With Coconut Ingredients, You’ve Got Options!

By: iTi Innovation

Coconut cream and coconut milk are derived from the same product: coconut meat. The fresh, white meat must mature before being pressed to extract its natural white liquid; raw coconut cream. From the first press, fat percentage ranges anywhere between 30-33%.  The coconut cream is then standardized to different fat levels with the addition of water, followed by pasteurization.

The main difference between coconut milk and coconut cream is the amount of water present. Coconut cream contains a lot less water than coconut milk and the higher fat content provides a silky smooth, rich consistency.  To make coconut milk from coconut cream, simply add water.  According to Codex regulations, coconut cream has a fat percentage of 20, while coconut milk has a fat percentage range of 2-20%.  The stuff you see in cartons is typically diluted down to around 2-4% and has gums and stabilizers added  in order to mimic dairy milk.

The uses of coconut cream and milk are limitless!  Coconut cream is a great thickener in soups, stews and curries. It can also be used as a base for a delicious vegan whipped cream.   If it is coconut milk you are looking for, add water and depending on the product, potentially a stabilizer system like guar gum and xanthan gum.  Coconut milk is great when used as a base for a plant based yogurt or smoothies.  For a more tropical version, try diluting coconut cream with coconut water for a totally coconut product!

Don’t go (coco)nuts trying to figure out the difference between coconut milk and coconut cream. Let the team at iTi help!

Depending on which fat level you would like to achieve, using our coconut cream plus water you can develop the following:

Starting with 30% Fat Coconut Cream

Desired Fat Percentage 30 % Fat Coconut Cream Water
24% 80 % 20 %
17% 56 % 44 %
15% 50 % 50 %

Starting with 24% Fat Coconut Cream

Desired Fat Percentage 24% Fat Coconut Cream Water
17% 70 % 30%
15% 62 % 38 %
12% 50 % 50 %
2% 8. % 92 %

A helpful tip: Coconut cream or milk is a delicate and decadent product. Freezing coconut cream or milk as a sole ingredient will cause an irreversible break in the emulsion.  The taste is typically not impacted however it will lose its smooth, creamy consistency.  We recommend keeping the product at a room temperature range of 50-80 °F.

Request a sample today and see for yourself how versatile coconut can be!  iTi Tropicals offers 24% and 30% fat coconut cream.


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