Babyzilla and I are allergic to dairy and soy—two of the most allergenic foods in this country. So, we’ve been looking for a suitable alternative for one of our favorite foods: Yogurt. Yesterday my first batch of coconut milk yogurt came out of the dehydrator. And it was soooo yummy. Now, every time I take some out of the fridge to eat, Babyzilla comes running over to share.
Making your own yogurt is easy, fun and money-saving! Yogurt is a very healthy, mildly fermented food which contains one or more strains of friendly gut bacteria. This fermentation process also improves the nutritional quality of any milk you use (coconut, rice, almond, cow, etc.), resulting in about 20% more protein, and lots of enzymes to help your digestion.
Babyzilla Loves Her CocoYo!
This recipe calls for canned, organic coconut milk. You can find this at Whole Foods, better grocery stores or online. However, one major drawback to buying canned coconut milk is that, like almost all canned foods, there is toxic BPA in the lining of the can which can leach into your food.
Native Forest coconut milk does not use BPA in their coconut milk cans, but they do add a bit of natural guar gum as a thickener. Another option is to get coconut milk in Tetra paks, which can be purchased from Wilderness Family Naturals. Or you can make your own using this recipe.
Note: if you make your own coconut milk, and heat it no more than 115 degrees before inoculation and fermentation, your coconut milk yogurt is considered a raw food, and will provide the maximum nutrition and digestive benefits.
You will need a yogurt starter to introduce the fermentation bacteria to the milk. If you’re casein intolerant like we are, then you can use a little So Delicious plain coconut yogurt or a non-dairy yogurt starter such as that offered by GI Pro Health. (Looks pricey, but one bottle goes a looooong way.) The easiest starter, however, is part of your last batch of homemade yogurt.
Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt
- 3 14-ounce cans organic coconut milk OR 1 liter TetraPak coconut milk OR 1 liter of homemade coconut milk (recipe here.)
- 1/4 cup So Delicious plain coconut yogurt OR 1/4 cup homemade yogurt from previous batch, OR 1/8 tsp non-dairy yogurt starter
- 1-2 Tbsp. honey or maple syrup
- Candy thermometer (very important)
- Glass or ceramic containers with lids (do not use metal). Almost anything will do, but I use these.
- Fresh organic berries, bananas, nuts, vanilla or other flavoring (optional)
- Sterilize your yogurt containers, mixing spoons and other utensils with boiling water. This will keep bad bacteria from competing with the good yogurt bacteria.
- In a saucepan, bring coconut milk to about 125 degrees, then remove from heat. (Do NOT microwave, which harmfully alters the chemical structure of the milk). Some say you don’t have to heat coconut milk very much, because it usually comes from sterile containers. At a minimum, heat the coconut milk to about 115 degrees, then go on to the next step.
- Cover and cool to about 100-105 degrees. It is very important that you allow the temperature to drop so as not to kill the bacterial culture you are now ready to introduce.
- Remove about 1/2 cup of cooled coconut milk, and add either 1/4 cup of So Delicious plain coconut yogurt or 1/8 tsp. of yogurt starter. You can use 1/4 cup of your homemade yogurt as a starter for the next batch. Stir well.
- Mix the inoculated batch back in with the remainder of the cooled coconut milk, add maple syrup or honey and stir thoroughly. The sweetener provides food for the bacterial culture.
- Pour milk into any appropriately sized shallow glass or enamel container, cover and let stand at 95-105 degrees for 24 hours, to a maximum of 29 hours.
- To keep the correct temperature for the culture, I use my Excalibur dehydrator set at 100 degrees, and place the containers on the bottom, away from the heating element. You can also use a temperature-adjustable heating pad, or put a 60-Watt bulb in your oven and leave the light on. No other heat is needed. Remember, too high a temperature will kill the bacterial culture; too low of a temperature will prevent proper fermentation. You will know you have done it right by the proper yogurt-sour smell and taste.
- After 24-29 hours, remove from heat and refrigerate. Homemade yogurt is usually thinner than commercial varieties that have added thickeners like carageenan, but it will thicken up a bit once cooled.
- Once fully cooled, you can stir in a puree of fresh berries or other fruit, vanilla, nuts, coffee extract, or any other flavoring you desire.
- Enjoy daily for maximum health benefit!
This post is part of Fight Back Fridays hosted by Food Renegade!
{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for this recipe! I used to make a ton of whole fat yogurt for my so until I discovered he was allergic to both milk and soy. He is okay with store bought coconut milk yogurt so I’d love to make it at home for him. With regular milk yogurt, I used to incubate for ~7 hours but I noticed your instructions call for 24-29 hours. Does it really require that long? My yogurt machine has a timer so I’ll have to reset it halfway through.
Thanks for your comment! I have found that it indeed takes at least 12 hours to ferment the coconut milk to a true yogurt, but you can test it yourself and take some out early to see what works for you. The beauty of fermented food is that it is both an art and a science. Enjoy!
My first batch was way too watery. There may be two culprits (1) I used my son’s probiotic powder which didn’t work so I will invest in GI Pro Starter. (2) You specified 95-105 degrees for incubation but I used my Euro Cuisine YM100 yogurt machine which heats up to temperatures of 104°F – 118°F (which is PERFECT for milk based yogurt). My machine works really well with Euro Cuisine Yogurt Starter and YoGourmet Yogurt Starter, but I’m wondering if it is too hot for probiotics? Any advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated!
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I recently made the jump to no dairy after making my own yogurt for years. Is the sweetner absolutely necessary when using coconut milk? I am also trying to cut out ALL sweetners – even honey, agave, stevia, etc.
A couple of hints I’d like to share:
#1: I use a “trouble light” in my oven – with a 75-watt light bulb. Between that and the oven light itself, it maintains a perfect 110 -115 degrees. I don’t know what I’ll do when incandescent bulbs are finally illegal!!
#2: The starter will grow weaker with subsequent batches. I spoon out 2-tablespoon dollops onto a cookie sheet, freeze them and store in a zip-loc baggie. You sacrifice about 8 ounces of yogurt this way but can use it as starter for about 10 subsequent batches! When you run out of the original frozen dollops, start another batch with new starter.
Indeed, the added real sugar is absolutely necessary for coconut milk yogurt. Milk is already full of sugar–lactose–which is what the probiotic bacteria feed on, which ferments the yogurt. Coconut milk has very little of its own sugar, so you need to add a bit extra to feed the bacteria and get it to ferment. Nearly all of the honey or maple syrup (DON’T use agave for this!) you use will have been consumed by the bacteria by the time you eat the yogurt though, so don’t worry!
Thanks for commenting!!
I just started trying this and my first batch was a complete disaster. I was so concerned with keeping the milk at the right temperature and letting it sit long enough to get thick that I went overkill. I think I killed most of the bugs and it got very tart. I was also experimenting with stevia and added too much. However, after some more reseach I have overcome those problems.
To keep the right temperature, I put my two quart jars wrapped in towels inside a stock pot. I also add the water I used to sterilize the milk jars since still warm in two other quart jars wrapped in towels. (the bottom of the stock pot also is lined with a towel) I put the lid on the pot and place it in my oven after removing all but one rack placed on the lowest shelf. To monitor the temperature inside the pot, I use a meat thermometer that has a cord plugged into the outside unit. This keeps my yogurt about 108F for at least 12 hours. If you are having trouble keeping the temperature up you can turn on the light.
To tackle the thickness issue I added Konjac flour to the 4 cans of coconut milk to act as a thickner. I used 3 teaspoons. I am still trying to perfect the best addition method to avoid lumps, but after my last batch had cooled in the fridge I put it all in the food processor. The result was awesome. It became very creamy with no lumps.
The Konjac flour is also food for the probiotics and is 100% soluble fiber. It is a great way to add extra fiber. I used just 3 pinches of stevia for the 4 cans of coconut milk. Now I just pull out what I want to eat and flavor it with one of my many extracts. Orange Creamcicle is my favorite. My husband and 4-year old son also love it.
I hope this helps and I hope to see more tips from people as I continue to perfect my process.
Thanks for sharing your tips! Fermentation is as much an art as a science…
You can also use pectin, agar agar or young coconut meat to thicken the yogurt, blending it like you did with the konjac to remove lumps before refrigeration.
Best,
Dawn
Small Footprint Mama
Here’s a link on how to make fresh coconut milk. There are also pages on opening coconuts and removing the meat: http://www.thenaughtyvegan.com/how-to-make-coconut-milk.htm
I am looking forward to trying this recipe, and am familiar with wilderness family naturals, but their coconut milk tetra pak has casein added… Has this been a problem for you?
Wilderness Naturals has been out of stock on the tetra pak for so long now that I either make my own from mature coconut meat or I use Native Forest coconut milk, which comes in a BPA-free can! Happy fermenting!!
-Dawn
I am very interested in trying this. Do you think if I use my crock pot instead of my oven, it would still work? I could put the jars on some towels so they are not directly on the warm surface. What are your thoughts?
My little one has CRAZY food allergies but I can’t afford to continue to purchase the $2.00 a carton coconut yogurt! I hope I can get the recipe to work for me!
A crockpot will work great. Just check the temp of your yogurt to make sure it doesn’t exceed the maximum temp, or your bacterial culture will die. Babyzilla has crazy food allergies too, which is why I learned to make coconut milk yogurt in the first place, so I sympathize. Good luck and enjoy the cocoyo!
-Dawn
could I make this in a yogurt maker? I have never made yogurt and it seems very intensive. Does the yogurt maker make the process easier?
A yogurt maker simply holds the cultured milk (which, I believe, you still have to boil, cool and culture on the stovetop) at a constant and correct temp for fermenting. A dehydrator, a cold oven with the light on, a heating pad or even a jar of hot water inside a cooler will work as well as a yogurt maker to keep your cultured milk at about 100 for a day or so.
You can also buy cultures from Cultures for Health that will make yogurt at room temp on your countertop (though be advised that they contain dairy).
Once you’ve done it once or twice, you’ll see that yogurt is quite easy and fun to make, and really doesn’t even require a recipe once you know how…
Best to you,
Dawn @ Small Footprint Family
Thank yyou for the response. I need to order the non dairy yogurt started you recommended and get that yogurt maker. Thanks so much I can not wait!!
That recipe sounds great and those pictures make it look so good.
I tried this and just took it out of the fridge to test it. I THINK it worked right, it tastes sour like yogurt, but there is the slightest hint of another flavor and smell that seems like it might be off. How do you know if it’s safe to eat? I don’t often eat plain yogurt (especially coconut milk yogurt) either, so I could just be super sensitive to all the flavors…thoughts?
Thanks for your comment, Sara!
Chances are everything is just fine, but use your best judgment. Usually the smell is really off if the yogurt is not good, which can happen if you heat it too high. (I’ve done that). Add a little honey, crushed fruit and see what you think. It will not be as thick or as smooth as commercial yogurt, but I think you will enjoy it.
-Dawn
If anything, the heat was too low. I used just the light in my oven, which doesn’t bother my sourdough starter, so it can’t be more than 100. Seems like it’s probably fine. We’ll try it! Thanks!
I am in the process of exploring whether or not I’m having trouble with dairy – I’m going to start an elimination diet. So, I was happy to find this post. I **hope** that it’s not dairy that’s causing the problem, but if it is then so be it.
I tried making dairy yogurt in the CrockPot and it was a real flop. So, I appreciate the details you’ve given here. I also love how you take such good care of your baby – just so cute!!
Even if you continue to enjoy dairy, I hope you’ll enjoy coconut milk yogurt on its own merit as another probiotic, nutritious bit of yumminess in your diet!
Babyzilla has a lot of food sensitivities, so making things she can and will eat is always the challenge and joy.
Best,
Dawn
I’m excited to try making coconut yogurt. I’m just trying to find a way to keep at about 100 degrees using whatever I have around the house. I do have a dehydrator- how do you use it to keep the yogurt warm? Do you use fruit leather trays and pour the milk on? Or am I completely off?
You would take a few trays out and put your covered glass yogurt containers on the floor of the dehydrator near the front (not near the heating unit). (This only works with an Excalibur-type dehydrator that looks like a small oven). You can use a heating pad with a thermostat too. Best, Dawn
Oh, I haven’t seen this type of dehydrator. I have a round tower-type. That’s why I was confused. : ) Thanks!
I need this, stat.
Ooh, I think I will mix half coconut milk and dairy next time, it sounds heavenly.
Coconut milk yogurt is naturally thinner than store-bought yogurt, and is often thin enough to be drinkable.
The way nondairy yogurt can be thickened (without the guar gum, tapioca starch, etc. used in store-bought nondairy yogurts) is to use powdered pectin (if you can tolerate it), pureed young coconut meat, agar agar, or other natural thickeners until it is as thick as you want it to be.
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