Home cooks making curries or soups
If the recipe relies on canned coconut milk for its texture, compare light cans by saturated fat per 100ml and consider how much goes into each serving. Diabetes UK also suggests using less coconut milk in a curry.
Who is choosing coconut milk?
People choosing a dairy-free drink
For cereal, tea or coffee, an unsweetened coconut drink is a different choice from a cooking can. If it replaces dairy milk in your usual diet, check whether it is fortified with calcium, as Diabetes UK advises for dairy alternatives.
Shoppers checking more than sugars
When planning meals around diabetes, compare carbohydrate and sugars alongside saturated fat, then consider the whole recipe and the portion you intend to eat. Diabetes UK advises cutting down on saturated fat.
What should you check?
Choose the format for its intended use first, then compare nutrition on the same per-100ml basis and work out how much the recipe or drink contains.
Light canned coconut milk
Choose it for: Curries, soups or sauces that call for canned coconut milk.
Bear in mind: A lower-fat description does not establish that the can is low in saturated fat.
Unsweetened coconut drink
Choose it for: Cereal, tea, coffee or cold drinks rather than a thick coconut sauce.
Bear in mind: It does not provide the same body as canned coconut milk in a curry.
Less coconut milk or another sauce base
Consider it when: Reducing the amount of coconut milk in the whole curry matters more than retaining a coconut-based sauce.
Bear in mind: Changing the amount or sauce base also changes the finished dish. Diabetes UK suggests using less coconut milk or a lower-fat variety.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Saturated fat | Compare saturates per 100ml across cooking cans, then account for the quantity used. Tesco Groceries lists 5.2g per 100ml for its Light Coconut Milk; Sainsbury's lists 4.9g per 100ml for its Coconut Milk Light. | I want to reduce saturated fat in a curry without assuming that a can labelled “light” contains little of it. |
| Carbohydrate and sugars | Read both figures per 100ml; do not use the sugars figure in place of total carbohydrate. Tesco Groceries lists 1.3g carbohydrate and 0.8g sugars per 100ml for its light can, while Sainsbury's lists 3.5g and 0.7g for its light can. | If I count carbohydrate, I need the figure for the amount going into my meal, not just a description on the front of the pack. |
| Cooking can or drink | Check whether the product is canned cooking milk or a coconut drink. For a drink replacing dairy milk, check whether it is unsweetened and fortified with calcium, as Diabetes UK advises. | A curry needs the texture called for in its recipe; for cereal or tea, I am choosing a drink instead. |
| Recipe quantity | Check how much coconut milk the recipe uses and how many portions it makes. Consider other ingredients and sides when planning the finished meal. | I would rather assess my portion of the whole curry than judge the can in isolation. |
Common buying mistakes
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Reading “light” as “low in saturated fat”
A reduction in total fat relative to a standard product does not tell you the saturated-fat amount in your serving. Light cans can still make a noticeable contribution to a coconut-based recipe.
Compare saturates per 100ml and calculate how much coconut milk each portion contains. If you want to use less, Diabetes UK suggests reducing the quantity in a curry or choosing a lower-fat variety.
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Using a coconut drink in place of a cooking can
An unsweetened coconut drink and canned cooking milk serve different purposes; swapping one for the other changes a sauce’s texture.
Match the format to the dish: check the recipe before choosing a light can for cooking or an unsweetened drink for cereal and beverages.
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Checking sugars but not the rest of the meal
A coconut product’s sugars figure does not describe its saturated fat or the carbohydrate in the finished meal.
Read the carbohydrate, sugars and saturates figures, then consider the amount used alongside the curry’s other ingredients and sides.
Brand and product-line references
These examples illustrate differences between cooking cans and coconut drinks; the figures refer to the named products, not every product from each brand.
Tesco
Tesco Light Coconut Milk is a canned cooking product for recipes such as curries, soups and sauces.
- Tesco Groceries lists 6.0g fat, 5.2g saturates, 1.3g carbohydrate and 0.8g sugars per 100ml.
- Check the amount used in the recipe rather than treating the word “light” as a saturated-fat measure.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's Coconut Milk Light is a canned option for cooking.
- Sainsbury's lists 4.9g saturates, 3.5g carbohydrate and 0.7g sugars per 100ml.
- Its carbohydrate figure differs from other light cans, so compare both carbohydrate and saturates for your recipe.
Waitrose
Essential Reduced Fat Coconut Milk is Waitrose’s canned cooking option in this comparison.
- Waitrose & Partners lists 6.2g fat and 5.5g saturates per 100ml.
- “Reduced fat” describes a relative change; use the saturates figure and your recipe quantity when comparing cans.
M&S
M&S has standard and reduced-fat canned coconut milk for cooking.
- The M&S Reduced Fat Coconut Milk listing on Ocado states that it has 45% less fat than M&S standard coconut milk.
- That total-fat comparison does not tell you how its saturated-fat figure compares with another brand’s can; check the nutrition panel.
Alpro
Alpro Coconut No Sugars is a coconut drink for uses such as cereal and beverages, rather than a canned cooking milk.
- Alpro UK lists 0g carbohydrate, 0g sugars and 1.1g saturates per 100ml.
- Choose it for the drink format, not as a like-for-like way to give a curry the body of canned coconut milk.
Koko
Koko Unsweetened No Sugar Milk is a coconut-based drink for hot or cold drinks and cereal.
- Koko Dairy Free lists 0.4g carbohydrate, 0.2g sugars and 1.2g saturates per 100ml.
- Its drink format should not be assumed to produce the texture of canned coconut milk in a sauce.
A canned option on Joybuy
This reduced-fat canned coconut milk is an option to consider for a curry or soup that calls for cooking coconut milk.
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Morrisons Reduced Fat Coconut Milk 400ml
For a curry or soup that calls for canned coconut milk, this is a reduced-fat 400ml option. Compare the saturated fat and carbohydrate on the pack against the quantity used in your recipe; “reduced fat” does not establish that it is low in saturates.
Questions about choosing coconut milk
Does “light coconut milk” mean it suits every diabetes meal plan?
No. “Light” describes a product’s fat content relative to another version, not its suitability for an individual meal plan. Check saturated fat, carbohydrate and sugars per 100ml, then consider the amount used and the rest of the meal.
Should I buy a light can or an unsweetened coconut drink?
Choose a light can when a curry, soup or sauce calls for canned coconut milk. Choose an unsweetened coconut drink for cereal or beverages, and check calcium fortification if it is replacing dairy milk in your usual diet; it will not give a sauce the same body as canned milk.
Which nutrition figures matter when comparing coconut products?
Compare fat, saturates, carbohydrate and sugars on the same per-100ml basis, then calculate the quantity you will use. The NHS includes these nutrients in its food-label guidance; the sugars figure alone cannot tell you the product’s total carbohydrate or saturated fat.