Why, when I have access to beautiful raw milk weekly, do I still make coconut yogurt??
We love (love!) our raw milk share, but from the months of January until May our milk supply is lower so there just isn’t enough to go around. It is a great time to give our guts a little bit of a dairy break (although we still enjoy the gallon that we do get every week!), and rotate some food around.
I have made many (many!) coconut yogurt attempts. I say attempts because many of them were fails that landed themselves in the next morning’s smoothie mix up. There is just no way I can afford to buy the coconut milk yogurt on store shelves, so if we wanted to have that tangy, creamy goodness with our breakfast granola, or lunch smoothie, I was going to have to figure out how to make it myself.
This coconut yogurt has a nice, tang and a great creamy consistency. You can play around with the amount of time the yogurt cultures for more or less “tang”, and you can play around with the gelatin amount to make it the consistency you like! It is pretty forgiving, and super fast to put together.
One quick note before we get to the recipe! If you choose to use canned coconut milk, you probably won’t need/won’t want to use the same amount of gelatin as the thickener since canned coconut milk has added gum to thicken it already. Also – I have only done the coconut yogurt with the probiotic powder that I will link in the recipe – I’m sure other powders would work, but be mindful I’m not sure how the amounts will compare. The one I choose to use is a quality, pharmaceutical grade powder that my chiropractor recommends.
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Homemade DIY Coconut Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups full fat <a href="https://www.raisinggenerationnourished.com/2015/02/diy-coconut-milk/" target="_blank" title="DIY Coconut Milk :: No Gums Fillers, Or Sweeteners">coconut milk
- 1/2 tsp quality probiotic powder
- 1 tsp grassfed gelatin If you want it more like a “kefir” consistency (thinner, than you can use half the amount. You could also make the consistency a thicker/pudding/custard like consistency with more gelatin. Do NOT use the cold soluble gelatin – it will not work for this project!)
Instructions
- Stir the probiotic powder and gelatin into the coconut milk and put a lid on the container (I use a pint mason jar which fits this amount perfectly.
- Place the jar under the light in your oven (withOUT the stove on) overnight or 8-12 hours. You can taste for "tang" and if you want more you can go up to 24 hours under the light.
- Shake up the jar and place it in the fridge for 2 hours to finish the culturing and thicken the yogurt.
I can’t wait to try making this! I may have to try it with the probiotic I happen to have on hand and see how it goes. I’ll be the only one eating it right now, anyway. Even if it’s not super cultured it would be great just for taste and variety…and not buying it from the store with the gums that my tummy can’t handle. Thanks for posting this! I made a batch of coconut milk yesterday. I just might have to make yogurt tonight 🙂
Yay Mary! I can’t wait to see how you like it! How wonderful to have yogurt to enjoy again 🙂
Is the another place besides the oven to culture it? I think my oven light gets too hot. When I try sprouting beans in it, the beans always sour. 🙁
Hi Jamie! Great question! Just somewhere warm is in the house is all. If there is a pilot light by your oven keep it there. Or if your bedroom like where heating vent is that might work. You can culture it just on the counter but it will take a full 24 hours probably – it will still be good too 🙂 Thanks for asking – that’s a great question!
I got so excited when I read the title to this post. My 16 month old can’t have dairy, so he eats the So Delicious coconut yogurt about everyday. I don’t like the lengthy ingredient list on the back, but I figured, what other choice do I have. I’d really like to make this for him, but the gelatin has too much protein. Is there any other way to make this work without using the gelatin? He has a metabolic disorder called PKU & is unable to eat foods that are high in protein. Any help with making a coconut yogurt that doesn’t contain gelatin?
Hey Cheryl! Great question! Just leave the gelatin out – it will be on the runnier side but it will still taste like yogurt with the probiotics in there. I will be great for your 16 month old because he won’t really know any different 😉 You can get it in a smoothie or have him drink it like kefir. The gelatin is added to make it thick. I have never tried using like arrowroot or tapioca starch but that is a possibility? I use the gelatin to add some protein in there for me to stretch my meat budget but yes definitely leave it out if you have to back off on protein products!
Chia seeds can be used as a thickener too. Is he able to handle the protein in chia? Or is vegetable protein out with PKU too?
How much chia seed should you put in this recipe?
Thanks!
Hi Sarah 🙂 I have never used chia seed in this recipe so I’m not sure. Are you wanting to just sprinkle it on for supplementing? Or using it to thicken the coconut milk? The gelatin thickens this yogurt really well.
This is so easy. I can’t wait to try it.
Renee being dairy free this is something I have wanted to try for sometime now. Thanks for sharing I will definitely give it shot!
Love this recipe. Plus, it is so easy. Will it be as thick as greek yogurt?
Hi Anna! The amount of gelatin in this recipe will make it just like regular yogurt consistency. You can add more if you want it thicker!
Wow, so easy! Love your method! 🙂
This sounds so delicious! I bet your girls love this 🙂
Hi Renee! I love coconut yogurt, but have never made it. I really want to try this! Looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
This is seriously genius and I was LITERALLY just talking about how I want to make coconut milk yogurt! I don’t have a light in my oven (I know, super old school)… Can I do this in my dehydrator?
Hey Loriel! Yep you could culture it in the dehydrator – or you could see if it goes ok just on the counter since you live in a warm spot 🙂 Might take more like 24 hours to culture it on the counter. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the tutorial, and for including a link to a probiotic powder. I never know what is a good option for helping culture foods.
Wow, didn’t know it was pretty simple to make coconut yogurt, always thought it would be hard! My daughter would love to help make it!
Just finished a batch. This was so simple and easy to make. Being sensitive to dairy products, I am so happy I came across this recipe! Super excited to add to my green smoothie tomorrow morning
Oh that’s great Katherine! Thank you for coming by to let me know!
Hi Renee,
Your coconut yogurt recipe sounds delicious and so easy to make! I have a recipe for orange coconut yogurt on my site that I make with the coconut meat from young coconuts and it is so tasty! When I want it thicker, I add some coconut flour to it when it’s done fermenting in my dehydrator. Now I can try your recipe with the gelatin and see how it turns out.
Great Shelley – I hope you enjoy it! The coconut flour is a great idea too!
hi,
Just wondering if chia seeds would work in place of the gelatin? I am dairy free and my kids love coconut and almond milk and I do miss yogurt so want to try this recipe. Being in Canada in not sure on what’s available here for probiotic powders and gelatin that would be safe to use.
Chia seeds will thicken the coconut milk nicely but will not provide probiotic benefit if that is something you are looking for. The links I added in the recipe are through Amazon which works in Canada if I remember correctly so I’m thinking you should be good ordering from there! I hope that helps!
Can you do this with almond milk? I’m not that fond of coconut.
I think almond milk would work. Again if you are using a store bought almond milk that has gums in it you may not need the gelatin or as much gelatin. I am also not sure how thick almond milk is since we don’t consume it here – coconut milk is naturally a little thicker viscosity on it’s own.
Can we use almond milk in place of coconut milk?
I think almond milk would work. Again if you are using a store bought almond milk that has gums in it you may not need the gelatin or as much gelatin. I am also not sure how thick almond milk is since we don’t consume it here – coconut milk is naturally a little thicker viscosity on it’s own.
A great gelatin alternative is Agar Agar powder. Usually really cheap and a vegan alternatove (seaweed based). This is what I use to make dairy free yougurt for my dairy allergy daughter.
Will I find the prebiotic powder here in South Africa we have gelatine which u make on with water will that be the same
Hi Shereen – that is a great question and I really am not sure on the answer to that! You could try a small batch and see if it works.
Have you or anyone made using a vegetarian substitute to gelatin?
HI Tracee! No I have not tried it with anything other than the gelatin – you can look through the comments above and it looks like there were some comments made about agar agar being used for a vegan substitute.
you can use agar agar…buy at health food stores…its vegan too!
I thought you had to dissolve agar agar in hot water? Will it work just stirring it in coconut milk at room temperature?
Hi There!
Can Use Creamed Coconut??? I Only Have Light Coconut Milk.
Thank You!
Hi Anna! I would add a bit of water to your creamed coconut but it just might work! There is a recipe for homemade whole coconut milk in the post if you want to try making that too!
I make this every week for our breakfast smoothies. Just so ya’ll know—I use a can of full fat coconut milk (organic ordered from Amazon) poured into a pint jar, and see no reason why light wouldn’t work just fine…maybe thinner. I open a couple of probiotic capsules as those are a bit cheaper and easier to find than some of the powders–“Critical Care” is the brand I use. I don’t always use gelatin. The gelatin is great and makes a thicker yogurt for eating, but even without it is still fairly thick and just fine for smoothies.
I use garden of life probiotic capsules for women, anyone know how many I should use? I made a double batch and just poured the capsules into a tsp…. Also it’s still soupy, will prong in the fridge make it thicken? I did put Gelatin in it. And lastly, should I save some as a starter for my next batch?
Hi Kayla! It should thicken more when it hits the fridge for a while. I’m not sure on the amounts of that probiotic but that is a good one so just play around with the amounts – if you get a batch that doesn’t work quite right it will still be good for smoothies or use in baking recipes.
I am really excited to try this! But I am curious, aside from the health benefits, does the recipe NEED probiotic powder? If so, is there an alternative powder (protein?) that could be substituted?
Hi Sarah 🙂 Yes the probiotic powder is what cultures the coconut milk to make it tangy, thick and yogurt like. I do not typically recommend protein powders as the sourcing is usually quite questionable. You can add grassfed gelatin from Great Lakes or Vital Proteins if you want extra protein added to the yogurt though 🙂
First of all, thank you. My son is having GI issues due to milk and I am so happy to find this. I tried it last night and have had some problems.
I used an organic can of coconut milk and read thruogh the tips from you and other readers and only use 1/2 tsp of gelatin. BUT I accidently used the whole can, 13.5 ounces.
I put it in the oven overnight, stirred it this morning, put it in the fridge for two hours, and it didn’t thicken. I added a full tsp of gelatin this morning. :/ After the two hours in the fridge, is still hasn’t thickened.
Any way to save this or should I start over and try again?
Thanks,
Heather
Hi Heather! Oh shoot! I think we can save it though – that gelatin doesn’t activate unless it is warm – how about if you put the coconut yogurt in a pot on the stove and warm it through – don’t simmer or boil it but just warm it and then put it back into the fridge – if it doesn’t thicken just start over – you can use that coconut milk in a smoothie or something though so don’t throw it out!
Great minds think alike. 🙂 I was just sitting here wondering if I could do that, put it on the stove, but I wasn’t sure. Thanks , I will try that right now. 🙂
GENIUS!!!! It worked!! Thank you so much!!
Hi Heather! Oh that’s great! So glad to hear that!
Sorry, one more thing. What do you think about using cashew milk?
I think that would work 🙂
Hi, I am searching all over for a dairy free yogurt recipe to try and this looks great. Do you know why so many other recipes heat the milk first? Heating it and then cooling it to certain specific temps seems to be part of most recipes. I’m trying to figure out why they do this? (and therefore if its ok to skip that process as you do here…)
Hi Christy! Yes – the bacteria in the whole milk needs to be killed of (via heat) before adding the culture or the culture will be taken over by the bacteria in the milk. Coconut milk doesn’t have this problem so that is why it doesn’t need to be heated. Does that help?
What temperature are you going for with the oven light? I have a warming sleeve that I can set the temp. Wondering what to eye it to.
If you can’t find probiotic powder then use probiotic capsules. Empty from the capsule.
Hi! If I dont use a probiotic powder (we use fermented coconut water) do you think that will still work in this recipe?
Thx!
Hi Desiree! I want to make sure I am understanding your question right! If you are asking if you can add fermented coconut water to your coconut milk to act as the probiotics I’m thinking you are going to get a much runnier product since coconut water is so liquidy – and the probiotic numbers in the fermented coconut water are not as concentrated as a probiotic powder. If you are asking if you can make your fermented coconut water in to yogurt that won’t work in this recipe as coconut water and coconut milk are very different – you need the fat in the milk to make it more like a yogurt. I hope I am on the right track with understanding your question! Let me know if that helps any 🙂
I’m really excited about trying to get this to work. I had a similar issue to Heather’s comments/issues above. I had used extra gelatin, to begin with, but even after sitting in the fridge all night, it was totally separated and liquid all through. I added another teaspoon gelatin, but after a few hours it is still fully liquid. Also, I’m wondering from anyone, what does yours smell like? Mine smells somewhat like cottage cheese or sourdough bread dough–but not really eatable pleasant.
I want to try again, but hoping anyone has any insights…?!
I used Natural Value organic coconut milk, 1 1/2 tsp Great Lakes gelatin, 2 T Honey, 2 broken capsules Garden of Life Raw probiotics.
After sitting a few more hours, it is finally thickening…yeah! I’ve been doing some more thinking and realize I may have added too much probiotic. I’d read some other recipes to gauge how many capsules to use, but didn’t take into account that those measurements were for 2x the amount of milk! I’m wondering if that’s maybe why it smells so strong…
THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU! I have been looking for a simple to make coconut (dairy free) yogurt. That is not as easy as it sounds either! I have recently been diagnosed with Hasimotos’ (an immune system attacking form of Thyroid Disease) and it has been recommended to me to go off of gluten, sugar and dairy. Having a way to make inexpensive coconut milk as well as yogurt will be a life saver for me. I placed my purchase for the grassfed gelatin through your site. I am grateful to you and send you many blessings. Donna at the Small House Big Sky Homestead. http://smallhousebigskyhomestead.wordpress.com
You’re welcome Donna!
Any idea how long this will keep in the fridge?
Hi Stacie! A couple weeks is all I let mine stick around 🙂
I accidentally added one tablespoon of gelatin not a teaspoon…. So now my yogurt turned out like jello 🙁 is there any way I could fix this? Or am I just stuck with coconut jello? Tastes amazing though 🙂
Hi Saira! I have done that! Ha! You could add more coconut milk to thin it out and you will just have more yogurt – it will last a good few weeks in the fridge or you can freeze it if there is too much. Or you can blend it up into a smoothie 🙂
Thank you! 🙂 I did the recipe again with all the measurements and it came out thin. Does it thicken when we leave it in the fridge for a couple of days or do you suggest just adding more gelatin?
I was wondering if I can use some of the yogurt as a starter for a new batch like when making regular milk yogurt. Thank you!
Hi Aimee! That is a great question and I am not sure! I’m sorry that doesn’t help much! You might try a small batch to see how it turns out!
Can I use my yogurt maker instead of the stove?
Hi Samantha! Yes!
Hi! I had a ‘fail’. I added a bit more gelatin because I used homemade coconut milk which is a little watery….now I have coconut jello. Lol. I have just been putting it in my coffee. Next time I’m picking up a can of milk from the store.
I was wondering if I am able to substitute yogurt starter for the probiotic powd. Thank you.
Hi Ginny! Yogurt starters are dairy based so as long as you tolerate dairy ok that might work!
My son has a dairy allergy and loves coconut yogurt. I habe tried this recipe many times and I only seem to make the equavilent of coconut buttermilk ( which works great in pancakes and waffles!;) I’ve used the pourest organic coconut milk and probiotics and grassfed gelatin. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Hi Nicole! What brand/amount of probiotic are you using? That could have something to do with it. I did have a friend that said she used a little more gelatin and it was to a consistency she preferred.
I have Powerdophilus by Country Life. I added more gelatin but to no avail. I made the coconut milk last night. Maybe I should try using that?
What is the CFU count on the probiotics? That might make a difference!
I made this recipe and after refrigeration it is still liquid. Where did I go wrong? Can I add more gelatin or save it or is it lost
Hi Ellen! Yes you can warm it up just a bit and stir in some more gelatin for sure. Don’t waste it. You can always blend it into a smoothie too.
Hello,
I made this using the same ingredients, but got the cooking instructions from a different site. I simmered one can of full fat coconut milk, added it to coconut milk mixed with gelatin, and then added the probiotic yogurt starter. The other site said to put it in a yogurt maker for 24 hours. I did this but after i let it cook for 24 hrs and then sit for 3, the yogurt is separated and it looks like coconut water at the bottom. Also there are a couple spots of brown on 2 out of 7 of the glasses. What do you think? Is is not good? Honestly its hard for me to tell if it smells ok, because I thought the coconut milk smelled gross right out of the can! (The dates were good and they were organic from whole foods!)
Hi Stephanie! I’ve never gotten brown spots, so I’m not sure on those! I do get a bit of separation in my yogurt so go ahead and just stir that all back in – should be fine. I hope that helps!
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. I am intolerant to all types of gelatin. Any idea what can I substitute it with or skip it completely.
Hi Rozina! The gelatin gives it a thicker consistancy. You can use agar gum, or even something like tapioca to thicken it up 🙂
Is there anyway to figure out how much this comes out to be per batch?
How much, as in price?
I’m going to try this recipe. Love having yogurt in the morning !
I need to try this! We make a lot of homemade dairy yogurt, but I’d love to mix it up some. Would this work with homemade coconut milk, do you think?
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Is there anyone else getting identical RSS problems? Anyone who knows
the answer can you kindly respond? Thanx!!
We’re just starting my son’s dairy-free journey and I’d love to try this. However, the probiotic powder linked is unavailable on Amazon. Do you have another brand you can recommend?
Hi Chandra! I would use this one! Thanks for the heads up on the link! https://amzn.to/40ThRxd