Making Coconut Yogurt

[stilllearning85]

So, I don't have access to good milk here on Kauai, so I can't make my own yogurt like I used to. We have been buying Straus yogurt, but I was wondering if I could make yogurt with canned (or fresh) coconut milk. Could I use dairy yogurt as a starter, or is that pointless? Would I use the same method as making dairy yogurt? Do you add water to your coconut yogurt? Thanks!

[bstandlee]

I make coconut milk yogurt using canned coconut milk. We need it completely dairy free so we use a dairy free yogurt starter but if that's not an issue for you I would imagine yogurt would work just fine. The process is the same, you might need to experiment with the amount of yogurt to use as a starter. I do heat the coconut milk up and thicken it with a little bit of tapioca starch otherwise it's the consistency of milk. I also read you need to add a bit of sugar to non-dairy milks to feed the starter. Good luck!