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Coconut water

Cocos nucifera

Also known as coconut water, tender coconut water, buko juice

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The clear liquid from inside a young green coconut, distinct from coconut milk, which is pressed from the mature flesh. It is a dilute sugar and electrolyte solution, notably higher in potassium than in sodium.

Muscle & Physical PerformanceHeart HealthKidney & Urinary Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Exercise performance

Muscle & Physical Performance
Limited evidence

Small trials comparing coconut water with water or sports drinks after exercise find broadly similar rehydration on measures such as fluid retention and plasma volume, with no clear performance advantage and more reports of stomach fullness. The trials are small, short and often crossover designs in a handful of participants.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

3 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Healthy blood pressure

Heart Health
Insufficient evidence

Coconut water is promoted for blood pressure on the strength of its potassium content, which is a reasonable hypothesis rather than a finding. Direct human trials are very few and small, so there is not enough evidence to rate it.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Kidney and urinary function

Kidney & Urinary Health
Insufficient evidence

Coconut water is widely recommended online for kidney stones. A couple of very small studies have looked at urinary chemistry after drinking it, which is nowhere near enough to support the recommendation, and the potassium load makes it a poor idea for some people with kidney disease.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Coconut water

Ask about Coconut water

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories19 kcal1%
Protein0.72 g1%
Total fat0.2 g0%
Carbohydrate3.71 g1%
Fibre1.1 g4%
Total sugars2.61 g—
Water95 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.176 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.0080 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.0020 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.0020 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A0 µg0%
Vitamin C2.4 mg3%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0 mg0%
Vitamin K0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.03 mg3%
Riboflavin (B2)0.057 mg4%
Niacin (B3)0.08 mg1%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.043 mg1%
Vitamin B60.032 mg2%
Folate3 µg1%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline1.1 mg0%
Minerals
Calcium24 mg2%
Iron0.29 mg2%
Magnesium25 mg6%
Phosphorus20 mg2%
Potassium250 mg5%
Sodium105 mg5%
Zinc0.1 mg1%
Copper0.04 mg4%
Manganese0.142 mg6%
Selenium1 µg2%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene0 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash0.39 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Nuts, coconut water (liquid from coconuts) (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170174).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    High potassium load matters in kidney disease

    Coconut water is concentrated in potassium, and case reports describe dangerous hyperkalaemia in people with chronic kidney disease or taking ACE inhibitors, ARBs or potassium-sparing diuretics who drank it in quantity. Anyone on a potassium-restricted diet should count it as a potassium source, not a plain drink.

  • Too much

    It is a sugar-containing drink

    Even without added sugar, coconut water contributes sugars and calories, and many commercial products are sweetened, concentrated from mature nuts, or reconstituted. Treating it as equivalent to water in energy terms is a mistake.

  • Worth knowing

    Not a substitute for oral rehydration solution

    Its sodium content is low relative to the losses in significant diarrhoeal illness, so it does not replace a properly formulated oral rehydration solution for a sick child or adult.