Evaporated Coconut Milk substitute

Best substitute

Full-fat coconut milk reduced by half

400ml tin full-fat coconut milk simmered down to about 200ml

Best for vegan pumpkin pie

Close match

Homemade evaporated coconut milk, made by driving off the water exactly as the factory does.

Other evaporated coconut milk substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Coconut cream, or the solid layer from a chilled tin
Close match
Use the same amount
The thick fatty portion of coconut milk, either sold on its own or scooped from a refrigerated tin.
What changes
Best for
vegan pumpkin pie, fudge and truffles, ganache, rich curries, puddings
The fastest swap and a good one, with the caveat that it is fattier and less water-reduced than evaporated coconut milk, so results are richer and can be slightly greasy in a fudge if you also add a lot of oil or vegan butter. Chill the tin overnight, open it upside down and lift off the solid layer, keeping the water for a smoothie. In a pie filling it sets firmly and tastes noticeably more of coconut than the evaporated version. Do not confuse it with cream of coconut, which is heavily sweetened.
3Coconut milk powder whisked into coconut milk or water
Close match
3 tbsp coconut milk powder whisked into 1 cup coconut milk, or ½ cup powder into 1 cup warm water
Dried coconut solids used to concentrate a liquid without simmering it.
What changes
Best for
curries and sauces, baking, custards and pies, when you need it in two minutes
A genuinely useful shortcut, because it adds coconut solids and fat while adding almost no water, which is the exact effect evaporation has. Whisk it into warm liquid, not boiling, and let it stand five minutes to hydrate fully or it will be lumpy. It tastes a shade less fresh and a little more toasted than reduced coconut milk, and some brands include maltodextrin, which slightly dulls the flavour. Strain if any lumps remain rather than trying to whisk them out in the pan.
4Cashew cream
Different taste
¾ cup raw cashews soaked and blended with ¾ cup water
Thick blended cashews, a coconut-free dairy-free option with the same concentrated body.
What changes
Best for
vegan pumpkin pie, flan and custards, savoury sauces, when coconut flavour is unwanted
The right choice when the recipe needs a thick dairy-free liquid but the coconut flavour would be wrong, which is often true in a vanilla flan or a savoury sauce. Blend absolutely smooth in a good blender or the texture will be sandy. It is thicker and less sweet than evaporated coconut milk and sets a pie filling well because of the nut protein and fat, though a custard made with it is slightly denser and more opaque. Not an option for a nut allergy.
5Evaporated dairy milk
Different taste
Use the same amount
Ordinary tinned evaporated milk, the product evaporated coconut milk was created to replace.
What changes
Best for
pumpkin pie, flan and custards, fudge, baking
The straight functional equivalent if dairy is not the issue, and it performs slightly better in custards because milk protein sets more firmly than coconut fat does. It tastes of cooked milk rather than coconut, which in a pumpkin pie is the classic flavour and in a Thai-inspired dessert is wrong. Obviously not an option in a vegan or dairy-free recipe, which is the usual reason for reaching for the coconut version, but worth stating for anyone who simply cannot find the coconut tin.
6Full-fat coconut milk used straight, with a thickener
Different texture
Use 1 cup coconut milk plus 1 tbsp cornflour, for every 1 cup evaporated coconut milk
Unreduced coconut milk with starch standing in for the missing concentration.
What changes
Best for
curries and soups, sauces, puddings that are cooked on the stove
The least-bad option when you have no time to reduce anything, and it comes with an honest warning: it adds back the water you were meant to remove, so a baked custard or a fudge may not set properly no matter how much cornflour you use. It works well in a stovetop sauce or pudding, where the starch has heat and time to do its job. For pumpkin pie or fudge, spend the fifteen minutes reducing the tin instead; there is no shortcut that behaves the same.

What is Evaporated Coconut Milk?

Evaporated Coconut Milk is Evaporated coconut milk, sold as dairy-free evaporated milk by brands such as Nature's Charm, is coconut milk that has had roughly half its water removed, giving a thick, unsweetened, pourable liquid that behaves like tinned evaporated dairy milk in pies, custards and fudge.

Cooking tips

Evaporated coconut milk is unsweetened, and the tin that sits next to it on the shelf, sweetened condensed coconut milk, is roughly half sugar. Swapping one for the other will wreck a recipe in either direction. If condensed is all you have, cut the recipe's sugar by about three quarters and expect a much sweeter, softer result anyway.
When reducing coconut milk yourself, use a wide pan and low heat and stir occasionally. Wide means faster evaporation; low means it will not catch on the bottom or split. If it does split into oil and grainy solids, take it off the heat and whisk hard, or blitz it briefly with a stick blender, and it will re-emulsify.
Measure after cooling. Reduced coconut milk thickens substantially as it cools because the fat firms up, so a batch that looks correct in a hot pan can be far too thick once cold. Reduce to a little less than you think, cool, then thin with a spoonful of water if needed.
In a pumpkin pie or flan, the reason the recipe wants an evaporated milk rather than a plain one is that the extra water in ordinary coconut milk prevents the custard setting and can make the filling weep. If you substitute anything watery, add a tablespoon of cornflour per cup and expect a softer set.
For savoury cooking, evaporated coconut milk behaves like a very rich coconut milk, so use it where you want a curry to cling to the food. It is more prone to splitting in a hard boil than the unreduced version, since the fat is already concentrated, so keep curries at a gentle simmer once it goes in.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make evaporated coconut milk at home?

Pour a 400ml tin of full-fat coconut milk into a wide pan and simmer it gently, uncovered, for twelve to twenty minutes until it has reduced to roughly half its volume and coats the back of a spoon. Stir now and then and keep the heat low, since a hard boil splits it. Cool it completely before measuring, because it thickens noticeably as it cools. This gives you the same thing as the tinned product with a slightly deeper, more toasted flavour.

Can I use coconut cream instead of evaporated coconut milk?

Yes, one for one, and it is the quickest swap. Coconut cream is fattier and thicker, so the result is richer and tastes more strongly of coconut, which is welcome in fudge, ganache or a pumpkin pie and slightly heavy in a delicate custard. Either buy coconut cream or chill a tin of full-fat coconut milk overnight and scoop the solid layer off the top. Do not use cream of coconut, which is a sweetened cocktail ingredient and contains a great deal of sugar.

Can I use regular coconut milk instead of evaporated coconut milk?

Only with adjustment, because the extra water is the whole difference. In a stovetop sauce, curry or pudding, use coconut milk plus a tablespoon of cornflour per cup and it will work. In a baked custard, a pumpkin pie or fudge, the extra water often prevents a proper set and can make the filling weep, so it is worth spending fifteen minutes simmering the tin down by half instead. That is the only substitute that behaves identically.

Is evaporated coconut milk the same as condensed coconut milk?

No, and confusing them is the most common mistake here. Evaporated coconut milk is unsweetened concentrated coconut milk. Sweetened condensed coconut milk is concentrated and then loaded with sugar, so it is thick, syrupy and intensely sweet. They are not interchangeable: using condensed in place of evaporated will make a dish cloying and may stop it setting, and using evaporated in place of condensed will leave a dessert flat and unsweetened.

Can I just leave the evaporated coconut milk out?

No, in the recipes that call for it, because it is providing the liquid, the fat and the structure at the same time. A pumpkin pie or flan filling without it is just spiced puree and will not set; a vegan fudge without it has nothing to carry the sugar. If you have no coconut product at all, thick cashew cream is the closest substitute, and evaporated dairy milk works perfectly if the recipe does not need to be dairy-free.

Related substitutes

More dairy alternatives substitutes

Evaporated Coconut Milk substitute

Other evaporated coconut milk substitutes

2Coconut cream, or the solid layer from a chilled tin

3Coconut milk powder whisked into coconut milk or water

4Cashew cream

5Evaporated dairy milk

6Full-fat coconut milk used straight, with a thickener