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A guide to coconuts for eating, drinking and cooking

07.21.2022 (Updated: 03.17.2025) in Favorites

Young and mature coconuts are used differently in cooking. The flesh of young coconuts are soft and sweet. Mature ones have tough flesh that’s best for squeezing coconut milk.

Coconut tree
Image by Pexels from Pixabay

I grew up with coconuts in the backyard quite literally. My grandmother grew coconut trees. I drank the juice and ate the flesh from the fruits that those coconut trees bore. My own daughters’ first taste of coconut water and flesh came from those trees too. And I’ve been cooking with coconut milk for as long as I’ve been cooking. And that’s a really long time. So, yes, I’ve learned a lot about coconuts over the years.

The coconut belongs to the family of palm trees. The term “coconut” itself is used to refer to the tree or the fruit. The fruit isa drupe, not a nut.

Just like any fruit, the coconut goes through various stages of development during its lifespan. The husk is a bright green when the coconut is young and, as it ages, it turns brownish. The flesh inside differs in texture depending on the age of the fruit. The flavor of the water, or what we call coconut juice, also varies with the age of the fruit.

Very young coconut

Very young coconut
Image by niceguy nice from Pixabay

The very young coconut above with its thin, translucent flesh (or meat as it is sometimes referred to) — so thin and translucent that the husk shows through — is best scooped from the husk and eaten directly or stirred with the coconut water for a refreshing drink. At this stage, coconut flesh is soft and gelatinous, and the water is naturally sweet.

Young coconut

Young coconut with tender flesh
Image by Simon from Pixabay

The meat of the coconut above is thicker but still tender enough to be scooped with a spoon and eaten from the husk.This is the texture that’s best for cooking or making sorbet and ice cream.

Recipes with coconut flesh and water

Chicken binakol (chicken, coconut and spinach) in bowl

Chicken binakol

Coconut lychee sorbet garnished with a sprig of mint

Coconut lychee sorbet

Bangus (milkfish) belly in gingered coconut broth

Bangus (milkfish) belly in gingered coconut broth

Mature coconut

As the coconut matures, the meat thickens and toughens — too tough to be eaten directly from the husk. The water turns nasty and can no longer be drank.

Mature coconut
Image by Skica911 from Pixabay

The meat of mature coconut is grated. In that form, it can be cooked or squeezed to extract coconut milk.

How to extract coconut milk

Coconut milk is an ingredient of many Southeast Asian dishes — from marinades to stews to desserts. To make coconut milk from scratch, you need grated mature coconuts.

Place the grated coconut at the center of a large square of muslin or cheesecloth. Gather the corners together and tie to form a bag. Position the bag over a bowl and press the bulging portion that contains the grated coconut with your hands to expel the milk directly into the bowl.

How to make coconut cream

Place the coconut milk in a bowl and cover loosely with a piece of muslin or cheesecloth, making sure that the fabric does not touch the surface of the milk. Put in the fridge and leave for several hours or overnight.

The cream will float to the top leaving the water underneath. Scoop out the cream and discard the water. Use coconut cream as you would dairy cream. It has become a popular substitute for keto dieters.

Substitutes for fresh coconut

There are parts of the world where coconuts don’t grow. Coconuts like hot climate. So, in regions where there are harsh winters, you won’t find coconuts growing anywhere. If you live in a place where coconut does not grow, how can you enjoy coconut?

There’s desiccated coconut and coconut flakes. You can cook with them and bake with them but, unfortunately, they won’t give you the fresh coconut experience.

As for coconut milk and cream, they are available in canned and powdered form.

Coconut water is now sold in cartons and bottles, and they’re exported globally by coconut producing regions.

More recipes with coconut

Coconut cream curry rice with sausages on top

Coconut cream curry rice

Lamb Shank Curry Served Over Rice

Lamb shank coconut curry

Che bap topped with coconut sauce and toasted sesame seeds

Che bap (Vietnamese sweet corn, tapioca and coconut milk)

Thai-style dry curry garnished with chili slices and kaffir lime leaves

Thai-style dry beef curry

Chicken sate / satay with peanut sauce

Chicken sate / satay with peanut sauce

Banoffee in wineglass topped with shaved dark chocolate

Banoffee with a tropical twist

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Connie Veneracion, 2020

Hi, I’m Connie!

Home cook and writer by passion, photographer by necessity, and good food, coffee and wine lover forever. I write recipes, cooking tips and food stories. No AI is used in creating content for this blog.

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