This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I can earn a small commission from items you purchase (at no cost to you).
If you’ve ever stood in the grocery aisle staring at rows of coconut milk, you know how overwhelming it can be. Canned, lite, carton, sweetened– along with ingredient lists that don’t always match the healthy image on the front of the package. I’ve been there too, wondering which coconut milk brand is worth the money —and always second-guessing if I got “the best one.”
That’s why I gathered friends for a blind taste test of canned and carton options to uncover the best coconut milk brands to buy—so you don’t have to waste time (or dollars) guessing.
If you find this helpful, you should check out my Almond Milk Brand Guide and Oat Milk Brand Guide.
Table of contents
Rating System for Coconut Milk Brands
Coconut milk isn’t the same across the board, as I’m sure you’ve found out. Whether canned, refridgerated or in tetra cartons, brands vary widely in flavor, thickness, and ingredients. Some kept it simple with just a few ingredients and earned bonus points if they were organic.
Others relied on gums for texture, and in those cases, fewer gums—or the use of organic gums—scored higher. To keep things fair, we only tested unsweetened, original versions with no added sugars, flavors or blended version. Here’s what we looked at when ranking coconut milk brands:
- Ingredients: Short, clean ingredient lists got top marks. Extra preservatives or unnecessary additives lowered a brand’s score.
- Flavor: Coconut milk should taste rich and true to the fruit. Some were creamy and balanced, while others tasted more like coconut water or artificial coconut.
- Texture: We compared how smooth, thick, or gritty each milk felt—important when using it in curries, smoothies, or coffee.
By scoring across these categories, we could fairly compare canned and carton coconut milk side by side.
Best Coconut Milk for Smoothies
Coconut milk is a smoothie game-changer—creamy, tasty, and naturally sweet without overpowering the fruit. Make sure you try my Coconut Milk Smoothie and Pina Colada Smoothie asap! Carton varieties are light and smooth for everyday blending, while a spoonful of canned milk adds extra richness.
Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Lite Coconut Milk
score: 90/100 | cost: $5.38
Thai Kitchen Lite Coconut Milk is my top smoothie pick—60% less fat and calories, clean ingredients, and no guar gum. The BPA-free resealable carton makes it easy to pour, while its smooth, velvety texture adds richness to smoothies.
365 organic light coconut milk
score: 89/100 | cost: $2.09
365 Organic Light Coconut Milk is a great smoothie pick with its subtle flavor, smooth texture, and affordable price—especially for an organic option. It blends easily without overpowering, making it a reliable and budget-friendly smoothie base.
Good & gather unsweetened organic coconut
score: 87/100 | cost: $2.79
Good & Gather Unsweetened Organic Coconut Milk, sold chilled at Target, is a budget-friendly smoothie option with a subtle taste and creamy texture. While it does contain several additives and gums, it’s still a convenient, affordable choice for blending.
Best Coconut Milk for Coffee
Coconut milk can be a delicious dairy-free creamer in your morning coffee for a base in a Golden Milk or Cinnamon Dolce Latte. Full fat versions tend to be the smoothest with a light coconut taste, while barista blends are the most reliable for lattes, yet they all contain added sugar (which means they won’t be on this list). After much testing, these are my recommended coconut milks for coffee.
Thai Kitchen Unsweetened Coconut Milk
score: 93/100 | cost: $5.38
This is the gold standard—just water and coconut for pure flavor and an insanely silky, creamy texture. No fillers or additives, just perfection. It’s the highest rated of all time and my go-to for everything thanks to its clean taste and versatility.
FIELD DAY ORGANIC CLASSIC COCONUT MILK UNSWEETENED
score: 91/100 | cost: $2.29
Field Day is a great coffee choice—rich flavor, smooth texture, and made with simple organic ingredients. With its low price point, it’s an affordable way to enjoy quality coconut milk that blends beautifully into your morning cup.
NATIVE FOREST UNSWEETENED ORGANIC COCONUT MILK CLASSIC
score: 89/100 | cost: $2.79
Native Forest Coconut Milk is a top pick for coffee—additive-free, rich, and creamy with a smooth texture that holds even at room temp. Great quality and value in one can. Just shake before opening for the best, silky results in your morning cup.
Best Coconut Milk for Cooking
When it comes to my potato curry and Thai coconut soup, canned full-fat coconut milk is the winner. Its rich, creamy texture and higher fat content make it perfect for dishes where you want bold coconut flavor. Carton varieties are too thin for most recipes, so I stick with full-fat canned versions for the best results. To make choosing easier, I’ve rounded up the top 3 coconut milk brands that shine in the kitchen.
THRIVE MARKET ORGANIC COCONUT MILK REGULAR
score: 90/100 | cost: $2.99
This is my top pick for cooking—perfectly creamy with amazing flavor that elevates curries, soups, and more. Beyond taste and texture, it’s regeneratively grown, making it a choice that’s as good for the planet as it is for your recipes.
THAI KITCHEN ORGANIC COCONUT MILK UNSWEETENED
score: 88/100 | cost: $2.16
This is a versatile, budget-friendly staple with creamy texture and rich flavor. If ordering on Amazon, dented cans are quite common, so you might have to submit a refund request occasionally
GOOD & GATHER ORGANIC UNSWEETENED COCONUT MILK
score: 84/100 | cost: $2.19
What’s better than snagging a new top and coconut milk at Target? Their canned version has clean, simple ingredients—organic coconut, water, and guar gum, light flavor and creamy texture.
Best Coconut Milk to Drink
If you want to drink coconut milk or add to granola, I recommend my homemade coconut milk or a light store-bought version are the way to go. They’re smoother, less caloric and much gentler on the stomach. Carton coconut milks are easy to keep in the fridge and pour into a glass anytime, while canned varieties usually have simpler, cleaner ingredients. After testing quite a few, here are my top two picks for the best coconut milks to drink:
Sprouts Organic Lite Coconut Milk
score: 91/100 | cost: $2.49
Sprouts Organic Lite Coconut Milk is my top pick for sipping solo—pure, clean, and refreshingly smooth. With real coconut flavor, minimal gums, and a lighter formula that’s easy on the tummy, it delivers great taste and quality you can feel good about.
Silk Unsweet Coconut Milk
score: 82/100 | cost: $4.49
Silk Unsweet Coconut Milk is a solid everyday option—smooth, tasty, low-calorie, fortified with vitamins, and easy to find. While not as rich or clean in ingredients as Sprouts’ canned coconut milk, it’s convenient carton is great for the fridge.
Common Questions
Lite coconut milk is basically full-fat coconut milk diluted with water, which lowers the fat and calories per serving. This gives it a thinner texture and milder flavor. Regular coconut milk, on the other hand, is rich, creamy, and perfect for recipes that need bold coconut flavor. I usually buy full-fat and dilute it myself—so I control the consistency and get the most bang for my buck.
Thai Kitchen 2 Simple Ingredients Unsweetened Coconut Milk is my all-around favorite. With clean ingredients, rich taste, and great quality, it’s the one I always keep stocked. Easy to find online or in most grocery stores, it’s a pantry staple you can count on.
In theory, they could be exactly the same. Yet what I found is that canned coconut milk usually has fewer ingredients—often just coconut and water—making it a cleaner choice for cooking. Carton coconut milk, on the other hand, is often fortified with vitamins, minerals, and stabilizers for drinking. Always read labels to know what you’re getting.
Regular canned coconut milk is high in fat and may cause cramping or diarrhea in large amounts. Carton versions often have gums that can trigger bloating. Coconut also contains FODMAPs, which may bother those with IBS. Most tolerate it fine, but gum-free or smaller portions ease digestion.
Once opened, carton coconut milk lasts about 7–10 days in the refrigerator, while canned coconut milk should be transferred to a sealed container and used within 4–7 days. For longer storage, you can freeze leftovers in ice cube trays or small jars for up to 3 months.
Many coconut milk brands add extra ingredients, so check labels for the cleanest options.
– Calcium additives: Added to rival dairy; calcium carbonate is better than tricalcium phosphate.
– Sunflower lecithin: Safe emulsifier but unnecessary.
– Sulfites: Found in some canned brands; can trigger asthma—best avoided.
– Gums: Improve texture. Xanthan is highly processed, gellan has mixed research, locust bean is more natural, and guar adds fiber but may cause issues in large amounts.
If your go-to coconut milk brand didn’t make the list, let me know in the comments! I tested 34 brands from local Tampa Bay stores and online retailers, and featured the standouts here. Still, I know there are more amazing options out there—and I’d love to discover if they’re worthy of the list!
Coco Soul Organic Coconut Milk is one of my favorites. It has guar gum and xanthan gum, so maybe that’s why it didn’t make the list, but it tastes so good to me that I can even drink it straight. I also feel reassured that they source their coconuts from Vietnam and not Thailand because most of the labor for coconuts in Thailand are from monkeys, which I feel is so wrong and should have a warning in lists, because it’s a criteria that I definitely look out for. Those monkeys are abused and mistreated. The only brand from Thailand that can be trusted is Native Forest, so I was happy to see them on this list.
Thank you for taking the time to share that info, Susie.
I have Blue Diamond Almond Breeze in my fridge. I believe it’s sweetened. It’s creamy and has a chocolate milk taste to it. It’s tasty and I use it in smoothies as well as straight from the carton to drink. I buy it cold. Thank you for your reviews.
You’re so welcome, Lisa! Glad you enjoyed them!
Thanks for the article on the different coconut milks available and your well-explained rating system. I do believe there is another alternative not mentioned, pure coconut milk! I find frozen coconut milk in my local Asian market. Straight from the coconut with no gums, sulfites or any other additives.
Hi,
Thank you for doing this! It’s very helpful. What ratio of milk to water do you use when you dilute your full fat coconut milk to lite?
Hi Crystal! You can try a 1:1 ratio. If that’s not working for you, you can adjust according to your own preferences!
I wanted to nake a coconut beverage and add boba to it, so I’m looking for a coconut milk that is good to drink straight.
Hi Araxi! You’ve come to the right place, this is a great blog post to learn about different brands of coconut milk!
Good article but you didn’t try the very best one out there in a can: Chaokoh. To be fair I haven’t tried a few of these on your list but I try some new ones tho I’m quite happy with Chaokoh but amazon delivers dented cans.
Just looked into Chaokah and it contains a additives that we like to avoid (Citric Acid and Sodium Metabisulfite) which is probably why it didn’t hit my radar. Yet if that’s not a make or break for you, use it! And I agree, dented cans are a bummer. 🙁
Thank you for taste testing and giving us your ratings! This is great information!
This is SO helpful. Thai kitchen has been my fave brand and I love to see on the top list! Thank you for doing all this research and helping your community.
Totally our joy, Kavli! We’re so glad you agree with our results here. 🙂
I use calafia farms toasted coconut almond milk blend in my coffee. It took me probably two months to find the right addition for my coffee to eliminate all sugar. Three to four teaspoons is all it takes. Trust me I tried everything out there and quickly threw it out. Now it’s time to try out California farms other products. Go plant Base!
What did the different colors on your scale or assessment mean?
Thanks
PS Thank you for taking the time…….to do this each year. And also thanks for adding coconut.
I’ve never tried the Thai Kitchen ‘carton canned’ milks before. I’ll definitely give them a try now!
Are these three coconut milks in a carton and where do I buy them? When I search it just brings up canned coconut milk or coconut water.
“ Per our taste test, the best all-around brand in the carton is Vita Coco Coconut Milk Original Organic. The best in full-fat is Thai Kitchen 2 Simple Ingredients Coconut Milk Unsweetened, and the best in light is Thrive Market Organic Coconut Milk Lite.” Thank you for your taste tests.