Ingredients 11 Ways to Use Canned Coconut Milk The coconut water boom ushered in something of a coconut milk renaissance. With its delicate tropical flavor and luscious texture, coconut milk remains an enduringly popular dairy alternative and a go-to pantry item for home cooks who love curry. By Kristin Donnelly Kristin Donnelly Kristin Donnelly is a writer with nearly two decades of experience crafting stories and recipes for editorial publications, books, and brands. She was a food editor at Food & Wine for eight years. Kristin is the author of two cookbooks and co-host of the Everything Cookbook podcast. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on October 11, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Abby Hocking Here, more ways to put the can in the cabinet to work with sweet and savory recipes. 1. Chicken stew: Balance the bright and spicy flavors from spinach, basil, chiles, and lime juice in Justin Chapple's Spicy Coconut Chicken Stew with Corn. Abby Hocking / Food & Wine Get the Recipe 2. Soup: Stir with vegetable stock and let simmer before ladling over noodles for this restorative ginger and turmeric soup. Jennifer Causey Get the Recipe 3. Ceviche: Coconut milk's soft flavor is especially nice with zingy ceviches made from sweet shellfish, like scallops. Similar but even simpler, try Bobby Flay's six-ingredient coconut-crab salad. © Tina Rupp Get the Recipe 4. Marinades: Blend it with lots of garlic and spices for marinating chicken; the coconut milk helps create a delicious, blistered crust on the grill. Or add coconut milk to a buttermilk soak for fried chicken, like these panko-crusted cutlets from star chef Marcus Samuelsson. African flavors shine through in this delicious fried chicken dish. © Antonis Achilleos Get the Recipe 5. Dressing: Add tangy lemon juice to top sugar snap peas and mint. © John Kernick Get the Recipe 6. Candy: Blend coconut milk with butter and toasted coconut to make a chewy filling for chocolate-coated candy bars. © Matt Armendariz Get the Recipe 7. Cocktails: Add it to this lighter take on classic piña coladas. Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Rishon Hanners / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Get the Recipe 8. Creamy sauce: Replace a rich curry paste with Jean-Georges Vongerichten's creamy sauce with a caramel base, coconut milk, and fish sauce. © Con Poulos Get the Recipe 9. Pudding: Add it to tapioca pudding with mango and lime to enhance the dessert's tropical flavor. © Quentin Bacon Get the Recipe 10. Ice cream: Combine with sweet glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water for pastry chef Jen Yee's simple Japanese dough to make these mochi ice cream sandwiches. Pastry chef Jen Yee of Lafayette Grand Café & Bakery in Manhattan makes these fun and pretty sandwiches with a simple Japanese dough that combines sweet glutinous rice flour, sugar, water and strawberry jam. You can whip these up and serve them to your summer party guests for an unexpected dessert treat. © John Kernick Get the Recipe 11. Glazes: Incorporate it into a cake, its glaze, and a whipped coconut cream to enrich salty pistachios and sweet strawberry with this recipe from Chef Angela Garbacz. Abby Hocking Get the Recipe Note: The delicious refrigerated coconut milk sold in cartons is best reserved for cereal and drinks — it's not as thick and rich as the canned type typically called for when cooking or baking. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit