Fiendishly simple, this fluffy vegan coconut cream based “yogurt” uses water kefir (tibicos) as the fermentation agent. It creates a light, fluffy (almost like whipped cream), effervescent texture, and a slightly tangy flavor.
Coconuts are one of Nature’s most abundantly nutritious gifts. The flesh contains lots of vitamins, amino acids, and the fat is a MCT (medium chain triglyceride), easily metabolized by the liver and considered a “good” fat.
Both coconut cream and coconut milk will work fine. Coconut cream will make a slightly thicker finished product. Wondering the difference between coconut milk and coconut cream? It’s mainly the concentration of coconut. They are both made with coconut, water, and guar gum as a thickener (even the organic brands usually add guar gum). Don’t worry; that additive does not affect the fermentation (although other ingredients like preservatives may well do so). My typical advice is look for brands with the fewest ingredients (and ones a 10 year old can pronounce).
Coconut Yogurt (canned coconut cream)
Ingredients
- 13.5 oz (400 ml) 1 can coconut milk or coconut cream
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) plain water kefir or kombucha
Instructions
- Shake coconut cream can well before opening. Stir to mix the "fat cap" into the cream.
- Add cream to a quart-size mason jar along with the water kefir or kombucha.
- Close lid tightly on jar.
- Ferment for 2 to 3 days. The volume will increase as the fermentation occurs and creates bubbles.
- To adjust the thickness, thin out as needed by stirring in a few teaspoons of filtered water.
- Store in refrigerator. Lasts up to 2 weeks.
- Some settling of water may occur. Prior to serving, rock the closed jar back and forth a few times to reincorporate the mixture.
Cultured Coconut Cream (fresh coconut)
If you have access to fresh coconuts and a little more time and patience, you can make it using fresh coconuts! Thanks to our friend Adam Elabd for this recipe.
Cultured Coconut Yogurt (Fresh coconuts)
Equipment
- Blender
- Cleaver
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups young coconut flesh (about 3 young coconuts)
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) water kefir
Instructions
- Drain the water from the coconuts (use for another purpose, like coconut water kefir)
- Expand the opening until you are able to get a spoon all the way into the coconut.
- Remove all the flesh from the inside of the coconut, being careful not to get a lot of the fibrous husk along with it.
- Blend coconut flesh until very smooth.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of water kefir to jar. Mix thoroughly and cover with plastic lid.
- Allow to sit at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours and taste. When it has reached the level of sourness that you desire, refrigerate.
- Keeps for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.
Hello! I wanted to ask.. in my country (Argentina) is very hard and expensive to find cans of coconut cream or milk, so usually I make my own coconut milk with dried coconut that I hidrate with hot water and a very efficient mixer, do you think that this recipe will work with this kind of milk anyway? Thank you very much!
Hello!
I just learned about that technique for creating coconut milk. Yes, I believe that will work fine for making this yogurt. Good luck!
Can i use coconut Kefir instead? And is it possible to make another batch from the one ill be making?
Generally, in order to make more water (or coconut) kefir, you require the SCOBY (“grains”), because some of the fermenting microbes only live on the grains. So I would guess at some point if you use finished coco kefir to try to backslop, it may not be potent enough to inoculate future batches.
But give it a try and let us know how it goes!
When you are adding the 1/4 cup kefir water to make coconut yogurt, Is that the fermented water with the grains still in it or the kefir water minus the grains? Thank in advance.
We mean that you should use “finished” water kefir that has already previously fermented (and was strained of its grains).
Thanks!
Currently giving this concoction a try. How aggressive are you at mixing your kefir and coconut? Do you burp your jars?
Nice! I just do a gentle stir at the beginning. Then it develops the body itself over the fermentation period. It’s such a short time (48 hours max) that I don’t bother burping it.
Worked fairly well, with Coconut milk it’s definitely more like a tangy whipped topping and less like yogurt. Mine filled up the jar with fluffiness after day 2, but
I may have shook it to vigorously as the volume greatly reduced and the texture thinned after shaking. I would like to try the heavier cream. I think with the next can if milk I might try just some extra water kefir grains so I don’t have to add liquid. Definitely have some experimenting to find something I want to consume often.
Currently giving this concoction a try. How aggressive are you at mixing your kefir and coconut? Do you burp your jars?
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What does the temperature need to be at for proper fermentation for your recipe? I’ve seen other recipes that used probiotic capsules with the proper strains to induce fermentation, but the heat needed to be around 100-105F. Also, know of any place in SD where I can just buy plain water kefir?
Thanks!
Room temperature worked fine for us, although since it is the cool season, it took 3 days. In summer it may have only taken 1 or 1/2 days. 100F may make sense if you’re using human-grade probiotics as your starter (since our body temp is about 100). Water kefir ferments at room temps (68 to 85) so it does not need to be that warm.