This is one of my most favorite foods of all time. I love food- It really doesn’t go well for me when I don’t like the food I am eating. Yogurt is one of those foods that historically has not translated well into being vegan, it’s just sort of weird. Whether its made from soy or nut milk, commercial vegan yogurt is really just not my favorite. It wasn’t until raw food school that I started to dabble in the fermented foods- we made yogurt out of coconuts…I wasn’t impressed, I mean I was, but not for the amount of work that went into making a cup of it….then I discovered raw frozen coconut meat. My sister Karen as per usual, started the entire family on the obsession, this time Raw Organic Vegan Yogurt. Made from literally 3 ingredients, ok 4 if you count water. This tastes like yogurt, but without that weird, sour dairy aftertaste….It’s so so simple, however, it may take a while to get into your awesome vegan yogurt groove. It’s almost imperative that you own a Vitamix or a heavy duty blender to get this done. In this post, I will be as transparent as possible with how I do this recipe simply because I’ve got it down. Feel free to add, change, and experiment with equipment, ingredients, etc and please, if you do, tell me how it goes.
WHAT I USE / ESSENTIALS:
- 2 packages frozen coconut meat, thawed or / 2 pounds fresh meat (about 2 Young Thai coconuts)– don’t be trying to use the brown coconuts either, it’s not going to go well. Young Thai coconuts are soft, very soft. If you can’t find frozen coconut meat and you are super adept and ambitious and want to make it from scratch scratch, as in from the whole coconut, look up youtube videos on how to open up a coconut. You can use the water for the yogurt or drink it- it’s absolutely spectacular and depending upon the coconut, you may have more water than you will need for one recipe of yogurt.
- 1 cup filtered water or raw coconut water– if you are using raw coconut water, you may want to adjust the sweetness from the sugar- coconut water is slightly sweet, when I use coconut water, I don’t even add sugar- I like the sour in contrast to fresh fruit (personal). Unless you have a source of raw coconut water, which many really don’t, use water. Even the coconut water that is claiming to be raw- isn’t, it’s treated with pressure which in turn, sort of cooking it. Coconut water in boxes is bullshit, it’s cooked and really is nothing more than sugar water without the vitamins, minerals and electrolytes touted- if you love the flavor then go ahead, otherwise, stick to plain water.
- 2-4T coconut blossom sugar, raw agave, coconut crystals, maple syrup– I love the coconut blossom sugar, its still got many minerals intact, isn’t crazy sweet and it doesn’t discolor the final product where as the darker sweeteners may
- 2 probiotic capsules- emptied or 1t probiotic powder– I use a vegan probiotic capsule- this is what kicks off the fermentation. I am sure you could use kombucha or kefir or some other starter but for me, the capsules offer clean, easy and consistent results and you are guaranteed a ton of gut love in the process.
- dehydrator– not essential but again, insures consistent results. I put the yogurt mix in and 6-12 hours later its a done deal. If I want it more tart, I leave it in longer. You can purchase a yogurt maker if you know that you want the vegan love in your life all day everyday, or invest in a simple dehydrator if you think you may want to dry a banana or a mango from time to time. If you do not have a dehydrator, store the yogurt in a microwave, a cabinet, or somewhere that stays warm, it may take up to 3 days for it to ferment but it will work, just keep tasting it until it tastes as sour as you like.
HOW I DO:
In the blender, add the meat , sugar if using and the water. Run it on low until the machine grabs it and starts blending it together then start to increase the speed. You may need the Vitamix plunger to help it along- you could add more water but I find that that messes with the end result, it actually tastes like a diluted version. Once you are at full speed, run it for at least 5 minutes or until completely smooth, no specks, bumps, nothing- smooth as velvet or cream. FIVE MINUTES, no less. This is where your average blender will most definitely crap out. Add the probiotics. Let run for another 30 seconds until incorporated.
Pour out of the blender into a container and cover it. I place it in the dehydrator, again, anywhere warm will do it just may take longer to turn.
You can play with adding fruit to this base mix, you can add more sweetener, I love making a fruit concentrate with fresh fruit and sugar and letting it sit out overnight. When I do that, I make individual containers and spoon in the “fruit on the bottom”. Peach is my favorite, strawberries are also quite lovely and of course, blueberry….I’ve made lemon yogurt, coffee, lemon with fresh raspberries, vanilla, plain, whipped…I eat this stuff everyday….. I make Lassis, frozen yogurt, I give it to my Pitbulls, Ginger & Izabel and they LOVE it. Raw Vegan Yogurt for everyone!!!
So go forth, make some badass vegan raw coconut yogurt, if you need supplies, Burning Heart carries the meat and the coconut blossom sugar if you would like to order some. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to ask me at HotYogaGrl@gmail.com, if I can answer them I will. Most importantly, love yourself up when you’re making this and think good thoughts….it truly is a powerful and healing bit of deliciousness, there is something miraculous about it…Let me know how it goes…..Peace Love and all that good stuff ❤
The Vegan Love Project 