work. Not only is it delicious, it can be made for less than half the price of store bought coconut milk.
{Photo Credit: The Memoirs of Megan}
Coconuts are often farmed in an environmentally friendly way, and coconut milk has about half as much sugar as cow’s milk. Coconut milk is a vegan, plant based milk, that is high with medium-chain fatty acids, that makes it easy to digest. It is naturally lactose free. Coconut milk also is a great source of lauric acid, which can only be found in human breast milk.
If you were to go to the grocery store to purchase a half-gallon of coconut milk to drink (not canned, as that is thicker, and typically used for baking) it will cost you around $3.75. To make it on your own, it will cost around $1.50 for the same amount.
Materials Needed:
- Bowl
- Organic, Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- Filtered Water
- Strainer
- Cheese Cloth
- Blender
{Photo Credit: The Memoirs of Megan}
How To Make Drinking Milk:
- Bring 3-4 cups of water to a boil
- Dump 2 cups of organic, unsweetened coconut into a blender
- Pour boiling water on top of coconut
- Blend on high for at least 30 seconds, or until desired consistency is reached
- Let sit in blender for 10 minutes
- Place cheese cloth over strainer, and place it on the bowl
- Pour mixture into the strainer through the cheese cloth
- Squeeze the cheese cloth to remove any excess moisture
How To Make Baking Coconut Milk (similar texture to canned)
Use the above process, but only use about half as much water to blend with. To sweeten it, try adding in a tablespoon of organic raw honey, or agave into the blending.
{Photo Credit: The Memoirs of Megan}
Note: You will want to use the coconut milk almost immediately. If you refrigerate it, it tends to separate again. Make sure that the milk has cooled off all the way, before placing it in the refrigerator. Coconut can become rancid if not used. Also, the same grated coconut can be used upwards to 2-3 times without making a fresh batch.
For other posts regarding using coconut, check out this post on the benefits of cooking with coconut oil, or this natural recipe as an alternative to pedialyte.
