Like many people these days, Babyzilla and I are allergic to cow and goat dairy, soy and most nuts—each one of the most allergenic foods in the world. So, we’ve been looking for a suitable alternative for one of our favorite probiotic-rich foods: Yogurt.
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 that can help your digestion. Making your own yogurt is easy, fun, delicious, and cheap—often costing less than 30 cents a cup!
Most people use canned, organic coconut milk for this recipe. 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
Another option is to get coconut milk in Tetra paks or cartons. So Delicious® is a very good brand, but you should know their products contain natural guar gum, carageenan, and fortified vitamins and minerals, if that presents an allergy or digestive problem for you. You can also find coconut milk flash-frozen or in Tetra paks at any good Asian grocery store.
For the freshest, most nutritious results—not to mention saving some money—it’s easy to make your own coconut milk using either dry, shredded coconut with this recipe, or mature, whole coconuts with this recipe. (Once you make it fresh, you may never use canned again!)
You will need a yogurt starter culture to introduce the fermentation bacteria to the milk. If you’re casein intolerant like we are, then you can use a non-dairy yogurt starter such as that offered by Cultures for Health or GIProHealth. You can also use 2-3 capsules of any high-quality, dairy-free probiotic that contains L. bulgaricus, S. themophilus and L. casei.
UPDATE: There are LOTS of great tips in the comments section that can help answer almost any question you might have about making coconut yogurt. Fermentation is both an art and a science, and there is lots of wisdom below.
Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt
- Yogurt maker, box-style dehydrator, cooler with a programmable heating pad, or other means of maintaining an exact temperature of 110 degrees F.
- Candy thermometer (Very important)
- Glass or ceramic containers with lids (Do not use metal.) I use these leakproof containers
for easy lunchbox packing.
- 3 cans organic coconut milk OR 1 liter TetraPak coconut milk OR 1 liter of homemade coconut milk (recipe here or here)
- 1/4 tsp. non-dairy yogurt starter/probiotic (Vegetal non-dairy yogurt starter is our latest favorite.) OR 2-3 dairy-free probiotic pills
- 1-2 Tbsp. honey, maple syrup OR coconut sap
- 1-2 tsps. unflavored grassfed beef gelatin, agar agar
, tapioca flour, pectin, etc. OR 1-2 cups puréed young coconut meat (Optional if you want thick yogurt fast. Otherwise you can drip it to desired thickness.)
- Fresh organic berries, bananas, nuts, vanilla or other flavorings (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 180 degrees F, then remove from heat. Do NOT boil the milk; watch it closely. (Do NOT microwave, which harmfully alters the chemical structure of the milk). You want to get the milk just hot enough to sterilize it. Your coconut milk must reach 180 degrees or you risk contamination with Burkholderia cocovenenans or other harmful bacteria.
- If you are using a quick thickener like tapioca or gelatin, while the milk is still very hot, thoroughly dissolve and mix it into your batch. You will need to experiment a little to find the exact amount of thickener for your taste. (If you are not using a thickener, you can drip the yogurt to desired thickness, but this takes 6-12 hours. See step 11.)
- Add maple syrup or honey and stir thoroughly. The sweetener provides food for the bacterial culture and will be mostly consumed by the time your yogurt is done. Without a natural form of sugar, coconut milk will not culture.
- Cover and cool to 95-100 degrees. If the milk is too hot, it will kill the bacterial culture you are going to introduce. It takes a fair amount time to cool to 100, so go do something else in the house for a while.
- Remove about 1/2 cup of cooled coconut milk, and mix in your starter culture. Stir well.
- Thoroughly mix the inoculated batch back in with the remainder of the cooled coconut milk.
- Pour cultured milk into your yogurt maker jars, or any glass or enamel containers that work for you. Cover and ferment at 105-110 degrees for 7-9 hours. The longer you ferment the yogurt, the less sugar it will contain and the more sour it will taste. Check for taste at 7 hours, but note that if you want all the sugar to be fully consumed by the bacteria, you will need to ferment for at least 8 hours. Some people ferment as long as 18-24 hours!
- To keep the correct temperature for the culture, I use my Excalibur dehydrator set at about 105 degrees, and place the containers on the bottom, away from the heating element. You can also use a temperature-adjustable heating pad or crockpot, 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 7–9 hours, remove from heat, stir to an even consistency and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
- If you DID NOT use a thickener like agar agar, pectin or gelatin, then you can now thicken your yogurt the old fashioned way: Pour the yogurt into a cheesecloth or a nut milk bag and let it drip for 6-12 hours over a bowl in a cool area. The longer you let it drip, the thicker it will become. What drips out is coconut water, not whey, so add the liquid to a smoothie or discard. Carefully scrape the thickened yogurt from the bag into a jar. (Messy!) Cover and refrigerate.
- If your yogurt separates after chilling, either stir it briskly with a spoon, or whip it with a stick blender for a light and fluffy treat.
- Stir in fresh berries or other fruit, vanilla, nuts, coffee extract, or any other flavoring you desire. Or simply enjoy plain!
- Enjoy daily for maximum health benefit!
TROUBLESHOOTING:
- Your yogurt should smell and taste sour—like yogurt. If you notice any “off” or foul odors, mold, or hints of grey or pink on the surface, throw it out and try again. This suggests the equipment was not thoroughly sterilized, or that the starter culture died from temps too high or too low, and foreign “bad” bacteria colonized the batch.
- Coconut yogurt initially comes out much thinner than cow’s milk yogurt, but there are two ways to thicken it: Add a dissolved thickener like pectin, gelatin, agar agar, etc. to your milk before fermentation, or after it is done fermenting, drip all the liquid out of your yogurt the old fashioned way using a cheesecloth, cotton or nut milk bag. This guide to thickening yogurt makes it more clear.
- Once fully cooled, your yogurt may separate again, with some of the coconut oil hardening on top and a clear or cloudy liquid on the bottom. This happens especially with homemade coconut milk which hasn’t been homogenized and emulsified with factory machinery. This is usually not a problem, as long as everything else smells and tastes OK. Just mix well with a spoon or stick blender, and enjoy.
UPDATE: There are TONS of tips, tricks and advice from readers in the comments section below that will answer just about any question you could have about making coconut milk yogurt. Please check them out!
This post is part of Seasonal Celebration Sunday, Make Your Own Monday, Made by You Mondays, Homestead Barn Hop, Frugal Tuesday Tips, Frugal Days, Sustainable Ways, Whole Food Wednesday, Wicked Awesome Wednesday, Allergy Free Wednesdays, Your Green Resource, Allergy Free Lunchbox Love, Fight Back Fridays, Freaky Fridays, and the Probiotic Challenge Linky!
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{ 143 comments… read them below or add one }
could i ferment the yogurt in the oven at the 110C??or now its so hot around here…to let it outside?hmm….thank you.
Most people do not have ovens that can be set as low as 110 Fahrenheit (NOT Celcius). You will need to keep the temperature constant, which you can do with a heating pad in a cooler, a cold oven with just the incandescent light on, some types of crockpots, a box-type dehydrator or a yogurt maker. Outside, you won’t be able to control the culture. This is where your candy thermometer comes in handy.
yogurt success! 3 tablespoons of ball pectin did the trick (when the milk was at its hottest point 180 and it dissolve immediately) and my yogurt came out thick and creamy! i’m so excited! this is my 4th time trying and if i didn’t get it right this time i was going to pack up my yogurt maker and give it a break. yeay 3tbs of pectin.
YAY! I’m so happy it worked out!
This recipe, is great, thanks! (Much easier to follow then the others I’ve seen) I am on the SCD diet, and can’t tolerate dairy, so I followed your recipe a week ago and it worked great (it separated since it was homemade coconut milk, but was fine). This time, I did the same, followed the directions, using gelatin as the thickener while the milk was warm, and proceded … but, it didn’t firm up like last time. It’s still very watery. Advice, tips? Is there any salvaging this? Do I trash it and start over?
Sometimes batches don’t work out, but as long as it is not spoiled and has no pink or gray mold, you can always make a smoothie! Or you can drip it thicker using a nutmilk bag or fine cheesecloth. Fermenting is a bit of an art as well as a science, so it’s hard to say what you did differently from the first time to the second time without having been there. Make sure your gelatin was fully dissolved, well mixed in, and in the same quantity as you used the first time. Best to you!
If you’re not using a thickener, the recipe says you can add fresh coconut meat. When does that get added?
Mix smoothly puréed, fresh coconut meat into your cooled coconut milk right before you add the bacterial culture. Best to you!
agar flakes just dont like me…at all! they once again swelled up n did not dissolve luckily i didnt do it in the whole batch and strained the flakes out. i use my gound up tapioca perals but still too runny. this weekend i’ ll try pectin. 3 tbls right? i may use 4-5 i am so frustrated with my 3 watery yogurt batches! i must pick up some cheese cloth just in case. in the mean time bottoms up to runny yogurt.
The first time I used pectin, my yogurt was as firm as Jello, which was a little too thick! It is tricky to dissolve, so I used a stick blender to make sure it was completely mixed in after dissolving it thoroughly into a cup of hot milk. Good luck!
thanks for the quick reply dawn. i will try it today. any suggestions on how much water or milk i should use. i will be using eden agar flakes n the package says to use 1 cup of water for 1 1/2 TBS of flakes. i dont my yogurt to come out too runny…as it has the past two times. and which would be better water or the coconut milk. thanks again.
Coconut milk is definitely a better choice than water if you can do it! I’ve had my best luck thickening with pectin and gelatin, but you really need to dissolve it well first, then mix it thoroughly into the culture. If even after dissolving well, it is too runny (give it a go in the fridge for a while first as it is always runny when warm), you can then drip it through a fine cheesecloth or nutmilk bag to make it thicker so it is not lost. You can also use it like kefir in smoothies. Best!
I want to try this recipe with agar flakes (not powder, i could’t find it). i put the flakes in my blender they got a little finer but not powdery. and when i was ready to dissolve it i guess i did not use enough water and it gel and made my yogurt have little gel pieces in it…yuk. so my question is does it really dissolve better by putting it in the warm/hot coconut milk rather than trying to dissolve in in water and then adding it in. i really want to get it right this will be my 3rd time trying. first i tried with tapioca peals and that didn’t dissolve well at all then agar flakes also a bust. i think i’m not dissolving the thickers in enough hot liquid. please help. TIA
Ah, yes, you must dissolve into hot liquid. It can be water or milk, but it must be hot. Mix your thickener up thoroughly until totally dissolved in a separate bowl and only then then mix it thoroughly into the batch. Tapioca pearls are NOT supposed to dissolve, so use tapioca starch or flour instead of pearls, if using tapioca. To be truly fool-proof, drip the yogurt until it is thick, and use the remaining coconut water in a smoothie.
Thanks for posting this recipe! My son used to devour yogurt before we went dairy-free, but I haven’t given him any since we went off dairy because the only dairy- and soy-free yogurts I could find had sugar in them. I’d really like to try this out. I pinned it here: http://pinterest.com/pin/91690542383634575/
I made it after reading all the comments. I used Pectin and added a bit more than the recipe called for since most said theirs was thin. Mine was a bust. It was no thicker than the milk I started from.
I fed it to the dogs. It really wasn’t inexpensive to try to make it, as someone commented. $2 for the C-milk Tetra Pak, $7 for the Pectin, $12 for the vegan starter.
I have a question though- there has to be a different recipe for canned coconut vs. the Tetra Pak milk because the Tetra Pak has a lot of water added to it to make it drinkable. This would explain the thin consistency of most of the yogurts. Any comments on that? Thanks
No matter what you do, it will be thinner coming out of the heat, and you will need to chill it to get it thicker. However, if you are using watered down “drinking” coconut milk from a tetra pak (not all brands are watered down for drinking), then you will need to either drip it thick like old-fashioned yogurt, or use it like kefir in smoothies.
If you have access to Asian food store, you will find 100% coconut milk, it says that on the carton. I live in Thailand which are available in most supermarkets,Thais use it to make curry and desserts, and thousands other things. Thais put coconut meat, water, milk in everything. And we have more coconut trees than Thai population. I used to live in the States, and I am sure this item is available there also for the Asian community.
I can’t wait to try this out. It sounds delicious! Since I am not allergic to anything, I think that I will try it with a yogurt from the store as a starter culture. I put your blog post on my blog so other people can try it out too.
After you make your first batch, can you use some of that as your starter for the next batch? That is how I make cow’s milk yogurt, and it works perfectly!
Yes, absolutely! However, if you are using the Vegetal culture, you will probably need to add some more as it doesn’t re-inoculate a new batch very well.
I’ve been trying to make coconut yogurt for some time now, specifically for my son who has a mild form of PKU and needs a lower-protein option. This is the first recipe that I’ve found that somewhat works. I am using tapioca flour as the thickener because it is what I have on hand. I added 2 tsp the first time, and it came out so runny that I have to give it to my 2 year old with a straw. (and it had a few little chunks in it) I just started my second batch, and I took out about a cup of the hot yogurt, dissolved 2 tbsp of flour in it, and stirred it back into the batch. As I was putting it into the cups with a turkey baster, I had trouble because of all of the chunks where the flour “fell out.” Any tips on how to dissolve the thickener better?
You might want to thoroughly dissolve the flour in a minimum of hot water before adding it to the yogurt, blend it in with a stick blender, or perhaps skip the added thickener and just drip the yogurt to your desired thickness. Best to you and your son!!
Amy, let me know if you have any luck. I have also been looking for foods/alternatives for my son with PKU.
WOW! have just eaten my first ever pot of this yoghurt after making my first ever batch last night. Turned out perfectly smooth, creamy, tart and sweet (as I added a bit more honey), white and delicious!!!!!!!!!!! No seperation or anything, and I think all the comments here helped me so much- I read them all before I started.I purchased a yolife yogurt maker and the yolife non-dairy starter sachet. I also added 1 dairy-free probiotic pill just for good luck. I was a bit over-the-top with sterilising all equiptment-because I REALLY wanted it to work out first time. I used honey to feed bacteria and sweeten and agar agar to thicken and it is everything I always wanted and imagined cocoyo should be!!!!!
Thank you thankyou thankyou thankyou from Gluten, Dairy, Egg, Soy, Citrus free Mummy and 2 Babies!!!!!!! slice of heaven!
Just made my first batch of yoghurt, used a milk starter topped up with coconut milk, I added a sachet of coconut milk powder and some raw honey, soon delicious, very thick and sweet, more like pudding! Had no idea you can get a non dairy starter ( I have a dairy free child who really misses yoghurt!) will have to look it up and try and get some, hopefully adding the coconut milk powder will thicken that also, here’s hoping!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. New to GAPS, I found your coconut milk recipe the easiest and best lay-out of my other google choices.
I’ve made cow’s milk yogurt for years. I just add the culture when the milk has cooled, and then cover with a down jacket or doona in the summer, adding a hot water bottle in winter. Overnite perfection.
I’ll be back to look around your delightful site.;-)
Thank you and welcome to SFF!
This looks so delicious and though I really like yogurt I bet this is even more delicious. Thanks for sharing it with us at Whole Food Wednesday. I hope to see you again this week
This looks amazing, thank you! I just got a yogurt maker and culture from Cultures for Health and tried my first batch yesterday. The verdict? Hemp milk does not work! At least not the kind I can buy here, so I’m off to experiment with different milks. I will definitely be trying your recipe!
Consider that maybe hemp milk will work, you just need to add a little bit of sugar (cane sugar, maple syrup, honey, etc) for the bacteria to feast on, like in this coconut milk recipe.
I was thinking about making 2 quarts at a time in a 9×13 glass casserole dish with its cover for the fermentation part of the process in my warming drawer which I can set to 110 degrees. I have not ever made any yogurt before and was just wondering if this shallow of a dish is ok and do I need to set it in a towel so as not to cook it?
As long as the temperature of the yogurt does not exceed 105-110, you should be ok. Whatever it takes to keep it right there should work; any higher and you’ll kill your culture. You might want to experiment with a smaller batch until you are sure your incubation method works. Good luck!
I have a yogurt maker, I used to use reg. milk till I found out I was allergic to it. I used to use plain greek yogurt as my starter. Can I use plain yogurt made with coconut milk as a starter, and make it the same way as I did with reg. milk? Thanks, Holly
I have had varying success with using store-bought coconut yogurt as a starter. After a lot of trial and error over the years, I find the Vegetal culture to be the most reliable starter I’ve used.
Can you do the first step of heating in the crock pot? When I make regular cow milk yogurt my recipe is on low for 2.5 hrs. turn off, then cooling for 3 hrs. add culture and wrap a towel around it for the 7-8 hrs.
I have no experience with doing it this way, so you’ll have to experiment. What fun!! If your crockpot will take the milk to 180 degrees and NOT boiling, then you should be able to do it. 180 degrees is KEY to sterilizing the milk, which is crucial with coconut milk. Good luck!
Thanks for commenting and for the connection to your blog. I’ve joined your hop and can’t wait to see what others share too! Good luck on your yogurt!
YUM!! Now i am reading on how to make it thicker! It was almost like kefir, drinkable yogurt, but SO delicious! My son is gobbling it up, tomorrow is my 2nd batch!
You can drip the liquid out of it old-school style, or you can add a thickener like gelatin, tapioca, pectin, etc. whichever you prefer! I’m so glad you and your son like it!!
Any idea how long this will stay good in the refrigerator?
About a week or two, like store-bought. Thanks for commenting!
I’ve seen your recipe before and have it in my queue but haven’t gotten up the nerve to try it yet. My husband and I were just talking this morning about the high amount of sugar in the commercial coconut yogurt. I told him that I really need to just strap on my boots and give it a whirl. Thanks for sharing this at Allergy-Free Wednesdays!
Fermentation seems daunting to a lot of people. This is so cheap to make, you have little to lose, even if for some reason your first batch doesn’t come out right. Be sure to read the comments to get some good tips before you begin! Best to you!
This looks so yummy! Thank you for linking to Wicked Awesome Wednesday!
Oh my gosh. Amazing. I can’t wait to try this. When I make cow’s milk yogurt, I use yogurt as the starter. Would that work with this, do you think? (…I know, I know… we’re all asking you crazy questions, like you’re the fermenting expert!) Or can I not combine dairy with coconut milk?
Stopping by from Made by You Monday…
You can certainly use a dairy culture as a starter for coconut milk! Most people choose to make coconut milk yogurt because they are allergic to dairy like we are, so I’ve included instructions only on how to make it 100% dairy-free. However, if you are not allergic, homemade cow’s milk yogurt would make a great starter.
You can certainly use a dairy yogurt culture to make coconut milk yogurt. Since most people make it because they are allergic to dairy, I did not include this in the article. Not all dairy yogurt cultures will work on coconut milk, so you’ll have to experiment a little.
Thanks for stopping by!
I have been looking everywhere for a recipe for homemade coconut yogurt-so happy I found this recipe and your site!
Me too! Welcome!
Do I need to use a store bought culture for each batch, or can I save one container from the homemade yogurt to culture the next batch (like I do for dairy yogurt).
If you use the Vegetal or GI Pro Health non-dairy cultures, you will need to add some to each new batch. The packages go a loooong way though.
If you use a dairy-based culture or the right probiotic pills, you can save some yogurt to reinoculate your next batch. This will work 5-6 times before you need new starter.
I am brand new to the yogurt making world and I tried this recipe last night. It seems to have worked, although pretty thin. My questions: 1) I used agar agar and the flakes are still present in the yogurt. Is this how it is supposed to work? 2) How do you know if you’ve killed the live cultures with too high of a temp during incubation? I used a water bath in crockpot and even on low it got up to almost 120 at times. Overnight I turned the crockpot off, wrapped it in a towel and put it in a cooler so the temp wouldn’t stay so high. Other ideas for incubating? My oven doesn’t go that low and doesn’t have a light and we have no woodstove or radiator. Thanks for any advice. I appreciate it!
1) You definitely want to dissolve your thickener into the hot milk while it is hot. Alternatively, you can dissolve your thickener in a little boiling water, just enough to dissolve it, and then cool it and mix it into the yogurt. 2) If your temps were too hot, you simply won’t have yogurt. It will spoil instead of ferment. Any off flavors or colors indicate spoilage.
If u use So Delicious boxed coconut milk, do u need to add the sugar/honey? The boxed milk already contains 7g sugar per cup, thus wouldn’t that be enough to feed the starter?
Also, is it advisable to use BOTH the 1/4c commercial coyo plus the gipro health starter (to get more beneficial bacteria in there and hopefully make the yogurt thicker)? Or would this not be good?
Lastly, would it be advisable to add in EXTRA probiotics along with the starter? I have some powdered probiotics (I have Custom Brand 11-strain and Klaire Lab’s 12 strain powders), along with the GIPro Health starter….would this help to produce a more “well-rounded” yogurt with more beneficial strains…and would it make it thicker?
Thanks!
The sugar added to So Delicious coconut milk is probably enough for the culture, but you’ll have to experiment. It is advisable to use the best probiotic strains you have that are able to culture coconut milk, such as GI Pro Yogurt Starter or another batch of yogurt. The starter must contain at least L. bulgaricus, S. themophilus and L. casei.
Adding a lot of strains or more quantity of probiotics is a waste of money, since if there isn’t enough food for them, or if they are not cultures that will grow in sweetened coconut milk, they will just die.
Coconut milk yogurt is ALWAYS thin, and naturally more like kefir, unless you add a thickener like gelatin, guar gum, etc. Probiotics will not change this. Good luck!
I tried it but my yogurt did not taste sour at all. It was just as sweet as before I cultured it. I have been making cow’s milk yogurt at home so I know how to make yogurt. I am just trying to make some coconut milk yogurt for my wife while she is on a dairy free diet for a few months. Can anyone tell me what might be the problem?
Hi, I’m in New Zealand and you can not get alot here for dairy free diets. I have 2 boys both who are dairy and finding anything for them to ‘snacke’ on is horrible. We are a country of dairy, our culture is wrapped up in it so getting out of that and thinking up non-dairy ideas is hard. I am so excited to find this page and am hoping I’ll be able to find stuff to try it out. I know we can get agar agar powder here (although the only place I know of that sells it no long exists due to the Christchurch earthquake!) and I have diary-free probiotics in the fridge so I guess I’ll start there. Has anyone tried it with rice milk? Is it possible? We have our older boy on rice milk so have plenty in supply.
Hi there Anna, were you referring to Piko that got wrecked cos of the quake? Because Piko is back up and running on Stanmore road, and also another organic and whole foods shop in Chch which is bigger and has other verieties (imported products also as wewll as local) is Liberty market on the corner of Fitzgerald and Moorhouse Aves,.You can get agar agar at both. hugs and hope this helps. PS post how you got on with rice milk yog- we are all dairy free here too and would love another option! keen to experiment but would love to hear how you get on x
Ok well…this did not turn out right but I did enjoy learning to make coconut milk from scratch and my son now has a new “bra” from the shells (lol…don’t ask!) The yogurt didn’t gel, it was very thin. Not sure where I went wrong. It tasted right and I am using it in recipes anyway. The leftover coconut from the milk got baked into oatmeal cookies. So not a total success but not a total failure either.
Coconut milk yogurt is always thin, usually almost as thin as it was before you cultured it! You weren’t specific about whether you added gelatin, pectin or some other thickener, but I would start by adding some (or adding more) on the next batch. Glad it wasn’t a total loss!
Just a quick question regarding containers. You mention not using metal in your instructions. Are you referring to the lids or the containers themselves? I would like to use small canning jars with metal lids, would this work? Thanks!
Reactive metals like copper and aluminum are NOT recommended for culturing or fermenting foods. Canning jars have lids that can be reactive, but, more importantly, they are lined with toxic BPA. (Yes, all canning jar lids have BPA!) I use the plastic BPA-free screw-tops for the canning jars that I use for storage, or I use another glass container with a BPA-free plastic lid.
thanks a million! I started making my own dairy yogurt last year, but I must have a milk allergy because having it every day caused me to get a very phlemgy throat all day long, gross. So I tried making almond milk yogurt following the same recipe and it didn’t turn out at all. I had no idea using almond milk or coconut milk needs sugar! I personally don’t like almond milk, so I can’t wait to try it with coconut milk. and thanks so much for the recipes on making my own coconut milk!!!
p.s. I also have an Excaliber and used to make 3 gallons of dairy yogurt at a time! I love that thing!
Hi! I’m going to try making this for my family. Thank you so much for the hand holding. We are starting a full GAPS/low oxalate diet soon and I’m so nervous! We should be doing anticandida/GAPS/low oxalate but were just baby stepping our way into that. I have a question about the coconut yogurt. Can I just use our probiotic (VSL #3) and no culture? I wasn’t sure if the pb could be done alone or should be done in combination with a dairy free yogurt culture. I’m sure you’re busy, but figured I’d try for your advice. Thank you again for your wonderful tutorial.
I have not used VSL #3 to culture yogurt and am not familiar with what strains of bacteria it contains. I would make a small batch and give it a try!
Hi Dawn
My yoghurt maker suggests that if your (dairy) yoghurt is too thin, it may be because not enough starter was used. So, I am wondering then if using more starter/probiotic with coconut milk yoghurt would do the trick of trying to thicken it up without having to add other thickeners. Or would it have other undesirable effects?
Coconut yogurt is naturally pretty thin, no matter how much starter you use. This is why companies like So Delicious add thickeners. You can thicken it up with coconut meat, gelatin, pectin, agar agar, Irish moss, tapioca, etc.
Thank you for this helpful article! My son is 8 mo old, and I wanted to make coconut milk yogurt for him as he seems to be sensitive to dairy. Your recipe is the best one I could find online. I bought a yogurt maker, used organic coconut milk with 1 tbsp of agar agar and Prohealth probiotic, and farmented for 22 hrs. It turned our a bit too sour for my liking, perhaps I should do shorter time.
A couple of questions….
- I know children under 1 yr old should avoid honey, but is it okay to use it for farmentation? I used Agave as I feared using honey.
- I noticed some chunky coconut milk bits in the yogurt after refrigerating over night. (I stirred the yogurt after farmentation as it separated in the process….). Is this normal?
Thanks!
I would use another sweetener for a baby, like maple syrup or coconut sap, etc. It’s normal for all types of yogurt to separate; as long as it smells fine, just stir and enjoy!
My incubator is a styrofoam cooler lined with a heating pad. The low setting maintains an even 110 degrees (though others may vary – test it out with a candy thermometer). Cut a notch to accommodate the cord for a tight seal. Be sure to fold a small towel under the jars so it doesn’t ‘cook’.
I make mine into a thick tapioca first then put the coconut yogurt in and in the dehydrator at 105 overnight. In the morning it’s great and still has thick consistancy.
Do you use tapioca starch in the coconut milk while heating to make it thick?
Coconut cultured. So delicious does work with coconut milk but you have to do it a little different. . It works for me, but I have to make it tapioca first.
I make it with frozen coconut milk or boxed equivelent to 2 cans or about a quart is my favorite due to no sodium metabisulfite, I add tapioca starch 3 table spoons , tapioca 3 tablespoons, and rice starch 1 table spoon leave for about 1/2 hour to soak. I cook it below about 180 until thickened and then I add so delicious cultured coconut. And at 105 put in a dehydrator for 10-12 hours.
You mention tapioca starch and regular tapioca. Do you use small pearls? Do they dissolve? I can’t have grains of any kind so will need to omit the rice starch and possibly add a little more tapioca starch?
Thanks so much! I made it the same way I used to make cow milk yogurt when I was living in India… just heated it to a little under 100, added some starter (in this case I used vanilla soy yogurt, thanks for the tip), and bundled it in a blanket to keep it warm for 6hrs or so. Scrumptious! I’m absolutely thrilled to be able to give my dairy-intolerant 5-yr old yogurt again! So exciting!
I followed the link for the non-dairy yogurt starter and they indicate that it does not work for coconut milk
Since I first published the link, they have amended their page to say their culture doesn’t work on coconut milk yogurt. That’s too bad, I was hoping to buy from them when my bottle of a discontinued brand ran out.
It’s challenging to find a totally non-dairy yogurt starter that works, but I know many people have had success (including me) simply using a couple capsules of over-the-counter casein-free probiotics that contain several species of lactobacilli. Best to you!
Hi Karen,
A very good yogurt starter is made by GI prohealth and called GI prostart. We are totally casein free and using this starter with very good results. Works for goats milk yogurt, all nut yogurts, and coconut yogurt too.
http://www.giprohealth.com/giprostart.aspx.
Hope this helps!
Hi, interesting advice and hints. I recently purchased an Easiyo yogurt maker without purchasing their ready made packets they say you must use with it. I was hoping to use it with a Tetra Pak coconut milk I get here in the UK. However, my first attempt was a failure
I used a few tsbp of plain soya yogurt to start it but no luck. The easiyo is like a ginormous thermos so not sure if temp too high for milk. I have read various things about using UHT cocunut milk and that it doesn’t work properly. Any suggestions? thanks!!
UHT or ultra-pasteurized milks do NOT ferment properly and cannot be used for yogurt.
I use UHT milk all the time to culture yoghurt,both cow and goat,It does several lots before I renew it.Am going to try goat and coconut milk powder next.
Dave
We made this yesterday using Silk PureCoconut milk. We used a recipe that included Coconut milk, sugar, dry milk, and a couple of Tablespoons of Organic Plain Yogurt as a starter. We heated it to 165 degrees and then cooled to 110 degrees before adding the yogurt starter. The jars were then placed in a cooler with a heating pad for 5 hours. The jars were then moved to the refrigerator. This morning the Yogurt has floated to the top and there is this liquid on the bottom half of the jar. The yogurt has some small bubbles in it and actually has a slight “Sprite” taste to it. Do you have any idea what we have done wrong? lol Thanks!
I have never mixed cow dairy with coconut milk in yogurt before, but that may have something to do with it. It is not uncommon for the whey to separate from the milk during yogurt making. Coconut milk will also often separate during fermentation. If it tastes alright (no funky smell, no weird mold on top, and a sour yogurt taste), then just mix the yogurt up to a smooth consistency.
May I please know how you know the probiotics (good bactera) in the yogurt eat all the sugar?
The longer the yogurt is left to ferment, the more time the bacteria have to consume the sugar. Fully fermented yogurt is quite tart and does not taste sweet. Best, Dawn
Hello! I want to make this purely because I love coconut. I have what is probably a dumb question though-do you get a strong coconut flavor just from the coconut milk? Or do I need to add some kind of other coconut flavoring? Also, I prefer thicker yogurt and plan to use unflavored gelatin-should I just go ahead and use the 2 tbsp. listed in the recipe? I make yogurt in a Euro cuisine ym80 maker so is 12 hrs long enough to ferment and thicken the yogurt in that? Thank so much!
The coconut flavor is not very strong in coconut milk yogurt. It might be advisable to add either pureed coconut meat or coconut extract to get that strong coconut-y flavor. You will need to experiment a bit with the amount of gelatin you need to get the exact consistency you want. Start with the recipe and see what you think, then adjust as necessary with the next batch. As long as the temperature is a consistent 105-110 degrees, 12 hours should be plenty of time to ferment, but if you are on a low-sugar, GAPS, SCD, etc. diet, you will want to ferment longer to get all the sugar out.
I just bought a Euro Cuisine YMX650 yogurt maker. On my first try, it came out completely watery. On my second try, I meticulously sterilized everything & specifically followed the recipe instructions on this site to a tee! Still! After 20 hours, the consistency was clear & watery as before, except this time one of the jars was forming pink goop around the rim. Yuck!
Someone! PLEASE help me!!! I need to stop wasting precious food & I also need some protein for breakfast besides eggs every morning! For the next two months, I’m on this special intestinal cleansing/repair diet that exempts all nuts, soy, grains, and dairy from my diet – a Paleolithic diet of sorts. Since I’m allergic to dairy and gluten, I will probably use my machine after this diet to make almond yogurt or soy yogurt. But in the mean time, it’d be REALLY nice to know how on earth to actually make yogurt with my machine that isn’t watery!
also, instead of throwing out yet another watery batch of “yogurt”, would it be safe to instead use it in a smoothie? Or did I make the probiotics go bad & become harmful when ingested by letting the coconut milk-gelatin-yogurt starter mixture ferment for 20 hours?
Taste it. If it tastes sour like runny coconut yogurt, then it is actually done correctly and you can use it any way you like. Don’t use any yogurt that has mold or pink growing on it, or that has a foul odor.
Coconut milk is always pretty watery, which is why I suggest using some sort of thickener like gelatin, agar agar, guar gum, tapioca, etc. in the recipe, according to your dietary preferences.
Do NOT eat any yogurt with pink on it! That is certainly tainted.
Try checking your yogurt at 8 hours and then 12 hours for taste, you may be overheating the culture over the length of time you are culturing. Or your heat may be too high on the “auto” setting of your machine. Alternatively, you may be using inappropriate or non-viable strains of probiotics, but I am not sure what you are using.
This is an art as much as a science, since everyone uses different methods for culturing yogurt. You can also make very small, one-cup batches using different thickeners, probiotics, etc. to find what works best for you. And, as always, the comments are FULL of wisdom.
Wow! Thanks for the detailed instructions and sharing all the extra tips in the comments. I would never have thought of using the oven. I think that will be the easiest way to start, but I might ask around and see if anyone has a crockpot I can borrow.
My homemade coconut milk using shredded coconut and water is the best! Its very thick and creamy already. Can’t wait for the yogurt. I did the 1:1 ratio coconut to water and its fabulous! I added a few medjool dates while processing the coconut & water and it gave the milk a nice subtle sweetness. To strain the milk, I used a newly purchased nut milk bag and it really simplified the whole process.
I am now in the process of making the yogurt. I love how simple this recipe is. I have been making goats milk yogurt and this is a new twist for us. I am using the GI prohealth yogurt starter (free from casein which we are sensitive to). I am going to incubate the yogurt in my yogurmet machine. I plan on adding gelatin at the end to thicken it. Will post back on the results. Thanks for the recipe!
So after my yogurt was done setting up in the fridge for about 8 hours I now have a thick crust on the top, and still fairly runny liquid below. The taste is wonderful, but I’m not crazy about the texture. It came out a bit gritty and I can’t tell if its from the top fatty cream layer not totally blending together with the runny lower layer. Or perhaps its from the gelatin? Should I have dissolved the gelatin in boiling water first? The instructions seemed a bit unclear and I just mixed it with a bit of extra coconut milk that I had in my fridge and then added it to my cultured milk. That is probably what ruined the texture, sigh.
I might just try skipping the gelatin next time, and then dripping my yogurt with a coffee filter to thicken it up, or just leave it runny as is. If anybody could share their tips on how to thicken the lower layer and prevent a thick crust from forming on top I would love to hear from you.
One last thing I’d like to mention is that I would definitely bring the coconut milk up to 185 degrees to sterilize it before letting it cool to room temperature and adding the starter. Evidently, there is a risk of bacterial contamination with bacterium burkholderia cocovenenans otherwise.
Agreed. Also it is probably a good idea to thoroughly dissolve the gelatin in the hot coconut milk, if you plan to use it again. I am so glad you liked the taste. I’m sure your next batch will be perfect!
My best guess is that the crust was either from too much gelatin, or (more likely) from the coconut oil on top of the yogurt hardening in the cold fridge. Homemade coconut milk is typically higher in coconut oil than store-bought varieties, and the oil separates out pretty easily, because, unlike canned coconut milk, it is not emulsified with machinery and additives like guar gum. This excess oil would naturally float to the top of your yogurt, and then harden. If you ate the yogurt at room temperature, I think you would prefer the texture!
Try it without gelatin, but also try it with a lower-oil coconut milk from the store, or let your homemade coconut milk sit for a while, and then skim some of the oil off yourself before using it for yogurt.
Best,
Dawn
Tina, I just saw something on u-tube yesterday about this. Can’t remember all the details but I know she put in in a blender and then back in the frig. for more hours. Try looking on u-tube and maybe u will see this. I talks about thicker coconut yogurt
I tried making coconut milk yogurt before but didnt have good results. I’ve made whole milk plus cream yogurt in an attempt to make greek yogurt in the past and I have had mixed results. For me using a crockpot and yogurt incubator have shown the best results. First batch of coconut milk yogurt I made was very watery but I didnt enjoy the taste.
Last time I didn’t check the temperature either as I thought I had lost my thermometers. I noticed for coconut milk yogurt you incubate for a lot longer. Im making a batch right now and this will be my second batch, Im expecting it to turn out much better then the last.
I’d really like to make this, it looks great. how can you keep the yogurt at the right temp if you don’t have a dehydrator? would it work in the oven?
We use a yogurt maker called a yogourmet. I would highly recommend a yogurt maker to keep the correct temperature. It really simplifies the process. We also have an excalibur dehydrator and I do like it a lot but am still using the yogurt maker for little batches of yogurt. The excalibur is really nice to have though for all of its other wonderful uses.
Hi- I’m in the process of making the yogurt now- it’s been in the oven with the light on since last night (about 18 hours). I just checked on it and I noticed a light purple colour on the edge. Does this mean it’s gone bad? My husband took the yogurt out of the oven yesterday to bake a fish, so the yogurt temperature cooled down for an hour and a half while the oven was in use and then cooling back to 100 degrees.
If you see “off” colors or odors, discard the yogurt. This can happen if the temp is too high for the probiotics, if there are too many temp fluctuations, or if your tools or containers were not sterile.
My experience with making yogurt is that for the active culture to grow, it must be kept at a constant temperature of around 115 degrees. Otherwise, the culture will not grow. I have never tried allowing the yogurt to cool below 115 mid-way through the process and then increasing the heat back to 115.
Have you double-checked the actual temperature inside the oven to be certain you are maintaining 115 degrees to begin with? For me, the oven light only was not sufficient to maintain that temperature. I used a 75-watt or 60-watt incadescent bulb (in one of those ‘trouble lights’ that you can get at a hardware store) to maintain the 115 degrees. In the summer, I use a 60-watt bulb; in the winter I use a 75-watt bulb. I used to have a larger oven and needed a 100-watt bulb in the winter.
I don’t know what the light purple color might mean. When in doubt, throw it out!
)
I’m soooo happy to find this info. I want to use tapioca flour as a thickner. I think I should add it to the coconut milk before I heat it. Is this correct? I’m going to use the “SO Delicious Plain yogart for the starter. I also found “SO Delicious original cultured coconut milk with pre & probiotics” can this be uses as an alternate starter? I drink lots of rice milk. Is there a yogart recipe for it also.
Hi,
Thanks for the inspiration! I’ve been making yogurt for a while, and have found the need to seek dairy alternatives.
I recently made some coconut yogurt and it was delish. Here are the changes I made.
I used abt 1/4 cup barley malt powder instead of honey or maple syrup. I did a little research and found that any pre-biotic will do (which is why tapioca is added to commercial nondairy yogurts — but I think it tastes awful), so I sought a low GI one and found that barley malt powder has no flavor and is easily available at my local organic store.
I removed some of the cream (fat) and added a couple Tbsp guar gum powder (dried guar bean goo) to thicken it up. Great texture.
Orange blossom water and vanilla were excellent flavors to add, as are lemon extract and lime juice. It’s great with fruit or on its own.
Thanks again!
Oh, and I found fresh frozen coconut milk at my local Asian grocery store which has no additives, no bpa worries and tastes fresher than canned.
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!
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.
At what point do you add the powdered pectin and how much?
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 used agave and it’s been incubating for 15 hours and looks and smells great. What’s the issue with using agave?
Thanks for commenting!
Agave is primarily refined fructose. For people with blood sugar issues, this is a big no-no. More on agave here: http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/07/17/a-bittersweet-goodbye-to-agave/
These are awesome tips. Thanks!
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.
You add thickener at Step 7 (above). I cannot use pectin as it is made from citrus, so you will need to experiment with the quantity. Start with a quarter or half teaspoon and go from there…
Best,
Dawn @ Small Footprint Family
This really helped me get to my first batch of perfect-consistency coco-yo! I tried the small batches with different probiotics & more or less gelatin & finally found the right ratio. Thank you for your help!
what ratio worked for you? I am having troubles…
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