Healthy Coconut Milk Recipes

This recipe is great for meal prep. Divide the salsa, rice and chicken among 4 food-storage containers and you've got 4 days of ready-made meals in your fridge.

This quick shrimp stew is well balanced with bright tomatoes and a rich coconut-milk-based broth. There's just a touch of heat from the chile pepper. It's quick enough to make on a weeknight and special enough for dinner guests.

Making fruit smoothies at home saves time and money. For this easy smoothie, combine strawberries, mango and banana with a bit of cashew butter and ground chia seeds for body and richness.

Add protein and fiber to your smoothie--without dairy or protein powder--with lentils. They're a sneaky source of plant-based protein in this healthy smoothie recipe.

Thai spices and creamy coconut milk distinguish this version from traditional butternut squash soup. Curry paste is a convenient way to add complex flavor, but if you want to make sure this soup is vegan or if you are allergic to shellfish, check the ingredient list carefully--some brands contain shellfish.

This boozy piña colada transports you to a tropical island with each and every sip. The frozen pineapple gives this juicy drink just the right amount of sweetness, and the canned coconut milk provides creaminess and that signature coconut flavor we love in a piña colada. Mix in some dark rum and you have yourself a tropical 3-ingredient cocktail!

Here, coconut milk adds creaminess while keeping the dish vegan. Serve over basmati rice or with a side of naan.

Give basic cinnamon oatmeal a spice upgrade with the warm and toasty notes of chai. Coconut milk makes these overnight oats ultra-creamy and delicately sweet too.

Short on time? Consider this slow-cooked chicken stew recipe. Spend just 20 minutes prepping in the morning and you'll come home to a hearty dish. Serve it over basmati rice or with a slice of crusty bread.

For those of you who always loved to run to the curb to buy a little bit of summer on a stick, this drink is right up your alley. The secret to the straight-from-the-ice-cream truck taste of this creamy frozen treat? Double the fruit! A little bit of frozen mango helps thicken the drink naturally in the blender while boosting the juicy flavor of fresh orange juice. Unsweetened vanilla coconut milk brings just a hint of sweetness while keeping this added-sugar-free and vegan. You could also use a sweetened coconut milk if you prefer a little more sweetness. Enjoy this refreshing and nostalgic drink on its own, or add a splash of your favorite vodka or rum for a summer happy hour indulgence. P.S.: Unlike the ice cream version, this one travels well in an insulated cup if you want to take it poolside!

This take on the classic Thanksgiving pie has the familiar warming spices, like cinnamon and nutmeg, plus rum and coconut for a tropical twist.

No other dessert turns heads like a trifle. Festive in every way, this trifle recipe glows from within with scarlet layers of juicy cranberries. The filling is made from an astounding 6 cups of antioxidant-packed cranberries! We made the custard with a combination of low-fat milk and light coconut milk. From-scratch brown-butter sponge cake, made with whole-wheat pastry flour, stands in for store-bought ladyfingers.

This low-carb vegetable soup is chock-full of veggies swimming in a creamy coconut broth flavored with Thai red curry paste. It's hearty enough to eat on its own, but feel free to add chicken or tofu to boost the protein.

The Thai dessert kow neuw mamuang, or mango sticky rice, is a popular dessert throughout Southeast Asia. It's typically made with white glutinous rice, but our version features short-grain brown rice for a similarly chewy texture with more fiber per serving. Coconut milk adds sweetness, while a topping of sesame seeds provides nuttiness.

Browning the chicken and sautéing the aromatics before everything goes into the crock pot is key to building the flavors in our version of this popular curry.

A tender cut of beef like sirloin or rib-eye won't get tough as it simmers away in the stew. Serve with rice noodles, if you like.

The tropical flavors of a piña colada make for one delicious ice pop. Be sure to reach for ripe bananas to get the perfect sweetness (without any added sugar!) for this clean-eating-friendly frozen treat.

Strawberries and banana are the sneaky way to hide the fact that there's 1 1/2 cups of spinach in this smoothie. It's so berry delicious that you'll be making it every morning.

Shrimp and rice get a tropical-fruit makeover in this healthy 400-calorie dinner. Instead of rice, we've combined riced cauliflower and coconut milk for light coconut rice topped with spicy shrimp and a juicy mango-avocado salsa to cool it all down. Squeeze on some fresh lime juice before digging in to take this easy meal to the next level.

Make mornings a little easier when you soak oats overnight for a quick and easy breakfast.

The origins of coquito, a creamy Puerto Rican coconut- and rum-based cocktail, are not fully known. Some say it comes from Spain, and others say it comes from the United States.

This ultra-chocolaty, dairy-free Sicilian-style gelato--made without eggs or cream--is relatively lean but still creamy-smooth and flavorful. The coconut milk used for the base gives it a silky, rich mouthfeel and a subtle coconut flavor.

Creamed corn goes tropical with coconut milk, cilantro and lime juice. We love this with the kick of crushed red pepper, but it's great without it if you don't enjoy spicy food. Try it with garlic-rubbed grilled flank steak and a vinegary Asian slaw.

Lean chicken breasts are cooked in a creamy coconut milk sauce seasoned with lime and cilantro, then served over whole wheat pasta.