Product Review: So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage

Why are people so afraid of coconuts? I think they’re downright adorable.

I guess it comes down to a fear of fat. When I tell people that my quest for a dairy-free, soy-free milk replacement has led me to an all-out love affair with So Delicious Coconut Milk Beverage from Turtle Mountain, they often gasp.

“Isn’t there a lot of FAT in that?”

The answer is yes, and no. There is fat in coconut, and it is saturated fat, but all fat is not created equal. The fat in coconut is a saturated fat that consists of medium chain fatty acids, which means that your body utilizes them as energy instead of storing them as fat. 

So, yes, there is fat in coconut milk but just as in an avocado, or almond butter, or (insert your favorite “good” fat here) it doesn’t harm you, and in fact may benefit you, as part of a balanced diet.

So, yeah, I’ll say it: I ain’t ‘fraid of no fat.

But there’s more good news… So Delicious isn’t straight coconut milk. Instead, it’s a coconut milk beverage made with organic coconut milk, and is fortified with calcium, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Magnesium and Vitamin B12, and only contains 5 g of fat per serving. You can check out the nutrition facts here. Perfect for breastfeeding moms like me, who need extra nutrients, especially calcium, but would rather not get it from cow’s milk or soy.

But enough of the technical stuff…let’s talk about how it tastes! 

When I purchased my first container of So Delicious, (I chose the sweetened vanilla variety), I wasn’t quite sure how to use it. I poured it over my granola, and used it in my overnight oats, and found it to be rich, creamy and smooth, with just a hint of coconutty flavor. Now, I love my almond milk, but this seemed to have a flavor and…body, maybe?…that I liked even better.

So, it became a regular staple in my kitchen. 

But tasting good as a breakfast component and fully replacing milk are two different things, so I put it to the test at dinnertime. I used it to help adhere the crumb coating on my Tortilla-Crusted Tilapia, and then visited the Turtle Mountain website to see if there were any other uses that piqued my interest…

Curried Coconut Soup, anyone? (click link and scroll down for recipe.)

Spicy curry and sweet carrot with the creaminess of coconut…I think I’m in love. The only thing better than the flavor is the fact that this recipe is easy enough to throw together during my son’s afternoon nap. 😀

There are a lot of reasons people choose to eliminate dairy from their diet: health reasons, lactose intolerance, environmental issues, a vegan lifestyle, nursing a child whose tummy reacts badly to dairy, or simply not wanting to drink the milk of another lactating animal…

For those people, I urge you to give this stuff a try. I’ve been toying with the idea of going vegan for quite a while, and finally finding a dairy-free, soy-free option that tastes great is making that decision a little more feasible for me. Especially once I realized how extensive Turtle Mountain’s line of products is!

Soy, soy-free, coconut, dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free, kosher, organic, fruit-sweetened, or agave-sweetened; non-dairy ice creams, sorbets, beverages, novelties, yogurt, even kefir!–You name it, they offer it.

Soooo, once I became a full-fledged fan of So Delicous, I figured it was time to finally try Turtle Mountain’s Purely Decadent coconut milk “ice cream.” (I’d been it eyeing forever!) I picked up the coconut and cookie dough flavors (looked for chocolate, but my store’s selection was limited). My husband and I did a proper sampling, then inhaled both containers. 😆

The texture was creamy and full, not watery like many of the rice milk “ice creams” I’ve tried. I wasn’t sure if I should expect the coconutty flavor to come through in varieties other than coconut, and I did notice it in the cookie dough, but I love it so there are no complaints here. Nice chunks in the cookie dough, too, as you can see…

Since ice cream is at the very tippy top of my list of necessary indulgences, I am thrilled to have this as an option. I feel a little twinge of guilt every time I eat regular dairy ice cream because I know it may cause my son a little digestive upset, and it’s so nice to know that there is a way for us both to be happy! Especially now, in the heat of the summer.

As if the benefits and taste of Turtle Mountain’s coconut milk products weren’t enough, I found them in a No-GMO Shopper’s Guide. I checked their website to verify, and sure enough, they are committed to producing products that contain no genetically modified organisms. 

Sold.

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How about you? Have you ever tried So Delicious coconut milk products from Turtle Mountain? Let me know what you think of them and you can win! 

Thanks to the gracious folks at Turtle Mountain, I have some free product coupons and I’d like to pass them on to you! (These coupons are good for any Turtle Mountain product.) There will be 2 winners of 2 coupons each.

There are 2 ways to enter:

#1. Visit Turtle Mountain’s website and leave me a comment letting me know which of their products you would use your coupons to try (My pick: Hibiscus Coconut Water Sorbet!)

#2. Mention this giveaway on your blog.

Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each entry. I will choose 2 winners at random on Saturday, June 26th. Winners will be notified via email on that day.

UPDATE 6/26: Congratulations to my two winners, Claire and Melissa! (Comments #23 and #30). Thanks for participating!

Please note: Use the store locator to find out if you’ll find Turtle Mountain products in your area!

To find out more about the benefits of coconut and Turtle Mountain’s commitment to good health, visit their website and click on the “health” link at the top of the page.