I was always wondering how people eating dairy-free could get their fair amount of probiotic bacteria? There are several solutions for this problem worldwide: just think of the fermented soy products of Japan (like miso) or kimchi from Korea, or even Sauerkraut that is an everyday food item in many European countries. But what if someone can’t have soy and isn’t in the mood for fermented vegetables?
I yearned for the tangy taste of yogurt. I could have opted for some “copycat” recipe based on a plant milk with some added sourness but I wished for the real deal… tanginess, probiotic bacteria and all!
I’ve heard about home-made coconut yogurt before so I thought it’s time I give it a try, and, of course share my experiences with you!
What you’ll need to make your very own coconut yogurt:
Coconut milk or coconut cream
Why coconut milk? Because it’s thick and rich – just like you’d want your yogurt to be. I tried both store-bought canned coconut milk and coconut cream.
You can choose organic or regular ones – the main difference in the ingredients list is going to be the use of xanthan gum. Xanthan gum makes coconut milk and yogurt thicker, but keep in mind that it’s made from corn, so people with corn sensitivities should watch out for this!
Starter
How to get your hands on probiotic yogurt bacteria without the yogurt? Well, hello, XXI. century: all you need is to buy some probiotic capsules. Choose one that contains at least one of these bacteria strains: Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streprococcus thermophilus, Bifidobacterium lactis or Lactobacillus acidophilus. In case you’re vegan or living with severe allergy to dairy: make sure to check with the manufacturer if that probiotic product may contain traces of dairy.
Using leftover coconut yogurt as a starter didn’t work for me – I guess a spoonful of coconut yogurt doesn’t contain as many bacteria as a probiotic capsule.
Thickener
(Optional.) Vegan, dairy-free yogurt is never going to be as thick as the “regular” one. Why? Because milk protein is different from that of any plant milk. So even if you work with thick coconut cream, you might need a little help: choose agar powder or flakes for a vegan alternative, and yes, gelatine would also work.
You’ll also need very-very clean glass jars! By clean I mean washed under running hot water, dried in the oven and handled with clean hands while never touching their inside kind of clean.
This post is rather a suggestion than a recipe: it’s up to you and your taste what kind of yogurt you’ll make. Do you like your yogurt more or less tangy, sour, thick…? You may choose to ferment it for a longer time, choose to use more or less thickener, etc. I think it takes a couple of tries to figure out how you like it best. Keep on experimenting!
Ingredients:
400 ml coconut milk or cream (1 can of coconut milk or the cream of 2 cans)
1 tablespoon of cane sugar/ coconut sugar or honey in case you’re not vegan
1 scant teaspoon of agar powder
2 probiotic capsules
very, very clean glass jars
I don’t use honey/ cane sugar/ coconut sugar as a sweetener in this recipe, as it’s not recommended on sugar-free, low glycemic/diabetic diet: it’s sole purpose is to keep the beneficial bacteria happy and well fed in this yogurt. 🙂
I tried coconut milk and cream, too: the yogurt made from coconut milk had the consistency of a yogurt to drink or kefir, the one made from coconut cream turned out much thicker and scoopable, like Greek yogurt, but it also had a lot stronger coconut flavor.
- Mix coconut milk/cream and sweetener and heat until almost boiling.
- Prep thickener: dissolve agar powder in hot, gelatine in cold water.
- Wait until coconut milk is approx. 50 C / 115 F hot. (You should be able to hold on to the dish and feel that it’s significantly warmer than your hands.)
- Pour thickener and probiotic powder of the two capsules into coconut milk, mix well.
- Transfer yogurt-to-be into glass jars and store in a warm place for 8, 16 or 24 hours – the longer the time, the tangier the yogurt. The ideal climate for this is around 50 C / 115 F – I used the thawing function of my oven.
- Taste check every couple of hours to see how your yogurt is doing. It’s going to be sweet in the beginning due to honey and get more and more tangy over time. Once you think you’re done, put your yogurt for at least 6 hours in the fridge for the fermentation process to stop and the thickener to work.
Note: When using canned coconut milk, that would separate in the can, it will separate as yogurt, too. Before placing it in the fridge take a very, very clean spoon, stir it well and put your yogurt in the freezer for approx. 30 minutes. This way the thickener will set more quickly and keep the yogurt from separating.
What about the carb content? It’s hard to do any calculation in this case as those beneficial probiotic bacteria eat the sugars during the fermentation process. Regular yogurt would contain approx. 3-4g of carbs/100 ml so I guess the same to be true here.
Why all this fuss about coconut yogurt? Because coconut yogurt is great! People eating dairy-free or vegan can also have their spoonful of tangy yogurt loaded with beneficial bacteria. It’s also a good choice for a low glycemic/diabetic diet as regular yogurt may produce a huge insulin response.
Only one question left: How do you love your yogurt the most?
I shared this recipe at Gluten-Free Fridays.
- 400 ml coconut milk or cream (1 can of coconut milk or the cream of 2 cans)
- 1 tablespoon of cane sugar/ coconut sugar or honey in case you're not vegan
- 1 scant teaspoon of agar powder
- 2 probiotic capsules
- very, very clean glass jars
- Mix coconut milk/cream and sweetener and heat until almost boiling.
- Prep thickener: dissolve agar powder in hot, gelatine in cold water.
- Wait until coconut milk is approx. 50 C / 115 F hot. (You should be able to hold on to the dish and feel that it's significantly warmer than your hands.)
- Pour thickener and probiotic powder of the two capsules into coconut milk, mix well.
- Transfer yogurt-to-be into glass jars and store in a warm place for 8, 16 or 24 hours - the longer the time, the tangier the yogurt. The ideal climate for this is around 50 C / 115 F - I used the thawing function of my oven.
- Taste check every couple of hours to see how your yogurt is doing. It's going to be sweet in the beginning due to honey and get more and more tangy over time. Once you think you're done, put your yogurt for at least 6 hours in the fridge for the fermentation process to stop and the thickener to work.
- When using canned coconut milk, that would separate in the can, it will separate as yogurt, too. Before placing it in the fridge take a very, very clean spoon, stir it well and put your yogurt in the freezer for approx. 30 minutes. This way the thickener will set more quickly and keep the yogurt from separating.
I tried coconut milk and cream, too: the yogurt made from coconut milk had the consistency of a yogurt to drink or kefir, the one made from coconut cream turned out much thicker and scoopable, like Greek yogurt, but it also had a lot stronger coconut flavor.
Do you know approx. how long this would keep? I doubt it would last too long with me, but just in case. 😉
I'd love to try this, but is there an alternative instead of the honey since honey is not vegan?
Sorry about that, I added some more options. You just need some sugar to keep the bacteria growing. 🙂
I've had one jar in my fridge for over a week now. I had to keep myself away from it to see how long it would keep. 🙂
Well done for figuring this out! I tried to make some once and it didn't work at all…but I did try it with the coconut milk that is chilled not the canned variety. I want everything because I want the calcium that they add to the chilled stuff that isn't in the canned!!! I am certainly pinning this. You are brilliant!
Thanks, Vicki! I really hope you'll like this version. I plan on trying other plant milks, as well. My first try made me curious… If only I had more than 24 hours in a day… 🙂
Hello
I would try this recipe yoghurt
what brand of probiotic you use?
Thank you
Hi,
I used a local brand and I live in Hungary. Really, any would do that fits the criteria described under "Starter". Good luck!
Hi! Can I use this recipe to make yoghurt for my 7 moths old baby?
Hi,
if you haven’t introduced nuts so far to his diet I’d pick a different plant based milk alternative. Otherwise, it’s perfectly fine. (My baby loves plant based yogurt, but she didn’t eat acceptable amounts of solids until 11 months old so she was a year old when we tried this.) Enjoy!
hi! Thank you for this lovely recipe! What is the water to agar ratio?
I can’t wait to try this. I make my own coconut milk, do you think it will work in a similar way to canned coconut?
Many thanks for the recipe,
Lola
Hi Lola,
I’m afraid home-made coconut milk is not as creamy as the canned one, I’ve tried this myself.
About the agar powder: 1 scant teaspoon agar powder / 2 cups of liquid.
Enjoy!
Hi Nora,
Do you have any idea what would happen if you would start with a mixture of coconut milk and coconut cream?
Greetings from the Netherlands
Hi,
that’s a great way to find the consistency you like the most. 🙂
Sorry, I now realise this was kind of a dumb question! :-v I thought the coconut milk in your recipe is the same as the Alpro coconut milk in the cardboard milk cartons, but that is actually coconut water. I bought the right packages today and I’m now going to try to make my first yoghurt batch. Fingers crossed! 🙂
So excited for you! How did it turn out? (Sorry for my late response – summer holidays, or fall, as it were.)
Thank you for the recipe. I cant wait to try it 🙂
Just a quick question..what is agar power and where can I buy it please? Thank you!
Agar is a plant-based thickener, it creates a jelly-like structure. Any health food store would do it.
Hi, I’ve tried this three times, even in a yoghurt maker, and without agar it doesnt thicken it just remains as milk, and with agar it turns really solid… What am I doing wrong, its driving me crazy
Hi,
it’s not going to thicken without agar. If it turns too solid for your taste with agr, try using less of it, like half of the original amount.
Hi,
I tried with honey but it turned out to be too sweet for my taste (I like it sour). Do you think it will work without any sugar?
Thanks!
Hi, the bacteria need some sugar, however try using less honey.
I feel like the instructions are not detailed enough. Do you cover the jar? 115 degrees F? So put in the oven like I think you said? Will it work if I don’t have a heat source like that or will it just take longer? A little more detail would be appreciated.
Hi, yes, you need to over the jar, 115 degrees F are needed. I used a yogurt maker but anything would do that can maintain this temperature for 8-12 hours.