How Long Can Coconut Milk Sit Out And Does It Go Bad?

Coconut milk is extracted from the pulp of coconut and has no cholesterol, making coconut milk a non-dairy product. If you want to know that how long coconut milk can remain stable outside, it is advised that coconut milk should not be left outside for more than 2 hours.

Coconut milk consists of water content mainly, so there are increased chances for your coconut milk to get spoiled if storage conditions are not met.

Spoilage occurs more quickly in the open can of coconut milk than an unopened coconut milk can. It happens because once the packaging is opened, coconut milk becomes more exposed to microbes than before.

How Long Can Coconut Milk Sit Out?

Coconut milk is a perishable product that cannot be stored at room temperature for more than 2 hours. If you have extracted coconut milk at home, this coconut milk can catch bacterial growth at a fast pace because preservation cannot be done at home, making coconut milk more prone to get spoiled.

You can keep coconut milk in the refrigerator, and an open can of coconut milk remains good for 2-5 days in the refrigerator, while an unopened can will remain stable for more than 1 year.

You should use homemade coconut milk within one day as it can go bad at room temperature within an hour in hot weather especially.

What Happens if Coconut Milk Sits Out Too Long?

Coconut milk should be stored inside the refrigerator to prevent spoilage, but if you have left coconut milk outside for more than 2 hours, there are increased chances of coconut milk being contaminated by microbial growth.

It is very harmful to consume spoiled coconut milk or any spoiled food because nothing is more valuable than your health. To avoid wastage, keep your coconut milk refrigerated and tightly covered in bottles that can prevent moisture exposure inside.

What Should You Do If Coconut Milk Is Left Out Too Long?

If you have forgotten to keep coconut milk inside a refrigerator for more than 2 hours, you should check your coconut milk for any sign of spoilage. You can do that by using your sense of smell and vision. If coconut milk becomes yellowish and the smell is also a bit off, it is better to discard such a type of coconut milk.

If you are using coconut milk in any recipe, keep the coconut milk bottle in a cool and dry place. Never keep the bottle of coconut milk near the oven or any other type of heat source that can speed up the spoilage.

How Long Can Coconut Milk Be In The Car For?

You should store coconut milk in the refrigerator. Suppose you have left coconut milk inside your car and the temperature is less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit there. In that case, you don’t have to worry because your coconut milk can remain stable below this temperature but only for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, microorganisms can start to grow in your coconut milk. Don’t heat the coconut milk to check whether your coconut milk is good or not, as doing this will ruin the texture of coconut milk.

Does Coconut Milk Go Bad If Not Refrigerated?

Coconut milk can be spoiled if not stored in the refrigerator. Homemade coconut milk should be used within 1 day even after refrigeration because this type of coconut milk is not pasteurized, increasing the chances of spoilage.

On the other hand, canned coconut milk has a little longer life span, but this coconut milk also needs to be stored in a refrigerator below 40 degrees Fahrenheit temperature.

After opening, you should use canned coconut milk within 2-3 days to prevent spoilage.

Do Coconut Milk Go Bad If You Lose Power?

Suppose the power outage is for more than 6 hours. In that case, it can cause spoilage of your coconut milk because when a power interruption is consistent for 6 hours, the temperature inside your refrigerator will increase.

High temperature is not good for coconut milk, especially when you have opened the can of your coconut milk.

What Temperature Is Safe For Coconut Milk?

Temperature below 40 degrees Fahrenheit is ideal for storing both coconut milk canned and homemade ones. When you are storing your coconut milk inside the refrigerator, make sure to tightly cover the bottle’s lid to prevent moisture exposure that can induce microbial growth.

How to store Coconut Milk

Like any other, coconut milk needs you to be well preserved so that it does not spoil and manages to maintain its flavor and quality at the best of its standards for as long as possible.

Once opened, coconut milk does not have a very long shelf life. Like all other drinks, it is necessary to store them in the refrigerator to remain fresh and suitable for consumption, or else it will spoil quickly.

In coconut milk that comes in cartons and cans, it is unnecessary to refrigerate them and refrigerate them; you can store them in the pantry like the rest of the consumables and souvenirs you have.

Like other perishable packaged products, you need to follow certain instructions to be able to preserve it properly without suffering any damage from the environment:

Keep it in a dry place.

The state of the packages’ contents depends to a great extent that they have good integrity, the cold and the humidity can considerably damage the cardboard and the aluminum.

Keep it away from heat.

Another element that can harm both coconut milk and its packaging is heating. In this way, direct and continuous sunlight can damage the integrity of the content and the packaging while making them unsafe to consume.

One thing to consider about coconut milk is that they are not all the same in the sense of the purpose for which they are produced. Coconut milk that can be found in the refrigerated section of stores has forty-five calories compared to the canned version with four hundred and fifty calories, which determines how to store it.

Can You Freeze Coconut Milk?

If you opened the coconut milk container but did not intend to consume it within a week, freezing it is the ideal option in this case. In this way, you will be able to use it again within a longer period than can be obtained by storing it in a refrigerator.

To refrigerate coconut milk, we do not recommend that you do it in the container where it came or in jars or glass bottles since the liquid tends to expand when frozen and damages the container in which it is deposited.

The ideal is to keep it in an airtight plastic container where it is not more than half full to avoid expanding the liquids when the temperature changes.

How Long Does Coconut Milk Last

Although coconut milk comes in packages that allow it to last for a long time, these are not eternal and eventually end up being damaged, so you must be very careful when following the storage recommendations to ensure its duration.

Coconut milk is one of those products whose dates on the packaging indicate when it is safe to consume; after that date, it is most likely spoiled.

Although it looks in good condition and does not seem to have problems, the most likely is no consume it under any circumstances.

Coconut milk depending on how it has been produced, will have a shorter or longer life. The carton version can last around a month if you haven’t opened it; otherwise, you should refrigerate it. Canned coconut milk can last up to five months unopened and five days when open in the refrigerator. Homemade coconut milk only lasts three days in the refrigerator.

How to Tell If Coconut Milk Is Bad

Once the coconut milk has reached its date, its container label is for sure that it has already spoiled and should not be consumed even if you have followed all the pertinent instructions to store it properly.

In the case of open coconut milk that you keep in the refrigerator after a week has passed, you have to search if it has an unpleasant odor or visible pink or gray mold.

Coconut milk can be a very good option to replace common milk in everyday diets. Still, we must not forget that it can also be very delicate and that care must be taken so that it is preserved and not ingested after time, which is known to be unsafe to do so.

Sources

• Thewholeportion
• Smarter homemaker
• Still tasty