If you’re preparing a sauce or topping before you head out, choose culinary coconut milk. If you want to drink it with lunch, look for a coconut plant-based drink instead. If you need to avoid a particular ingredient or allergen, check the ingredients and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the product you buy: ‘plant-based’ doesn’t mean ‘allergen-free’. Make sure the pack size suits your recipe, too, and follow the storage instructions once opened.
If you avoid gluten, milk, soya or another specific ingredient, check the recipe for each product and look out for any ‘may contain’ warnings. The DGCCRF states that regulated allergens must be highlighted in the ingredients list. A plant-based drink isn’t automatically suitable for every dietary exclusion: Alpro warns that its coconut drink featured here may contain traces of nuts.
For a lunch prepared before you head out, choosing a pack close to the quantity your recipe needs can help you avoid leaving an opened carton. Auchan and E.Leclerc both offer 200 ml culinary options to compare. If you don’t use the whole pack, follow the product’s storage instructions once opened.
For a sauce or topping, compare the coconut content, fat levels and added ingredients, without confusing these factors with whether a product is suitable for your dietary exclusion. Auchan’s culinary options include Kara Light, with 13 g of fat per 100 ml, and Auchan coconut milk, with 18 g per 100 ml. The result will also depend on your recipe.
First decide whether you’ll use the product for cooking or drinking. Then check that it’s suitable for your specific dietary exclusion before comparing pack sizes and ingredients.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Dietary exclusion | Identify the ingredient you need to avoid, then check the ingredients list, highlighted allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the product you’ve chosen. | If I need to avoid a specific ingredient, I want to check the actual recipe rather than rely on the word ‘plant-based’ alone. Around 36% of consumers prioritise this compatibility. |
| Pack size and storage | Compare the pack size with the quantity you’ll use, and check the refrigeration instructions and how long the product will keep once opened. | To prepare my lunch without leaving leftovers that are difficult to store, I look for a pack size that suits my recipe. Around 29% of consumers prioritise portion size. |
| Recipe texture | For culinary coconut milk, compare the coconut extract content and fat levels on the same basis, as well as any stabilisers listed. | When I’m making a sauce or topping, I want to choose the ingredients to suit the texture I’m after, without assuming a coconut drink will give the same result. Around 21% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Fat content | Compare the nutritional values per 100 ml for products that use the same unit, then check the ingredients in the reduced-fat version. | If fat content guides my choice of recipe, I also need to bear in mind that a reduced-fat version may have different ingredients. Around 14% of consumers put this first. |
A dietary exclusion relates to a specific ingredient or allergen. For example, Alpro says that its coconut drink may contain traces of nuts, excluding peanuts.
Be clear about what you need to avoid, then check the ingredients, highlighted allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the pack you buy.
These products are intended for different uses: Alpro’s coconut drink is designed to be drunk or added to recipes, while culinary coconut milk is used in recipes and sauces.
First choose the type that suits your lunch. If you’re cooking, compare the ingredients and nutritional information for culinary coconut milk.
Storage instructions vary by product. Auchan says to refrigerate its 200 ml coconut milk after opening and use it within 48 hours. For the Kara Bio and Light products featured here, Auchan advises using them within three days of opening.
Choose a pack size that suits your recipe, and make sure you have a way to keep the product or prepared dish chilled during transport if necessary.
An opened pack may go to waste if you can’t keep it chilled or use it within the stated time.
A product listing or an old recipe can’t replace the information on the specific product you’ll be taking with you. Availability may also vary between shops.
Confirm which product is available before preparing your lunch, and check the packaging, especially if you have a dietary exclusion.
Culinary coconut milk in smaller packs, including the Bio and Light options featured by Auchan.
A range that includes a 400 ml culinary coconut milk and a 250 ml carton featured by Carrefour.
A 200 ml UHT culinary coconut milk for recipes that need a smaller quantity.
A 200 ml coconut milk featured by E.Leclerc, suitable for smaller recipes.
A coconut plant-based drink, which is different from culinary coconut milk for sauces.
A 400 ml coconut milk featured by Aldi France.
These products are for cooking, rather than as a replacement for a coconut plant-based drink. Smaller packs may suit a recipe that uses a measured portion. With larger packs, plan how you’ll use and store the remainder. If you have a dietary exclusion, check the packaging of the product you choose.
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The 200 ml pack may suit a small recipe prepared before you head out.
Once opened, the product listing advises refrigerating it and using it within 3 to 4 days. Check the packaging for any ‘may contain’ warnings relevant to your dietary exclusion.
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The 165 ml tin may suit a recipe that only needs a small amount of coconut milk.
If opened, the product listing advises refrigerating it and using it within seven days. Check the packaging for ingredients and any information relevant to your dietary exclusion.
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This pack may suit you if your recipe uses most of the 400 ml, or if you’ve planned how to use the rest.
Once opened, the product listing advises refrigerating it and using it within three days. Check the allergen information for the product you buy.
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You can compare this culinary option with other coconut milks if the stated fat content is important for your recipe.
For a small portion, plan how you’ll use the rest. After opening, the product listing advises transferring it to a non-metallic container, refrigerating it and using it within three days. Check the packaging if you have a dietary exclusion.
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If you’re only preparing one lunch, you’ll need to plan several uses for the 1 L pack.
Once opened, the product listing advises refrigerating it and using it within five days at most. Check the packaging for allergen and ‘may contain’ warnings relevant to your needs, too.
No: ‘plant-based’ doesn’t guarantee that a product is free from the allergen you need to avoid. The DGCCRF states that regulated allergens are highlighted in the ingredients list, and Alpro warns that the coconut drink featured here may contain traces of nuts, excluding peanuts. Check the ingredients and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the product you buy.
Yes, as long as you follow the storage instructions for that product while transporting it and until you use it. After opening, Auchan advises refrigerating its 200 ml coconut milk and using it within 48 hours. For the Kara Bio and Light options, Auchan states that they should be kept refrigerated and used within three days.
No: it relates to gluten, not all the ingredients or allergens you may need to avoid. Check the ingredients list, highlighted allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the product you choose.
Don’t expect the same result without checking the recipe: coconut drinks and culinary coconut milk have different ingredients and uses. For a sauce, compare the ingredients and fat content of culinary options. If you’re looking for a drink with lunch, compare plant-based drinks and their allergen information instead.