Instructions

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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:

1. 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 

1. 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:

1. Follow the steps for making desiccated coconut up until it’s time to dehydrate the coconut meat.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Strain the coconut meat well and spread evenly over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. 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.
6. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.