Coconuts are slowly gaining a lot of popularity, especially among health-conscious consumers. And, it should be because of the multitude of fantastic usages that it offers.
If you have recently developed a liking for coconuts, you’ll be amazed to know the endless ways of having them. Thus, your internal curiosity might force you to ask, can you juice coconut?
It is possible to juice coconut, as it creates a super delicious drink. The fruit possesses a clear fluid known as coconut water that you can use as a beverage. You can also crush it like other fruits to extract the juice. However, as it is hard, you may damage your juicer along the process, so you need to perform the task carefully.
Coconut has a long tradition of use in food and medicine across the globe. The mildly sweet fruit is also readily available, making it even more worthy of trying. This article is here to help you convert the hard coconut into a lovely drink in a few simple steps!
Table of Contents
Juicing Raw Coconut: Can You Do It?
Coconut is the fruit of coconut palms which are very abundant in tropical areas. They are celebrated for their versatile nature as people use them for their liquid, milk, oil, and tasty meat. Unlike many other fruits that are high in carbs, coconuts possess protein, essential minerals, and small traces of B vitamins.
It is understandable why they are so much in demand in the global market, owing to their low price and tons of benefits. Many individuals love coconut milk for its refreshing and distinct flavor.
The good thing about this tropical wonder is that it already contains water inside, commonly known as coconut water. You can take a sip from it directly or convert it into coconut milk.
Both are popular beverages known for their health-promoting effects. However, crushing the coconut in the juicer to make coconut milk might be challenging. The fruit’s outer shell is hard, and blending it in the juicing machine might cause damage to it.
Thus, it is necessary to perform the procedure with the correct steps. Overall, coconut juice is super delicious and hydrating, so you must not miss it.
How To Juice A Coconut?
When it comes to juicing a coconut, you get two different byproducts. People often mix them both, but coconut water and coconut milk are not similar. Let’s find out how you can create each one at home!
1. Coconut water
It is a sweet and translucent liquid that you may drink straight from the young, immature green coconuts. To obtain this juice, you don’t have to crush the whole hard flesh of the fruit to extract the liquid inside. All you need to do is
- Examine the coconut well. It should be evenly hard, brown, and somewhat hairy from all sides. One of the ends would have three dark dents that resemble the holes of a bowling ball.
- Rinse the fruit under cold, running water and gently scrub the area around the dents. As the juice will come out from these holes, cleaning them will ensure the liquid is pure and clean.
- Hammer a nail through one of the holes and hit it a few times. Once you feel it has slipped inside, it indicates that it pierced the shell and flesh of the coconut.
- Now, remove the nail, turn the coconut upside down and rest it on a glass. It will help in draining the juice out of the fruit.
- Leave it like this until all the liquid gets collected in the glass. It might take about 5-10 minutes to drain.
- Lastly, strain the juice to remove all tiny bits of shell and enjoy your fresh coconut water.
2. Coconut milk
Without a second thought, coconut milk is the tastiest plant-based milk loved by every age group. You can have it as a drink or use it as a super ingredient to elevate the flavors of the dishes, such as soups, stews, or curries. To prepare this yumminess,
- Crack the coconut shell first and then drain out the liquid inside it. Afterward, break the dry outer shell while removing the coconut flesh or meat.
- Rinse them thoroughly to eliminate any hard shell fragments, and then cut them into smaller pieces to fit them in a juicer or blender.
- Leave these chunks to soak in about two cups of clean water for around 2-4 hours.
- Add everything into a blender and mix it until it attains a smooth consistency.
- Strain out the mixture through a cheesecloth and squeeze to extract all the juice into a clean container.
- If you use a juicer, you might have to add water along the slices to let them blend easily. Refrigerate or sip directly!
Effortless Coconut Juice Recipes
We have gathered a few yummy coconut drink recipes that you can enjoy with your friends and family. What else is good than an effortless way to create a mind-blowing juice within no time!
A. Summer coconut water juice
Ingredients
- Two coconuts
- Salt (one pinch)
- One teaspoon of chia seeds
- Ice cubes
Steps
- Drain the liquid from the coconuts and add it into a glass.
- Scoop out some coconut flesh and transfer it to the serving glass.
- Now add some soaked chia seeds along with ice cubes. Give the juice a good stir, and garnish with a lemon. Enjoy!
B. Pineapple coconut mocktail
Ingredients
- One small pineapple (200 gm)
- One tender coconut (water + meat)
- ¼ cup coconut milk
- Three teaspoon lemon concentrate
- Three/four mint leaves
- Ice cubes
Steps
- Cut the pineapple into small chunks and transfer them to the juicer or blender.
- Now add all the remaining ingredients one by one into the machine. Blend until you get a smooth consistency.
- If you like the mocktail pulpy, you can have it as it is, or you can strain it. Serve it with some crushed ice in a glass, and it’s ready.
Coconut Water VS Coconut Milk: Which Is Better For Health?
Coconut water and milk have tons of health benefits to offer. Not many people are aware that they both have different nutritional profiles. Coconut water provides mostly carbs and water, while coconut milk primarily offers fat. Nevertheless, both are good sources of many vital vitamins and minerals.
So, depending on your nutritional goal and requirements, you can go for either. Physically active individuals prefer coconut water as it is a good supplier of potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium, which the body often loses during exercise. Research suggests that coconut water also supports heart health by reducing bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol.
Coconut milk is a high-calorie beverage, and therefore, it is better to limit its intake. It has plenty of saturated-fat content that can lead to increased cholesterol levels. But, it doesn’t mean the juice is unhealthy, as it strengthens your immune system, contains antioxidants, and reduces joint pain and inflammation. However, to be on the safe side, you should consume it once in a while and not regularly. (source)
Conclusion
You might have heard that coconut is not ideal for juicing, but it is not entirely accurate. The tropical fruit comes with a liquid that you can serve as a drink. It can also go well with plenty of other ingredients, and the taste is class apart. You can also create coconut milk by blending the chunks of coconut meat into your juicer.
Since it’s so hard, it might be tough to work with it while juicing. Nevertheless, some varieties of coconut, such as Thai coconuts, have softer meat to offer. They tend to blend with ease with any juice combination and have a decent amount of vitamins and electrolytes. Thus, you can make your coconut milk at home, and you don’t have to buy it from the market.
Although coconut juice is abundant with health benefits, it is advisable not to overconsume this beverage. The reason is high saturated fat content that can harm your wellbeing. Thus, less is better, and you can have it occasionally.
