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Homemade coconut yogurt made with Mad Millie starter
Dairy free, vegan and paleo.
If you’ve wanted to make coconut yogurt for a while but put it off thinking it was hard, or tried and was disappointed with the outcome, then this simple method is for you. It’s smooth, thick, rich, creamy and has just the right amount of tang. This coconut yogurt method doesn’t require any heating or added thickeners - it’s guaranteed to be a hit with paleo dieters, vegans, and foodies alike.
The trick with coconut yogurt is finding a reliable brand of canned coconut for the job and a starter culture that delivers loads of good bacteria for your gut. Of course, you also want the taste and texture to be as good (or better) than anything you can buy. We’ve done some testing and yum. Seriously, coconut yogurt can’t get much better than this!
Customers often ask us for starter culture recommendations. Mad Millie dairy-free yoghurt culture is made with more diversity than many starters on the market. It contains Streptococcus thermophiles, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium lactis and Lactobacillus acidophilus. The longer it ferments the higher the number of probiotics you’ll get in every spoonful.
We used Savoy coconut cream which has an excellent coconut flavour. We found it consistently thick and creamy in every can. No oil, and not too much water. Savoy coconut cream is a product of Thailand and tastes and performs a lot like Aroy-d coconut milk. Both are culinary favourites in restaurants across the world and is available online or in Asian supermarkets.
We hope this step by step recipe gives you the confidence to give homemade coconut yogurt a go. Let us know if you try it.
FERMENTATION TIME
Fermentation time impacts both the number of probiotics in your coconut yogurt and the taste. The longer you ferment your coconut milk the more time the bacteria have to eat the sugar and proliferate and the more tart it will become. To maximise the probiotic potential, we recommend as long as 24-hour fermentation. For a sweeter yogurt choose 12-15 hours.
FEED THE BACTERIA SUGAR
In dairy based yogurt production, bacteria in the starter culture eat the milk’s natural sugars, (lactose) during fermentation. Canned coconut milk doesn’t have as much natural sugar available to feed the bacteria and ensure the culturing process takes place. The starter culture must have plenty to feed on to ensure the culturing process continues for the full duration of the fermentation. One teaspoon of white sugar or one tablespoon of pasteurised honey is enough to kick start fermentation.
PREPARATION
It is recommended that you sterilise your yogurt making jar and utensils beforehand. We have always found it is enough to wash in hot soapy water, then rinse in boiling water before use.
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