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I hope you like coconut.
Because I sure do!
A friend of mine brought over a few fresh coconuts for us to enjoy while watching the Olympics last week, hoping I could demonstrate how to open them. Of course, I was happy to oblige!
Not that my method for opening coconuts is very professional… but it does get the job done.
I simply use a cleaver to whack around the middle until a “lid” is created, then open that lid using the cleaver as leverage. And I always, always keep my spare hand behind my back, to make sure I keep all of my fingers in tact!
We lucked out with this batch of coconuts– all three were in good shape!
Usually I buy at least two coconuts at a time, because you never know if one is going to be spoiled. Signs of spoilage include green edges around the white outer shell (though, this doesn’t always mean it will be bad inside), pink-tinted coconut meat, or sour-tasting coconut water.
Note: If opening a coconut intimidates you, you can now purchase frozen organic coconut meat and water in the freezer case at most Whole Foods locations. You can also usually find already-opened coconuts, or ask a nearby produce manager to open it for you!
With all this delicious coconut meat to use up, I decided that pudding was in order. Creamy, dairy-free pudding that’s naturally sweetened and ready in minutes!
And because I can’t make up my mind, I made two flavors–> starting with my old favorite, vanilla.
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Creamy Vanilla Coconut Pudding
serves 1-2
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh coconut meat, from one young Thai coconut
1/4 cup fresh coconut water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon raw honey, or 12 drops liquid stevia
pinch of fine sea salt
Directions:
Add the coconut meat, coconut water, vanilla extract, salt and sweetener into a blender pitcher, and blend until very smooth and creamy. For best results, use a high-powered blender like the Vitamix or Blendtec.
Adjust sweetness to taste, if necessary, then chill for an hour before serving. It will thicken up even more in the fridge!
*For quicker chilling, add 4-5 ice cubes while blending, and serve immediately!
Serve chilled, and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 cup fresh coconut meat , from one young Thai coconut
- 1/4 cup fresh coconut water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon raw honey , or 12 drops liquid stevia
- pinch of fine sea salt
Instructions
- Add the coconut meat, coconut water, vanilla extract, salt and sweetener into a blender pitcher, and blend until very smooth and creamy. For best results, use a high-powered blender like the Vitamix or Blendtec.
- Adjust sweetness to taste, if necessary, then chill for an hour before serving. It will thicken up even more in the fridge!
- Serve chilled, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Per Serving: Calories: 317, Fat: 27g, Carbohydrates: 17g, Fiber: 7g, Protein: 3g
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If you prefer chocolate pudding, the following is for you.
This chocolate variation reminded me of the childhood classic– but without the sugar or preservatives of the boxed stuff!
–> Click here for the chocolate recipe.
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Whichever flavor you choose, I hope you enjoy it!
Reader Feedback: Do you like using young Thai coconuts? I hesitate to share recipes calling for them too often, since I know they can be intimidating to open or hard to find, but they really do make for some darn good creamy treats!
I LOVE this recipe. I’m crazy about vanilla so I made the vanilla pudding. I order raw coconut meat from this company: https://copracoconuts.com/products/coconut-meat. I’m not an affiliate or anything, just sharing info for you guys. I double the recipe and add extra vanilla. I used maple syrup for a sweetener. Love love love!
Truth time- I didn’t measure anything and omitted thr vanilla simply because I was lazy. Just fresh young coconut, coconut water, a dash of sea salt and a spoon of honey. It was simply Devine! This is going to be a regular!
Me again- I have a low-quality blender- the one with the different cup sizes to make smoothies, and this turned out perfect. If you’re using the correct kind of coconut, you should have no problems as the meat is thin, smooth and almost jelly-like in consistency. Absolutely perfect, and literal seconds to make.
That did not work for me. I think my young coconut wasn’t Thai? The meat was probably too dry, not gelatinous.
Amazing recipe! I used an older coconut, but it still turned out delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this! 🙂
Didn’t work even slightly.
Just got blended coconut in sugary, watery goo.
Folks: This is a recipe for a Thai or young (white) coconut, not a brown one. I think some of the reviewers here were using brown (more common in my area) coconuts — the kind that is flaked in a bag. That’s not the same as the Thai or young coconut. That said, this is very tasty recipe. The only problem is that it’s a lot of work for the very little bit of product at the end. Next time I’ll use a little less vanilla, but I think that would have a lot to do with how much coconut meat you have. I should have meausred mine beforehan; I suspect I had less than a cup.