We Taste-Tested 10 Coconut Waters—Here Are Our Favorites

When I was a child, coconut water was a special treat reserved for restaurants—usually Thai or Vietnamese—that carried fresh coconuts. My sisters and I would beg my parents to please, please, please order one, until they acquiesced and got the three of us our own coconuts. The server would plonk three young coconuts onto the table, each with their tops lopped off and a straw poking out. We’d slurp away happily, savoring the sweet, refreshing juice and the tender white flesh. 

That, my friends, is why I was so disappointed the first time I tried packaged coconut water. It was the mid-2000s, and the rancid-tasting coconut water was nothing like the fresh stuff I grew up drinking. We’ve come a long way since then, and today, there are many great packaged coconut water options. The question is: Which ones are worth buying?

To find the very best coconut water, our editors sampled 10 different brands you’re likely to find at your local supermarket or online. We placed each in cups, then sampled them in random order without knowing which coconut water was which. After tasting our way through 21 different coconut waters, we tabulated the results and crowned an overall winner that we’d be happy to sip on.

The Criteria

Coconut water should be naturally sweet, nutty, and refreshing. It should have the tropical notes of coconut without tasting like sunscreen or tanning oil, and it should not taste rancid, sour, or musky. It should taste clean, with a velvety texture that’s ever so slightly thicker than water.

Overall Winner

Trader Joe’s Single Origin Organic Coconut Water

All our tasters were enthusiastic about this coconut water, which had a lovely pink hue and pleasant sweetness. Our senior social media editor Kelli wrote: “This has the pure coconut taste I’ve been waiting for!” Like Kelli, our associate editorial director Megan and I both enjoyed its coconut-forward flavor profile. “Maybe it’s the pink that’s getting me but this one tastes good. More coconutty and sweet than the others,” Megan wrote. Similarly, our editorial director Daniel noted, “Good, close-ish to fresh coconut water. Not 100% the same, but chilled it’d be a fine substitute.” 

Runner-Up

Harmless Harvest Organic Coconut Water

“Sweet! Refreshing! Is this young coconut?” Kelli wrote, which is the highest compliment you could give coconut water. Though Daniel and Megan both thought it was slightly too fruity—Daniel detected a hint of pomegranate, which it did not have—they both agreed it wasn’t bad, just not what they expected from coconut water. Like our winner, Harmless Harvest’s coconut water has an attractive pink hue and natural sweetness that appealed to all our tasters.

The Contenders

• 365 by Whole Foods Market Coconut Water
• C2O Coconut Water “The Original”
• Goya Coconut Water With Pulp
• Harmless Harvest Organic Coconut Water
• Kirkland Signature Organic Coconut Water
• Once Upon a Coconut 100% Pure Coconut Water
• Trader Joe’s Pure Coconut Water
• Trader Joe’s Single Origin Organic Coconut Water
• Vita Coco The Original Coconut Water
• Vita Coco Pressed Coconut Water

In Conclusion

Of all the coconut waters we sampled, only two specified the variety of coconut used and where the coconuts came from: our winner, Trader Joe’s Single Origin Organic Coconut Water, and our runner-up, Harmless Harvest Organic Coconut Water. Both brands use nam hom coconuts from Thailand.

According to Dr. Niranjana Murthy Hosakatte, a botany professor at Karnatak University and author of Genetic Diversity of Fruits and Nuts, coconut water from nam hom coconuts is “highly aromatic” and “sweet with a vibrant pink color” because of its many polyphenols—plant compounds with antioxidant properties—including 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (2AP), which gives the coconut water its refreshingly sweet and nutty flavor. Though the coconut water is colorless when the coconut is first opened, it turns pink as the many antioxidants oxidize in the presence of light. 

Manufacturers often pasteurize coconut water to make it safer to consume; this process, however, breaks down the many volatile compounds that can give coconut water its pink hue and aromatic flavors. According to Trader Joe’s, their single origin coconut water is pasteurized using a “high-temperature short-duration method.” Also known as high-temperature short-time (HTST) or flash pasteurization, the process involves heating coconut water to a temperature between 160° to 165°F (71.5° to 74°C) for three to 15 seconds, which kills off bacteria while also, according to TJ’s site, “retaining the vibrancy of the coconut flavor.” Harmless Harvest, on the other hand, does not thermally pasteurize their coconut water at all, and uses a micro-filtration system to sterilize their coconut water.

Our editors generally preferred coconut water with just one ingredient: coconut water. Brands containing added sugar were often unpleasantly sweet, and those that included ascorbic acid as a preservative were often a touch too tart for our liking. We preferred bottled coconut water over canned coconut water, with tetrapak coconut water coming in last. This is likely because tetrapak coconut water is ultra-pasteurized, which can negatively impact the flavor of the beverage. Though ultra-pasteurized coconut water is passable and we’d drink it in a pinch, we would all much prefer to sip on fresh, pink, flavorful coconut water that tastes like it came straight from a coconut.

Our Testing Methodology

All taste tests are conducted with brands completely hidden and without discussion. Tasters taste samples in random order. For example, taster A may taste sample one first, while taster B will taste sample six first. This is to prevent palate fatigue from unfairly giving any one sample an advantage. Tasters are asked to fill our tasting sheets ranking the samples for various criteria. All data is tabulated and results are calculated with no editorial input in order to give us the most impartial representation of actual results possible.