You are going to see a lot of new recipes featuring this rich and creamy coconut yogurt.
I just can’t seem to get enough of this tangy, thick, fermented coconut yogurt. It is full of healthy satiating fats and great gut-friendly probiotics, plus it is completely dairy free! I love my raw cow’s milk yogurt but having a second creamy fermented yogurt is a lot of fun to work into new and exciting recipes. It’s also extremely easy to keep a continuous culture going so you will always have coconut yogurt on hand.
Making Coconut Yogurt With Capsule Probiotics
I’ve tried the capsulated probiotic method for making coconut yogurt and never had great success. The yogurt was always runny and never got the effervescence of the store-bought coconut yogurts.
So inevitably I was buying the expensive, tangy, beautiful little glass jars of sparkly cultured coconut yogurt from the health food store.
and then it hit me…
I decided to try using the store-bought coconut yogurt as a starter. I have had great success using store-bought yogurt to culture raw milk so why not coconut milk!
Using and Maintaining a Strong Culture
I chose my favorite brand of coconut yogurt (the one with the greatest fermented fizz) and added 2 tablespoons to 2 cans of organic guar gum-free coconut milk. I mixed it well and let it ferment overnight on the counter with a loosely fitted lid. The next morning I stirred the cultured coconut milk until it was smooth and placed it in the refrigerator where it continued to ferment and thicken. After about 24 hours the yogurt has visible bubbles and had the pleasing effervescence that I was looking for!
I ate that jar of coconut yogurt pretty quickly over the next few days. Before I had eaten it all, I started a new batch the same way I had started the original. The next batch fermented just as well as the first and so did the next few batches after that one. I have no idea how long the continuous starter will last but if it ever fails or wanes in effectiveness I will update you on when and why (if I know).
Try These Recipes That Use Coconut Yogurt
Creamy Coconut Cauliflower Curry Soup
Probiotic Coconut Mango Lassi Popsicles
Thick Coconut Yogurt
This super culture will be the mother to many batches of thick, creamy, healthy, probiotic coconut yogurt.
Ingredients
- 2 cans (13.5 ounces each) organic coconut milk (guar gum free)
- 2 tablespoons coconut yogurt (either store bought or prevous batch)
Instructions
- Mix the coconut milk and coconut yogurt in a quart-sized jar.
- Add a loose-fitting lid and ferment at room temperature overnight.
- Stir the yogurt well and refrigerate the jar for at least 24 hours.
- Eat the yogurt in smoothies, with fruit, as a topping or dressing, and more.
- Remember to save 2 tablespoons to start your next batch!
Notes
There may be a tiny bit of separation at the bottom of the jar. This is normal and you can use the liquid portion in smoothies or just stir it back in.
Melissa
Monday 25th of November 2024
I am trying this for the first time using coconut milk from TJ and Coco June yogurt. After reading the comments, I saw that someone used coconut milk and cream from TJ. Is it safe to add cream to my current coconut milk and yogurt starter, or should I allow it to go through the full process to see what happens? I hope this makes sense, as I am new to this.
Butter For All
Thursday 28th of November 2024
Hi Melissa, I wish I'd seen this a little sooner, I do think it would be fine to add the coconut cream at any time. But to get the full benefit of the culturing I would mix it in at the beginning.
Hope you enjoy the result!
Natalie
Saturday 9th of November 2024
Can’t wait to try this! What brand of coconut yogurt did you get from the store to use as a starter?
Butter For All
Saturday 16th of November 2024
Hi Natalie! I like coconut cult or the Cocoyo brands. They seem to have the most active culture.
Merla Kreuger
Wednesday 4th of September 2024
Mine turned out kind of grainy not smooth . I used canned organic coconut milk and for the culture I used yogurt alternative from presidents choice . It didn't have the gum in it but had potato starch and pectin . Any suggestions ?
Butter For All
Friday 6th of September 2024
Hi Merla,
I would just play around with different kinds of coconut milk and different brands of coconut milk yogurt until you find one that you really like. It's hard for me to advise because they are always changing coconut milks brands and changing the formulations. The thicker the coconut milk, the better the yogurt will turn out.
I wish I could be of more help!
Diana
Wednesday 21st of August 2024
Thank you for this idea. I used organic Azure coconut cream with some Coconut Cult yogurt. After leaving it in my yoghurt maker for a day, I turned off the machine and left it sitting out on the counter for another day and a half until it turned nice and fizzy. I stirred it once or twice a day since it was separating. Now it tastes good and tangy, but it hasn't thickened at all. I will try some other brands of coconut milk.
Butter For All
Wednesday 21st of August 2024
Hi Diana,
Exactly. Some brands get thicker than others. You can also let it separate and pour off most of the liquid (reserve it for smoothies) and then stir the remaining solids and get a thicker yogurt.
Kylie
Monday 8th of July 2024
I have coconut milk but it has the guar gum in it will it still work
Kylie
Thursday 11th of July 2024
@Kylie, thank you. I made it and left it for 48hrs but it has quiet a strong coconut flavour more than yoghurt taste. I did 1 tin of milk and 1 tablespoon of Coyo greek yoghurt. Is that right or should I leave it longer. It's winter in Australia and I'm in Victoria where it has been very cold
Butter For All
Wednesday 10th of July 2024
Hi Kylie,
It will still work, but I typically try to avoid gums of all kinds.
"In Pandora’s Lunchbox, by Melanie Warner, we learn about the many “starches, gums and other ingredients” the food industry uses not only to lower sugar content, but also to replace natural ingredients and produce food cheaply. Oat fiber is added to ground beef to prevent burgers from shrinking, gums and starches help processed foods keep their shape, algae-based flour helps reduce fat, and slimy milk protein concentrate replaces real cheese in Kraft Singles. (When caught by the FDA for using this unapproved ingredient for cheese, Kraft solved the problem by changing the name of the product, from Pasteurized Processed Cheese Food to Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product.) Milk protein concentrate is imported illegally from New Zealand, but most of the gums and powders come from China. Chinese firms manufacture 60 percent of the world’s xanthan gum, two-thirds of the MSG, and 40 percent of emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners."
https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/modern-foods/our-broken-food-system/#gsc.tab=0