How to make coconut yoghurt

Dairy free, vegan, sugar free

Dairy free coconut yogurt is so easy to make provided that you can get your hands on young Thai green coconuts. They are becoming easier to get hold of in the UK and even some of the larger supermarket chains are stocking them. If they have not arrived at your local corner shop, then you can buy them to be delivered from Cocoface or Ocado. There are many ways to open a Thai coconut but if you are using a cleaver all I can say is make sure that the hand that does not have the cleaver in it is safely behind your back. The other way is to use a piece of equipment such as a COCOJACK which prizes off the top and gives you a tool that enables you scrape out the coconut meat inside. It is certainly worth the investment if you value your digits.

Coconut yoghurt is a treat for breakfast but can also be used in all manner of desserts and even with cucumber and mint as a raita with curry. I often use it as a replacement for cream in desserts to lighten it rather than using cashew nut or soya cream.

There are lots of different ways to ferment coconut yoghurt, this is the simplest; I use a yoghurt maker by Severin. You may finally find a use for that yoghurt maker that’s been lurking at the back of the cupboard for several years.

A word on acidophilus. They are not all created equal. Do check with the manufacturer to see if it is suitable for use in fermentation. I use Solgar non-dairy acidophilus and ½ teaspoon equates to 3 capsules. Empty the probiotics from the capsules into the yoghurt and discard the capsule casing.