Homemade coconut yogurt is creamy, gently tangy, and naturally dairy-free!
Homemade coconut yogurt is easy, fun, super delicious, and dairy-free. The texture is even creamier than regular yogurt (thanks to canned coconut milk), and it combines the natural sweetness of coconut with the tang of live probiotic cultures. I think coconut yogurt has the most appealing flavor of all the dairy-free yogurts I’ve tried ~ but it’s often pricey (and comes in teeny tiny jars!) Time for a homemade version!
let’s dig in
what you need to make coconut yogurt
- canned full fat coconut milk
- Be sure to use unsweetened canned coconut milk, not the refrigerated kind in a carton.
- probiotics (you have 3 choices)
- A powdered vegan yogurt starter, I used this brand
- or probiotic capsules, I used this brand
- or commercial coconut yogurt, I used this brand
tips for making coconut yogurt
Be sure to start with full fat canned coconut milk, and whisk it thoroughly until it has a uniform creamy consistency.
For a thicker result, drain off some of the water from your coconut milk before fermenting.
Make sure your jar is super clean before adding your yogurt mixture. Any unwanted bacteria can interfere with your yogurt.
Make sure you’ve got a warm (@110F) spot for your yogurt to ferment.
what to expect from non-dairy coconut yogurt
THE PLUSES: As I said above, coconut yogurt has a wonderful flavor, the natural sweetness of the coconut comes through. When I dipped my little tasting spoon into the finished batch, the bells went off. The taste was velvety smooth and pure coconut. It had none of the cloying sweetness or gelatinous texture of the commercial brand.
THE DRAWBACKS: Coconut yogurt can struggle to thicken compared to other vegan yogurts. It’s low in protein, naturally higher in water, and doesn’t firm up the way dairy yogurt does during fermentation.
On the bright side, it makes a great drinkable yogurt, and the looser texture works beautifully with granola and muesli.
5 ways to ferment yogurt at home
When you ferment yogurt you ideally want a temperature of around 110°F. This is warm enough to activate the cultures without killing them with too much heat. Note this is higher than warm room temperature, and lower than the “keep warm” function on your oven.
A yogurt maker
- If you love to make yogurt this is a great appliance to have. I highly recommend getting a yogurt maker like this one, but there are many on the market. Follow your machine’s instructions for the proofing period. (There’s no need to pre-heat the yogurt for this recipe.)
A proofing box
- I have a collapsable proofing box with a thermostat. I set it to 110°F. This is the one I use and I love it. I use it for breads and yogurt.
Your oven set to 110F
- If your oven doesn’t go that low, but has a 60 watt or higher bulb in it, you may be able to store your yogurt in the oven (no heat) with the light on. Wrap it with a towel. You can experiment with different wattage bulbs to get your desired temperature.
Instant Pot
- Ferment the yogurt using the yogurt function on your IP. Again, no need to boil the milk first.
An electric heating throw or pad
- In a pinch an electric heating pad or small electric throw blanket wrapped around the yogurt and set on low to medium will do the trick. If you use a heating pad, cover the whole thing with a towel.
homemade coconut yogurt faqs
Canned coconut milk is already pasteurized, a process that uses heat to eliminate harmful bacteria. This pre-heating step eliminates the need to heat it again for yogurt making.
You can make or store your yogurt in one jar, or several individual jars, just be sure they are squeaky clean.
Homemade yogurts and coconut yogurt in particular is more runny than commercial yogurts, especially if you’re used to Greek style yogurts which often contain thickeners and stabilizers. There are a couple of things you can do to thicken your yogurt further:
Strain the Yogurt: after fermentation, strain the yogurt through cheesecloth to remove whey. The longer you strain, the thicker the yogurt will get.
Add Thickening Agents: you can incorporate thickeners like gelatin, agar agar, or even powdered milk to enhance the body of the yogurt.
Coconut yogurt has a natural affinity for fruits, as well as granolas and mueslis. I’m especially looking forward to using it alongside a hot curry.
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How to make Coconut Yogurt
Ingredients
- 40 oz canned full-fat coconut milk, (this is 3 13.5-ounce cans)
- 1 Tbsp powdered gelatin
- 1 direct-set yogurt starter* or 6 oz coconut milk yogurt with live cultures
Instructions
- Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan and heat to 180°F — hot but not boiling.
- Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the hot milk and whisk until completely dissolved.
- Let the mixture cool to 110°F. This temperature is key: warm enough for the cultures to activate, but not so hot that they’re destroyed.
- Whisk in the yogurt starter (or coconut yogurt) until fully blended.
- Transfer the mixture to a yogurt maker and incubate at 105–110°F for 10–12 hours. Overnight works perfectly.
- Refrigerate the yogurt for several hours to fully set.
- For thicker yogurt, line a colander with two layers of cheesecloth, set it over a bowl, and drain the yogurt for about 1 hour.
Notes
- This coconut yogurt is dairy-free but not vegan, as it uses gelatin for structure. For a vegan option, use a plant-based thickener such as agar-agar instead.
- Full-fat canned coconut milk is essential for good texture.
- Gelatin gives coconut yogurt structure that fermentation alone can’t provide.
- For the most consistent results, a direct-set starter is more reliable than reusing yogurt batch to batch.
Would this work with regular yogurt starter? I have never ssen coconet milk yogurt and this sounds like an interesting recipe.
Yes, it would, Wendy. And coconut yogurt is becoming more popular, you can find it at Whole Foods, if you have one nearby.
My reason for not using gelatin would be to keep the recipe vegetarian. Have you tried using any other thickeners? I used corn starch for almond milk yogurt, but I think it makes the taste a little starchy.
I haven’t, but I think there are vegan gelatin substitutes, agar agar (a seaweed based thickener) comes to mind. I also think that straining it, and time in the refrigerator thickens the yogurt.
Hello – i wanted to send a big thank you for the recipe of coconut yogurt:))
I wanted to test if the recipe worked with ordinary live yogurt as a culture for coconut yogurt, just for to make the prosess easier, because I always have ordinary naturell yogurt in the refrigirator.. So I followed the recipe, but used ordinary naturell yogurt as a starter. The next day the yogurt looked thinner than ordinary yogurt and the taste if coconut was mild. But I drained it for about 30-45min, still a little thinner, but I stored it in the refrigirator. And now I’m eating the BEST yogurt ever, it has been thickening during a couple of days and is tasting really coconutty:-) so now I’ m making a big portion. So thanks again because you inspire by your writing.
So happy it worked for you, May. Yogurt making is not an exact science, and it seems to work differently for everyone, so I’m glad you were happy with the results.
We are going to make this! We do not have a yogurt maker BUT we do have an excalibur dehydrator, and skimming through the book I believe I came across yogurt. We will test it out later this weekend/early next week
I do think the dehydrator will work if you can get it to keep a constant temp of about 110F…good luck and let me know how it goes!
I tried this and was so disappointed that it didn’t work! I don’t have a yogurt maker and used the method where I wrap the pot in a towel and set it in the oven overnight with the light on. It came out just as watery as the coconut milk I used in the first place. When I was heating up the coconut milk at the beginning, it did boil before getting to 180 degrees- I don’t know if that has anything to do with it?
I just made this last night and was excited as i can no longer have dairy and love yogurt. iI woke this morning to find i don’t have yogurt but liquid instead I followed all directions to a tea and i still don’t know what happened I did however use a crock pot all the steps are the same for dairy yogurt very sad
any ideas?
I find that the yogurt maker, which isn’t very expensive, is really critical to having good reliable results because it does keep the milk at the right temperature. If your temperature was too low or too high, the culture won’t grow.
Mine came out super watery too UNTIL I put it into the fridge – woke up in the morning to super creamy yummy perfect consistency yogurt……….hope that helps…….
A regular oven light is usually not enough to get the temp to 110F. I think you need to replace the bulb with a higher wattage, I think about 60 watts. Most ovens use appliance bulbs which are very low wattage.
I tried the recipe with my yogurt maker, and it came out as gelatinous coconut milk rather than actual yogurt. It’s a little thicker but no tartness. I’ve made both dairy and soy yogurts before so I’m not sure what went wrong… maybe my starter didn’t have enough cultures? I typically use some yogurt or whey from a previous batch as starter, so I figured I’d do the same for this, but maybe it was no good. I can’t think of what else would have gone wrong. :-\
Once you have made your own yogurt, could you use the homemade stuff to be your starter for the next batch?
Yes, you can, but it doesn’t work indefinitely…you eventually need an infusion of stronger cultures.
How are you making homemade coconut milk yogurt…if coconut milk yogurt is in the ingredients? If I’m going to buy coco yogurt…why would I make it?
Well, all yogurt requires a starter, so that is the reason for buying a small amount of commercial coconut yogurt. For the next batch, you can use a little of your homemade yogurt as a starter. One reason to make it yourself is that, if you ask me, the flavor is way better.
Can you use homemade coconut milk? Much cheaper if you can!
Not sure, but I don’t see why not.
I just made a batch with homemade coconut milk – once the yogurt was done and placed in the fridge – the next morning the cream hardened at the top. Not sure what to do with it now……
can you use the coconut milk you buy in a carton?
NO! You must buy the kind in the can that is full fat without all those additives. The kind in the cartons are too thin. I got mine delivered for free to my door from amazon. Natural Value is the brand and its in BPA free cans, and the only ingredients are coconut and water!
I agree 🙂
I made goat milk yogurt and it is delicious! Now I will try coconut milk…..but I can’t find any full fat, just 4 grams if fat in mine….also I read almond milk will not culture….anyone try that yet?
What I mean by full fat is just ‘regular’ coconut milk, not the low fat or ‘lite’ variety.
I haven’t tried the almond milk, but so many people are asking that I may do that this month. Here’s a link to a couple of sites that give directions for it:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-make-almond-milk-yogurt.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Almond-Milk-Yogurt
Good luck, and let me know if you’re successful!