How to make coconut milk from coconut flour? 

In this brief guide, we will answer the question “How to make coconut milk from coconut flour?”, and discuss what are the differences between coconut milk produced out of coconut kernel and coconut flour.

India contributes 22.34% of the world’s coconut production and is one of the major players in the world’s coconut trade (3).

How to make coconut milk from coconut flour?

To make coconut milk from coconut flour, it is necessary to extract its residual fraction of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates, by using extraction methods, such as cooking or blending.

However, the product obtained from this procedure will not be authentic coconut milk, as coconut flour is a by-product of coconut milk and oil industry which is made from coconut meal leftover after processing (7).

Should you use coconut flour to make coconut milk?

You should not use coconut flour to produce coconut milk because the yield of this effort will not be great and because the composition of the obtained “coconut milk” will be very different from real coconut milk.

Real coconut milk is obtained from coconut cream. Coconut cream is made from dry-pressing coconut meat. The coconut cream is then diluted with water to make a coconut milk beverage. Coconut milk may also be made by soaking grated mature coconut meat in water (2).

Coconut flour is the residual fraction obtained from the coconut processing after the extraction of coconut milk. As a result, it is not a good source of coconut milk, containing mostly fibers and nutrients that are hardly extracted from the coconut. 

Usually, to obtain a higher yield of coconut milk from such residues, organic solvents are used, such as methanol and hexane, which are toxic and should be avoided (7,8).

How to make “coconut milk” from coconut flour?

To make “coconut milk”, or a liquid extraction similar to coconut milk from coconut flour, you can use high pressure cooking. High pressure is commonly used in the food industry to improve oil extraction of seed and nuts. 

The following steps are suggested, based on scientific literature applied to other types of oil-containing foods (7,8,9):

1. Take 2 cups of water and add 1 cup of coconut flour in a pressure-cooking pan. Close the pressure-cooking pan and cook under pressure for 5 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and let it sit for a period of 30 minutes, to improve extraction.
3. Transfer this mixture to a blender and blend it thoroughly. 
4. Strain the blended mixture by squeezing the mixture through a muslin cloth.
5. The liquid you obtained after squeezing is a liquid similar to coconut milk. 

What is the composition of coconut flour?

The composition of coconut flour is of a fat and fiber rich flour, differing significantly from the composition of wheat flour. The comparison between coconut flour and wheat flour is given below (8): 

Coconut flour has been used to partially substitute wheat flour in several food preparations, such as breads, cakes and cookies, in order to increase the nutritional value, especially the amount of fibers and proteins of these products (7). 

How to make real coconut milk from coconut?

To make real coconut milk, you will need shredded coconut or whole coconut kernels. The following steps are suggested, based on scientific literature applied to other types of oil-containing foods (2,7,8):

• Place 2 cups of water and a cup of the white cut pieces of kernels of fully mature coconuts or shredded coconut in a pan by a mild heat for 20 minutes
• Let the mixture for 30 minutes to improve the extraction
• Transfer the entire content into a blender and blend it thoroughly, till a thick consistency is obtained
• Strain the blended mixture by squeezing the mixture through a muslin cloth and pressing the solid 
• Store in a closed bottle in the refrigerator

What is the advantage of making coconut milk at home?

The main advantage of making coconut milk at home is that you are able to produce a pure coconut milk. Commercial coconut milk contains several additives to improve its consistency and shelf life, which may include lecithin, for emulsification, and gums for thickening and texture. Also, salt may be added for taste (2). 

Most importantly, the presence of endocrine disruptors or BisPhenol A (BPA) in the lining of cans is not good from the health perspective of the consumer. Canned coconut milk should be avoided to reduce exposure. A study showed that canned coconut milk contained Bisphenol-A in concentrations considered high in the Japanese market (5).

What are the benefits of homemade coconut milk?

As coconut milk is grain-free, gluten-free, free of antinutrients, it provides several health benefits to its consumer. Some of these benefits include (2,3):

• It lowers blood pressure and increased levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol or good cholesterol
• It is a source of energy for muscle 
• It is typically lower in sodium than cow’s milk
• It  contains medium-chain triglycerides, which can assist in weight loss
• It does not contain lactose, making it suitable for people with lactose intolerance

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Conclusion:

In this brief guide, we answered the question “How to make coconut milk from coconut flour?”, discussed what are the differences between coconut milk produced out of coconut kernel and coconut flour.

References:

1. Narataruksa, Phavanee, et al. Fouling behavior of coconut milk at pasteurization temperatures. Appl therm eng, 2010, 30, 1387-1395. 
2. Andreo, Celia, Daniela Rivero-Mendoza, and Wendy J. Dahl. Plant-Based Milks: Coconut: FSHN20-49/FS411, 10/2020. EDIS 2020, 5.  
3. Bharti, Binod Kumar, Jahangir Badshah, and B. S. Beniwal. A review on comparison between bovine milk and plant based coconut milk. J Pharmaceut Innov, 2021, 10, 374-378.  
4. Sethi S, Tyagi SK, Anurag RK. Plant-based milk alternatives an emerging segment of functional beverages: a review. J Food Sci Technol. 2016, 53, 3408-3423.
5. Kawamura, Yoko. Bisphenol A in Japanese canned foods. Food Add Pack. Am Chem Soc, 2014, 155-166.
6. Bridges, Meagan. Moo-ove over, cow’s milk: The rise of plant-based dairy alternatives. Prac Gastroenterol, 2018, 21, 20-27.
7. Yalegama, L. L. W. C., et al. Chemical and functional properties of fibre concentrates obtained from by-products of coconut kernel. Food Chem, 2013, 141, 124-130.  
8. Karandeep, Kaur, et al. Coconut meal: Nutraceutical importance and food industry application. Foods Raw mat, 2019, 7, 419-427. 
9. Ezeh, Onyinye, Keshavan Niranjan, and Michael H. Gordon. Effect of enzyme pre-treatments on bioactive compounds in extracted tiger nut oil and sugars in residual meals. J Am Oil Chem Soc, 2016, 93, 1541-1549.