Choose culinary coconut milk if your festive recipe calls for a liquid ingredient to be added to a dish or dessert. For a dry mixture or finishing touch, look for desiccated coconut. Coconut plant-based drinks are a different category, so check the product name and ingredients before using one in place of the coconut milk specified in your recipe.
For a curry, soup, sauce or dessert that calls for coconut milk, check the product name and ingredients list. Carrefour, for example, describes Tantie coconut milk as an ingredient for these types of dishes.
If you want to mix dry coconut into a batter or finish off a dessert, look for desiccated coconut rather than a liquid. Auchan, for example, recommends its Vahiné product for cakes, flans and tarts.
If you’ve spotted a carton of coconut plant-based drink, check its product name before using it in a recipe that calls for coconut milk. Carrefour lists Alpro coconut drink and Tantie coconut milk as two different products.
For your festive meal, start with the texture your recipe calls for, then compare the product name, ingredients and quantity you’ll need.
| Criteria | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid texture | Look for “coconut milk” in the product name and check the ingredients list if your recipe calls for a liquid to be added. | If I’m making a sauce or soup, I need a liquid ingredient, not a dry finishing touch; around 50% of consumers prioritise this kind of cooking use. |
| Desiccated coconut | Look for “desiccated coconut”, check the pack weight and read the storage instructions. | For a batter or to finish a dessert, I need dry coconut without buying a much larger pack than I need; around 33% of consumers prioritise this texture. |
| Distinguishing it from a drink | Look for “coconut plant-based drink” and check the proportion of coconut and the other ingredients. | When my recipe says coconut milk, I don’t want to choose a drink just because its name includes “coconut”; around 17% of consumers start by distinguishing between these categories. |
Carrefour lists Alpro coconut drink and Tantie coconut milk under different product names and with different ingredients. Swapping one for the other could change the result of your recipe.
Read the product name and ingredients, then check exactly what your recipe calls for.
Desiccated coconut is a dry ingredient; it cannot do the same job as liquid coconut milk. If your list instead says grated cheese, that’s a different ingredient altogether, so identify exactly what you need before you buy.
Check the exact wording in your recipe and work out whether it calls for a liquid, desiccated coconut or grated cheese.
Auchan’s product details for its 500 g pack of desiccated coconut mention possible traces of several allergens and give storage instructions. This information applies to that product, not necessarily to other packs.
If you have an allergy, read the label on the pack you’re buying. Once opened, follow the instructions for sealing and storing it.
Carrefour’s product listings distinguish between Tantie culinary coconut milk, Sainte Lucie desiccated coconut and Alpro coconut plant-based drink.
Auchan lists a 115 g pack of Vahiné desiccated coconut and a 500 g Auchan own-brand pack.
ALDI France lists Holy Fruits desiccated coconut and Asia Green Garden coconut milk as separate products.
Not without adapting the recipe: coconut milk is a liquid, while desiccated coconut is a dry ingredient. Carrefour and Auchan list them for different cooking uses, so stick to the form specified in your recipe.
Not automatically. Carrefour’s listings for Alpro coconut drink and Tantie coconut milk show that they have different ingredients. Check the ingredients and make sure your recipe will work with the substitution before using one in place of the other.
First, check the product name to distinguish between coconut milk, desiccated coconut and a plant-based drink. Then read the ingredients, quantity, date, storage instructions and allergen information for the product you’ve chosen. The DGCCRF stresses the importance of clear, precise food labelling.
Follow the instructions on the pack you’ve bought and reseal it as directed. Auchan’s product details for its 500 g pack say to store it away from heat and moisture; instructions may vary between products.