Coconut Milk substitutes
The best substitute for coconut milk is coconut cream + water: 3/4 cup coconut cream + 1/4 cup water per 1 cup coconut milk. Coconut cream is simply the concentrated version, so diluting it takes you back to coconut milk almost exactly.
Why it matters. Pressed coconut flesh and water, around 17 to 20 percent fat when full fat. It enriches curries the way cream would but stays stable in acidic, spicy sauces. It also carries an unmistakable coconut flavour into whatever it touches.
BestCoconut cream + water
●●●●●3/4 cup coconut cream + 1/4 cup water per 1 cup coconut milk
Keeps the fat, liquid, texture and emulsifier roles.
Coconut cream is simply the concentrated version, so diluting it takes you back to coconut milk almost exactly.
Coconut milk powder
●●●●○Whisk 1/4 cup coconut milk powder into 1 cup warm water
Keeps the fat, liquid, texture and emulsifier roles.
Very close once dissolved. Whisk it properly and let it stand a few minutes or it stays lumpy.
Carton coconut milk + coconut oil
●●●○○1 cup carton coconut milk blended with 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
Keeps the fat, liquid, texture and emulsifier roles.
Carton coconut milk is mostly water at around 2 percent fat, so used alone it will thin a curry badly. The added oil brings it close enough.
Heavy cream
●●●○○1:1
Keeps the fat, liquid, texture and emulsifier roles.
Similar richness and it thickens a curry the same way, but there is no coconut flavour and it is far more likely to split in an acidic or long-simmered sauce.
Cashew cream
●●●○○Blend 1 cup soaked cashews with 1 1/2 cups water until completely smooth
Keeps the fat, liquid, texture and emulsifier roles.
Neutral, creamy and very stable in a spiced curry, though it thickens as it cooks so thin it as you go. No coconut flavour, and not nut-free.
Evaporated milk
●●●○○1:1
Keeps the liquid and texture roles; loses fat and emulsifier.
Right body and a similar cooked sweetness, but far less fat, no coconut flavour and not dairy-free.
Blended silken tofu
●●○○○Blend 1 cup silken tofu with 3/4 cup water and 1 tbsp coconut oil
Keeps the liquid, texture and emulsifier roles; loses fat.
Adds body and protein but very little fat, so the sauce tastes lean and can look chalky. Only convincing in a heavily spiced dish.
Other liquid substitutes
Measuring by weight instead? Use the kitchen converter.