Canned Milk

Quite a few brands of canned coconut milk and cream are available. The Food section staff tasted a range of them and found a surprising amount of variation in flavor and consistency. There was no clear-cut winner, and consumers should be aware that highly rated brands can vary from batch to batch. The best advice is to taste the coconut milk or cream before you use it.

Unfortunately, we could not find D’Best coconut cream, the brand my mother prefers. Where available, it’s always located in the freezer section. It has a good coconut flavor and is extremely rich, being made entirely of coconut cream, the thick liquid that rises to the top of coconut milk.

Choosing a coconut milk or cream is definitely a matter of taste. If you favor a sweeter coconut milk, go with the brands that call themselves coconut creams.

The Best

Mae Ploy: Although some of the tasters thought the texture was a little lumpy and the flavor a little strange, most agreed that this was a good all-purpose coconut milk. It’s thick and rich with a good coconut flavor.

Khamphouk: Labeled as coconut cream. The consistency may have been a little thin, especially for coconut cream, but this brand had a strong, sweet coconut flavor, almost like jasmine; well-suited for desserts.

Runners-Up

Aroy-D: Not as thick or rich as Mae Ploy but with a pleasant, subtle coconut flavor; nice creamy texture.

Lamthong: Labeled as coconut cream. Thin consistency but strong coconut flavor, slightly sweet, good for desserts.

The Rest

First Brand: Curdled texture, weak flavor.

Chaokoh: Watery consistency, slightly off flavor.

Chaudoc: Watery consistency, weak coconut flavor.

TCC:. Lumpy consistency, chalky flavor.