Matt’s Coconut Milk L. Reuteri Yogurt/ Panna Cotta Recipe

Matt’s Coconut Milk L. Reuteri Yogurt/ Panna Cotta Recipe

This recipe provides a jello-like consistency. For a thicker, yogurt-like texture you must use another thickener like guar gum or arrowroot powder. See Post Recipe Notes below for help.

Please read and keep these concepts in mind as you proceed with making coconut yogurt:

• Dairy milk has a casein protein that naturally thickens milk into a yogurt texture. When dairy milk hits a pH of 4.5, the casein will make the yogurt texture. Casein is not present in any plant-based milks.

• Since plant-based milks lack this casein, a thickener is needed to achieve a yogurt-like texture. See the post recipe section for more.

• You can get close to a yogurt texture with only using a coconut cream yogurt ferment, but it will be more of a mousse-like or runny yogurt texture and will not hold up high on a spoon like traditional dairy yogurts.

• Fat always slows down fermentation. The more fat you have the longer it will take your yogurt to reach a final pH of 4.5. Inversely, less fat means that your yogurt will ferment faster. This fat slowing characteristic is a hard rule in fermentation.

• If you do not want to use a thickener, you will get more of a tangy probiotic drink. This is a great way to get probiotics in the diet easily.

• Coconut yogurt that uses coconut milk and coconut cream will always have the fat rise to the top unless blended with a blender or emulsified (like with lecithin).

• To achieve yogurt texture you can also make coconut yogurt with a store-bought coconut milk that already has a thickener in it (like guar gum) or you can make your own coconut milk and add your own thickener to it.

• I do not recommend fermenting at room temperature unless your kitchen conditions are very clean and you know for a fact that your probiotics actively ferment at room temperature. Use BacDive (and Matt’s videos) for help.

  • Keep in mind: Probiotics live in the gut. The gut is 98.6°F or 37°C. Ferment your probiotics at that same temperature so they can easily integrate into the gut microbiome

Materials Needed

• Saucepan

• Whisk

• Fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth

• Glass jar(s) with lid or fermentation container

• Incubator, oven, or yogurt maker (37°C/98.6°F target)

• pH strips or pH meter

• Digital scale/ measuring cups

• High-powered blender (optional)
  

Ingredients (Base for 1 Liter Batch)

Coconut Milk Base

• 1-2 cups or 200–300 g unsweetened coconut flakes

  • Use a 1:2 or 1:3 volume ratio of flakes to water. The more coconut flakes you use the richer your end product will be.

• 4 cups or 1 liter of water

• 1-2 Tablespoons or 15 -30g of white sugar (1.5 - 3%) for fermentation fuel.
  

Probiotic Culture

• 2 tablets of BioGaia Gastrus (L. reuteri DSM 17938 & ATCC PTA 6475) Or another targeted probiotic.

  • Use 1 probiotic tablet per 500ml or about 2 cups of liquid

Thickener

• 2 tsp (4 g) agar agar powder per liter.

  • 1 tsp or 2 grams is required per 500ml or 2 cups of liquid. Use the agar agar packaging instructions.

  • You can also use less for a looser texture.

• Optional thickener alternatives listed below
  

Instructions

1. Make Coconut Milk Yogurt Base

1. In a saucepan, heat the water to a simmer, add your 1 tsp agar agar and stir until dissolved.

2. Once the agar agar is dissolved, add the coconut flakes and sugar.

   1. Sugar is a non-negotiable requirement for the fermentation to work. The probiotics need a carbohydrate to feed on, without the sugar your probiotic will die in the jar and your yogurt will not work.

3. Let steep for 10–15 minutes, to soften the flakes (this helps the fat soften so it can pass through a strainer),

4. Optional : blend thoroughly for 1–2 minutes.

5. Strain through a colander, cheesecloth, or a nut milk bag, pressing out as much liquid as possible. (Leaving the coconut flakes in will give a gritty texture)

6. While the coconut milk cools, prepare the probiotic culture and your incubation jars. Keep a thermometer in the coconut milk to be mindful of the temperature.

   1. If the coconut milk gets too cold just heat it back up to temperature before inoculating and incubating. Don’t inoculate with too hot coconut milk.

Note: Since coconut milk lacks casein, there is no need to heat to 82–90°C as in dairy yogurt to denature proteins.

2. Prepare the Culture

1. Crush the BioGaia tablets or other probiotics you may be using.

2. Optional: Dust the inside of your fermentation jars to inoculate them with the bacterial powder.

3. Sprinkle the powdered probiotic into the 100-110°F or 37-43°C coconut milk and whisk to fully incorporate.

3. Fermentation

1. Pour mixture into clean glass jars.
   

2. Place jars into a fermentation chamber or yogurt maker at 37°C (98.6°F).
   

3. Ferment for 18–36 hours, or until the pH reads 4.5

Check pH every 8 hours: Aim for pH 4.2–4.5 to complete the fermentation. You may choose to stop early for a lighter flavor or continue longer for a stronger acidity and probiotic activity. Do not ferment beyond pH 4.0 to avoid bacterial decline and autoinhibition - This is where the bacteria acidify their own environment to a point where they actively die in their own acidity. Keep in mind the yogurt will continue to acidify in the refrigerator. The refrigerator slows fermentation, it does not stop it.

4. Finishing & Storage

• Let cool, then refrigerate for 6+ hours to set.

• Store covered in the fridge for up to 7–10 days.

Smell before use: If anything smells “off,” discard it. The aroma should be pleasantly sour, like yogurt or kefir

Variant: Probiotic Coconut Drink (No Thickener)

• Omit the agar agar or any thickening agent.

• Follow the same process for fermentation.

• After refrigeration, enjoy as a pourable probiotic drink.

Youtube video walkthrough

L. Reuteri Coconut Yogurt/ Panna Cotta Tutorial

Post-Recipe Notes

Alternative Thickeners (per 1 L batch)

1. Guar Gum – most yogurt-like, but not commonly in home kitchens.
   

2. Arrowroot Starch – smooth and easier to find than guar gum; heat-activated.
   

3. Tapioca Starch – adds creaminess, but a bit stretchier.
   

4. Cornstarch – affordable and available, but may be slightly more pudding-like.
   

5. Agar Agar – firmer, more jello-like; not ideal alone for yogurt feel.
   

6. Pectin / Potato Starch – can be tricky to get right; often better in blends.

In ALL cases, please follow the packages instructions for how to use the thickener in your yogurt.

Other Sugar Options

Fermentation carbohydrate (metabolite) requirements are at 1.5 - 3% of total volume for fermentation support. Meaning that 15 - 30g of carbohydrates are required per 1000g (1 liter) of liquid.

• Cane sugars: Neutral flavor, supports microbes well.

• Coconut sugar: Earthy, has extra minerals

• Maple syrup: Works well, slightly lower glycemic

• Raw Honey: Don’t use. The honey microbes will compete with the probiotics.

Monitoring Fermentation: When is it Done?

• Taste: Pleasantly tangy, slightly sour.

• pH Meter: Stop when pH is ideally at a 4.5. Can be considered done at a 4.6-4.2

• Texture: Gently set or spoonable. Don’t touch it until it is completely chilled.

• Smell: Mild, sour, and fresh. No musty or sharp off-odors.
  

Shelf Life & Storage

• Store in refrigerator for up to 10 days.

• Do not consume if mold develops or it smells off

Reusing Your Batch: Inoculating next batches/ Backslopping

• Save 2–3 tablespoons of your successful yogurt as a starter for your next batch.

• Freeze your first successful batch for a pure high-quality source that can be referred to in the future if need be.

• Repeat indefinitely or until your strain is no longer working. If a batch does not work, go to your reserve for a new batch.

Other Compatible Probiotic Cultures

• Lacto-bif probiotics (multi-strain)

• L. acidophilus

• L. plantarum

• B. lactis
  

Note: Each strain has different pH tolerances and sugar needs—adjust incubation time accordingly.

Youtube video walkthrough

L. Reuteri Coconut Yogurt/ Panna Cotta Tutorial