I had a pot of green curry paste already blooming in oil when I opened the pantry and realized the coconut milk can I thought I had was actually cream of coconut, left over from a batch of pina coladas. Wrong product, wrong sugar content, wrong everything. That mix up sent me digging through the fridge for something that could stand in without wrecking the curry, and it turns out coconut milk shows up in a few different forms that do genuinely different jobs. Figure out which one your recipe actually needs, and the right substitute is usually already on your shelf.
What Can I Use Instead of Coconut Milk?
The Short Answer: For canned coconut milk in curries, soups, rice, and baking that needs richness, use coconut cream diluted with water for the closest flavor match, or heavy cream, half and half, cashew cream, evaporated milk, thinned yogurt or sour cream, and blended silken tofu for dairy or dairy-free options without the coconut taste. For coconut milk beverage from a carton, the kind meant for drinking, cereal, coffee, and thin baking liquid, swap in whole dairy milk, oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, or rice milk. Canned coconut milk is thick and high in fat. Carton coconut milk is thin and closer to regular milk. Match the substitute to the job, not just the name on the label.
For related pantry swaps, see our what to use instead of heavy cream, what can I use instead of buttermilk, and what to use instead of sour cream guides. If you are wondering whether the can in your pantry is still safe to use, check out does coconut milk go bad.
Coconut Milk Substitutes: At a Glance
Coconut cream, diluted with water
Adjust to taste, best for real coconut flavor
Heavy cream, thinned with water
1:1 ratio, best all-purpose sub for canned coconut milk
Half and half
1:1 ratio, best lighter option with no dilution needed
Cashew cream
1:1 ratio, best vegan sub for rich curries and soups
Evaporated milk
1:1 ratio, best shelf-stable sub for canned coconut milk
Greek yogurt or sour cream, thinned
1:1 ratio, best for finishing curries off heat
Silken tofu, blended
1:1 ratio, best for creamy vegan soups and smoothies
Whole dairy milk
1:1 ratio, best all-purpose sub for coconut milk beverage
Oat milk
1:1 ratio, best vegan sub for coffee and baking
Soy milk
1:1 ratio, best high-protein vegan sub
Almond milk
1:1 ratio, best low-calorie, light-bodied sub
Rice milk
1:1 ratio, best for nut and soy allergies
Key Takeaways
Coconut milk comes in forms that behave nothing alike: thick canned coconut milk for cooking, and thin coconut milk beverage from a carton for drinking. Match your substitute to the correct one.
Canned coconut milk gets its richness from a high fat content, typically 15 to 24 percent for full-fat versions depending on the brand, which is closer to heavy cream than to dairy milk.
Carton coconut milk beverage is fortified and diluted down to around 1 to 2 percent fat, so it behaves much more like skim or low-
