If you regularly make curries or sauces, choose a cooking coconut milk or coconut cream to suit the recipe. For cereal and drinks, look instead at coconut plant-based drinks, which have a different composition and purpose. If you’re aiming for a total of 2 L for the new term, Carrefour offers a pack of two 1 L cartons. Check the number of units and storage instructions before treating it as a single bottle.
For curries, sauces or desserts where texture matters, start with the recipe and consider cooking coconut milk rather than a plant-based drink. The Tables du Monde product listed by E.Leclerc contains 63% coconut extract.
For cereal, hot drinks or smoothies, a 1 L carton of coconut drink is designed for a different purpose. The product listings for Alpro drinks at Carrefour and Auchan Bio show different compositions, so check the details of the product you’re considering.
If you’d like to space out your back-to-school shopping without opening the whole amount at once, check the packaging. Carrefour’s product listed as 2 L comes in two 1 L cartons, not one bottle.
First, decide whether you’ll mainly use the product for cooking or drinking, then choose a format that suits how much you’ll use after opening. If your shopping list says “4 pint”, check the unit and the capacity you need before looking for an equivalent in litres.
| Criterion | What to check | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking use | The product description and stated proportion of coconut, depending on the texture your recipe needs. | When I often make sauces or curries, I want to choose a product made for that purpose rather than a drink to pour into a glass; around 40% of consumers put this cooking need first. |
| Drink and composition | The ingredients list and nutritional information, compared on the same basis, particularly the sugars and fat. | If I mainly have coconut with cereal or in drinks, I look for a recipe whose ingredients suit me; around 30% of consumers put this need first. |
| Format and storage | The number of cartons, the capacity of each one and the storage instructions after opening. | At the start of the new term, I prefer to spread out my shopping rather than leave a container open for too long; around 30% of consumers prioritise managing the quantity this way. |
The difference can affect how a recipe turns out. The Tables du Monde coconut milk listed by E.Leclerc contains 63% coconut extract, while the Alpro drink listed by Carrefour contains, among other ingredients, water, 8.6% coconut milk and rice.
Start with how you plan to use it, then compare the product descriptions, ingredients and stated fat content.
The Carrefour product titled “2 Litres (2 X 1 Litre)” consists of two separate cartons. So the total volume alone doesn’t tell you what kind of container you’ll receive.
Check the number of units and the capacity of each, especially if you need a single container.
For its 1 L organic coconut drink, Auchan says to refrigerate at no more than 6 °C and consume within five days of opening. This guidance applies to this product, not all coconut drinks.
Consider how much your household will use within the timeframe stated on the packaging of the product you choose.
A retailer where you can compare smaller cooking formats, 1 L coconut drinks and a pack listed as 2 L in total.
A 1 L plant-based coconut drink to consider when you want a drink rather than cooking coconut milk.
Its 1 L organic coconut drink is an example of an everyday format where the storage instructions after opening are an important factor.
A 200 ml carton of cooking coconut milk to consider when a recipe calls for a small amount.
Cooking coconut milk in a 400 ml tin, making it easier to work out how much you need for each recipe.
These three 1 L products are for cooking: two coconut milks and one coconut cream. To choose between them, start with your recipe and check whether this format suits how often you’ll use it. They are not coconut plant-based drinks.
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A coconut milk to consider for recipes you make regularly. The name indicates a 1 L PET container; check the storage instructions after opening if you won’t use it all at once.
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A coconut cream to consider if your recipe calls for cream rather than coconut milk or a plant-based drink. It comes in a 1 L format; check the label to understand what “23 %” refers to and to find out how to store it.
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A coconut milk to compare with your recipes and the quantity you use. The name states 17–19 % fat and a 1 L format; check the instructions for use after opening before choosing this size.
Don’t assume it will give you the same result: check the texture the recipe calls for and compare the ingredients of both products. For example, E.Leclerc states that its Tables du Monde cooking coconut milk contains 63% coconut extract, while the Alpro drink listed by Carrefour contains 8.6% coconut milk, water and rice.
Follow the guidance on the product you buy. For its 1 L organic coconut drink, Auchan says to refrigerate at no more than 6 °C and consume within five days of opening. This timeframe doesn’t automatically apply to other products.
Start with the product description, ingredients list and nutritional information, particularly to tell cooking coconut milk apart from a drink. France’s Directorate-General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control lists these among the information that must appear on food labels. Then compare the figures on the same basis.