Coconut milk powder is a 100% natural, versatile and handy way of always having coconut milk within reach. There’s no need to open an entire can when you just need a little, and you can make the consistency and fat level perfect for your needs. It’s a store cupboard staple for many, particularly those who love Asian cuisine, avoid dairy, or want a healthier and low fat alternative to creating creamy sauces and drinks.

What is coconut milk powder?

Coconut milk powder comes in a packet as a fine white powder. In essence, it is coconut milk which is dried to make it a more versatile and long-lasting option. However, different brands use different production processes and add different ingredients, so it’s always worth checking that you are comparing like with like.

Coconut milk powder is used either in its basic form, added directly to soups, smoothies, curries and sauces, or is reconstituted. You can add simple water to coconut milk powder to create liquid milk. You can choose how much water to add, varying the thickness of the milk, even creating a thick cream-like consistency if that is what you are looking for.

Coconut milk powder is a shelf-stable way of ensuring you always have coconut milk and coconut cream in stock ready for when you want it. At The Coconut Company, our coconut milk powder comes in a resealable bag making it particularly handy for grabbing when you need it. No wasted cans of half used coconut milk left in the fridge!

Bear in mind that coconut milk powder is dried coconut milk. It isn’t the same as coconut flour which is often using in baking and comes from the defatted meat of the nut. Coconut milk powder is dehydrated coconut milk, retaining much of the fat (or good saturates!) found in the milk.

How is coconut milk powder made?

Coconut milk powder is made by a simple process. Fresh coconut meat, from our sustainable and ethical producers in Vietnam and The Philippines, is gathered, grated and pressed to create coconut milk. This coconut milk is then spray dried using heat (a fast and efficient drying process). The dried coconut milk is then sterilised and we make sure that it is homogenised. This means ensuring the fat content and ingredients are dispersed equally throughout the powder, and ensures a consistent, smooth and creamy product.

Any coconut milk powder should be largely pure dried coconut milk, but contains a small amount of natural emulsifiers. These emulsifiers are required to ensure that the dried coconut milk remains a powder and that it doesn’t clump together (because it retains the good fats of the milk).

It is the differences in the types of emulsifier used that may help you determine which brand of coconut milk powder is right for you.

Additives in coconut milk powder

100% pure coconut milk powder isn’t a shelf-stable product and cannot be produced in affordable and reliable ways. Small amounts of emulsifiers are needed. However, emulsifiers can be natural and also fit in with your dietary choices.

At The Coconut Company we know how important it is for our customers to feel in control of ingredients and so we only use natural emulsifiers and keep things as pure as possible. As such, unlike many other manufacturers, who use dairy-based or complex emulsifiers and additives to prevent clumping, we don’t. We use a very small amount of maltodextrin and starch to prevent our dried coconut milk powder from clumping and to stabilise the powder, meaning it is a 100% natural product and doesn’t have an ingredients list as long as your arm!

The versatility of coconut milk powder

Coconut milk powder is super versatile. That’s why so many love it and it’s in demand from The Coconut Company from direct consumers, cafes, food manufacturers and more. As such, we supply various different blends of coconut milk powder so that you can get exactly what you’re looking for. Our blends include high fat, low fat, organic and non-organic; so that you can be sure of choosing exactly what you’re looking for.

You can buy directly from us whether you are an individual looking for a 250g packet of organic coconut milk powder for your larder, or a food manufacturer looking for high-quality 20kg boxes!

What is coconut milk used for?

If you want some coconut milk you can quickly make it using coconut milk powder simply by adding some hot water and blending well. The amount you add will determine the consistency, so you can use it to make coconut cream too.

Beyond this, coconut milk powder can be used in various different ways.

Most basically, wherever you see coconut milk called for in a recipe, you can swap in coconut milk powder. Make it up with water and you’ll have no problems getting the quantities well. Using coconut milk powder in a dairy-free vegan curry, such as our gorgeously warming coconut, sweet potato, spinach and chickpea curry works particularly well. We find that the homogenised powder is fabulous for binding the spices and ensuring a consistent and delicious taste.

If you’d rather hop over to the other side of Asia, then we use coconut milk powder in our popular and invigorating miso baked tofu and coconut noodle broth. It’s a crowd-pleaser and healthy, what’s not to love?!

We love using coconut milk powder in smoothies. If you want some lush creaminess adding to your smoothie, without introducing dairy or not-so-good fats, then coconut milk powder is your solution. Just pop in a tablespoon or two of coconut milk powder and see your smoothie levelled up. It works well in frothy lattes, creamy porridge and your favourite sauces too.

Coconut milk powder is also the key ingredient in Polvoron – a delicious shortbread-like sweet treat from The Philippines which is justly growing in popularity here. Check out the recipe for Polvoron shared by our friends at The Adobros Filipino supper club.

There really are so many different ways in which you can use coconut milk powder and what’s great is that the benefits are extensive. From paleo diet followers to dairy-avoiders, to baking pros and vegans, coconut milk powder is a wonderful product.