Homemade Coconut Milk Yogurt

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)

1. Sterilize your yogurt containers, mixing spoons and other utensils with boiling water. This will keep bad bacteria from competing with the good yogurt bacteria.
2. 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.
   
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. Enjoy daily for maximum health benefit!

This post is part of Fight Back Fridays hosted by Food Renegade!

Tagged as: Body Ecology, dairy free, dessert, digestive health, fermented foods, GAPS, homemade yogurt, leaky gut syndrome, raw food recipe, Recipes, SCD legal