FTC Disclosure: Delicious Obsessions may receive comissions from purchases made through links in this article. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.Read our full terms and conditions here.

I have been on a serious coconut yogurt kick recently. It all started when my friend Starlene from GAPS Diet Journey sent me a little bit of the yogurt starter that she uses when she posted her great recipe for coconut milk yogurt.
It was instant love from my first batch.
The rich, creamy, thick, and slightly tangy, yogurt was just what I had been missing since going dairy-free in August 2012. I had always seen the coconut yogurt at the store, but they are all full of too much junk, so frankly, I had gotten used to the fact that yogurt was no longer part of my diet.
But, now it’s back and I’m kicking myself for not doing this sooner! Since she sent me the starter a few weeks ago, I have made a gazillion batches … well, not quite that many, but a lot. So much that I decided to buy a couple cases of coconut milk from my health food store!
We all know that fermented foods are beneficial to our health. After all, true health begins in the gut, and if our gut is not healthy, we are not healthy. Incorporating a wide variety of fermented foods is a great way to ensure our body is getting the beneficial bacteria that we need. There are many different strains of beneficial bacteria, which is why variety is key. I often find myself eating the same ferments over and over, and while that’s not necessarily a bad thing, there are going to be strains that I am missing.
I am excited to have yogurt now so that I can incorporate some new types back into my diet. And, my husband even likes it. As a matter of fact, he loves it and told me to make sure I mentioned that he gives it a glowing review! Thanks, babe! 🙂
What Do You Need? Cultures, Thickeners, and More.
So, I received these cultures from Starlene and then proceeded to try to figure out how to make coconut milk yogurt. The main dilemma that I faced was that I don’t have a yogurt maker. Nor do I have a dehydrator, so my options for keeping the yogurt incubated were slim.
I found a few crockpot recipes around the Web but was not too keen on those either. So, I started experimenting and I have finally found what works for me — my oven. I can’t guarantee this method will work for everyone else but hopefully, it will spark a little inspiration for you to play around and see what works for you. My “recipe” is a combination of Starlene’s recipe and the recipe from Cultures for Health.
You will need a thickening agent for your coconut milk yogurt, and I like to use gelatin for that (please see my important note about gelatin below). Gelatin is very nutritious and healing to the gut, so this is a great way to get a little more into your diet. I have never used anything other than gelatin, but according to the recipe from Cultures for Health, you could also use tapioca starch/flour.
When it comes to yogurt starters, there are a lot to choose from. Yogurt starters are broken down into two categories: Thermophilic (heated) and Mesophilic (non-heated). For this recipe, I use a thermophilic starter, since I heat the coconut milk up and incubate it at a warmer temperature (108 – 110 °F). I have not yet played with making mesophilic-style yogurts.
Also, when looking at yogurt cultures, you will probably see the terms “direct-set” and “reusable” used. Direct set cultures are a one time use only culture. This is what we will be using for this recipe. Reusable cultures are where you can take a small amount from a previous batch of yogurt (that uses a reusable starter) to make your new batch. If taken care of, these reusable cultures can be used indefinitely.
What strains of bacteria are in these cultures? The GI Pro Start, which is what I use, contains:
- Lactobacillus bulgaricus
- Streptococcus thermophilus
- Lactobacillus casei
The vegan direct set culture from my affiliate partner, Cultures for Health, contains:
- Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Lactobacillus casei
- Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus
- Lactobacillus rhamnosus
- Streptococcus thermophilus
The GI Pro Start site says that for nut milk, you often have to increase the amount of starter and also play with the fermentation time. They recommend 1/2 tsp. or more of the starter per quart of nut or non-dairy milk. I experimented with the amount of starter culture and found that 1/4 tsp. gives me a yogurt that I like best. This yogurt does not get super tart. It stays pleasantly tangy, which is nice if you have eaters with sensitive palates. The texture will depend on how much gelatin you use. If you use a full 2 tbsp., you will end up with a super thick Greek-style yogurt. As you lessen the gelatin, you will get a softer, thinner yogurt. My favorite consistency is right around 1 tbsp. of gelatin, but, depending on what my plans are for the yogurt, I make it thinner or thicker.
Important Note On Gelatin Types
When it comes to gelatin, you don’t want any old gelatin off the supermarket shelves. You want to look for 100% grass-fed gelatin from healthy animals. Just like other animal products, quality is important.
That is why I recommend Vital Proteins Grass-Fed Gelatin products and Perfect Supplements products exclusively. I have compared these brand with other brands on the market and the quality far surpasses anything else I’ve tried. I am thrilled to be one of their affiliate partners and support such great products and companies.
Perfect Supplements offers a grass-fed hydrolyzed collagen (cold-soluble) right now and has a gelatin (hot-soluble) in the works for 2016. Read my review of their product here or watch the video below. You can order their own products via their own site here or on Amazon here.
How To Make Creamy Coconut Milk Yogurt
The Tools:
In order to make coconut milk yogurt, you need the following items (this will make close to one quart):
- 2 cans of coconut milk (I love Aroy-D brand)
- 1 tsp. to 2 tbsps. grass-fed beef gelatin (see note above)
- 1/4 – 1/2 tsp. yogurt starter culture (I use the GI Pro Start or Cultures for Health Real Yogurt Starter)
- A 1 liter anaerobic fermenting jar
- A thick bath towel
- A food thermometer (like this one)
- An electric oven with a working light
The Process:
Here are the steps that work for me. I usually make mine in the evening, around 8pm, so I can leave it in the oven overnight. I have the process timed out a bit, so I am going to give you a breakdown of what I do. In total, my yogurt incubates for around 16 hours. You can play with a longer or shorter duration of time and see what you find works best for you.
- Heat your coconut milk over low heat until it reaches 115 °F. This will not take long at all, so make sure you keep a close eye on it. I use a whisk to keep the coconut milk stirred and the heat dispersed.
- Once the coconut milk reaches 115 °F, remove from the heat and whisk in your gelatin. Make sure to sprinkle it in slowly so you don’t end up with any clumps. Though, honestly, if there are any clumps, it’s not the end of the world. 🙂
- Let the mixture cool to 110 °F. I like to keep stirring the mixture to help speed up the cool-down process. Once the mixture hits 110 °F, you can add your starter culture in. Make sure your culture powder is not clumpy, or else it won’t whisk in correctly. If there are any clumps, just break those up before you add it to the warm coconut milk.
- Whisk the mixture until well combined and then pour into your sanitized jar and close the lid. Place the airlock in the lid at this time.
- Wrap the jar up in your towel and place in the oven, next to the oven light. If you’re using an airlock, make sure the airlock is not touching the oven heating coils. You may need to adjust your shelves accordingly. Make sure the towel is wrapped around the jar well to keep out the light, but don’t cover the airlock.
- Close the door and turn on the oven for 35-45 seconds. My oven defaults to 350 °F when I turn it on, so I leave it at that, and turn it off after 40 seconds. You just want the oven on long enough to slightly heat up the coils. According to my thermometer in the oven, it never gets above 100 degrees when I do that. It’s just enough to get some residual heat in there. I also store my cast iron frying pans in the oven and they hold quite a bit of residual heat too. Keep the door shut and the oven light on overnight. I head to bed and let it incubate.
- When I get up in the morning, usually around 7am, I go downstairs and I turn the oven on for 30 seconds and then turn it off. Leave the door shut and keep the light on.
- Around noon, I remove the yogurt from the oven. This gives it about a 16 hour incubation time, though sometimes I forget and it goes a little longer. Even 24 hours is fine. You will notice that the coconut yogurt has separated, so I use a stainless steel whisk and stir it all back together while the mixture is still warm. I close the lid and let it cool to room temperature (keep it covered with a towel to keep UV light out) and then move it to the fridge. The yogurt will be pretty thin, but once it cools in the fridge it will set up. Use more gelatin for a thick yogurt, less for a thin yogurt.
- Let it chill completely and then serve. It tastes pretty amazing on its own, but you could flavor it any way you’d like. Fresh or frozen fruit tastes great, as does a bit of honey or maple syrup. Another favorite is to add a dollop of your favorite jam or jelly and stir it in. The sky’s the limit!
I’d love to hear from you! Do you make your own yogurt without a yogurt maker? What have you found that works? What’s your favorite starter? Let’s start the discussion below!
Hey AIP Friends! Are You Struggling with Breakfasts?
I can help! I have done the AIP twice, once for 6 months and the next time for about 18 months and now a large number of my readers are also following the autoimmune protocol for their own healing. I have created a number of AIP compliant recipes for this site, and many can easily be modified to fit your AIP lifestyle.
During my time on the AIP I learned a lot, but breakfasts were, by far, the hardest meals for me to plan out. I was an eggs-for-breakfast kind of gal and turns out, I react to eggs so those for sure had to go. What’s a gal to do when she’s had her favorite go-to breakfast taken away?
Get creative!
Which is what I did, along with the help of 25 other amazing AIP bloggers who all used the AIP to help further along their healing. Together, we created the 85 Amazing AIP Breakfasts eBook (one of the very first digital resources of its kind). The book was coordinated and designed by my friend, Eileen of Phoenix Helix website, and it quickly became a favorite resource in the AIP community!
ONE OF THE FIRST DIGITAL RESOURCES OF ITS KIND, THIS COOKBOOK IS:
- A paleo autoimmune protocol cookbook that is aligned with The Paleo Approach
- A resource for reversing autoimmune disease
- The work of 26 AIP bloggers who have used the AIP to improve their own health.
- 85 curated breakfast recipes from the best of the AIP blogs, including 33 completely new recipes never published before!
- Over half of the recipes can easily be modified for low-FODMAP, GAPS/SCD, low-histamine, and coconut-free diets using the handy substitution charts included in the book.
RECIPES INCLUDE:
- Delicious beverages like Rooibos “Latte”, Vanilla “Cappuccino”, Smoothies, Liver & Kidney Detox drink, and more!
- Breakfast bowls like Creamy Grain-Free “Porridge”, Roasted Cinnamon Pear “Oatmeal”, Biscuits & Gravy, Cranachan, and more!
- Breakfast skillets like Sweet Potato Beef Curry, Rabbit Sweet Potato Hash, Bacon & Veggie Fry-Up, Liver & Mushroom Stir-fry, Zucchini Apple Hash, and more!
- Soups (yes! You can eat soup for breakfast) like Greek Gyro Soup, Carrot Ginger Halibut Soup, Fragrant Herb & Coconut Chicken Soup, Offal (but now awful!) Stew, and more!
- Patties like Apple Pie Pork Patties, Ginger Green Onion Patties, Perfect Breakfast Sausage, Tuna Cakes with Green Olives, Cranberry Maple Chicken Patties, and more!
- Pancakes (yum!) like Sweet Potato Banana Pancakes, Spinach Plantain Pancakes, Fig & Citrus Hand Pies, Plantain Waffles, Cinnamon Crumb Cakes, and more!
Regardless of whether you are just starting out on the AIP or you’re already into the program, this cookbook is the perfect addition to your kitchen. Say goodbye to boring breakfasts and hello to deliciousness every morning! Learn more here and download your copy today (it would make a great gift for a loved one too!) by clicking on this link here, or on the image below.
Delicious Obsessions is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.Read our full terms and conditions here.

Can I use my crock pot for this? It has both a low and a keep warm setting.
Hi Sunny – I have not tried it in my crock pot. I found the oven method works well for me, so I’m going to stick with that for now. If you do try the crockpot, you just need to make sure it doesn’t get too hot. I’d try putting some towels in there and then turning it on the warm setting and maybe testing some water to see what the temperature gets to. Let me know how it goes! 🙂
Awww, I love the photo! Your yogurt does look very creamy and thick and delicious! I’m so glad the starter has worked out for you – I feel the same way, so excited to have yogurt again! And I love your method! Great post!
Hi Starlene – Without you, there would have been no coconut yogurt in my life, so THANK YOU! 🙂
Thanks for this post! Like you, I have Hashi’s and have stayed away from dairy and am on GAPS. I don’t have a yogurt maker or dehydrator, either, but have wanted to do something like this.
Hi Stephanie – I hope it works well for you. You will probably need to tweak it a bit to suit your own oven and tastes, but it’s totally doable! I hope you enjoy. I am seriously addicted! 🙂
It worked great! Thank you so much! I’ll miss yogurt no more! 😀
Hi Stephanie – So happy to hear it! Enjoy! 🙂
Yay! Thanks for this, Jessica! I have been wanting to make yogurt out of coconut milk for so long, and I read a lot of recipes, but they were all rather complicated. Yours is laid out in an easy to follow manner, and I feel confident that I can make my own now. Off now to use the coupon at Cultures for Health! 🙂
Hi Beth – Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy it! Bummer on the starter being out. They sold out quick! Let me know if you have any questions at all 🙂
Bummer, the vegan direct set starter is out of stock! 🙁
The recipe turned out perfect!! I just used my usual oven method (without worrying about the thermometer- just bringing to a rolling boil and then letting it cool down until I can comfortably hold my finger in it and then adding the starter)…I used 1/2 tsp Gut Pro powder from E3 Organics…it by the time I checked it at about 17 hours and it was separated so I gave it a shake and let it go for another 12 hours an it remained mixed and had firmed up beautifully!!
Soooo excited!! Thanks for the great recipe!
Hi Sherry – thank you for taking the time to comment! I’m so happy this worked for you! I can’t get enough of it! 🙂
Okay, this question will tell you that I am definitely a beginner! Anyway, for using a Pickl-It! jar with this, you would put in the Plug’R, right? Thank you! I am waiting for another ingredient to arrive, and then I can try this finally!
‘Sorry! I’m getting my Pickl-It! parts mixed up. I noticed that you said to put the air lock on. So, anyway, that just gets filled up with water as usual, right? And then when it’s done, do you put the Plug’R in when it goes in the refrigerator? Also, do you leave it the refrigerator for a while (to “set” more or anything) before you eat it? Thank you!
Hi Stephanie – I have used both my Pickl-It jars and my Fido jars for this yogurt and can’t tell a difference between the two. Yes, the airlock will get filled with water. There is typically a “fill line” marked on the airlock that tells you how much water to use. When the yogurt is done, I do use the Plug’R and stick it in the fridge, but you could swap out the lid for a Fido jar lid if you need the PI jar lid for something else. I always let the yogurt cool completely in the fridge before servings. It tastes better, and it thickens up as it sits, depending on how much gelatin you use. Hope that helps and let me know how it goes! 🙂
Thank you! I was also wondering…some people use sugar to make their coconut yogurt, but do you feel that the fructans/frucstose are enough food for the cultures? I’m hoping so, because normally I have to be careful about consuming too much coconut oil (or milk). It may be because of the fructans, so I’m hoping the yogurt will be fine if most of that is eaten up.
Also, what is best for sterilizing these jars? If I use dish soap, will any residue be a problem? I was thinking of washing them as I do my other dishes (I don’t use a dishwasher)and then pouring boiling water in the jar. Thanks for your thoughts on this.
Hi Stephanie – I wash my jars and lids in the dishwasher, but I always sanitize them in boiling water before making any ferments. I’d recommend placing the jar, lid, and gasket in a deep pot and filling with cold water. Then, bring to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes or so to sanitize. I don’t pour hot water directly into the jars for fear of cracking them. Hope that helps! 🙂
Hi Stephanie – Some people insist that adding sugar is required for coconut milk yogurt, but so far, mine is culturing just fine with out it. I prefer to keep the sugar content down on everything I can, so until my batches stop working right, I’ll omit the sugar. I don’t personally know much about fructans, so I can’t speak to that specific issue. Have a great day! 🙂
Thanks for your help; I appreciate it!
Another yogurt question – I finally got my starter from Cultures for Health. Their directions for coconut milk yogurt say to use 1 packet (1/8th tsp.) starter for 2 cans of coconut milk. I see that you’re using 1/4 tsp. of the GI Pro Start. Do you think the difference in the amounts comes down to using different starters? I’m wondering if I should use 2 packets of starter. What do you think.. ?
Hi Beth – I am sorry for the delay in responding. For some reason, I never saw this comment come in until now. The starter culture is pretty flexible in regards to the amounts used. I played around with different proportions and settled on 1/4 tsp. of the GI. Try playing with it and see what amounts develop a flavor that you like best! 🙂
I do all my yogurt in my electric fry pan. Fill the fry pan with 1/3 – 1/2 water. Add small jars or glasses with yogurt mixture, Set it to stay at around 110 degrees (I use a thermometer), cover and yogurt should be done in 6-8 hours.
This makes it so simple!
Great tip Sandra! Use what works for you! My mom has an electric frying pan. I may need to borrow and try it! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Hi
I will tell you the easiest way to make normal yogurt which I think will also work with coconut milk yogurt.
You fill up an empty plastic bottle/milk or juice container with boiling water, then you place it inside a cooling bag or insulated plastic bag (the ones to keep frozeen food from the supermarket to home), then place your fido or mason jar (with your yogurt mixture) also inside the cooling bag. You close the bag and leave it overnight, next morning your yogurt is ready.
I hope this helps
Great tip Nuria! Thanks for sharing!
Why is the pickle it top needed to make yogurt? Can it be made without it? If so do you need to open the container to let any gas out during the time it is being kept warm?
Hi Brenda – There is no specific type of jar required to make this yogurt, but since I follow true anaerobic fermentation principles, I only use PIs and Fidos for my fermentation. You could use any jar you would like. This is such a fast ferment, there is no need to let the jar off-gas, as not much pressure builds up. If you’re interested in reading about making yogurt using a variety of jars, this is a great series: http://www.lovingourguts.com/the-great-yogurt-experiment. Have a great day! 🙂
Hi Jessica, your recipe looks so simple and easy, I can’t wait to try it. I’m just wondering – I have an Esiyo yoghurt maker so do I have to heat up the coconut milk? I’m thinking no because the Easiyo instructions just state to mix everything in with normal tap water (their recipe uses powdered milk). I know you don’t use a yoghurt maker but thought I’d see if you have any thoughts.
Hi Karen – Thanks for stopping by. I’ve never used a yogurt maker, so I really don’t know. I would follow the instructions that your brand tells you, but I have found yogurt to be pretty forgiving, so it never hurts to experiment. Sorry I can’t be of more help! 🙂
Thanks Jessica. I’ll do it as the yoghurt maker says and see what happens. If it doesn’t work, I’ll try it your way. I’ll post back on here to let y’all know how it turned out 🙂
Please do! Your comments are sure to be helpful to others too! 🙂
Ok so the coconut yoghurt made with your recipe but to the Easiyo yoghurt maker instructions didn’t work. Their instructions were not to heat the milk but rather put it in the yoghurt maker and surround it in boiling hot water. I left it in for 20hrs. The yoghurt was really mild, hardly tasted like yoghurt, and very runny. I used 1tbs of gelatin and 1/2 tsp of non-dairy Inner Health probiotic powder (my son is to have no dairy at all). Not to worry, I’m just using it in smoothies for my son so it’s no biggie. (frozen mango with coconut yoghurt is the bomb!)
Next time I’ll try more gelatin and probiotics and see what happens!
Good to know! I’m sorry the batch didn’t turn out, but happy that it’s not going to waste! I hope the next batch is a little more suitable! 🙂 Thanks for keeping me posted!!
I’m so confused, maybe this is a silly question, how do you not start a fire putting a towel in the oven? And when you say you “turn the oven on” do you mean you just turn it on and then turn it off, or do you preheat it to 350 first, then put it in the oven and turn it off? sorry if these questions sound silly!
Hi Meg – No worries on the question! There is no fire risk, because you never want the oven to get any hotter than about 100-110 degrees, otherwise, you’ll kill the culture. That’s why I say in the post that you literally only turn your oven on for a few seconds. In my case, I leave my oven on for 40 seconds and then turn it off. Any hotter than that, and you’ll run the chance of ruining your starter culture. That small burst of heat is just enough to get the temperature to a good incubation temp and help the oven hold a warmer temp overnight, but it never gets hot enough to catch your towel on fire. Hope that helps clarify! 🙂
How would you do this w/ a gas oven?
thanks~
You know, Emily, that’s a great question! I have never had a gas oven in any of my homes, so I am uncertain how to answer this. Hopefully another reader will chime in with some ideas! 🙂
Do you have to use yogurt starter or couldn’t you.use some kefir water grains?
Hi Kelly – The bacteria and yeasts in water kefir are completely different from those in yogurts. There are milk kefir grains, which also have different strains of bacteria and yeasts than water kefir grains, that you can use to make coconut milk kefir. From what I have read, water kefir grains do not ferment milks very well, so I have never bothered trying. Have fun experimenting! 🙂
Hi-
I’d love to try this as I believe my son has a dairy allergy and he loves yogurt. I’m wondering why you chose the GI brand instead of Cultures for Health for your starter. Do you think there is a benefit for the GI one?
Looking forward to trying this!
Hi Margaret – I used the GI one because my friend had sent me quite a bit to play around with. The Cultures For Health one does have more strains in it, so I think it would be a great one to use. As soon as I’m out of what I have, I am going to order the CFH one. I hope you enjoy! 🙂
oh my gosh…i’ve not had yogurt in about 6 years. i miss it!!! thank you for sharing this little bit of coconut heaven! i’m going to gather the goods and give it a go. <3
Awesome! I hope you enjoy!! 🙂
Sharing on FB right now – hope you are doing well!
Thank you for the share Adrienne!
Is this supposed to still be like liquid when it goes in the fridge??
Hi Laura – Yes, it will still be rather thin when you take it out of the oven. I let mine continue to cool down to room temp and then move it to the fridge. It will set up once it cools. If you want a thicker yogurt, use more gelatin. Use less for a thinner yogurt. Enjoy! 🙂
Hello!! Thank you for this recipe! What are your feelings on needing to heat the coconut milk to 180 to kill bacteria ? I am about to make my first batch of coconut yogurt and am not sure if it needs to be heated this high like some sites say or not? Thank you, Christine
Hi Christine – There would be no need to do this. I’m not sure where you are reading that you should, but it is incorrect advice. There’s not going to be bacteria in coconut milk that needs to be killed. Hope that helps!
Hi Jessica!
Thank you for your quick response. That is what I thought, raw milk is different than canned coconut milk! (although we only gently heated our raw yogurt when we made it) This is the link and I think what I was seeing was this link shared / copied on other sites. http://www.smallfootprintfamily.com/2009/04/25/homemade-coconut-milk-yogurt/ Thank you again! Can’t wait to get a spoon into some non-dairy deliciousness 🙂 Christine
Hi Christine – Happy to help. I find the thought of “sterilizing” something in order to ferment it kind of an oxymoron. The problem today is that we have too much sterile food, leading to poor digestion and health. I don’t really understand their reasoning for this. I personally don’t recommend sterilizing your food before fermenting. 🙂
I’ve used the Folding Proofer to make Coconut Milk yogurt. http://brodandtaylor.com/coconut-milk-yogurt-recipe/
SO Delicious brand dairy free cultured coconut yogurt worked fine.
The Folding Proofer is great as a yogurt maker because you can set the temperature where you want it and there’s no fussing around with makeshift solutions. It’s kind of expensive as just a yogurt maker (compared to other solutions) but I positively love mine and I use it for bread proofing (rising) too. I’m not sure if I love it more for yogurt or bread.
Hi Amy – Interesting. I’ve never seen that before, but I appreciate you sharing! I learn something new every day. 🙂
Oh dear, I wonder if this can be done with a yogurt maker. I’ve been looking for coconut milk yogurt recipes that use a yogurt maker, but haven’t found any. I’ve not used the yogurt maker before, so I’m not sure how to tweak things.
Dana – Check out this recipe from my friend Starlene: http://gapsdietjourney.com/2013/04/coconut-yogurt-thick-creamy-delicious/
Will non histamine producing strains like most bifido strains and limited lactobacilli bacteria like l. gasseri, l. salivarius, and L.rhamnosus work?
Hi Robin – I’m not sure, but you could certainly give it a try and see. I would do a very small batch to experiment with first. Cheers!
Hey Jessica,
I was wondering if you could help me out as i’m a little new to this! My mum has a yoghurt making machine and I bought some kefir so I thought of making coconut yoghurt with it. Am I right in thinking that all I would need to do is make a coconut milk kefir (just adding the kefir and letting it sit in the coconut milk until it cultures) and then adding normal coconut milk into the yoghurt machine plus the fermented coconut milk?! Or have I made that process up, i’m a little lost and confused!!
Hi Been – I’m not sure if I’m following you completely, but if you want to make homemade coconut milk kefir, you will need to get some milk kefir grains in order to properly ferment the coconut milk. While store-bought kefir does have some beneficial bacteria in it, it’s not going to be enough to culture a batch of coconut milk. Also, kefir and yogurt are two different products, so I’d recommend doing one or the other. You really don’t need to turn kefir into yogurt. If you want to make coconut milk yogurt, I’d recommend just using my tutorial above. It’s very simple! Hope that clarifies your confusion.
Being dairy free for years, I am so excited to try this coconut yogurt! Does it require the starter culture for each batch – or is it possible to use a bit of coconut yogurt from a previous batch as the culture to save on the ongoing costs of purchasing the starter culture? Thank you!
Hi Therese – I have never had good success using some of the previous batch to start a new batch. That will work with dairy-based yogurts, but for the coconut milk ones, it does not work well at all. I do end up using new starter culture for each batch. Hope you enjoy! It’s delicious! 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! I am going to give a shot with the coconut milk, though sometimes I find I really don’t like the weird taste that coconut milk has. Does it taste much different from coconut milk right out of the can?
I am also thinking of trying this recipe with homemade almond milk, which I like the taste of better. I will let you know how everything turns out!
Hi Amy – I think it tastes a little more mild. I have not tried it with the almond milk, but I’d be interested in hearing how it works! 🙂
thank you, thank you, thank you!! i’ve missed yogurt soo much since going DF. i can find it in the stores, but it’s ridiculously expensive so i’m super-excited to try this 😀
Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Hi! I look forward to trying this recipe and the Vital Proteins. But I’m a little confused. The FAQ section on their website says that the collagen peptides gels in cold liquids (for like mousse and jello) or for mixing into hot liquids, but your post says that it does not thicken or gel. Sounds like the collagen protein (which you recommend for this recipe) is a larger molecule and therefore may make it further down the digestive tract, providing better gut benefits, so I’m happy to go with thd collagen protein, but was curious about the peptides in case I decide to purchase it for other reasons. How do you use the peptides?
Hi Tara – Thanks for stopping by! The Vital Proteins FAQ page says “Collagen Protein is a traditional beef gelatin that will gel in cold liquids, it is useful for recipes such as mousses, jellos, or for mixing into hot liquids. Collagen Peptides are a unique formula that are able to dissolve in cold liquids, making them ideal as a supplement that can be mixed with liquids such as juice or milk.” So, you would want to use the Peptides (blue lid) for applications where you don’t want any gelling action (like smoothies, adding to your coffee, tea, etc.). You would want to use the Protein (green lid) for making things like “jello”, gummies, pudding, etc. I use both in my home, depending on what my needs are. Hope that helps!
I’m thrilled to find this recipe. I use my oven light for dehydrating soaked nuts so this makes sense to me and I don’t have a yogurt maker. I definitely don’t need more gadgets! Question; I would prefer mine to be sweetened already. I love using dates mixed into the coconut milk in my Vitamix in other recipes. Would this change anything such as the fermenting time needed? I use Cultures for Health Kefir grains but I really miss the texture of yogurt and love to use gelatin. Thanks so much!
Hi Janae – awesome! So glad you like the recipe. I have not tried it with the sweetener added before fermenting. I imagine it would be fine — it may ferment a little quicker with the added sugar. I always just stir in my sweetener once it has completed fermenting. Let me know how it goes if you try it! 🙂
I’ve just started making coconut yogurt and love it! I buy my coconut milk at the local Asian store, I noticed last time I was there they had canned coconut creme. So, I decide to try it, it made an extremely thick yogurt. I think I am now going to try one can regular milk and one can creme and see what happens. I have been only using 1 tablespoon gelatin. I’m going to experiment with a bit more gelatin and see how it turns out. I also use 2 tablespoons honey. I use a yogurt machine and let it ferment 20 hours. I vigorously shake the jars before I store them in the fridge. They seem to stay mixed. My yogurt maker will also accommodate a 7 cup glass Pyrex bowl, so I use that for every other batch since I’ve been eating so much of it! Thank you for all the helpful hints. I was very nervous about making it the first few times, but it is turning out great!
Thanks for sharing Renee! So glad you liked it! It’s been awhile since I’ve made any, so I really should start another batch! 🙂
your recipe doesn’t say “cold set or Hot set” gelatin so which is it. you mix up the gelatin and collegen names so I’m unsure what you’re refering to the gelling gelatin or the non-gelling collagen.
Hi Kirsten! Thanks for stopping by! The recipe specifically calls for gelatin, which is always going to be “hot set” or “gelling”. Any recipe that calls for “cold set” or “non gelling” will be specified as collagen. Gelatin = hot set / collagen = cold set. Hope that helps! 🙂
I’ve just started the AIP diet and am without my favorite foods!! I’m so happy to have discovered your coconut yogurt recipe! I was making greek yogurt in my Instant Pot before I started the AIP. I’m assuming the coconut yogurt can be made in it as well. Have you tried making it in the Instant Pot? How did it turn out? Thanks for sharing your recipes! (I’m waiting on my order from Mountain Rose Herbs so that I can enjoy “coffee” again.)
Hi Becky! This recipe was a LIFESAVER when I was on AIP! It was one of my faves for sure! I have never made this recipe in the Instant Pot. I may have to give that a try at some point! Enjoy your coffee! I just brewed up a gallon yesterday to tide me over for awhile! 🙂 Thank you for stopping by!