1. From a fresh coconut

The best coconuts for making coconut milk are from mature whole coconut. Learn how to pick the best coconut for making your own homemade coconut milk with these helpful tips.

Young coconuts are not recommended for this homemade coconut milk recipe as there's not enough cream or milk like those of fresh mature coconut meat. 

Tools Required: Blender, muslin cloth.

Ideal For: Curries, soups and desserts

Steps:

1. Remove the coconut meat from the coconut shell and drain the coconut water. Use a sharp knife to shave off the brown skin from the coconut pieces, keeping only the white flesh. 

2. Slice the coconut flesh into small pieces and add them to a powerful food processor. Add enough warm water to cover the top of the coconut. 

3. Blend the coconut flesh with the warm water until smooth. Place a muslin or cheesecloth over a large mixing bowl and pour the coconut mixture to strain the milk. 

4. Tie the top of the cloth tightly and squeeze out the milky liquid. Congratulations, you've made your own DIY coconut milk!

2. From desiccated/shredded coconut

Desiccated coconut is made by drying out coconut flakes to remove moisture. To rehydrate the flakes, we need to add water. It's important to use unsweetened coconut flakes for this. We want to make unsweetened coconut milk without any added sugar. 

Tools Required: Blender, hot water, nut milk bag.

Ideal For: Versatile use in both sweet and savory dishes.

Steps:

1. Soak the dry coconut flakes in warm water for 10 minutes. 
2. Add the entire thing to a medium food processor. Blend shredded coconut with water until smooth but still flakey.
3. Strain using a nut milk bag, muslin cloth, or cheesecloth.  

3. From frozen shredded coconut

You can get frozen shredded coconut at the Asian market, conveniently packed in vacuum-sealed bags in the freezer section. These small pieces of fresh coconut are perfect for various uses.

Tools Required: Blender, hot water.

Ideal For: Smoothies, desserts, beverages.

Steps:

1. Blend frozen shredded coconut with warm or semi-hot water in a medium-sized food processor. Blitz until smooth and milky with chunks of coconut pieces. 

2. Strain using cheesecloth, muslin sheets, or nut milk bag. 

Recipe Tips:

If you have any leftovers, simply store them in a zip-lock bag for future use. Personally, I find this method to be the second-best way to make homemade coconut milk.

Having some frozen shredded coconut as a backup is always handy when I run out of coconut milk from my pantry. They are also a great addition to my coconut products when I want to throw in some coconut chunks in some of my recipes. 

4. From coconut powder

Coconut milk powder is made from dried coconut milk! It has been dehydrated for various uses. Many Indian and Malaysian recipes use coconut powder. It is the simplest and easiest way to make coconut milk - no blending, straining, stir and use!

Tools Required: Muslin cloth, cheesecloth or tree milk bag, hot water.

Ideal For: Quick coconut milk needs.

Steps:

1. Mix coconut powder with hot water in a medium mixing bowl. Use a whisk to stir. Allow it to sit for 10 minutes.

2. Before straining, stir the powder mixture one more time to lift the coconut milk deposit at the bottom of the bowl. No blender is needed for this method. 

5. From cartoned or canned coconut cream

Coconut cream is the thick coconut milk at the top of your cans. To make coconut milk,  simply dilute the coconut cream with water. Coconut cream is the first press of coconut milk, resulting in a rich and creamy texture perfect for heavier dishes and desserts.

On the other hand, coconut milk is the second press with a bit more water and coconut flesh, creating a thinner milk commonly used in curries, soups, and stir-fried dishes.

Tools Required: Muslin cloth, cheesecloth or tree milk bag, hot water. water.

Ideal For: 1 3/4 cups of coconut milk

Steps:

• Dilute canned coconut cream with water in a bowl. Whisk together for a minute. That's it. Done, Super easy!

6. From coconut butter

Coconut Butter is not my favorite, LOL! I admit I almost didn't include this method because it doesn't feel very Thai. But, surprisingly, it has some benefits.

Basically, it's like diluted coconut oil, perfect for making salad dressings that need a hint of coconut milk.

It's also great for marinating meats like satay chicken, making satay sauce, or marinating moo ping or Gai yang. However, it's not ideal for soups or curries.

Tools Required: Blender, hot water, fine mesh strainer.

Ideal For: marinating meat or use in coconut milk bases designs and sauces

Steps:

1. Blend coconut butter with warm water. Microwave or heat on the stove until the butter melts.

2. Allow it to cool, and use it for marinating meat or making a salad dressing. Done!