I'm cheap.

June 4, 2013 8:36 PM

Given that coconut yogurt is $2 for 6 ounces and I'm casein intolerant, I'd like to find a cheaper way to make it without buying it commercially. I've seen this website, as well as this aaaaaaand this. You've tried this. How did it go? Oven or yogurt maker? Agar agar or pectin or gelatin? And most importantly - is it safe with the cultures? I don't want to get sick.
posted by luciddream928 to Food & Drink (5 answers total)

I have never made yogurt that does not have dairy, but I have had good luck making greek yogurt in a cooler. This looks similar to the process I follow.
posted by phil at 7:08 AM on June 5, 2013 [1 favorite]

I've never tried making coconut yogurt but I have made several attempts at the soy yogurt from Artisan Vegan Cheese. Honestly, it never really worked. My first three failures were because I was using unsweetened milk. I gave up and bought a yogurt maker and the instructions told me to add sugar. It started setting after that but never really tasted like yogurt. It was ok with jam added but I was trying to use it in cheese recipes and it was so gross I threw it out. I would try oven first and consider a yogurt maker if that doesn't work. I wasn't worried at all about the cultures and I didn't get sick.

Every other recipe from that cookbook has been great though, if you're also missing cheese. If I leave the cheddar within reach, I'll absentmindedly eat half a pound of it, which I think is a pretty good recommendation for vegan cheese!
posted by carolr at 9:51 AM on June 5, 2013

Response by poster: @ carolr - Wow, that IS a good recommendation for vegan cheese! Thanks for the recommendation, I'll have to try it out. I really, really miss cheese. More than bread, which surprises me.

@ phil - Thanks for the advice. I wonder what it is about dairy that makes yogurt making easier. I always thought it was the combination of sugar and the cultures that make yogurt what it is. I've heard that non-dairy yogurt is significantly more challenging to make than regular yogurt.
posted by luciddream928 at 11:27 AM on June 5, 2013

Unfortunately for you, I think the casein is part of the reason dairy yogurt is easier to make. When you use yogurt cultures to ferment dairy milk, the acid content increases, which causes the proteins (including the casein) to change shape and congeal. You can ferment the coconut milk and that will make it more acidic, but the proteins in coconut milk are less prone to congealing.

I'm guessing there's just a much narrower range of conditions under which non-dairy yogurt can be formed, so maybe a yogurt maker is called for? But a really good one. Also I don't know how much you're paying for coconut milk and cultures and thickeners but you may want to seriously consider just how much money you can realistically save and how much work and equipment it's going to take.
posted by mskyle at 11:59 AM on June 5, 2013

I've also made the yogurt from artisanal vegan cheese and I've managed to do okay. I made it with a rich natural soy milk and soy yogurt starter, no extra sugar. It firmed well. The taste was a little different, but mixing in honey made it pretty tasty. I use a crock pot water bath to keep the yogurt between 100 and 110 C.

Also, check the ingredients in your store bought coconut yogurt - there might be clues there. Mine has tapioca starch for example. Maybe that helps thicken it? I bet you'd also get better results using very thick coconut cream to start.

Good luck!
posted by mosessis at 2:52 AM on June 6, 2013