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.
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
Laura
Tuesday 2nd of July 2024
My husband made this for me for the first time. The only variation he made was one can of coconut milk and one can of coconut cream. I will never go back to store bought. So easy and much more economical.
Butter For All
Wednesday 10th of July 2024
Hey Laura!
You have a keeper!😉
Heather
Saturday 4th of May 2024
Hi! I made this but it didn’t turn out right. I used coconut milk without guar gum and when I added the culture to it there are chunks of the coconut oil. I used my little yogurt maker which kind of warms it so the fat melted but there was a lot of water at the bottom although it was nice and tangy. I tried to stir it/mix it well but it just made a giant raft of fat at the top over water stuff once refrigerated. I tried blending it but it ended up totally separating as I think I over did it. Any ideas of how to make the fat and water all homogenized?? Thanks!!!! Heather
Butter For All
Monday 3rd of June 2024
Hi Heather,
Unfortunately, if the fat melts it's very hard to redistribute. This can even happen with coconut milk that has separated during transit. Your best bet is to keep the coconut milk as stable as possible. If I have this problem, I typically use the runny yogurt in smoothies. Hope this is helpful!
Courtney
Nikki
Sunday 24th of March 2024
Uh oh! I screwed up from the get go - ha! I skipped the “ and ferment at room temperature overnight” and went straight to the fridge because I somehow missed that when I was reading 🤦♀️ Can I redeem it or just throw it out and start over?
Nikki
Tuesday 9th of April 2024
@Butter For All, so after my mess up, I ended up leaving it out for 2 days and oh my gosh, so amazing!!!! Thank you so much!!
Nikki
Wednesday 27th of March 2024
@Butter For All, thank you so much!!
Butter For All
Monday 25th of March 2024
Hi Nikki! It'll be just fine. Pull it out of the refrigerator and warm it in a sink full of warm water. Then leave it out for 12-24 hours until it's starting to ferment and get tangy.
Good luck!
Jordan
Monday 19th of February 2024
I tried this recipe and 2 days later my yogurt is still super runny :( I’m not sure what I did wrong.
Butter For All
Tuesday 20th of February 2024
Hi Jordan, You might need to add a little more heat to get things to firm up. Try filling your sink with warm water and submerging the jars up to the rim for several hours. If they still haven't set up, repeat this process. Let me know how it works out! Thanks for stopping by, Courtney