Desiccated coconut is dried and grated coconut flesh made from fresh coconut meat. Commonly referred to as shredded coconut, this ingredient is a staple in many homes and makes many dishes and desserts. In this article, I’ll share my top favorite desiccated coconut brands and also teach you how to make desiccated coconut at home with a few ingredients and tools.
Desiccated coconut is an excellent source of fiber and saturated fats. Frequently used in baking and cooking, it has a gentle sweetness that compliments baked goods.
What Is Desiccated Coconut?
Desiccated coconut is grated coconut flesh that contains moisture but is dry to the taste and touch. Flaked and dried, it’s available in sweetened and unsweetened forms.
Most of the shredded coconut you’ll find is always unsweetened. This helps to prolong its shelf life and preserve nutrients. Dried coconut is common in Southeast Asian and Indian cuisine and cooking. But it’s also used to top desserts, baked goods, and cereals in North America, UK, and Europe.
Top 3 Desiccated Coconut Brands
- Food To Live – This is a great brand of desiccated coconut flakes. This shredded coconut is organic and has the freshest coconut flavor.
- Let’s Do Organic – Let’s Do Organic is another brand I use often. The shredded coconut is slightly larger than desiccated coconut, but it can substitute desiccated coconut in most recipes.
- Bob’s Red Mill Shredded Coconut – Bob’s shredded coconut is another excellent brand that I love. (It is in fact my favorite.)Their products are readily available in the U.S., making them a great choice to use for most people.
You can see more about why I picked Bob’s Red Mill – plus a LOT more recipes and info – by checking out my free ultimate shredded coconut guide.
How to Make Shredded Coconut (Step-by-step guide)
Want to make desiccated coconut at home? You’ll require the following for this recipe:
- One fresh coconut
- Baking sheet or baking tray
- Parchment paper
- Fine grater or food processor
- Bowl
- Spoon
- Oven or dehydrator
There are two ways to make desiccated coconut at home: fresh coconuts or dried shredded coconut flakes.
From Coconut Flakes: You can pulse them in the food processor until the flakes are small and grain-like.
From Fresh Coconut: Break the fresh coconut in half. At the top of the coconut, there are three indentations. One of them is usually the weakest. Take a sharp knife and poke each indentation. Once you find the weakest, insert the blade to create a 1/2 inch hole. Turn the coconut upside down to collect the water in a glass. Hold the coconut with a towel and firmly tap it with a hammer or meat mallet. The shell should crack in half.
Remove the coconut shell (husk), then use the fine grater to shred the coconut flesh (the white part) onto a lined baking sheet. If you’re using a food processor, you’ll add the coconut to the shredder blade and pulse the coconut meat through. Spread the coconut mixture on the pan to avoid clumping. It also prevents the coconut from drying. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F or 120 degrees C.
Drying Desiccated Coconut
Bake for 5 to 10 minutes. During dehydration, keep checking the coconut status. Alternatively, use a dehydrator to make dried coconut as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Desiccated coconut is fine, dry coconut flesh, while shredded coconut consists of thin strands of coconut flesh. You can grind shredded coconut in a coffee grinder to make desiccated coconut. It may be tempting to use it in place of coconut flour, the two are not interchangeable since desiccated coconut contains fat. To make for a flavorsome addition of food and drinks, use dried coconut. For subtle coconut texture in muffins, cookies, and other baked goods, use shredded coconut. For a heavier crunch, I recommend coconut flakes.
Desiccated coconut is delicious even when eaten by itself as a snack. But, it’s also great sprinkled on salads, added to hot or cold cereal or smoothies, stir into sautéed vegetables, sprinkled on ice cream or coconut milk yogurt, or added to gluten-free baked goods. Make fresh coconut milk at home by blending one cup of dried coconut meat with two cups of water.
Recipes with shredded or desiccated coconut:
- Date Energy Bites: Delicious coconut and date energy balls make the perfect healthy treats, they are sweet, decadent tasting and energy-boosting. And the best thing about them, that they are super easy to make, all you need is 5 ingredients, 5 minutes and a food processor.
- Paleo Apple Nachos: These paleo apple nachos are the perfect healthy treat! Made green apples, coconut butter, homemade nut butter, shredded coconut, and dark chocolate, this snack is paleo, vegan, and can be made whole30 friendly as well.
- Coconut Chicken: Coconut Chicken is an easy weeknight 4-ingredient meal that is cooked in less than 30 minutes. Chicken breasts are covered in shredded coconut and pan-fried until golden and then baked for a delicious dinner. This recipe is keto, Paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30-friendly.
How To Make Sweetened Coconut
If you’re looking for the sweetened version of shredded coconut, the process is similar to the above method. Follow the steps up until it’s time to dehydrate the coconut meat.
Pour the chopped coconut (there are approximately 3-4 cups of shredded coconut meat in one medium brown coconut) into a saucepan with the coconut water and 2/3 cup of granulated sugar. Heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the temperature to low heat. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until the liquid boils into a sweet syrup. Strain the coconut meat well and spread evenly over a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and dry the sweetened desiccated coconut for 10 minutes, or until the coconut meat is crisp and dry. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Nutritional Values
One ounce of shredded coconut contains 187 calories, 4.6 grams of dietary fiber, 2 grams of protein, and 16.2 grams of saturated fat. There are also so great sources of minerals in dried coconut meat. For example, one ounce contains .8 mg manganese (43% DV), .2mg copper (25% DV), and 10% DV of selenium.
Related Articles:
- How To Open A Coconut
- How To Use Coconut Milk Powder
- 30+ Coconut Flour Recipes
- How To Choose The Best Coconut Oil
Desiccated Coconut Recipe (How To Make Shredded Coconut)
This DIY will walk you through the steps of making desiccated coconut at home with a few ingredients and tools.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 4-6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
- Category: DIY
- Method: Dehydrator
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 fresh brown coconut
Instructions
-
Break the fresh coconut in half. At the top of the coconut, there are three indentations. One of them is usually the weakest. Take a sharp knife and poke each indentation. Once you find the weakest, insert the knife to create a 1/2 inch hole. Turn the coconut upside down to collect the water in a glass. Hold the coconut with a towel and firmly tap it with a hammer or meat mallet. The shell should crack in half.
-
Remove the husk, then use the fine grater to shred the coconut flesh onto a baking sheet. Spread the coconut on the sheet to avoid clumping. It also prevents the coconut from drying. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F or 120 degrees C.
-
Place the baking sheet with coconut inside the oven. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes. The duration of dehydration depends on the quantity of grated coconut and moisture content. During dehydration, keep checking the coconut status.
Dehydrator Instructions:
- Spread the coconut onto the dehydrator tray. Dehydrate at 105ºF for 4-6 hours or until the coconut is completely dried.
Making Desiccated vs. Shredded Coconut
- Desiccated coconut is fine, dry coconut flesh, and shredded coconut consists of thin strands of coconut flesh. If you’d like your coconut finally ground, chop up the dried coconut with a knife or blend it in a coffee grinder to achieve desired consistency.
Sweetened Shredded Coconut Recipe:
- Follow the steps for making desiccated coconut up until it’s time to dehydrate the coconut meat.
- Pour the chopped coconut (there are approximately 3-4 cups of shredded coconut meat in one medium brown coconut) into a saucepan with the coconut water and 2/3 cup of granulated sugar.
- Heat over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Once it’s boiling, turn the temperature to low heat. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until the liquid boils into a sweet syrup.
- Strain the coconut meat well and spread evenly over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F and dry the sweetened desiccated coconut for 10 minutes, or until the coconut meat is crisp and dry.
- Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Notes
Dry coconut is brittle to touch. Once dry, remove it from the oven and transfer it to a bowl. You can also transfer to a mixer and grind the coconut to fine granules. Store in an airtight container.
Nutrition Facts
- Serving Size: 2 tbsp
- Calories: 80
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Fiber: 2g
Thank you for the recipe.. how long can this be stored in the refrigerator? Thanks
If I grind my store bought shredded coconut to make the desiccated coconut, do I need to dehydrate it? And if so, before or after grinding?
Thanks!
Also, can I use this in place of coconut flour?
Thank you! Can I use young coconuts to make this?
These are amazing! I added cinnamon to mine and they are sooo tasty!
I love this idea! I’ll be making it next time I buy coconuts!
I don’t have a dehydrator, so I made this in the oven. Worked well! Thanks!
I had no idea this was so easy to make!