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The foolproof method to making keto and dairy free coconut yogurt in your instant pot using canned coconut milk. Just 3 ingredients!

this recipe

If you’re like me, you love coconut yogurt. Maybe it’s because you’re eating keto and want stellar fat macros, or are dairy free and missing yogurt, or wanting to get in more probiotics into your diet. Or maybe you’re like me and it’s all 3!

What I don’t love is how pricey coconut yogurt is in the store! For a tiny jar I’m easily paying $5. Yikes!

Did you know you can make coconut yogurt at home in your instant pot for a fraction of the price? And you need just 3 ingredients? And it comes out perfect every time? It’s true!

Why This Recipe Works

Your instant pot will keep your yogurt at the perfect temperature to encourage the bacteria in the probiotics to grow and turn your canned coconut milk into yogurt. Did you notice that your instant pot has a wonderful little button on it labeled “yogurt”? This is just what it is for!

I tried other recipes that depend on the being at room temperature, which can vary so much depending on the season and where you live. It lead to very inconsistent results, and many wasted cans of coconut cream.

Ingredients + Substitutions

You need just 3 very simple ingredients to make coconut milk yogurt:

  1. Canned coconut cream: my preference for the best fat macros. Coconut cream has a higher fat ratio than coconut milk. My go-to is the organic generic Sprouts brand, it has a really great price. I also used the Whole Foods 365 canned coconut cream and loved it. Same with the Thrive Market brand and Thai Kitchen. All great options. You can also use canned coconut milk. The resulting yogurt does taste of coconut, so if you’re someone who doesn’t love coconut keep that in mind. I tried this with other dairy free milks too, like almond milk and cashew milk. It works, but not as delicious as coconut milk yogurt. Tastes a bit funky? I wouldn’t recommend using other non-dairy milks unless you have a coconut allergy.
  2. Agar Agar Flakes: this is a gelatin made from seaweed (so vegan friendly!), and the best of all the thickeners I tried. I use this exact one that I got off Amazon. It thickened the coconut milk perfectly, and left it silky, smooth and lump free. Tapioca starch and arrowroot flour left it too gritty. I do not recommend substituting any other thickener for the best results.
  3. Probiotic capsules: It is very important that you are getting CAPSULES that you can open and easily pour in the probiotic powder inside. You do not want probiotic pills, since you would have to crush those up and it would be too much of a hassle. I used these exact probiotic capsules that I got off Amazon and they worked great! They have 50 billion live cultures. I also used the Sprouts generic brand that was in the refrigerated section of vitamins, it was also 50 billion live cultures and worked great too! The daily probiotic I take is Seed (code TASTESLOVELY for 15% off), which is THE best probiotic on the market since it is the only one that delivers probiotics all the way to your colon. But, it is on the pricier side, so I like keeping Seed as my supplement, and using a more cost effective probiotic for this.

Cooking Method

After heating the coconut milk in your instant pot to a simmer, you will add the agar agar flakes and whisk vigorously to avoid any lumps. Then you’re going to let the coconut milk cool to 110ºF, or until it is cool enough to touch without burning you. If the coconut milk is too hot, it will kill all the bacteria in the probiotic capsules and you won’t get yogurt. It usually takes about 30 minutes.

Once it is cooled to 110ºF, you open and empty out the probiotic powder from the capsules (disposing of the capsule shells) and stir them in.

Add your lid to your instant pot, press the YOGURT button, and let it cook for 18-24 hours. It’s that simple!

Serving

I like to transfer the coconut yogurt to half pint mason jars or 4 ounce mason jars (both are freezer friendly!), then let them cool completely in the refrigerator. But any airtight container will work.

These are unsweetened, but coconut milk has its own natural sweetness that I love. If you want it sweeter, feel free to sweeten with your favorite keto friendly sweetener to taste (or any sweetener if you don’t need it to be keto friendly).

Delicious plain, or top with fresh berries and nuts. You can also use in place of sour cream. It can be used in any baking recipe that uses yogurt. Or to make frozen yogurt. So many wonderful possibilities!

FAQ’s

Q. Is yogurt keto friendly?
A. Yes! High fat yogurt is very keto friendly. If you’re new to keto, the goal is to eat high fat, moderate protein and low carb. I share all about the keto diet here! This coconut yogurt has even better fat macros and is lower in carbs than full fat cow milk dairy yogurt. Reducing dairy is even better on your gut and digestion, so this is a very easy swap out that is even better for your keto diet! I love having it as a snack with some fresh berries and sliced almonds, sprinkled with hemp hearts and chia seeds. Sometimes I drizzle on my mixed nut butter. Great egg free breakfast, or healthy dessert too!

Q. Does coconut yogurt freeze well?
A. Yes! I tested this and it freezes and thaws perfectly. It stays nice and thick. Main reason I love storing the yogurt in half pint or 4-ounce mason jars, since both of those are freezer friendly. Nice to have in the freezer and on hand at all times, especially since the recipe takes a full 24 hours to make. Also fun to use this yogurt to make yogurt popsicles! And I bet it would make good frozen yogurt in your yogurt maker? I need to test the frozen yogurt aspect. If you try it and it works let me know in the comments!

Q. How long will this yogurt be good for?
A. This coconut yogurt will be good in your fridge for at least 30 days, if not longer. Just check for spoilage (mold, discoloration, bad odors). And it will be good in your freezer for at least a year!

Q. I don’t like the taste of coconut milk. Will I like this coconut yogurt?
A. Maybe? It definitely tastes like coconut, since it is made with coconut milk. It does get more tang and tastes “yogurty”, so you may like this version of it? My husband Shawn does *not* like coconut milk, and is turned off by it when I use it in soups in place of heavy cream. He says he can always taste it too much. But! He likes this coconut yogurt! So it’s worth a try!

Q. What if I don’t have an Instant Pot?
A. Get an instant pot right now! I have this 6 quart one, which is very affordable and I use it constantly. If only to make bone broth and this coconut yogurt, the instant pot will more than pay for itself! There are other methods out there that you can use to make coconut yogurt on your counter, or in your oven using just the oven light. But those are not nearly as fool proof since they don’t have a steady/exact temperature setting for the full 24 hours this yogurt needs.

Q. Can I use other dairy or non-dairy milks to make yogurt in my instant pot?
A. Yes! I tried this with almond milk. It was…bad. Yogurt! But not very good. Almond milk doesn’t have any sweetness, and does not taste right when used to make yogurt. I don’t recommend. Cashew milk was a little better, but using canned coconut cream was the winner by far. You could also use whole milk if you’re ok with dairy! You’ll need 3 cups of milk for or non-dairy milk for any substitution.

Q. Can I flavor the yogurt? Like flavored blueberry yogurt?
A. Yes! I personally love to leave the yogurt plain, then add fresh fruit on top. This way my yogurt is the most versatile for whatever I need it for. But if you like flavored, I would blend up fresh fruit to add to the yogurt and flavor it. Probably 1/2 cup blueberries blended? If you try this let me know in the comments how it turned out!

Q. Is this coconut yogurt Whole30? 
A. Yes! All 3 of these ingredients are Whole30 friendly, and so is the yogurt when it’s made with all 3 ingredients. It’s also dairy free, gluten free, grain free, paleo, plant based, vegetarian, vegan.

Watch Recipe Video Demo

If you make this keto instant pot coconut yogurt, be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating! If you make any tweaks or substitutions that worked please share! I love to hear from you all and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to share and tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!

Keto Instant Pot Coconut Yogurt

The foolproof method to making keto and dairy free coconut yogurt in your instant pot using canned coconut milk. Just 3 ingredients!
4.84 from 6 ratings
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 1 d
Total Time 1 d 5 mins
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 260

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

Instructions
 

  • Set your instant pot to SAUTE. Add in the 2 cans of coconut cream and wait for them to come to a rolling boil uncovered (no need for the lid). This takes about 3-5 minutes.
    2 cans (14 ounce) coconut cream
  • Once the coconut cream is boiling, hit CANCEL on your instant pot. Add in the agar agar flakes and whisk vigorously to combine.
    1 tablespoon agar agar flakes
  • Let the mixture cool to 110ºF using an instant read thermometer. If you don't have an instant read thermometer, you want the mixture warm enough to touch without it burning you. If it is too hot, it will kill the bacteria in the probiotic capsule. I set a timer for 30 minutes, which is how long it usually takes for it to cool enough.
  • Once the mixture is cooled to 110ºF, open the 4 probiotic capsules and pour them on the coconut cream mixture in the instant pot. The coconut cream will already be slightly thickened from the agar agar flakes. Whisk again to fully combine the probiotic capsule powder.
    4 probiotic capsules
  • Close your instant pot with its lid, and press the YOGURT button. You may need to press it a few times until it says 24:00, meaning 24 hours. The yogurt is going to take between 18-24 hours. I like to set it for 24 hours so I have a long window to get the coconut yogurt the next day.
  • Somewhere between 18-24 hours, your coconut yogurt is done! Open the lid, and transfer the yogurt to jars or air tight containers to cool. The yogurt will still be on the liquidy side. It will firm up *significantly* after cooling in the fridge, so don't panic that it's not "yogurt thick" in the warm stage. Includes recipe links, a printable menu + grocery list template! If it tastes like it has that yogurt tang, you've made yogurt! I love these half pint Kerr mason jars or these 4-ounce Ball mason jars. Both are freezer friendly too!
  • The coconut yogurt will keep for at least 30 days in the refrigerator, or at least 1 year in the freezer.
  • As always, lots of tips, FAQs and substitution info in the Recipe Notes below!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Coconut Cream: For the best keto macros, I love using coconut cream which has a higher fat content. You could also use coconut milk. I tried this with several brands and they all worked! My go-to is the Sprouts brand organic coconut cream (pictured above in the post) because it's such a reasonable price. Thrive Market also has one I love. And Thai Kitchen. You could also use any dairy free (or dairy!) milk! I tried this with almond milk and cashew milk, and it works but I just don't love the flavor. Coconut milk has its own natural sweetness, and it tastes really "off" when I used almond milk and cashew milk.
Thickener: Agar agar was my preferred thickener when testing this. I use this one I got on Amazon. Agar agar is a gelatin made from seaweed, so vegan friendly! I also tried tapioca starch and arrowroot flour, which left the yogurt gritty. Would not recommend. 1 tablespoon was my preferred amount for a yogurt that has a thickness right in between greek yogurt and regular yogurt. If you want it thicker, use more agar agar. Maybe 1.5 or 2 tablespoons. If you want it thinner like a kefir yogurt, use less. Maybe 1/2 a tablespoon. Have fun playing around with it and finding the perfect ratio to find the thickness that suits your preference.
Probiotic Capsules: It is very important to get probiotic CAPSULES that you can open and pour in the powder. You don't want pill that you would have to hand crush. Too much of a hassle. I used these probiotic capsules and they work perfect! They have 50 billion live cultures. I also tried the Sprouts generic brand that was in the refrigerated section of vitamins, also 50 billion live cultures. It worked too!
Freezing: You can freeze this yogurt in any freezer safe container! Will last in the freezer for 1 year. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Flavored Yogurt: I love this yogurt plain, so it is the most versatile for whatever I need it for. (I love to use this in place of sour cream!) But if you like flavored yogurt, feel free to puree strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc and fold it in and then chill in the fridge. I would think 1/2 a cup of pureed fruit?
Doubling the Recipe: You can easily double (or triple!) this recipe if you need to make a big batch. Especially great if you have freezer space.
Instant Pot Yogurt Function: I've learned that every instant pot has different yogurt functions. This is my exact instant pot that I used when testing this recipe and show in the recipe video. It just has me press YOGURT and offers either BOIL (I skip this and use the SAUTE button instead) 18 hours or 24 hours. Others have reported that their instant pot starts the sequence with BOIL, then cools the mixture, then beeps when it's time to add the probiotic capsules, etc. Please read the manual for your instant pot to familiarize yourself with it's YOGURT function.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cupsCalories: 260Total Carbs: 4gProtein: 1.4gFat: 26gFiber: 0gNet Carbs: 4g

Nutrition facts are calculated as a courtesy and not guaranteed.

Author: Natalie Gruendl from www.tasteslovely.com
Keyword Coconut yogurt, dairy free yogurt, instant pot coconut yogurt, keto coconut yogurt, keto instant pot coconut yogurt
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