Coconut Milk Substitutes

Additional Tips

One cup of coconut milk contains--depending on its thickness-- about forty-five to sixty grams of fat--quite a bit in today's world of low-fat diets.  Fortunately, a commercial low-fat coconut milk is now available that reduces the fat level to about twelve and a half grams.  To lower the level even further, I suggest using a coconut flavoring.  Several companies manufacture coconut flavoring, or extract, which concentrates the flavor while removing nearly all of the fat.  There are several brands of coconut extract on the market, both natural and imitation. They are available through Internet retailers and also through gourmet shops.  By combining such extracts with whole milk, the amount of fat is decreased to eight grams; when combined with low-fat milk, that figure is further reduced to five grams.  These substitutes may not be perfect, but they are a lot healthier.  Since the consistency of coconut-flavored milk is thinner than that of canned coconut milk, cooks may need to add more of the substitute to a recipe and cook it a bit longer to achieve good results.  Yogurt can also be combined with coconut extract; the consistency will be thicker, the taste will be different and interesting, but the fat count will be even lower, to about three grams.