for the love of nums
Have y’all ever tried making your own yogurt? It always seemed like one of those things I didn’t want to do myself, like seeing how the sausage gets made. Because who wants to get on the wrong side of some rogue bacteria?? Seemed better left to the experts. My mission to make my own coconut yogurt (Mama had to cut down on dairy a little a couple years back.) was born out of necessity though, as much as it was curiosity about whether or not I could actually do it.
Fun fact: I spent the better part of my 20s and the first couple years of my 30s living in Southern California. All my babies were born there. We went to the beach whenever we wanted, we went to farmer’s markets year round, we were just a 25-minute drive from Disneyland. But most importantly, any hot, new food products to hit the shelves?? I got my greedy little paws on ’em first. Because not unlike the weather, hot, new products move from west to east. There are many things about living in Georgia that are fantastic, but easy access to hot, new products is not one of them. If I wanted bone broth or ghee or coyo, I’d have to make it myself.
The problem with making it myself? I couldn’t figure out how. Even if I were able to set aside all my fears about bacteria gone bad, I couldn’t find a recipe that worked for me. They were either way too complicated or they just flat-ass didn’t work. So when I heard rumblings of a hot new piece of coconut-yogurt tail hitting the market a couple years back, I was intrigued, to say the least. I watched helplessly from Georgia as pretty much every single California-based blogger I knew dug into glass jars of luscious Coconut Cult coconut-cream yogurt as thick as frosting. I gots to get me some o’ that, I thought. Then I found out it’s $25 per jar. And while it does have some craaaazy legit probiotic strains all up in each batch, and I’m totally jealous of all you West Coasters who can easily get your hands on one of those coveted, flamingo-emblazoned glass jars, I personally just couldn’t justify paying $25 plus shipping for a jar of yogurt. Let me rephrase that: I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to hide a $25-per-jar-plus-shipping yogurt-habit from the hubs.
Pictured: Optional dried coconut flakes added to create the more Coconut Cult-y consistency
But like I said, necessity is the mother of invention. And after tasting some of this heavenly yogurt at a work event, I was definitely necessitating a suitable homemade alternative. Behold: my homemade coconut fluff yogurt!
Luckily for me – and our bank account – it wasn’t as difficult as my previous coconut-yogurt fails had led me to believe it would be. You literally just blend, stir and wait. Seriously, the waiting is the hardest part of this recipe. But the result? Your very own jar of coconutty creaminess to do with what you wish – eat it with berries, slather it on toast, bathe in it, whatever gets your flag up the pole.
I’ve tested this three ways so far – using fresh young Thai coconut meat; using dried, unsweetened coconut flakes; and using just raw cashews/no additional coconut to blend into the coconut milk. I personally prefer the fresh young coconut, as it yields amaaaazing flavor and a smoother consistency, not unlike a baby’s bottom, but since a young Thai coconut can be difficult to procure, I simplified the recipe down to three simple ingredients you probably have in your kitchen right this minute. That being said, the dried coconut version produced a texture nearly identical to the Coconut Cult coconut cream yogurt, so if that’s what you’re going for here, you’ll want to add the optional dried coconut flakes. If you use the fresh coconut meat, just reduce the raw cashews to 1/4 cup. All three ways taste equally incredible. Let me know what y’all think!!
Update: Another thing I’ve really been loving lately is doing a second fermentation, which is where I add a slice of fruit or two into the yogurt for the last few hours of fermentation. It gives the probiotic a little sugar to feed on + thus creates a thicker, smoother product. To do, during the last couple/few hours of fermentation, I just add a slice of orange or banana or mango or peach or whatever fruit you have on hand to the yogurt mixture, cover it again, leave it sitting on the counter for a few more hours, then remove the fruit before refrigerating. It will not make the yogurt taste like the fruit you used.
Need help troubleshooting? There’s more info on my Instagram – check out the CoYo highlights in my stories, or send me a DM.
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Love this!! Can you provide nutrition facts (or an estimation of cals)? Thanks!
My estimate looks like this for 1/4 cup:
125 cal
10 g fat
5 g carb
1 g sugar
2 g protein
I eat anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 cup – it’s so filling, you don’t need much! 🙂
This looks phenomenal..I’m going to WF to buy ingredients the moment I leave work! However, I’m realizing I don’t have a wooden spoon that’ll fit in any of the jars I have. Is there any reason you don’t just blend the probiotic powder into the yogurt when it’s in your high powered blender?
You could also use a plastic spoon! Or pour the yogurt into a bowl that your wooden spoon will fit into to mix in the probiotic, then funnel into a jar. 🙂 I didn’t blend the probiotic in with the yogurt in the blender because the blades are metal, and I wasn’t sure if that would mess with the probiotic, so just to be safe, I mixed it in afterward.
Trader Joe’s carries frozen chunks of coconut. It’s not young coconut . I wonder if you think it would work. I know when i use it in smoothies it doesn’t come out completely smooth…
The young thai coconut makes it realllllly smooth, which I love. Regular coconut would still work, but it’ll be a grainier consistency, like the dried coconut produces – just make sure it’s completely thawed first so the temperature will be right. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!!
I’ve seen frozen coconut meat at Trader Joe’s- do you think that could be thawed and still work?
As long as it’s thawed, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work! 🙂 Let me know if you try it!!
Is it better to have a probiotic and probiotic in the same capsule?
You mean a prebiotic and probiotic in the same capsule? My daily probiotic has a prebiotic in it, which I like because it not only contains good bacteria, but food for the good bacteria. But apparently that’s not as good for yogurt making, so I use a different probiotic for this that doesn’t contain a prebiotic – I linked it. 🙂
This is amazing!!!! I am going to the store and buying fresh coconut tomorrow! And thank you for being real and calling out that ridiculously priced yet delectable looking Coconut Cult yogurt! You rock.
Yayyyy, let me know how you like it!! I promise you, I will always be real with y’all! 🙂
Hi!! I have also been seeing all the Coconut Cult postings and wanting to try it but then saw the price and the fact that I’m in Canada and BOOOO.
So I am excited to make your receipt though I am wondering if you have to put the probiotic in it or can this be made without and still be the same sans the probiotic benefits? I miss yogurt too and would love to make this.
Thank you!
Hi! You could definitely leave the probiotic out if you prefer, but it won’t have the probiotic benefits or the slight tang of yogurt, and it won’t be quite as thick. It’ll be more like coconut cream, which is also delicious!! 🙂
I’m wondering if you heated the coconut milk+flakes after blending? I read other recipes saying if you don’t heat the coconut milk, bad bacteria might ruin the batch… I just followed your recipe, but now so nervous because i didn’t heat the milk at all!
Hi!! I don’t heat it, but I blend it for about a full minute, until totally smooth, which does warm it slightly. Then I stir in the probiotics with a wooden spoon. I’ve probably made about 10 batches of it thus far, both with dried coconut and fresh, and it’s been perfect every time without heating. 🙂 Let me know how yours turns out!!
Hi there, I am very much looking forward to making this as I have been obsessed with Coco Cult as well. I have all my ingredients ready but I have 2 questions though . . .
1. Are the cashews necessary? I don’t believe the Cult one uses it and was wondering what the purpose of adding them were. Texture? Thickness?
2. Do the jars need to have a permeable top /cheesecloth? Do they need to breathe? Some other yogurt tutorials had closed lids. I was thinking of putting my jars in a insulated cooler to keep temp a bit warmer and wondering if I can put lids on or not?
Thank you so much. I’m very stoked to find this recipe.
Hi!!
1. The cashews aren’t necessary – they are included to add thickness and creaminess, but you could use something else to thicken it up if you’d prefer. Coconut Cult uses a little mango to thicken their coconut cream version, which is my fave of their three flaves! 🙂
2. You do need to have a breathable top on them for this recipe, so I recommend a single layer of cheesecloth with a rubber band secured around it to keep it on the jar.
Let me know how it goes!!
I just made this – just put it in the fridge. It about doubled in the jar overnight…that’s supposed to happen, right?! haha I am SUPER excited and hoping it turned out well!
Hi!! Oh, I’m so excited you made it!! Mine hasn’t ever doubled, but it’s definitely increased slightly in volume and gotten fluffier and thicker in the fridge! 🙂
So excited to try this! I don’t have a probiotic in capsule form – do you think I could try to crush up my probiotic pill, or even use a tablespoon of kefir instead? I have seen some yogurt recipes where kefir is used as a starter since it’s high in bacteria…
Also, what size jar do you recommend using to prevent overflowing? Thanks!
I use a half-liter jar when I make mine, which leaves plenty of room! 🙂
Hi, this looks awesome! Can’t wait to try it. I don’t have probiotics in capsules – do you think I could try crushing/dissolving mine that are in tablet form? Or thoughts on using a spoonful of kefir as the starter?
Thanks!
Hi Melanie! I wouldn’t use the tablets – not sure how that would taste. I have heard that you can use yogurt/kefir as a starter for a new batch of yogurt, but have never tried it myself! Let me know how it goes for you if you try it that way!! 🙂
Hi!!
Have you tried using a couple tablespoons of the yogurt as the starter for a next batch? I’ve seen recipes for regular yogurt that use this method, which if it worked, would be a great way to save all your probiotics!
Thank you so much for recipe!
Hi Callie!
I haven’t tried that yet, but I’ve read that as well! Definitely worth an experiment one of these days!! 🙂
Have you experimented with fruit, similar to the Coconut Cult adding in mango? Curious about adding it in and if you have any tips/special instructions? Could never bite the bullet and pay so much for Coconut Cult, so I’m super excited to try this!!
Hi Molly! I haven’t yet!! There are soooo many experiments I want to do though!! I really want to try adding in vanilla bean next time, and I want to do a chocolate one! 🙂 I’d definitely blend/stir the fruit in after it ferments, before sticking it in the fridge, and I’d cook the fruit down to a compote before adding it to the yogurt. Happy experimenting!!
I made mine first batch yesterday and it didn’t thicken up. I’m wondering what I did wrong???? I used both the coconut milk at the bottom of the can and the coconut cream. Was that my misstep?
Hi Michelle! Oh no!! Walk me through your process – I’ll try to help troubleshoot. 🙂
When I’m blending it mine is coming out runny, is this normal?
Hi Jenn! It should be about the consistency of a thin smoothie or heavy whipping cream when you’re first finished blending. Once you stir in the probiotics and it ferments, it will thicken more. Once you refrigerate it, it reallllllly thickens up!! 🙂
Hi! Did you soak your cashews before blending or just use dry raw cashews? Thank you!