What type of coconut is best for cooking?

Dried Coconut : Desiccated, Shaved, Flaked and Shredded This is the best option for baking into slices, cakes and biscuits.

How can you tell a good quality coconut?

For a coconut with a gorgeous inside... Jiggle. Jiggle the Groovy Coconut, If you hear sloshing, that's a good sign. Hold. Hold the coconut in your hand. If it feels heavy for its size, that's a good sign. Look. Does it look simply brown and hairy with 3 dark circles at one end? If so, that's a good sign.

How do you pick a ripe coconut from the grocery store?

When you pick a coconut, you should pick one that doesn't have any cracks in it and feels heavy and full . Put it up to your ear and shake it. It should sound like there's water in it. A browner coconut will have more white meat on the inside, while a green coconut will be filled with more electrolyte-filled juice.

How do you know when a store bought coconut is ripe?

If you want to eat the coconut meat when it soft and can be eaten with a spoon, you will hear some sounds of liquid when you shake the nut, but the sound will be muted since a layer of meat has developed. Also, tap on the exterior of the shell. If the nut sounds hollow, you have a mature fruit.

How do I choose a good coconut plant?

Selection of coconut seedling Seedlings should be of 9 to 12 months old. Seedlings should have 6-7 green leaves and caller girth may be of 10 cm dia. Early splitted leaves of seedlings indicate early production.

How do you know if a coconut is edible?

However, only young coconut is edible and the coconut water requires exercising caution in consumption. Each coconut comes with a warning on how to use its water. The water in a brown coconut should be discarded while it is fit for consumption in a white coconut.

Should you drink green or brown coconuts?

Green coconuts are perfect for drinking , but if you choose one that's a bit more mature, you can enjoy its very soft and tender meat along with its water. Green coconuts are much easier to open than mature ones, though they require a little bit of work.

How to pick a coconut from a tree?

To harvest young coconuts, you'll need to either use a long pole with an attached blade to dislodge the fruit from the high branches where they grow or strap on a climbing harness and remove them by hand .

How to Choose the Right Type of Coconut for Your Recipe (2024)

Updated: Mar. 05, 2024

If your recipe simply calls for "coconut," what type of coconut do you choose? Here's your guide.

Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.Learn more.

You’ve been dying to try out one of our coconut recipes, so you’re off to the store to stock up. But in the baking aisle, you’re faced with some decisions: flaked vs. shredded coconut, sweetened vs. unsweetened.

What type of coconut are you supposed to choose?

Flaked Coconut vs. Shredded Coconut

For starters, flaked coconut comes in a larger shape and size, while shredded coconut is small and thin. Knowing which form of coconut to use for your recipe is important, because it will provide the right texture and flavor to your dish.

Flaked Coconut

bhofack2/getty images

This type of coconut is shaved into long, wide flakes. Flaked coconut is best used when you want a noticeable crunch in your dish, such as adding them to a salad for texture.

Toast these flakes or use them as-is in all sorts of recipes—like this Favorite Coconut Cake—for added flavor and texture.

To toast coconut at home, pop the flakes in a dry skillet on the stove for about 5 minutes. You can also spread the coconut across a sheet pan and toast in the oven at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes.

Shop Now

Shredded Coconut

SvetlanaK/getty images

This form of coconut is mostly dry, though it does retain a bit of moisture. It’s shredded into small, thin strips and gives coconut desserts such a gorgeous finish.

Shredded coconut is best used when you want just a hint of coconut to be tasted in your dish, like in these coconut cookies. Use them for decoration, too, like sprinkling them on top of this pina colada cake.

Shop Now

What Is Desiccated Coconut?

nadisja/getty images

Desiccated coconut is ground, rather than shredded. The fine texture looks almost like a fresh snowfall. The main difference between desiccated coconut and flaked or shredded coconut is that the moisture has been removed.

Like shredded coconut, use desiccated coconut for decoration. Use it to dust atop ice cream or brownies for a snowy look or as a garnish for more elaborate meals.

Shop Now

Sweetened vs. Unsweetened Coconut

The difference between sweetened and unsweetened coconut is pretty obvious. Unsweetened is plain coconut—no added sugar—and sweetened coconut has added sugar.

Because of the added sugar, the sweetened coconut will be moister and sweeter. It works best when baking sweet coconut treats.

Unsweetened coconut tends to be a bit drier and chewier. It can be a great substitute for baking recipes that already include plenty of sweet ingredients. Unsweetened coconut also works well in savory applications, like this Thai curry.

How Do I Choose the Right Type of Coconut?

If your recipe doesn’t specify which kind of coconut you need, use your best judgment. Savory dish? Use unsweetened. Sweet bake? Use whatever coconut you have on hand.

As for desiccated, flaked or shredded, you can use your best judgment there, too. The larger the coconut pieces, the more texture you’ll have in your dishes. Whatever the case, you’ll end up with a tasty result!

The Coconut Desserts We Can't Resist

1 / 23

Coconut-White Chocolate Cheesecake

Friends have suggested over and over that I submit this creation to a magazine because it's so good. For the best texture, make sure not to overmix the batter. —Jamie Harris, Danville, Illinois

Get RecipeDiscover even more crave-worthy coconut desserts.

Favorite Coconut Cake Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Favorite Coconut CakeWhen I need an impressive dessert for a special occasion, this is the recipe I turn to. My guests are glad I do! —Edna Hoffman, Hebron, Indiana

Go to Recipe

Pina Colada Tube CakeWe named this a “pina colada” cake because it has coconut, pineapple and rum. It’s a soothing finish at the end of a big spread. —Debra Keil, Owasso, Oklahoma

How to Choose the Right Type of Coconut for Your Recipe (2024)

Flaked Coconut vs. Shredded Coconut

Flaked Coconut

Shredded Coconut

What Is Desiccated Coconut?

Sweetened vs. Unsweetened Coconut

How Do I Choose the Right Type of Coconut?

FAQs

How to Choose the Right Type of Coconut for Your Recipe? ›

References