How to Open a Coconut

How to open a coconut - that is the question...

It's actually simpler than it looks - it just takes a little elbow grease! You'll need a large chopping knife, the larger the better.

The steps below will show you how to open a coconut. Once you've got it sorted out, try one of the recipes listed below, or come on over to the Easy Vegan Recipes and Raw Vegan Recipes pages for some great ways to use coconut in your vegan cooking!

Use coconut to make:
Raw Vegan Ice Cream

Use the blunt bottom corner of your knife to hit the coconut firmly about two inches down from the top. Keep in mind that you'll have to hit it pretty hard.

Turn the coconut and continue hitting every half inch or so until you have created a "lid" that you can easily pull off.

Before pulling the top off, you'll want to drain at least some of the coconut milk into a bowl or container of some kind. If you don't then when you pull the lid up, it might get a bit messy!

You can use the sharp end of the knife to start prying up the lid, but once it starts to give it's pretty easy to pull it off with your hands.

Pour out the rest of the milk into your bowl or container, then scrape the meat from the lid and the inside of the coconut.

Coconut meat and milk are wonderful in all kinds of recipes! Check out the Easy Vegan Recipes page or the Raw Vegan Recipes page for great ways to use this versatile food!

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