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Coconut is one of those flavor profiles people either love or hate. We happen to be in the former camp. The mild, creamy sweetness and tropical flavor coconut brings to both sweet and savory dishes is unlike any other ingredient. If you’ve ever scooped a batch of macaroons, flocked the outside of a coconut cake, or simply strolled down the baking aisle of your grocery store, you know there are seemingly endless types of coconut readily available for your cooking needs.
But determining which coconut products are best for your pantry can be confusing: Is there a difference between coconut flakes and chips? Is coconut flour a suitable alternative for all-purpose flour? And what in the world does desiccated mean? While coconut options abound —coconut oil, coconut cream, coconut water, coconut milk, and, of course, fresh coconut—today we’re breaking down all the types of coconut you can find in the baking aisle of your grocery store, along with how to store them once you get them home and how best to use them. Let’s dig in:
Desiccated Coconut
The term desiccated refers to a particular type of dehydration: The “meat” of the coconut (the white part) is separated from its shell. It’s then sterilized and processed to remove the moisture almost entirely before being broken down further.
Unsweetened shredded coconut is a type of desiccated coconut. As the name implies, this type of coconut comes in fine threads that resemble confetti. Due to its smaller size and brittle nature, this type of coconut, sometimes called unsweetened grated coconut, is best used in recipes where it can be mixed in. Unsweetened shredded coconut can be bought plain, though some manufacturers sell it pre-toasted, which gives it a nutty flavor. Try it in Yossy Arefi’s Coconut Cookie Bark, Rachel Gurjar’s Coconut-Mango-Lime Barfi, or a macaroon-inspired pie crust.
Often used in recipes for texture in addition to flavor, coconut flakes are also desiccated. When toasted, these large, thin, flat shards of dried coconut offer a crunch that smaller coconut shreds can’t achieve. When braised, they soak in broth and transform into slurpable, chewable, slippery bits.
Here, naming conventions can get a little dicey: Some brands refer to coconut flakes as “coconut chips,” while others use the term “chips” to mean a similar but smaller product. When we use the phrase “coconut chips” at Epicurious, we mean something else entirely (more on that in a minute). Try the bold and crunchy side of coconut flakes in things like granola, Shilpa Uskokovic’s Chocolate Coconut Cream Pie, Vallery Lomas’s Louisiana Crunch Cake, Kendra Vaculin’s Garlic Coconut Shrimp and Green Beans, or Andy Baraghani’s Coconut-Milk-Braised Carrots.
Pastry chef and cookbook author Natasha Pickowicz offers even more suggestions for how to use coconut flakes. “I love the big, flat flakes, which turn soft and chewy in quick breads, cookies, and even tender cakes, and add great texture and structure.” She adds, “They’re extra versatile in oil-based recipes—think coconut-carrot cake, zucchini bread, cornbread, and bran muffins—and inject everything with an extra oomph of tropical warmth and natural sweetness.”
How to store desiccated coconut: Because of its high-fat content, coconut can go rancid if stored improperly. If you’re using your coconut with some regularity and your home retains a steady temperature, you can store it in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, like your pantry, for 4 to 6 months. Alternatively, desiccated coconut can be kept in a zip-top bag in the freezer for a year. If you notice the coconut turning yellow or if it smells papery, these are signs it’s past its prime.
Sweetened Shredded Coconut
Sweetened shredded coconut may be the most readily available coconut product on grocery store shelves. The added sugar gives this variety a moist texture and distinctly sweet flavor. It’s the coconut most commonly found in many classic baked goods, like senior test kitchen editor Jesse Szewczyk’s coconut cake recipe or sticky-sweet macaroons, and it’s often used as the garnish on a batch of simple cupcakes.
Jesse says, “The soft texture of sweetened coconut creates a dramatic ruffled exterior that doesn't interfere with the soft, plush interior of the cake. It also hammers home the sweetness factor, a beloved characteristic of many Southern desserts.” The difference between sweetened and unsweetened shredded coconut cannot be overstated. If using them as a finishing touch (like on the outside of a coconut cake), you could probably get away with swapping one for the other, though you will notice a pretty extreme difference in sweetness. But if the coconut is mixed into a batter or dough, the two are not interchangeable; swapping will significantly affect the texture, moisture, and intended sweetness of the recipe.
How to store sweetened coconut: The sugar in sweetened coconut acts as a preservative, extending its shelf life compared to similar products. For the best results, store sweetened shredded coconut in an airtight container in a cool, dark place, like your pantry, for up to six months.
Coconut Flour
To make coconut flour, manufacturers steam unsweetened coconut meat to remove a large portion of its fat content and then dry it and grind it into a fine, soft powder. Though often used as a gluten-free alternative to all-purpose flour, you cannot use coconut flour in equal proportions. It’s highly absorbent—much more so than starch-based flours. Should you attempt a swap, the result would likely be dense and very dry. Of course, if you’d like to experiment, you could substitute 1 cup all-purpose flour with ¾ cup AP (or an all-purpose gluten-free blend) plus ¼ cup coconut flour for a baked good with a mild coconut flavor. Or you could go straight to a recipe developed with the stuff, like this Gluten-Free Coconut Layer Cake from cookbook author Zoe Singer.
How to store coconut flour: After opening, coconut flour is best kept fresh by being stored in a sealed container in the freezer. Similar to other flour, coconut flour typically has a shelf life of 1 year, though chilling it will greatly extend its viability.
Coconut Chips
When we talk about “coconut chips” at Epicurious, we typically mean a pre-made snack, such as Dang or Bare. These are dried, toasted, usually salted, and sometimes flavored with things like chiles, sugar, and citrus. You could make your own coconut chips by buying coconut flakes and making Anna Stockwell’s Homemade Spiced Coconut Chips recipe. We also like using packaged versions as a mix-in for cookies or snack mix or as a topping for salads, grain bowls, soups, curries, or anywhere you want some extra crunch.
How to store coconut chips: Coconut chips should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to six months.
Coconut Sugar
Coconut sugar is a popular alternative to cane sugar and offers a deep caramel flavor. Unlike the other coconut-based products on this list, coconut sugar comes from the sap of the coconut palm tree rather than the flesh of the coconut. Because of this, the taste isn’t what most people think of when they hear “coconut flavor.” Despite that—or maybe because of it—coconut sugar is one of Natasha Pickowicz’s favorite baking secrets: “Though more expensive than cane sugar,” she says, the price is worth it because of its “unique butterscotch flavor that’s great for caramel sauces, buttercreams, custards, and even jams and compotes.”
While some sources cite coconut sugar as a healthy alternative, it’s important to remember that coconut sugar is still sugar and that any reported benefits should be regarded with scrutiny. As noted by the Cleveland Clinic, the nutrients present in sugar aren’t available in large enough quantities to be that beneficial. That said, the flavor of coconut sugar is reason enough to use the stuff. “I love swapping it into forgiving recipes that use brown sugar,” says Pickowicz, “like a streusel topping for a coffee cake or a nutty crisp with bubbling fruit, so you can really appreciate its toasty, rich essence.” Use it in Crustless Coconut Sugar Cheesecake, Coconut-Sugar Crinkle Cookie Sandwiches, and Molly Baz’s Coconut-Chocolate Mousse.
How to store coconut sugar: Coconut sugar should be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dark place in your kitchen, such as your pantry, for up to one year.
From the aroma of toasted coconut on top of a pie to the sweet and syrupy bite of a macaroon, these are desserts you’ll never flake out on.
