I love cooking and experimenting in the kitchen, but something about yogurt has always scared me. I think it has to do with the bacteria, and the fine line between good bacteria and bad.
Growing up, I was constantly asking those around me – first my mom, then later in life my roommate, and now my husband – “Is this yogurt still good?”
To which they would almost always reply: “I don’t know, when is the expiration date? Did you stir it? How does it smell?”
Once I removed dairy from my diet, I didn’t really have to worry about that anymore. I also didn’t eat very much yogurt prior to this either, since I’ve always felt the store bought varieties were lacking.
That was until I decided to try my hand at making my own.
YUM! I quickly discovered that homemade is really the way to go.
When you create your own, you can control the amount of sugar, how thick it is, and what flavor you want to make.
Health Benefits of Yogurt
You may be wondering, is this stuff even healthy?
Why yes, yes it is! Below are the top reasons you’ll want to add this creamy concoction to your diet, maybe even daily.
- Digestive Health. Due to the probiotics in this recipe, it helps to provide good bacteria and crowd out the bad bacteria. It can help with gut issues like IBS, abdominal cramps, and bloating.
- Boosts Immunity. Healthy bacteria is necessary for a healthy and well-functioning immune system, which is something to remember during the next cold and flu season.
- Fights Overgrowth of Yeast (Candida). Fermented foods provide good gut flora and help remove bad microbes in the body that feed off sugar. This will also help to fight off sugar cravings, providing a potentially beneficial cleansing of your body.
Below is a simple, basic recipe that just about anyone can make, to gain the benefits mentioned above.
- 2 14oz cans full fat coconut milk
- 2 teaspoons guar guar flakes
- 4 tablespoons probiotic capsules or 4 tablespoons of coconut yogurt
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- Turn oven on to lowest setting and allow it to heat up. Once oven heats up, turn it right back off and turn on the oven light. Sterilize a glass jar that you’ll be using to store the finished product in. You’ll do this by boiling some water and placing it in the jar, allowing it to sit in the jar for about 5 minutes and then pouring it out.
- In a large bowl, add both cans of the milk and gently whisk. Next, empty probiotic capsules into the bowl (or add pre-made coconut yogurt) and gently stir together.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir again. Pour contents of the bowl into the sterile glass jar, and then place it in the oven and keep it there for the next 24 hours.
- Once jar has been in the oven for 24 hours, place it in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
- Serve cold, and pairs well with granola and fresh fruit.
- Keep refrigerated and it will keep up to two weeks.
If you notice any pink or brown discoloration on the top, that means your product has been contaminated with bad bacteria, and you have to toss the yogurt. Do not eat if this happens.
If you want really thick coconut yogurt, refrigerate your coconut milk overnight and then in the morning (do not shake). Open and scrape off the top layer and place that in the bowl. Do not use the watery portion of the can. You can save the watery part for soups, stews or smoothies.
Flavor Variations
After yogurt has been chilled for at least 6 hours, feel free to add to the flavor with one of the suggested combinations below:
1. Dark Chocolate: Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup and 2 tablespoons raw cacao powder to the basic version, and mix well.
2. Blueberry Cardamom: Add 2 tablespoons blueberry jam (made without corn syrup or added sweeteners) and 1 teaspoon cardamom powder (or freshly ground cardamom seeds, made with a mortar and pestle) to the basic version, and mix well.
3. Strawberry Chia: Add 2 tablespoons strawberry jam (made without added sweeteners) and 1 tablespoon chia seeds to the basic version, and stir well.
4. Cinnamon Peach: Add 1 chopped ripe peach, 2 dates, and ¼ teaspoon cinnamon to a food processor. Process until smooth. Add this mixture to the basic version and stir well.
But if you are looking for a plain variation, omit the sweeteners in the recipe. You can use it as the dairy-free base for our savory and tangy tzatziki dip!
I hope you give this recipe a try!
I think everyone should still be able to enjoy the delish taste and potentla health benefits of this fermented recipe.
Vegan, dairy free or lactose intolerant, this recipe is for you. Oh, and make sure you try different flavor combinations once in awhile, for a little variety.
What’s your favorite yogurt flavor, or your go-to way to use it in your cooking? Let us know in the comments!
The staff at Foodal are not medical professionals and this article should not be construed as medical advice. Foodal and Ask the Experts, LLC assume no liability for the use or misuse of the material presented above. Always consult with a medical professional before changing your diet or using supplements or manufactured or natural medications.
Photo credits: Shutterstock.
About Sarah Hagstrom
Sarah is a health food advocate and loves to spend her time whipping up something healthy and delicious in the kitchen and then sharing either on Foodal or on her own blog "The Seasonal Diet" (www.theseasonaldiet.com). She lives in Sunny San Diego with her husband, where they enjoy running on the beach and weekend adventures.
I’ve never made non-dairy yogurt before, but I have made my own milk based yogurt quite a few times and I love doing it.
I have, however, done the trick similar to your extra thick version where you refrigerate a can of coconut milk, pour off the liquid (and drink it or something, don’t waste it!) and whip the remaining fat. It’s a great dairy free whipped cream substitute.
Also, don’t forget to save a tablespoon or so of your plain yogurt each batch. You can use it to culture your next batch. Some people keep their cultures going for generations!
Looks yummy, amazing even 🙂 too bad my oven broke down, still, am keeping this recipe for a future try-out,..thanks for the heads up… on checking whether the final outcome is fresh or stale {pink/brown discoloration on top}..I like keeping my sensitive tummy in check 🙂
That recipe sounds absolutely amazing! I would add bananas and chopped almonds. I have a hard time determining whether the store bought yogurt is still good when I purchase it in the larger tubs. There is just so much you can do with one flavor at the price they sell it for. This way I can make a flavor I want and know it’s good for me without the fear of thinking that they used anything I didn’t want in the production of the final product. I like having more control over what goes into my body versus already prepared foods.
This recipe sounds delicious. Probiotics have numerous health benefits, but getting them from regular yogurt can be problematic because the source for them can often be contaminated or made less bioavailable in some way. I also try to avoid dairy, since I seem to feel better without it, and it often gives me acne breakouts. This dairy-free coconut yogurt recipe is a healthy alternative to normal yogurt, and is a good natural way to consume probiotics if you want to get them through food, rather than from pills. I’m sure this recipe is also delicious. I’ll have to try it.
I am in fact lactose intolerant, AND I love yogurt I also love al things coconut. I’m going to try this recipe. It has so much potential for versatility. I can almost taste fresh raspberries and peaches blended in with that coconut! Oh and a sprinkling of pecans on top would be perfect!
Oh this sounds delicious!! I love coconut and I love all sorts of yogurts! And the combination of these two? Heavenly!! Thank you for the article:)
I had no idea that non-dairy yogurts exist! I’m relieved to know, since soon I’ll have to cut all milk from my diet.
Thanks to your tips, it doesn’t seem that hard to prepare… though I must confess that I’m also worried about bad bacteria getting into mine! I’ll have to ask my friend (who’s a wonderful cook) to help me with preparing it for the first time. I’ve got a real sweet tooth for strawberries, so guess which version is my favourite? 🙂
I’ve never tried non-dairy yogurt, let alone make one. This post is really interesting and I can’t wait to try it. 🙂
I must say I do love yogurt. There is nothing quite as refreshing as cold yogurt on a hot day. My whole family love it. The health benefits of yogurt are ofcourse very beneficial. Thanks for this recipe.
I’ve known a long time ago that dairy products really cause me stomach upset, but I just can’t keep away from them. I love milk, and cheese and especially yogurt. I’ve seen other recipes out there, but they seem boring, but this one actually looks and sounds pretty yummy! I was wondering if there’s an alternative for guar flakes because for me it’s not easy to get them. I really want to try this recipe during the weekend, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get the guar flakes. Hope someone here can help with this dilemma!
I’m quite apprehensive when it comes to making anything involving fermentation – yoghurt, beer and even kimchi, due to the very real risk of bacterial contamination. In my opinion it’s much better to stay safe and buy such products from a retailer.
While I personally won’t be making this recipe, the idea of coconut yoghurt is definitely a very interesting one! I’ve only ever heard of soy-based yoghurt as an alternative, this is a first for me 🙂
I was always curious on making my own yogurt as oppose to just buying it from the story, but I was afraid I would screw up and create a new bacteria strain that would kill me and make me bleed out of my eyes or something. If I used Soy milk, would the recipe still come out good? Ever since I started to drink it, I’ve been trying out different recipes using soy milk as well as almond milk and I want to see if they would be a good substitute for coconut milk.
Finally a recipe for dairy free yogurt! All the Diy recipes I come across are always for the dairy version and it requires adding some type of cultures to regular milk and letting it set overnight. I would always ask them if it was possible with a non-dairy version of milk but they would always tell me no because the added cultures needed to react with dairy milk. I can’t wait to try this recipe. I can totally understand the struggle of figuring gout whether yogurt was good or bad though. I constantly ask my mom if our yogurt is still good and she’s always like “smell it”. My sense of smell is a train wreck though so I’ve eaten a lot of bad yogurt as a result. I should probably be immune to it by now. Can this work with other non-dairy likes like almond, cashew, and soy? I know that coconut milk is way thicker than the others so would I need to add an extra thickener to them? Also I think I’ll use honey instead of maple syrup, I’m not a fan of the maple flavor.
I have never made yogurt, but would love to try it. Making dairy free yogurt is even better, and the extra coconut flavor is great. I love the idea of the flavor variations, especially the chocolate and blueberry-cardamon version. Thanks for the recipe.
My best friend has just recently cut all dairy out of her diet, I’ll have to try this out and make her some as a surprise 🙂 I don’t mind dairy, but I love to make anything I can from scratch rather than buying it from the store. It’s just nice to know exactly what’s going into your food, and it usually tastes better too. Plus, anything with a coconut milk base is pretty much automatically delicious 😛
Is it really that easy!? I am so excited right now! I have heard about making coconut yogurt, but it always sounded so complicated. I can’t wait to try this! I really try to stay away from dairy, but have still been eating yogurt for the probiotics. I’d love to make the switch. Plus, it just sounds really delicious.
I LOVE coconut yogurt, but I am always dazed by the cost and how little you get for the price. This recipe ‘feels’ entirely do-able and I am pretty sure I will have better results than I did in trying to make it with the coconut gel recipe… for one thing, there was no suggestion to put the coconut flesh into the refrigerator to thicken it up. I like that idea. I like my coconut yogurt thick, sort of like coconut cream pie, but with healthier ingredients! Thank you for the great recipe!
I’ve had this recipe in the books for a while now and I finally did this a few days ago. I was astonished at how creamy it ended up being, and even without the dairy it was also extremely delicious. I made this for myself just to test how it takes but now that I know it’s cheap to make and delicious, there’s no way I’m going to be selfish and keep this goodness to myself only.
Even though I don’t really have a fear to eat yogurt, this is a great alternative for it, and it’s not that common to see coconut yogurt in my country so that would be a new thing to try, and I’m pretty exited already to try it.
I really liked the strawberry chia idea, strawberries are my favorite fruit and who doesn’t loves some chia?
I really need to try that one!
Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
This sounds very interesting. One of my daughters, who is NOT lactose intolerant, and drinks milk daily, always gets a stomach ache after eating yogurt, though I am not sure why! We have tried different brands too, and it still bothers her, which stinks, since its one of her favorite snacks. I will have to make a batch of this and see how well she handles it.