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    Home » Pairings

    What Goes Well With Coconut?

    Mar 1, 2022 · Leave a Comment

    This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure for more info.

    What goes well with coconut? Learn the best ingredient pairings, meal ideas, and helpful tips on buying, storing, preparing, and availability.

    What's A Coconut?

    Coconuts cause a lot of confusion as to what they classify as. Their hard exterior shell has to be cracked open like a nut, but because they're sweet, they're eaten similarly to fruit. So is it a nut or a fruit?

    Despite having the word 'nut' in its name, coconut is actually a fruit, not a nut.

    Although coconuts are technically tree nuts, they're classified as fruit because they lack many of the proteins that people with tree nut allergies are sensitive to. It didn't help the confusion when the FDA added coconut to the list of tree nuts in 2006.

    (source) (source)

    When To Buy

    Coconut is in season year-round with a peak supply from October through December. Peep the seasonal produce guide to see what else is in season right now.

    What To Look For

    Whole Coconuts

    When buying whole coconuts, you can either buy brown coconuts (mature) or white coconuts (young/immature).

    Look for coconuts that are heavy for their size, have no cracks or moldy spots, and sound full of liquid when shaken.

    Coconut Products

    For ease and wider availability, various coconut products are available year-round at supermarkets such as:

    • Shreds and flakes: Look for organic and unsweetened. Commercial shredded coconut contains sugar and preservatives to make it last longer than it should.
    • Smiles: dried coconut slices
    • Milk and cream: Widely available canned. The cream separates from the milk and rises to the top. To blend them back together, shake the can before you open it or leave them separated and scoop the cream off the top.
    • Water: Drained from the center cavity of the fruit and sold fresh from vendors at the beach or in cans and cartons at the supermarket. When buying store-bought, look for products whose only ingredient is coconut water. Many contain added sugar and preservatives.
    • Oil: A great source of healthy fat and comes in extra virgin, virgin, and refined. Virgin has a light coconutty taste while refined has no taste at all. Look for organic sources.
    • Flour: An absorbent flour used in gluten-free baked goods like in these homemade peanut butter m&ms.

    What Ingredients Go Well With Coconut?

    Vegetables

    Cauliflower, chile peppers (red or green), cucumber, ginger, green beans, and sweet potatoes.

    Fruit

    Apricots, bananas, blackberries, cherries, dates, figs, grapefruit, guava, kiwi, kumquats, lemon, lime, lychee, mangoes, orange (esp juice), papaya, passion fruit, and pineapple.

    Herbs

    Basil, cilantro, lemongrass, and mint.

    Spices

    Allspice, black pepper, cardamom, chili powder, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, cumin, nutmeg, and salt (kosher).

    Nuts & Seeds

    Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pistachios, and sesame seeds.

    Non-dairy/dairy

    Caramel, cashew cream, and sour cream.

    Proteins

    Beef, chicken, eggs, fish, lamb, salmon, and shellfish.

    Pantry Items

    Chocolate (dark or white), green tea, honey, lentils, maple syrup, oats, rose water, rum (esp dark), sugar: brown and white, vanilla, and white wine vinegar.

    Popular Coconut Pairings

    • apricot + ginger + green tea + lemongrass + rice + vanilla
    • honey + lime
    • lemongrass + vanilla
    • orange + vanilla
    • beef + ginger

    What to Make With Coconut

    Coconut is a common ingredient in Asian, Brazilian, Caribbean, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai, and Vietnamese cuisines.

    You'll find coconut in many desserts such as candy, dairy-free ice cream, and custard as well as in curry, fruit salads, soups, and stews, and more.

    Recipes on our site that use coconut are coconut shrimp, Thai red curry soup, coconut rice pudding, tropical trail mix, and dairy-free caramel sauce.

    More Ingredient Pairings

    • Blood Orange
    • Sweet Potato
    • Tomatoes

    More Ingredient Pairings

    • What Goes Well With Cucumber?
    • What Goes Well With Lemon?
    • What Goes Well With Carrots?
    • What Goes With Spinach?

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    Hi, I'm Lindsey. A Nourishing Plate is where I share adaptable dairy-free recipes with a focus on whole-food, seasonal ingredients. Learn how to use recipes as a starting point depending on what's in season, in your pantry, or to fit your dietary needs.

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