Coconut yogurt is not only healthy, but also tastes very good. Worldwide, only a few people can digest lactose. Vegan dairy products, meanwhile, are considered particularly digestible and offer a healthy alternative to animal products. In the refrigerated shelves of supermarkets, more and more vegan alternatives can be found alongside animal milk products. However, these often contain unhealthy additives. We show you how you can easily make your own coconut yogurt with just a few ingredients. Coconut yogurt has a creamy consistency and a full-bodied delicious taste. In addition to sweet dishes, many savory recipes can be prepared with coconut yogurt as a vegetable substitute.
Due to the fermentation of coconut milk, the resulting yogurt, like “conventional” yogurt, contains probiotics. These have a positive effect on the intestinal flora and the immune system. In the intestine there are a lot of microorganisms, which form the intestinal flora and are immensely important for our health. We can support and maintain the intestinal flora through the intake of the smallest living microorganisms – probiotics – which we consume in coconut yogurt.
There are a few factors to consider when making your vegan yogurt. When it comes to the quality of the coconut milk, you should use an organic product that has a coconut meat content of at least 60 %. The higher this percentage, the creamier your yogurt will be. In addition, the coconut milk should not contain any additives other than water. Furthermore, you need a thickener in the production of coconut yogurt. Vegetable yogurts are usually thinner than animal yogurts due to the lower protein content. Proteins cause milk to thicken during fermentation. Therefore, we add a thickening agent to the coconut milk to give the vegan yogurt a firmer consistency. We use agar agar, which is derived from dried seaweed.
Ingredients for Coconut Yogurt
- 800 ml coconut milk, at least 60 % coconut content (no coconut drink or coconut water)
- 1-1.5 tablespoons agar agar (= vegetable gelatine)
- Yogurt starter cultures
Equipment
- Yogurt maker / Yogurt-Preparer
Preparation of the Coconut Yogurt
Step 1
Pour the 800 ml coconut milk into a bowl and mix well so that the white part, which usually settles at the top of the can, combines with the remaining coconut water.
Step 2
Separate 100-200 g of coconut milk, mix with agar agar in a saucepan and bring to the boil for at least 2 minutes and stir.
Step 3
Mix the boiled coconut milk with the rest of the coconut milk.
Step 4
Now add the yogurt starter cultures (according to the instructions for 1 liter) to the mixture and stir well. The mixture should never be warmer than 38 °C, otherwise the yogurt cultures will die. (Important: The temperature depends on the cultures, for some a temperature between 43-45 °C is recommended – follow the instructions on the package!)
Step 5
Pour everything into a yogurt maker and let it sit quietly for 12-18 hours. The shorter the fermentation time, the milder, but also the more liquid the coconut yogurt will be. The longer, the more sour the yogurt will be.
Step 6
When the time has elapsed, stir the coconut yogurt well once. Put the mixture in the container – or filled into jars – in the refrigerator. It does not set until it cools down and then gets the typical yogurt consistency and puncture resistance.
Tip:
Your yogurt will keep in the refrigerator for about 5-6 days. Since it contains living microbes, it sours a little bit every day. Thus, the taste and consistency may change slightly, but this is not a problem.
