Ever since my good friend Jac told me about her favourite coconut yoghurt, I’ve been a little obsessed with figuring out how to make my own. Actually, thinking about it, yoghurt making has been on my radar for a lot longer than that.
You see, I love fermented foods (and beverages). At uni I majored in food microbiology and for my honours thesis delved into the bacterial populations of blue vein and camembert cheeses. Partially so I could play around with bacteria but mostly so I had an excuse to eat more cheese.
Then there were a few wayward years as a wine maker where I got up close and personal with more strains of yeast and lactic acid bacteria than I’d bargained for.
But I digress. Back to yoghurt.
Making yoghurt is something I always knew I’d do, one day.
And that day has come!
Over the last few months I’ve been perfecting my yoghurt making skills of both regular milk based yoghurt, and the more exotic coconut yoghurt.
The thing is, it’s no where near as complicated as you’d imagine. I’m kicking myself a little for not starting sooner.
So what should you NEVER do when making yoghurt at home?
Simple. You should never be tricked into thinking you need to go out and buy any specific equipment.
No ‘yoghurt makers’ need apply.
What do you need?
1. A Thermometer.
Yoghurt making bacteria are delicate souls, a bit like Goldilocks, they need their temperature to be ‘just right’ and the only way to tell if it’s OK is to measure. My Irishman recently purchased a fast reading digital thermometer for testing meat on the BBQ and it works a treat moonlighting as a yoghurt thermometer.
2. Some clean jars.
I prefer glass but plastic containers are fine too. Just make sure they’re clean. Fresh from the dishwasher is ideal.
3. A chiller bag or esky.
We need to keep our yoghurt nice and cosy for 8 hours or so. This used to put me off making yoghurt as I was worried about keeping the temperature constant. The thing is, it doesn’t need to be exact. I have a small insulated ‘cooler’ bag that does the job nicely. At a stretch you could just wrap your jars in some foil and then bundle them up in towels.
4. A starter culture.
I’ve been using a powdered culture that I picked up at my health food store. Or you could try using a few tablespoons of commercial natural yoghurt – but there’s a risk the bacteria won’t be still alive. So I haven’t tried that yet.
UPDATE: I’ve had lots of success with using my previous batch of yoghurt as a culture for my new yoghurt. And the yoghurt tends to set more quickly than when using dried culture. And it’s much cheaper! I use about 4-6 tablespoons in a 2L batch of yoghurt.
I’ve also read that you can use the powder in probiotic capsules but haven’t experimented with them yet either.
5. Milk.
Cows or coconut milk work well. Although there’s no reason why you couldn’t use goat’s milk, sheep milk or even buffalo if you have it at your disposal.
UPDATE: I had some failure using A2 milk, the yoghurt just didn’t thicken properly. I’m now sticking to regular milk.
I haven’t tried soy, rice or almond milk but if there’s enough protein they should work. Or you could try them using the coconut yoghurt recipe below. I’d love to hear how you get on if you do!
coconut yoghurt
makes a little over 3 cups
Coconut milks and creams vary hugely in their fat content which really tells you how much water has been added. I’ve used unsweetened coconut ‘cream’ that has about 20% fat. Higher fat coconut cream will give a thicker, richer yoghurt. And of course you’ll get a less thick yoghurt with a lower fat coconut milk.
Don’t stress about it too much but you might need to try a few different brands before you find one you’re happy with.
2 cans coconut milk or cream (400g / 14oz), approx 20% fat
40g (1.5oz) egg white powder
1 teaspoon yoghurt culture
1. Combine coconut milk/cream and egg white powder in a medium saucepan. You’ll have some lumps.
2. Gently heat to 43C (110F).
3. Place 1 tablespoon coconut mixture in a clean cup. Add the culture powder and stir until it forms a (lumpy) paste. Add a little more coconut milk then stir the culture into the main saucepan.
4. Pour into glass jars and top with a lid.
5. Place in a chiller bag or esky and leave in a warm place for about 12 hours.
6. Pop in the fridge and leave for another day before eating.
VARIATIONS
no egg white powder? – You should be able to find it online or a cake decorating supplier. Whole egg powder would be fine, although it will change the flavour. Don’t use fresh egg whites as they may contain salmonella. The yoghurt is still lovely without it, just a lot less thick.
vegan – skip the egg white powder and be prepared for a runnier (but still delicious!) yoghurt
short on time? – the yoghurt can be eaten after the first 12 hours, but the flavour and texture are thicker and more yoghurty after the extra day in the fridge.
using powdered coconut milk? – mix it up with boiling water then cool to 43C (110F). Then add the egg white powder and proceed as per the recipe.
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video version of the recipe
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cows milk yoghurt
makes 8 cups
This may seem like a lot of yoghurt but it will keep for a month or so in the fridge. Even though there are only 2 of us, we haven’t had any problems eating it up!
I’ve found that adding a little full cream milk powder gives a much nicer, creamier yoghurt and is totally worth the hassle. If using fresh milk, you’ll need to ‘sterilise’ it before adding the culture. This involves heating to 83C (180F) and holding for 5 minutes. UPDATE: I’ve been experimenting with skipping the sterilising step and haven’t had any failures yet, so feel free to skip it if you aren’t worried about possible contamination in your milk.
2L (8 cups) full fat milk
100g (3.5oz) full cream milk powder, optional
2 teaspoons yoghurt culture
1. Whisk together milk and milk powder in a medium saucepan. Don’t stress if there are lumps.
2. Place over a medium heat and warm, stirring frequently until the temperature reaches 83C (180F). Hold at that temp for about 5 minutes. Or skip this step and go to step 3.
3. Cool to 43C (110F). I pop the saucepan in a baking dish filled with cold water and a chiller brick or ice.
3. Place 1 tablespoon of the tepid milk in a cup. Add the culture powder and stir until it forms a (lumpy) paste. Add a little more milk then stir the culture into the main saucepan.
4. Pour into glass jars and top with a lid.
5. Place in a chiller bag or esky and leave in a warm place for about 12 hours.
6. Refrigerate.
VARIATIONS
no full cream milk powder? – Regular milk will work.
vegan – see the coconut yoghurt recipe above.
short on time? – see the head note for how to use UHT milk and skip the heating step.
super creamy – add in a cup of whipping cream or double the milk powder.
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video version of the recipe
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Jules x
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Hi Jules, just wondering is there any reason why you can’t use JUST powdered milk & water? That’s what the commercial make-yourself yoghurts seem to be – just with cultures added
Hi Kristina
Yes if you want to use all powdered milk and water that’s fine…
Ever since we moved to Bhutan and after that to Tanzania nearly 20 years ago I make yoghurt at home. As I cannot buy powdered yoghurt cultures here in Tanzania and as using a fresh culture for every batch of yoghurt would be expensive, I developed the following method. I use a powdered yoghurt culture for the first batch of 2 liters. Half of this yoghurt we eat, the other half I pour into a silicone ice-cube tray and freeze. These are my starter cultures. Once the fresh yoghurt is nearly eaten, I make a new batch using 2 tablespoons of left-over yoghurt. Once the freshly made yoghurt becomes too sour (usually after 5 to 6 batches) I use 2 frozen yoghurt cubes to start a new batch and restart the process. I bought an Indian 2 liter hotpot many many years ago and though it’s really ugly it has kept my yoghurt at the right temperature for nearly 20 years. I never bought a thermometer as I test it like you would test the temperature of a bottle of milk for a baby. Just drip one drop on the back of your hand. If it’s too hot for you to give to a baby it’s too hot for the yoghurt starter. My most popular yoghurt variation is to first leave a vanilla pod in the hot milk, leave to infuse for 30 minutes, then remove pod and scrape out the seeds in the milk. Make yoghurt as usual. We are lucky though to have vanilla grown nearby and available really cheaply.
I make my yogurt in a soup flask that has a wide neck, keeps it warm enough over night. Not tried coconut but maybe i will.
If you don’t want to use cream or extra milk powder (with the associated extra fat) to get an extra-creamy result, you can strain it over a sieve with a bit of muslin or a clean, unused dishcloth for 12-24 hours. It will get lovely and thick and creamy as the liquid strains out of it.
Do you really need to sterilize the milk? isn’t it already pasteurised? Have you ever tried skipping this step?
Oops, don’t click on the link in my previous post!
Great post. I wish more people knew how easy it was to make your own yogurt. I’ve been doing so for a few years now and I’ve refined my process down to the bare minimum. I use a gallon of skim milk, which after straining, makes 2 quarts of thick yogurt. Rather than use a thermometer, which I don’t own, I heat the milk until just below boiling when bubbles start to rise and then let it cool for about an hour until it’s the temp of a hot bath. I then pour the heated milk into a large aluminum bowl, whisk in 4 tablespoons from then end of my previous batch as a starter, then cover and place the bowl in my oven, which the gas pilot light keeps warm. I let it sit for 8-10 hours then strain through chamois cloth to the desired consistency. If you don’t have a always-warm oven, you can pre-heat it to 100F, turn off the heat and wrap the container in some towels. I’ve also read you can use a heating pad.
A friend of mine loves making her own yogurt. She always uses commercial yogurt as the starter and never had a problem. I keep saying I’m going to try it but I still haven’t!
I have also been making yogurt for years, and have had good luck with commercial yogurt as the starter. If it says on the package that it contains live cultures, it should be fine. My favorite so far is the Trader Joe’s greek whole milk yogurt as starter, and fresh, local, organic, raw milk that is only heated to 110 F. It is definitely runnier than commercial, but the straining is just too much of a mess for me, so runny is what we get. I don’t add powdered milk because a) I hate the taste, having had it so much as a *poor* kid, and b) I’m just afraid of it, having read up on claims of carcinogenic compounds from heating milk proteins. I’m a spaz.
Also, I had to look up “esky” and that’s a pretty cute name. I have never done yogurt in a cooler, but I’ve had good luck with two other methods. In the summer, when it stays above 70 inside, I just put them in the microwave wrapped in towels overnight. I obviously don’t turn it on, but it’s a good, insulated space that is protected from seismic (I have 3 kids) activity. I’ve read that yogurt needs to be stable, not jiggled, or it will lose its structure.
The other way, for winter, is to use a crock-pot. I fill 4 pint jars with yogurt, place them in the crock, fill around them with 110 degree water almost to the top of the jars, and cover overnight. This keeps them warm much longer, and hasn’t failed me yet, even when the house is around 60. I guess you could do the same thing in a cooler, just put warm water, or even a jar filled with boiled water, then put the lid on.
I have used a crockpot on low to make yogurt and it turned out terrific!
My crockpot attempt was a major fail! On low, it was way too hot and I ended up with blueberry cheese!
You can also use a crockpot (slow cooker) to make yogurt. Very simple.
I also started making my own yogurt several years ago and realized how easy it was. I have always used a few tablespoons of plain commercial yogurt (Dannon brand works well.) And you then use some of your just recently made yogurt as a starter for the next batch. If you won’t be making the next batch for awhile, you can freeze enough of the yogurt to use a starter for the next time. I incubate my yogurt in a cooler with a large milk or water container that has some hot water in it.
I have been making yogurt for a little while now – I use a cooler full of warm water to keep the temperature stable (and by using water that’s just under 130 F it takes less time than if it were at a lower temperature – though I’ve read that over 130 F kills the bacteria).
I have also read that the reason to heat the milk first is to break up the proteins, though I am definitely no expert.
I used commercial yogurt as a starter and have never had a problem. I did fail at my first few attempts because the yogurt was not warm enough, but it is really easy once you find a way to keep it at the right temp that works for you.
Hi Jules would a jam or candy thermometer which clips onto the side of a pan be okay?
Hi Merryl
Yes! As long as it reads down to 110F (43C)
Thanks for this great post Jules. My mother made yogurt for years, and I did too. It is a lovely thing and I enjoy it far more than what is available at the grocery store. I appreciate you sharing the coconut milk yogurt. Goats milk works pretty well too. I also think there is no shame in owning a yogurt maker, especially if you make and eat yogurt every week.
We use our oven with the oven light on, verified with an instant read thermometer our light puts out the perfect amount of warm…4-6hours.
Hi Jules…Great post so very well researched.I as well have made yogurt and I was not all that versed and reading these recipes from someone who has actually worked on a cellular level with lactic acid has my vote for best version. I have read some great ideas from comments regarding others post on this topic as well. I made it from a very old cookbook recipe. I am going to give yours a try and I will let you know…I LOVE coconut, VERY excited to have a go at that one! Thanks Jules …very cool
I can’t wait to try this. Thank you so much for the coconut yoghurt recipe. :-)
Thank you so much for the coconut yoghurt idea! I’m trying to rely on commercial animal farming as little as possible and have been struggling to convince my husband that we can fit a cow in our backyard :) now we just need to solve the cheese dilemma.
About the salmonella risk in raw eggs: we have our own chooks at home who lay in a box which is pretty clean, and we can use eggs the same day they are laid. Do you think it would be safe to eat the raw egg whites?
Jemma
It’s hard to tell with salmonella and eggs.. even really fresh ones.. I probably wouldn’t risk it
I’ve always wondered how to make yogurt at home – and been incredibly intimidated by it with all the fancy equipment and cultures and whatnot… I just noticed the beautiful ring on your finger that I haven’t seen before – did you recently get engaged??
Me and my parents used to make yogurt at home quite often when I was a child, and it was so good! Then my brothers were born and time for that kind of things wasn’t much, so I haven’t eat homemade yogurt since then. Maybe this Easter vacation I’ll give it a try myself ;)
Would leaving it overnight in a cooler in the hot water cupboard be too hot??
Rae
Tough question.. depends on how hot your cupboard is… the best way to find out would be to try a batch.. It should be fine if less that 50C
Would this work using half coconut milk and half cows milk?
Sure Cynthia!
I’d follow the regular yoghurt recipe and just substitute in coconut milk for some of the milk.
Half and half would be great Cynthia.. lovely idea
Ok – I’m using the touch method as I don’t have a thermometer. It’s about to go in the esky.
Fingers crossed – ill let you know how it goes.
p.S. I made it vanilla and cinnamon flavour.
I really want to try the coconut One but am having trouble finding egg white powder. Anyone found any? I live in Sydney.
Thank you.
Hi CC
I get mine from the Essential Ingedient in Canberra.. they also have a store in Sydney. Or try online.
Hi, just wanted to add that I have got egg white powder at my local Coles. Depends on the store where they keep it…worth checking the gluten free food area, cake baking mixes etc.
THanks for letting us know Vickie!
I made the coconut yogurt, leaving it in the fridge for another 12 hours really made a differance :) As I´m intollerant to eggs I excluded the egg white powder. Any ideas on what might work, as the yogurt turned out so runny, deliciuos but runny? Xanthan Gum?
Thank you for the great work you do :)
HI Anna
I’d recommend trying the Tapioca starch that another reader suggested to thicken. I haven’t used Xanthan Gum so not familiar.
I tried using agar (a vegan safe algae that thickens like gelatin). Has anyone used that with success? My first try resulted in a yogurt you could cut with a knife. Seriously – it was harder than cheese! Wondering on what ratio I should have used…. :)
Although I am technically opposed to single use appliances I am in love with my electric yoghurt maker. It just makes my yoghurt fabulous every time. I will blame Melbourne’s changeable weather but I had a success rate of about 50% with an esky/crockpot/oven light/easyo container and now I have great yoghurt every week!
Thanks for sharing your experience Jen!
If it’s working for you that’s great ;)
Hi Jules,
My vegan friend gave me a recipe which uses tapioca starch to thicken the yoghurt, so that’s an alternative to the egg white powder. I just whisk it into the coconut milk before heating.
I also find the coconut milk that comes in a one litre carton from the oriental supermarket has no additives and works really well.
Thanks for an excellent blog.
Julia.
Thanks Julia!
I haven’t found a source of tapioca start.. thus the egg whites..
But great suggestion for people that are keen on keeping it vegan
Corn or potato starch will also help thicken. It’s what would be used more commonly in store-bought yoghurts, especially Greek-style.
Good suggestion Tabatha!
What do you think about using unpasteurised milk for this recipe?
Good question Emily!
If you’re happy that the milk is healthy and free from any pathogenic bacteria by all means give it a go! The flavour would be amazing I would imagine.
thanks pietra!
Instead of a chiller bag, I just fill the pot that I warmed the milk in with Hot tap water and put the jars in the pot. Then I put the whole thing in the oven with the light on (oven off). After a few hours I usually top up the pot with boiling water but you have to be careful to not move the pot too much or the bacteria gets all upset and flops.
Alternately, I just boil a kettle and put the whole thing in the over with the lid off the kettle. the steam keeps it warmer in there
I just started making my own yogurt three weeks ago- and am similar to you in that I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner! So easy. I use the crockpot method and just wrap up the whole thing in a couple of towels and put it out of the way. I have a colander that I line with two cheesecloth type things and put that over a bowl. I use the separated whey in place of buttermilk and i have a “greek” style yogurt as a result. My two sons (ages 1 and 3) love it. We add honey, or pomegranates (in winter) or some homemade jam.
This post has made me excited to start playing around with it! I love the vanilla idea mentioned earlier. I’d like to try egg whites. And I am excited to find out that this can be done with coconut milk!
Thanks for sharing your experiments in yoghurt Andrea! I haven’t tried straining it yet.. good idea to use the whey as buttermilk
I just tried using powdered milk water and a capsule of probiotics from my chemist (with four different strains – the more the better I’m told). I was scared that only certain strains should be used for yoghurts and that it might not thicken properly but guess what – the result is better than the old pre-mixed sachet’s I used to buy! Now my yoghurt will cost less than a dollar per kilo :-) Thanks again Jules
Awesome Kristina!
I was going to make a batch with just probiotics last weekend, but chickened out.. Thanks for the inspiration to try them out!
So I’m in love with the coconut yoghurt idea (I’m obsessed with thick yoghurt that’s coffee flavored and costs a lot for tiny tubs so figured I should bother to go back to making my own (which i havent yet done with the coffee flavour but that I’ll deal with as it comes) and my kids hate soy yoghurt (both intollerant to stuff) but one can’t have eggs, considering milk powder does the job for the milk based yoghurt could the same be assumed about coconut milk powder? I’m not good at makin small batches of things and would be sad if I put the effort in and discovered I was wrong. Thanks
Thanks Jules! I had never thought of making yogurt at home until I bumped into your website a couple of weeks ago, and I tried immediately! I have experimented with 24% fat coconut milk, organic soy milk and coconut milk beverage (with 2% fat) so far. I found out yogurt culture often has whey and thus is not vegan, so I used dairy-free probiotic capsules instead at the ratio of 1 capsule per 500ml coconut / soy milk. I put the liquid in a wide-neck soup flask to keep it warm during fermentation.
Result – I like the organic soy milk version the best because the taste and texture are yogurty enough and it doesn’t become grainy like coconut milk does after fermentation. The only drawback is that the colour is not nice and white like coconut milk.
The yogurt with 24% fat coconut milk was the tastiest – I used it to make lassi, and it was devine! But the fat content is way too high for regular consumption. I also found that pure coconut milk with no stabiliser tends to split into two layers, which is not great for making yogurt or other things with coconut milk as the core ingredient (eg. coconut milk creme brûlée). Perhaps I’ll try using agar powder or cornflour next time to see if it would help hold the clear liquid and dense coconut extract together.
Hi Jules,
Absolutely love all of your recipes and your blog! I think you’re fantastic and your recipes are always a huge success at all of my dinner parties and regular meals alike.
I’m just wondering if the “No-Egg” egg replacer works as a substitute in the coconut yoghurt? Or should I try it and get back to you?
Thanks :)
Thanks Madeleine!
If the ‘No egg’ contains enough protein it should work.. would love to hear how you get on?
I make coconut yoghurt using 30g of glucose powder (Lotus brand, and I use this for all yoghurt I make with non lactose containing milk) and around 100ml of starter per 1 litre of long life coconut cream (Kara brand). I use an electric yoghurt maker (Easy Yoghurt, which holds just over 1 litre). I warm the coconut cream in the microwave for about 90 secs and then stir in the glucose powder and the starter culture. I used a commercial culture which I obtained fromGreen Living Australia (http://www.greenlivingaustralia.com.au/yoghurt_culture_soy.html) for my first batch, but now store some of each batch to use in the next one. The yoghurt is so thick that you can stand a spoon up in it, and I recently drained a batch through cheesecloth to make a fantastic cheesecake.
If I need to thicken any yoghurt that I make, I do this to make fruit yoghurts, and only after it has been incubated and then refrigerated. I use arrowroot starch as the thickener, as I find tapioca has an unpleasant flavour. If anyone wants a recipe, I’m happy to provide it.
thanks for sharing sue!
Hi, I tried to make some yoghurt but I think I had the milk too hot as I didn’t have a thermometer. The outcome was a curdled liquidy whey I think. Could I make a cheese with this curdled product or would it be unsafe to eat? Thanks.
Sorry you had problems Mark
Yes sounds like the temp was definitely too hot. I don’t think there would be a problem making cheese from a food safety perspective but you may have problems getting the results you’re looking for. I’d be inclined to start again when you can invest in a thermometer.
This is my first time trying this. I think I put the live cultures in too soon & did not let it cool enough. Did I kill them? Is it safe to add more? Hoping to have better luck next time. Thanks
Hi Pamela
It would be fine to add more.. it’s just costing you more money.. but it is important to get the temperature right
Jules,
Thanks for this recipe! I have been buying the So Delicious Greek style coconut yoghurt and was excited to try your version. Sadly my results were not good. I could not find any egg white powder so the first batch I opted to use arrowroot powder, it didn’t dissolve and ended up as gel chunks in liquid like yoghurt, though the taste of the non gel parts were good (I did use the same amount of culture as you used). My next trial used tapioca starch made into a paste with the warm coconut milk and I used a whole packet of starter. This batch would have turned out better texture wise I believe but ended up with mold spots on the top of the batch. For both batches I wrapped the jar in foil and a towel then put into a cooler bag. Not sure where I went wrong here but it seems coconut yoghurt making is not my forte! Oh well. Love your site!
Thanks for sharing your exploits Jen
The mould probably came from the tapioca starch…
Glad to hear you have another source of coconut yoghurt!
Hi Jules,
Just tried making you coconut yoghurt last night and it’s out of the oven and into the fridge for the next 12 hours. I’m pretty excited. I opened the lid of the smallest jar and it didn’t smell funky, it looks a little creamier (although still runny, which is ok for me) so i am excited to see what it’s like when i get home from work today.
I did not have a thermometer and just kinda estimated using the ‘baby bottle approach’. I will try to buy a thermometer over the weekend just so that i have a bit more control over the batch rather than guessing.
How do i know if the yoghurt is funky…??? To be honest i am a little scared to try my own yoghurt incase i get food poisoning.
I’ll let you know how it goes :-))))….
Sue..i would love your recipe????
Oooh, also i skipped the egg white part of the recipe and used two dairy free pro-biotic capsules.
It’s pretty runny, but no mould, pink spots or greyish tinge or funky smells…so i tried it. It doesn’t taste sour, just like coconut milk (i wonder if i should have let it ferment for longer or if i killed off the bacteria by not using a thermometer to ensure that i had an accurate temp as it may have been too hot?). I’m going to try again, as this time i have a candy thermometer and i am going to add some blended up coconut meat from a young coconut when the mixture has cooled enough to add the pro-biotics to thicken it up, i also read that adding half a teaspoon of honey can also assist in developing good bacteria so i will do that too….take 2 coming up.
Look forward to hearing how round 2 goes Jackielyn…. temperature is important with delicate bacteria
Hi Jules!
I am super excited to try your recipe. I have severe asthma so I’ve been trying to cut diary out of my diet to help lower mucus production in the bronchial tubes. I tried So Delicious coconut yogurt a few weeks ago and it was so yummy. But when I tried it again this morning, it tasted funny to me. I’ve also tried Almande (so amazing) but it’s $1.49 for 4 to 6 ounces. For the chilling (or esky) part, could I just simply pop it in the fridge? Would that work? Thank you so much!
Hi Gillian!
NO don’t put it in the frige.. the chillER (esky) is there to insulate and keep the yogurt warm so the bacteria can grow. If it’s cold they’ll die.
Just wrap with blankets if you don’t have anything else to put it in.
Hope that helps
Jx
I made greek yogurt for the first time last week using easiyo yogurt base. It set but a little runny when stirred. Is there a way to make it thicker? Not adding anything afterwards, in the process?
Hi Kathy
Different brands of starter culture can influence how thick your yoghurt sets.
The other option is to add some milk powder as well to increase the protein and give a thicker set.
Hope that helps!
J
Question..can PROBIOTICS like 50 billion from Renew Life capsules be used as a starter for Yogurt making??…My holistic doc told me to take 10 caps and use them as a starter for yogurt he told me Goats or Raw milk is best…do not want to go and use 10 caps and find that it failed at making Yogurt…they are expensive .
Has anyone ever used Probiotics in caps to start Yogurt..or make yogurt.
Thanks everyone!
Hey Sandy,
I only use the probiotic capsules. i use the dairy free, inner health plus capsules and if i use three cans of coconut milk, i add about two capsules.
Jules, i tried the young coconut flesh but it had a grainy texture (even after blending in my vitamix – before the probiotics were added of course!). So now i am trying pectin, so this arvo i am making a batch and used three heaped tablespoons of pectin which i added at the hottest point and allowed to mix in before i added the probiotics. This time i have also added about 1 tablespoon of organic maplesyrup. Smells delish so far….soon i will pop them into my oven with only the gas light on, should be ready by 9pm :-))))
Thanks for sharing Jackielyn!
Really interested to hear how it goes with the pectin… brilliant idea
Hey Jules,
Wow, the pectin worked and the texture is creamy and smooth just like yoghurt. This was my third attempt and it was PERFECT! I used three heaped tablespoons of pectin (which also have castor sugar as a carrier and citric acid – i hope the citric acid doesn’t harm the bacteria?). I actually heated the coconut milk up to 60-70 degree so that the pectin would dissolve easily and then cooled it down to about 40 degrees where i then added the contents of my pro-biotic capsules.
I got the pectin from coles, but am going to check out woolies to see if they have any other brands that i can try which don’t have citric acid and castor sugar as when my yoghurt was ready to move out of the oven and into the fridge, i opended the lid and tasted my yoghurt to see if it was tart enough, i couldn’t tell if it was naturally tart or because of the citric acid?
All in all, it worked out well and this is how i will continue to make my coconut yoghurt, the pectin gives it the perfect texture, you could use about 3 or 4 heaped tablespoons for a batch using 3 cans of coconut milk.
Next mission. To make my own coconut milk.
Thanks Jules, love your blog!
Wow Jackielyn!
Thanks for reporting back… I’m going to have to track down some pectin myself.
The citric acid shouldn’t harm the bacteria as lactic acid bacteria are relatively tolerant – although only up to a point.
I’ve tried coconut milk.. way too much effort for me… but hope you come up with an easier way.
Good luck!
Jx
please help, my home made yogurt has to much water on the top? is this normal. What about 40% of the jar is water? how can I avoid this ???
Hi Maria
It’s normal to have some liquid but not 40%.
Does it taste like youghurt? I’m not sure how you can avoid this, although my first step would be to choose a different brand of starter culture as that can make a huge difference to your yoghurt texture.
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