We Tried 11 Canned Coconut Milk Brands - Here's How They Rank
At first, you might think there's not much difference between these canned coconut milks -- but I can assure you that's not the case. I set out to find whether one brand did coconut milk better than the others -- and if each brand's price tag actually correlated to its quality. I stocked up on the full-fat canned coconut milks from four different stores in southern Rhode Island and Connecticut, popped them open, and tasted them before ranking them from worst to best based on factors like creaminess, prevalence of coconut flavor (which should be strong yet balanced -- it is coconut milk, after all), and potential versatility in sweet and savory recipes.
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11. Simply Asia
You know that expression, "Save the best for last?" Well, I didn't heed that warning and sampled Simply Asia's coconut milk last -- and it left a bad taste in my mouth, literally. First things first: The separation is absolutely nasty in this can. While the chunkier bits in the other brands squished on my tongue and melted on my taste buds, this one was like sipping curdled milk. The pieces were almost hard and solid, which disrupted the mouthfeel entirely. The fat didn't distribute back into the can, and when I took a sip of the milk, I was met by a disgusting juxtaposition of milk-flavored water and hard chunks of coconut oil.
The flavor, like the brand that ranked slightly above it, was borderline rancid. It tasted like it had been sitting on the shelf for two months too long. I don't think even a flavorful sauce could cover it up or redeem its texture. Considering it's priced about the same as every other brand, it's one you shouldn't consider adding to your cart.
10. A Taste Of Thai
I gave every can on this list a very clear and vigorous shake before pouring them out into a measuring cup. While some stayed creamy and well-emulsified, others had a very clear separation between the fatty layer and the watery coconut water -- including A Taste of Thai.
This first-pressed coconut milk is definitely not what most people are used to when you think of the word "coconut milk." It has a very unrefined flavor, like you're eating virgin coconut oil. But it's not that enveloping, creamy, and decadent flavor that coats your taste buds and gives you a big tropical hug. Instead, this one is weirdly grassy and almost oily. It toes the line of tasting borderline rancid, which is not what you want from your coconut milk. Even when you get a bite without the chunks of oil floating in it, it's unpleasant. I can't think of any instance where you would want coconut milk with this texture instead of something creamy and well emulsified. It wasn't as nausea-inducing as Simply Asia, but it was still a miss.
9. Goya
Here's the thing: I expect a lot from Goya. The brand is a major contender in the canned bean space, and it's generally known for having reliable, high-quality canned goods across the board. But its coconut milk was a big miss for me.
I knew I was going to run into problems when the label declared "no gums." Gums help keep the mixture emulsified and creamy, and, as I expected, this one was not. It did not separate as much as some of the lowest-ranking brands on this list, so I will give credit there, but it was by no means a creamy, decadent coconut milk. The flavor was not bad, though because there was some fat separation in the can, it was almost like eating a very watery version of cottage cheese (which sounds about as pleasing as it was). If you emulsified it with a frother or a whisk, it might be passable and usable for some recipes -- and it wasn't the worst product on the list. However, if you're looking for a ready-to-use, creamy coconut milk, you're better off looking elsewhere.
8. Carribean Rhythm
Caribbean Rhythm was one of two coconut milks I bought off Amazon because there wasn't any available in stores. The design of its can was a little vintage and surf shop-esque, with a font that reminds you of a little tiki bar by the water. Its flavor brings back visions of your favorite piña colada or rum-based cocktail, too. The mouthfeel is not entirely watery, but not entirely creamy and heavy, either. It toes the line very deftly, and I wished that it would pick one extreme rather than hovering somewhere in the middle. In other words, it wouldn't do your chicken curry any favors because it lacks fatty richness, though it's not one that I would recommend putting in a coffee because it's not creamy enough.
Its flavor was also rather bland and distinctly not coconut-esque. Unlike some of the other brands on this list that had a weird aftertaste, this one had virtually no flavor -- and as a result, no aftertaste. You can definitely do better than this.
7. Thai Kitchen
Thai Kitchen's coconut milk stands out from the rest thanks to its boldly colored red label. It was also found in the international section of my grocery store -- with items like stir-fry sauce, funky instant ramen flavors, and more curry sauces than I knew what to do with. Despite the nationality asserted on the label, coconut milk can be used for more than just your favorite Thai dishes. However, this particular brand might not be one that you want to pick up again -- depending on what you're making.
Unlike some of my top-ranked coconut milk brands, this unsweetened coconut milk was very watery. It contains many of the same ingredients as the higher-ranked brands, including coconut, water, and guar gum, but it comes across more as a very thick water than something "milky." You'd need a lot of starch to help it reach the perfect consistency. Its flavor was also not strongly coconutty; it had milky undertones, but I'd be hard-pressed to identify it as coconut milk. This flavor has its perks and drawbacks -- mainly, that it can be used in foods where you don't really want a strong coconut flavor (like as a dairy substitute in a latte). But if you're making a coconut custard, you want those coconut flavors to be front and center, so you're better off choosing a different brand on this list.
6. Native Forest
The first thing that stuck out about this Native Forest coconut milk was the label proudly declaring "no monkey labor." Apparently (and something I didn't know until I did some research), some coconut farms use monkeys to harvest the tropical fruits, which is safer and more efficient than using humans to do so. It's a fun little tidbit that makes me feel better about buying it. However, I can't say that I will ever add it to my cart for reasons aside from its labor practices.
Like the lowest-ranked milks, this one separated, despite the fact that it uses guar gum as a stabilizer. That said, I can appreciate that the non-fat chunks were more creamy than watery. The coconut flavor here was authentic, subtly sweet, and overall very versatile. You could add it to savory or sweet dishes and not have any qualms about its overall flavor. However, I personally have reluctance to pay more than $3 for a can of coconut milk, even if it's organic. Ethical sourcing is great and all, but I'm not forking over extra cash so the monkeys can take a vacation.
5. Blue Dragon
By this point in the ranking, I didn't really want to taste yet another can of coconut milk. But I forged on in the name of science.
The Blue Dragon unsweetened coconut milk had some issues with separation, seeing as there was a lot of fat floating around in it and stuck to the lid, but it had a little less separation than the brand that ranked a spot below it -- and for that, I was grateful. However, that didn't mean that this coconut milk was smooth and creamy. When I poured it into the glass measuring cup, it sounded like water flowing from a tap -- there was none of that creamy richness sloshing around in it.
Its flavor was neutral -- not too sweet, not too milky, not too much of anything. The higher-ranked brands on this list delivered a more homogenous product, better flavor, and an all-around more satisfying mouthfeel than Blue Dragon could dream of. Yet, it's not awful (in terms of flavor, texture, and price), earning it a spot in the middle of the ranking.
4. Great Value
Yes, this product might be a "great value," but is it high-quality? That's the question I set out to answer when I sampled Great Value's canned coconut milk. Price-wise, it's very competitive; oddly, it's priced more than some of the name brands that I picked up. Right off the bat, I knew its quality wasn't as bad as I had prepared myself for. It poured well out of the can and stayed together in a mostly homogenous mass, though there was a little water that trickled out at the bottom of the can.
The mouthfeel of this coconut milk was right on the money. It was creamy and covered my taste buds in a beautiful, lacquered coating. If you were buying based on texture, it's a brand I would recommend adding to your cart, without a doubt. However, flavor also plays a role in its ranking, and Great Value was slightly off here. It had an almost burnt taste that reminded me of burnt butter and popcorn. Coconut milk should be naturally sweet and nutty, which this can was not. Granted, you could probably cover it up with a flavorful curry or sauce. While it wasn't awful, I would still pick one of the higher-ranked coconut milks over it.
3. Stop & Shop
I wanted so many of the coconut milks on this list to have a creamier and thicker consistency. However, on the other end of the spectrum, you have Stop & Shop's unsweetened coconut milk, which I would say is a little too rich. When I popped open the can, I noticed that a layer of coconut cream had congealed on it. However, when I poured it out into the measuring glass, I didn't see that there was any other separation. The mixture poured with the consistency of Elmer's glue, which, I'll admit, wasn't entirely appetizing.
The flavor of the coconut milk itself was pretty robust -- not as sweet as my top-ranked brands, but lacking the burnt-popcorn taste of Great Value's offering. Its thickness and mild flavor would make it a good fit for a sauce, and I imagine it could hold a lot of sugar for something like a coconut cream pie. However, its thickness is also a drawback, seeing as you couldn't use it as a replacement for milk in a dairy-free coffee drink because it might just get stuck in your straw.
2. Nature's Promise
I'm going to let you in on a spoiler: The two best brands on this list were store brands. It's not something I've ever had happen in a food review, seeing as name brands usually blow their generic counterparts out of the water. Nature's Promise was up there on this ranking on account of both its flavor and its consistency.
This coconut milk was really well emulsified. It wasn't as rich as my top-ranked brand, but it could easily thicken up a sauce, be turned into a salad dressing, or be added to baked goods. I'd recommend using it for sweet foods rather than savory ones, seeing as it has a subtly sweet flavor rather than a more neutral one. The nutty notes are paramount and very clear, and they really brought balance to that sweetness. While its price wasn't as low as my top-ranked canned coconut milk, it's still very affordable for an organic product, and if you have a Stop & Shop near you, I'd recommend picking a can or two up to keep stocked in your pantry.
1. Good & Gather Organic
The closest Target is about 40 minutes from my house, which meant I had to cross state lines to get my hands on this can of Good & Gather coconut milk. Target's in-house brand sells both this coconut milk and coconut cream, so your options are pretty slim when it comes to low-fat products. The can of full-fat coconut milk I sampled had three ingredients: organic coconut milk, water, and guar gum. It's priced competitively, especially considering it's made with organic coconut.
The first thing I noticed about this can is that it didn't make a watery sound when I picked it up and gave it a shake, which clued me into its thick and creamy consistency. And indeed, when I popped the tab on the lid, I immediately noticed how thick this coconut milk was compared to the other brands. While some of its competitors had issues with separation, the coconut cream was well-emulsified into the coconut water beneath, making for a perfect, creamy mouthfeel. The flavor of this coconut milk was slightly sweet, as it should be, and I would still say that it's an excellent option if you want to add it to something like a savory curry. When I took a sip of it from the spoon, I immediately thought of one of my favorite desserts -- mango sticky rice -- which helped solidify its spot at the top of my ranking.
Methodology
I've enjoyed my fair share of coconut milks over the years, but I can't say that I've ever sipped them straight from the can -- but that's just what I had to do to keep this ranking fair and square. I gave each can a vigorous shake for about 10 seconds to give the fat a chance to redistribute with the cream, then I opened and poured the contents into a glass measuring cup so that I could assess its overall texture and consistency. Then, I tasted each with a spoon to get an idea of its flavor and overall mouthfeel.
The main thing that I looked at in this ranking was texture and consistency, seeing as flavor, for the most part, can be altered or covered up with a punchy sauce or copious amounts of sugar. I ranked brands that were thicker and creamier higher than those with visible separation of fat from the milk. I wanted to find a coconut milk that I could pop the tab and pour straight into a recipe without having to stop, mix or froth, and then add it. The highest-ranked coconut milks also had a subtly sweet but still relatively neutral flavor with some coconutty undertones. The flavor shouldn't be so strong that it alters the fundamental flavor of the recipe it's used for, nor so weak that the coconut flavor is undetectable.
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