How To Make Coconut Yogurt at Home

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If you’ve wanted to make coconut yogurt for a while but were put off thinking it was hard, this super easy homemade coconut yogurt recipe should help! So many store-bought coconut yogurts contain sugar, starches and other non-keto ingredients, but honestly guys it’s actually really easy to make your own.

The trick is finding the right brand of coconut milk and making sure you use full-fat, not light coconut milk. If your coconut yogurt doesn’t work, chances are it’s the brand. They all react very differently so try a few until you find one you like.

Once you’ve mastered it, you can start to experiment with flavours! Cinnamon, chocolate, mixed berry, lemon… all the possibilities! Ready? Let's do this! But before we get to it, below are answers to most common questions.

How Many Carbs Are in Coconut Yogurt?

Just like for any fermented foods and other homemade basics such as bone broth, nutrition facts can only be estimated. When making coconut yogurt at home, there are several factors that will affect the final outcome.

To estimate the nutrition facts in this recipe, we used plain Coyo, a brand that contains only coconut milk and probiotic cultures. Keep in mind that even that won't provide an accurate estimate as we have to consider different amount of fat and water (creamier coconut yogurt will contain more fat that thinner coconut yogurt). Most coconut milk yogurts list values between 4 to 5 grams of carbs per 100 grams (3.5 oz). Anything more than that means that there may be added sugars or starches.

Note: If you are tracking your macros using our KetoDiet app or any other app, always double check the nutrition fats of branded products with the actual product label. Since nearly all nutrition facts for branded products are crowd-sourced, they are not a reliable source and may be incorrect.

What is the Ideal Serving Size?

Most dairy-free products like Coyo are available in small 100-150 gram (3.5-5.3 oz) containers. Half a cup serving may seem quite small but it's a lot more satisfying than dairy milk yogurt because it contains more fat.

Which Coconut Milk Should I Use?

Use full-fat canned coconut milk, as the light version will be much runnier and here on keto we love full-fat!

The brand of coconut milk you use will make a difference to your yogurt. If you don’t succeed with your first attempt, try another brand. I had good success with Biona, 100% pure coconut milk because I didn’t want any guar gum or other stabilisers.

Once you’ve found a brand you like, it’s easy to make your own coconut milk yogurt. You can then multiply up the quantities for a bigger batch and start to experiment with flavours.

Can I Use Coconut Milk Without Guar Gum?

Most people can use products with guar gum with no issues, however, some people may want to avoid guar gum and other thickeners as these can cause GI distress.

Not having guar gum may cause some separation and it tends to be a little runnier than coconut milk containing guar gum. Make sure to stir it in when it’s ready. I’ve also heard Whole Foods coconut milk is a good option but I think it contains guar gum so check it out if you want to avoid it.

For a thicker yogurt without guar gum you can try blitzing in about 85 grams (3 oz) of peeled fresh coconut meat. Coconut butter (aka coconut manna) is another option. Simply add it to the creamed part of the coconut milk before you add the probiotic.

Alternatively, you could try desiccated coconut. This will make a slightly course yogurt though, so place a muslin cloth over a sieve set on top of a mixing bowl. Add the yogurt and let it drip through. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge for several hours. Discard any liquid in the bowl. You should end up with a nice thick yogurt left in the cloth.

Which Probiotic Should I Use for Coconut Yogurt?

Make sure your probiotics are capsules or powder, not pills. Use probiotics that are a good strain and quality (I used a 10 strain and 2 x 25 billion capsules). Avoid probiotics that contain FOS.

You may want to stir in your probiotic with a wooden spoon rather than a regular metal spoon. Some say metal damages the probiotic but it seemed to work ok for me.

That’s it. Once you’ve found a brand you like, it’s easy to make coconut yogurt at home. You can multiply up the quantities for a bigger batch and start to experiment with flavours. Good luck!

How To Eat Coconut Yogurt

• Serve this dairy-free coconut milk yogurt with any low-carb jam. For a holiday inspired yogurt treat, make a batch of our Low-Carb Mulled Wine Berry Jam. For a summer inspired treat, try our Low-Carb Strawberry & Basil Chia Jam
• Use coconut yogurt to make some Keto Coconut Popsicles.
• Use it in curries such as Easy Keto Chicken Coconut Curry or The Tastiest Low-Carb Vegetable Curry just like you would regular dairy yogurt!

Hungry for More?

Check out how to make coconut milk and coconut flour at home from scratch. Learn how to make thick coconut cream using canned coconut milk and use it in curries. Whip up some fluffy coconut cream and use it in fat bombs and other keto desserts.

Since you know how to make coconut yogurt, why not try coconut milk kefir? It's ideal for low-carb smoothies such as this Blueberry Kefir Smoothie.

Nutritional values (per serving, about ¹/₂ cup/ 125 g/ 4.4 oz)

Ingredients (makes about 1 ³/₄ cups/ 400 ml/ 13.5 fl oz)

• 2 cans (400 ml/ 13.5 oz) full-fat coconut milk, thick part only (800 ml/ 17 oz)
• 2 capsules of mix strain probiotics or ³/₄ tsp of probiotic powder
• Optional: ¹/₂ tsp vanilla powder, 1 tsp cinnamon or 1-2 tbsp cacao powder
• Optional: low-carb sweetener, to taste

Instructions

1. Place the cans of full coconut milk in the fridge overnight.
   
2. When chilled, spoon out the thick cream part from the top and place in a clean sterilised jam jar.
   
3. Slowly add a little of the liquid until you get the consistency you like (I added about 3 tablespoons). The more you add, the thinner your yogurt will be. (You can store the rest of the liquid you’re not using in a glass jar in the fridge and add to a smoothie or keto curry.)
   
4. Open your probiotic capsules and stir into the coconut cream until well combined.
   
   
5. Cover the coconut cream with a muslin cloth and secure with string or an elastic band. Leave in a warm place for 24 to 48 hours out of sunlight. (I put mine in the airing cupboard.) The temperature will affect how quickly it ferments, so make sure you check after 24 hours.
   
6. Stir and taste and it should be a touch sour with tiny air bubbles. If not, leave covered for another 12 - 24 hours.
7. When ready, stir through the optional vanilla and sweetener to taste.
   
8. Seal with the lid and store in the fridge for 2 - 3 days. Stir before eating. I like mine chilled so would recommend chilling for 2 to 3 hours before serving. It thickens a little more when in the fridge too.
   
9. Homemade coconut yogurt can be eaten plain or with any low-carb jam.

Ingredient nutritional breakdown (per serving, about ¹/₂ cup/ 125 g/ 4.4 oz)

Net carbs	Protein	Fat	Calories
Coyo coconut yogurt
5.3 g	3.3 g	28 g	292 kcal
Total per serving, about 1/2 cup/ 125 g/ 4.4 oz
5.3 g	3.3 g	28 g	292 kcal

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