For a curry, soup or dessert where you want a creamy texture, start with coconut milk for cooking and compare its ingredients and fat content on a like-for-like basis. A coconut drink is better suited to sipping or serving with cereal. For vegan shopping, always check the ingredients and allergens for the specific product you choose.
For a curry, soup, sauce or dessert, you’ll want coconut milk for cooking rather than a drink. The product information provided by Carrefour France for Real Thai and Carrefour Bio, and for the Alpro drink, shows why it’s important to distinguish between these categories.
You want to make sure the product you buy meets your vegan and dairy-free requirements. France’s Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control explains that the labelling on prepacked foods lists the ingredients and highlights allergens, among other information.
If you only use coconut milk occasionally, compare the pack size with the amount your recipe calls for. E.Leclerc, for example, lists 200 ml cartons; storage instructions after opening vary by product.
First, choose between coconut milk for cooking and a coconut drink based on how you’ll use it. Then check the label of the specific product before deciding on a pack size.
| What to consider | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Texture for cooking | The product description, the proportion of coconut in the ingredients and the fat content per 100 ml, where given. | For a curry or sauce, I want to choose a texture that suits my recipe rather than a coconut drink. A creamy texture would be the main consideration for around 42% of shoppers. |
| Ingredients and vegan requirements | The ingredients and allergens for the specific product; an explicit vegan label if this is one of your requirements. | When I’m shopping for vegan products, the word ‘coconut’ alone isn’t enough to confirm that something meets my requirements. Around 33% of shoppers would put this check first. |
| Pack size and leftovers | The amount needed for your recipe and the product’s storage instructions after opening. | If my recipe only needs a small amount, I prefer to plan what I’ll do with the rest before opening the pack. This would be the top priority for around 25% of shoppers. |
Carrefour France lists 8.6% coconut milk in the Alpro drink mentioned, compared with 85% coconut extract in the Real Thai coconut milk mentioned. These products have different uses, and the word ‘coconut’ alone doesn’t tell them apart.
For a creamy sauce or dessert, check the product description and ingredients of coconut milk for cooking. For drinking or serving with cereal, look for a coconut drink.
The product name is no substitute for checking the ingredients. A vegan label on one product doesn’t automatically apply to the other recipes in the range.
Check the ingredients and allergens for the product you’re buying. If an explicit vegan label is essential to your choice, make sure it appears on that specific product.
A recipe that needs around 200 ml doesn’t necessarily call for opening a larger pack. For its Jardin Bio Étic coconut milk, Auchan advises keeping it chilled and using it within four days of opening.
Compare the pack size with the amount your recipe needs and follow the instructions on the product you open.
If you don’t have another use for it within the stated time, some of the contents may go to waste.
Organic certification alone doesn’t tell you whether a product is a drink or a cooking ingredient, or whether its texture will suit your recipe.
Also check the product description, ingredients and nutritional information on a like-for-like basis. Check separately for any labels that matter to your vegan requirements.
Carrefour France offers both coconut milk for cooking and an Alpro coconut drink. The product description helps you distinguish between their uses.
E.Leclerc lists coconut milk for cooking from Tables du Monde and Eco+, including in 200 ml cartons.
Auchan’s ‘coconut milk and sauces’ section includes milk, cream and other cooking ingredients.
ALDI France lists Asia Green Garden coconut milk in a 400 ml pack.
The Alpro coconut product listed by Carrefour France is a 1 L carton of plant-based drink, not coconut milk for cooking.
These products are for cooking: the selection includes coconut milks and coconut cream, which are different from a coconut drink. Pack size and product description matter just as much as the ingredients when choosing something for your recipe.
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The 165 ml size may suit a recipe that needs a small amount of coconut milk. Check the ingredients and storage instructions after opening on the packaging.
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The 400 ml pack is suited to a recipe that uses this amount, or to making several recipes in succession. The product name states 6%; check the label to find out what this figure refers to and for storage instructions after opening.
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If your recipe calls for coconut cream, this 200 ml pack lets you choose how much to open. The product name states 24% fat; if vegan suitability is important to you, check the ingredients for the specific product.
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Before opening, compare the 400 ml pack size with the amount your recipe needs. Organic certification is no substitute for checking the ingredients and storage instructions.
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The 200 ml pack may suit a recipe that calls for this amount of coconut milk. The product name states 17% fat; confirm the product description and ingredients on the packaging of the one you buy.
No. Check the ingredients and allergens for the specific product against your requirements. For example, Auchan lists its Jardin Bio Étic coconut milk as vegan, but this doesn’t apply to other products.
Their product descriptions and ingredients reflect their different uses: coconut milk for cooking is worth considering for a creamy sauce or dessert, while a coconut drink is intended, among other things, for drinking. In the Carrefour France product information mentioned here, Real Thai contains 85% coconut extract, compared with 8.6% coconut milk in the Alpro drink. Compare the specific products rather than assuming these figures apply to every product in their respective categories.
Follow the instructions for the product you’ve bought. Auchan advises keeping its Jardin Bio Étic coconut milk chilled and using it within four days of opening. Don’t assume the same timeframe applies to a different product.
Start with the product description, ingredients, allergens and pack size, then compare the nutritional information on the same basis, per 100 g or per 100 ml. France’s Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control explains that nutritional information is given on this basis to make comparisons easier. Also make sure you’re comparing two products intended for the same use.