17 Recipes You Can Make With That Can of Coconut Milk in Your Pantry

Surely you’ve bought a single can of coconut milk when you’re cooking Thai or baking a coconut dessert, but we’d like to make the case for this being a pantry staple, maybe new to you if you don’t already keep a stack of these cans on hand. Coconut milk adds its particular flavor profile, of course, but also a full-bodied richness and subtle sweetness that goes well in soups, braises and sweet confections. If you’re new to the stuff, keep in mind that you’ll want to look for cans labeled “coconut milk” and not “coconut cream”—the latter is a can of only coconut fat, while the former contains a bit of each. (Cream of coconut is another product still; it’s a sweetened coconut milk meant for beverages—think of it as the non-dairy counterpart to sweetened condensed milk.) Inside, the fat tends to separate and solidify, so either shake the can well before using, or take a page from Jet Tila and use the coconut fat for sauteeing—yum.

If you’ve ever wanted to try your hand at an authentic and complex Thai curry, let Jet Tila be your guide. Backtracking: “Complex” in flavor only; Tila, here, employs a panang curry paste, so you’re not starting entirely from scratch, but he knows the crucial inclusions (makrut lime leaf and Thai basil) that will make it taste as it should. In addition, note the insider trick of deliberately not shaking the can of coconut milk so that you can spoon off the solidified coconut cream and use it as your cooking fat.

The comments section says it all: This flan is a hit. Like most flans, the custardy creaminess is its selling point, the flavors subtle and silky. This one, however, has an added textural delight of shredded coconut. Best of all, making it is simpler than traditional flan, due to the use of store-bought caramel.

Corn and coconut have a natural affinity for each other, and in this smoky, sweet and savory chowder, layered with complexity from poblanos and lime, their best attributes really come forward. It will adapt to whatever season you’re in: Go with frozen corn in the winter, or cut the kernels from the cobs and simmer those cobs right in the broth in summer. Also noteworthy: This is a dairy-free chowder.

Though the “greens” (here, spinach and chard) get top billing, this recipe is so much more than that. A delightful side that can also function as a full meal on its own, this curry combines lentils, along with pomegranate seeds, toasted almonds and fresh mint. Serve over rice to round it out.