For a dairy-free barbecue sauce or marinade, choose a culinary coconut milk after checking its ingredients: a coconut drink and lactose-free dairy milk are not suitable for the same purpose. Then compare the ingredients and the amount your recipe needs. If you have a milk protein allergy, also check the packaging for any precautionary allergen information.
If you’re preparing a barbecue for someone who avoids milk, start by checking the full ingredients list. The word “coconut” or the claim “lactose-free” isn’t enough to confirm that a product contains no dairy ingredients.
To choose a cooking ingredient rather than a drink, compare the coconut extract content and fat levels using the same basis shown on the labels. The amount you need will then depend on your recipe.
If your recipe only needs a little coconut milk, a 200 ml carton or individual portions can help reduce leftovers. Check the storage instructions for the specific product you choose once it has been opened.
For a dairy-free barbecue, check the ingredients first. Then choose between culinary coconut milk and a coconut drink depending on what you’re making, and pick a pack size to suit the amount you need.
| Criteria | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy ingredients | Read the full ingredients list and check which allergens are highlighted. If you have an allergy, also look for precautionary allergen information. | If I avoid dairy, I need to know exactly what’s in the food served at the barbecue. Around 42% of consumers would put the absence of dairy ingredients first. |
| Cooking properties | Tell culinary coconut milk apart from a coconut drink; compare the coconut extract and fat content on the same nutritional basis. | For a sauce or marinade, I want to choose the ingredients to get the result I’m looking for, without assuming that a coconut drink can replace culinary coconut milk in the same amount. Around 33% of consumers would make composition their priority. |
| Pack size and storage | Compare the pack size with the amount your recipe needs, and read the storage instructions for after opening. | When I’m preparing a small barbecue, I’d rather buy an amount I can use and store according to the label. Pack size would be the main concern for around 25% of consumers. |
Lactose-free dairy milk is still a dairy product: Carrefour France lists “LAIT délactosé 99 %” (99% lactose-free milk) in the ingredients of Lactel lactose-free milk with a coconut flavour.
If the meal needs to be dairy-free, avoid any product whose ingredients list includes milk, even if the packaging highlights coconut or says it is lactose-free.
Carrefour Bio coconut drink, as listed by Carrefour France, contains 3.8% coconut extract and 1.8 g of fat per 100 ml. Its culinary coconut milk contains 76% coconut extract and 17 g of fat per 100 ml. These products have different compositions.
For a sauce or marinade, check the product description and compare the values shown. If you use a coconut drink, adapt the recipe rather than assuming you can substitute it in the same amount.
A coconut flavour doesn’t, by itself, tell you whether a product contains milk. The Lactel coconut-flavoured product described by Carrefour France contains milk.
Read the ingredients of the exact product you’re buying, whatever the picture or flavour claim on the front of the pack.
Storage times vary by product: Auchan advises keeping its 20 cl KARA organic coconut milk in the fridge for three days, and its 20 cl AUCHAN Coco cuisine UHT portions for five days at between 0 °C and +6 °C.
Work out how much you need before buying, and follow the storage instructions on the packaging you choose.
These products show how ingredients and pack sizes can vary. Always check the specific version rather than assuming that a product’s features apply to the whole brand.
Carrefour France offers a 330 ml carton of organic culinary coconut milk and a 1 L carton of organic coconut plant drink. These are two different product categories.
The sterilised culinary coconut milk featured by Carrefour France comes in a 400 ml can.
Auchan sells AUCHAN Coco cuisine UHT in three 20 cl portions, which may suit a recipe that uses coconut milk over several occasions.
The two 20 cl and 200 ml KARA coconut milks featured by Auchan don’t have the same ingredients list.
E.Leclerc offers two 200 ml culinary coconut milks under these separate brands.
These coconut milks and creams are cooking options to compare for a barbecue sauce, marinade or side dish. Coconut cream is a different category from coconut milk, so choose according to your recipe, the pack size and the label on the exact product, especially if you need to avoid milk.
Image unavailable
The 150 ml pack may suit a recipe that only needs a small amount of coconut milk. If it’s essential to avoid milk, check the ingredients list and any precautionary allergen information on the packaging.
Image unavailable
This 200 ml coconut cream is worth considering if your sauce calls for coconut cream rather than coconut milk. Check the ingredients and precautionary allergen information before serving it to someone who avoids milk.
Image unavailable
This 200 ml carton of coconut milk may suit a small batch of sauce or marinade. Check the label for this version’s ingredients, precautionary allergen information and storage instructions for after opening.
Image unavailable
Compare the 400 ml pack with the amount your recipe needs, as a smaller dish may leave you with some leftovers. Check the packaging for the ingredients, precautionary allergen information and instructions for after opening.
Image unavailable
This 400 ml coconut cream is worth considering for a recipe that calls for cream rather than coconut milk. Before buying, compare the amount you need with the recipe and check the packaging for ingredients, allergen information and storage instructions for after opening.
Read the product description and full ingredients list on the packaging of the product you’ve bought, rather than relying on the word “coconut” alone. The DGCCRF states that allergenic ingredients in pre-packed foods must be highlighted. If an allergy is involved, also check for any precautionary allergen information.
No, this claim doesn’t mean that the product is milk-free. For example, Carrefour France lists “LAIT délactosé 99 %” (99% lactose-free milk) in the ingredients of a Lactel lactose-free milk with a coconut flavour. This product doesn’t meet a dairy-free requirement.
You can choose a coconut drink, but don’t assume it will replace culinary coconut milk in the same amount for the recipe you have in mind. Carrefour France lists very different compositions for its organic coconut drink, with 3.8% coconut extract and 1.8 g of fat per 100 ml, and its organic culinary coconut milk, with 76% coconut extract and 17 g of fat per 100 ml.
Follow the instructions for the product you’ve bought, as storage times aren’t the same for all coconut milks. Auchan advises keeping the 20 cl KARA organic version in the fridge for three days, and the 20 cl AUCHAN Coco cuisine UHT portions for five days at between 0 °C and +6 °C.
No, the absence of milk as a declared ingredient doesn’t, by itself, rule out accidental presence. The French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety has documented the possibility of traces of allergens not used as ingredients. Check any precautionary allergen information for the exact product and follow the advice of your healthcare professional.