48 coconut milk recipes

The perfect muffins for when you don't have time to sit down and enjoy a hearty breakfast.

Traditional Thai green curry with chicken, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, green peas, serrano chiles, and loads of fresh basil in a rich separated-coconut-cream sauce.

Tender white layer cake stuffed with citrusy orange-coconut filling and crowned with fluffy boiled frosting. A Southern classic that's pure sunshine on a plate.

Reptile pot pie poaches alligator, snake, or iguana meat in a Thai-Indian curry sauce of coconut milk, fish sauce, turmeric, and coriander. Served over baby vegetables with fresh cilantro. Bold, unexpected, and surprisingly approachable.

Pina colada squares with a buttery shortbread base, thick pineapple-rum filling, and a golden coconut meringue top. A tropical three-layer bar cookie.

Laksa gets a bad rap in Singapore because of the addition of coconut cream. However, coconut oil is actually a superfood, containing important compounds that enhance immunity and protect against digestive system disorders. In particular, coconuts are rich in lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal, and boosts the immune system. Choose virgin coconut oil and coconut products that have no questionable ingredients added to them.

Thai red curry scallops (Chuu-Chii) with homemade curry paste, coconut cream, kaffir lime leaves, and fish sauce. Includes a from-scratch paste recipe using galangal, lemongrass, and shrimp paste.

Basic peanut-style dipping sauce (no actual peanuts) with cashew butter, tahini, coconut milk, lime, miso, and ginger. A richer, Thai-leaning satay sauce for grilled skewers, coconut shrimp, or crudités.

Seafood laksa made with scallops, snapper, king prawns, squid and served with Australian-style lemon myrtle linguini.

Otak otak: Southeast Asian fish mousse with a lemongrass-galangal-chili spice paste and coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves and grilled. Each packet holds a shrimp inside a fragrant, spiced fish paste.

Kukul mas is the classic Sri Lankan chicken curry. Chicken rubbed with tamarind, cardamom, and curry powder simmers in thick coconut milk with lemongrass and fenugreek until fall-off-the-bone tender.

Homemade sweet coconut bread tucks a filling of desiccated coconut simmered in coconut treacle and cinnamon inside soft, milk-enriched yeast buns. Sesame-topped, golden, and Sri Lankan to the core.

No-bake strawberry-shaped confections made from crushed coconut macaroons, sweetened condensed milk, strawberry Jello, and almond extract. Rolled in Jello crystals for a sparkly finish.

Piña colada punch with homemade coconut milk, fresh pineapple juice, ginger-cassia tea, and rum or gin. Big-batch tropical party drink that serves a crowd.

Pina colada fruit dip made with crushed pineapple, coconut pudding mix, sour cream, and milk. Blend in 5 minutes, chill overnight, and serve with fresh fruit for any party spread.

A creamy dessert combining coconut, dragon fruit and cashew nuts. Dragon fruit is a rich source of antioxidants and fibre, cashews deliver heart-protective monosaturated fats, while the fat contained in coconut meat has been shown to exhibit anti-microbial, antibacterial and antifungal properties. Coconuts also contain lauric acid (found most abundantly in mothers’ milk) which is an important immune system booster. Despite its bad reputation, coconut oil is one of the healthiest oils available.