Can you use creamed coconut instead of coconut cream?

Have you ever been in a supermarket aisle with the sole objective of acquiring some Creamed Coconut only to be faced with what seems like an impossible challenge? 

Staring right back at you from the shelf you have Creamed Coconut, Coconut Cream, Coconut Milk & Coconut Oil – What does it all mean?! What is creamed coconut?!

There are just too many different kinds of coconut based products and it’s super confusing when trying to decipher the difference between them all. 

In this article, we are going to explore what actually is creamed coconut, where to buy it, how to use it, how it differs from other coconut products and more! 

Strap in, we are going tropical.

What is Creamed Coconut?

Creamed coconut is made from the unsweetened fresh pulp of a mature coconut. 

The fresh pulp is dehydrated, ground to a semi-solid white creamy paste and it is then hardened at room temperature. Creamed coconut melts around 24 degrees C. 

The solidified block of creamed coconut is then often stored in airtight plastic pouches and shipped all over the world.

How to use Creamed Coconut

Creamed coconut has many uses in cooking and also baking. 

When used in cooking, creamed coconut is often grated directly into dishes. This provides a deep coconut flavour that is present throughout the dish. Chopped creamed coconut is also used to deliver a bigger, bolder coconut flavour. You can chop it by hand or use a mini chopper to get a better consistency. 

SouthEast Asian, Caribbean and Indian cuisines all utilise creamed coconut to enrich sauces and curries. A great example of this is Aiden Byrnes Vegetable Thai Curry, which calls for the addition of 75g of coconut cream to be broken up into pieces and added to the curry. 

Creamed coconut is ideal to use when you want a deep coconut flavour, but do not want to add any additional liquid to your dish. 

Creamed coconut can also be made into coconut milk and coconut creamed.

How Creamed Coconut can be a substitute for Coconut Milk

If you have creamed coconut in your pantry but do not have any coconut milk, then do not fear! By simply adding hot water to creamed coconut, you can create a more than capable coconut milk substitute that can be added to any recipe you wish. 

To create a coconut milk substitute out of creamed coconut, simply add 5:1 hot water to the creamed coconut and stir until the coconut pieces have all dissolved and the remaining liquid resembles coconut milk. 

1 part creamed coconut with 4 – 5 parts water. 100 g / 3½ oz creamed coconut + 400 ml of hot water

How Creamed Coconut can be a substitute for Coconut Cream

If you have creamed coconut in your pantry but do not have any coconut cream, then you are in luck also! Again, by simply adding hot water to creamed coconut, you can create a more than capable coconut cream substitute that can be added to any recipe and it will act in the same manner as regular coconut cream.  

To create a coconut cream substitute out of creamed coconut, simply add 5:2 hot water to the creamed coconut and stir until the coconut pieces have all dissolved and the remaining liquid resembles coconut cream.

100 g / 3½ oz creamed coconut + 250 ml of hot water

What is the Difference Between Coconut Cream?

So the main difference between coconut cream and creamed coconut is the form in which it comes in. Coconut cream is a liquid and often is packaged in a tin can before being shipped off to supermarkets. Creamed coconut on the other hand comes in a solid block and is often packaged in plastic.

The reason for the difference in states between creamed coconut and coconut cream is the fact that creamed coconut is made from dehydrated fresh pulp of mature coconuts. Whilst coconut cream is made from the non-dehydrated fresh pulp.

This dehydration process removes the majority of the liquid from the pulp, resulting in the creamed coconut being solid.

Where to Buy Creamed Coconut?

Creamed coconut can be found in the majority of supermarkets up and down the country. 

Tesco stock Blue Dragon creamed coconut for £1.45 for 200g. 

Sainsburys stock KTC creamed coconut for 80p for 200g.

Asda stock Tropic Sun creamed coconut for £1.19 for 200g. 

Morrisons stock The Groovy Food Company creamed coconut for £5 for 500g.

If you’d prefer to buy your creamed coconut online and in bulk, then amazon has some great deals. You can buy a 6 pack of 200g Tropical Sun creamed coconut for £9.99, a 3 pack of KTC creamed coconut 200g for £3.20.

Creamed Coconut Substitute

A substitute for creamed coconut is desiccated coconut. 

Simply use the same amount of desiccated coconut as you would creamed coconut and it will deliver the same depth of flavour to your dish.

Andy

Ever since I started cooking I’ve been fascinated by how different people’s techniques are and how they best utilise the ingredients around them. Even the person living next door will have their own unique way of frying an egg or cooking a salmon fillet.

This fascination led me on a journey across the globe to discover the countless practices and traditions the world of cooking has to offer. I thought you’d enjoy and find value in sharing that journey with me so I created Cooked Best! 

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