Ok, so I know many of you are waiting anxiously to see if my first attempt at making homemade Coconut Yogurt was a success...

Here's my verdict: It wasn't a "fail" by any means, but I do think it could be improved upon. I say this for two reasons...

It was too runny, so it's the consistency of drinkable Kefir.
When I read through the comments of the recipe I got it from (a guest blogger on Nom Nom Paleo's website), there were very mixed reviews on if this turned out for people. It worked for some and failed for some.

So with that said, I liked it enough to want to share how I did it so you can try for yourself. ...But this is my official disclaimer that I'm not guaranteeing this will work for YOU. LOL ;) The next time I try this I am going to use Trader Joe's Coconut Cream. Many said by using that, it made it thicker. By reading through reviews, I think this recipe really depends on the brand of coconut milk used AND the strength of their oven light...weaker lights many not bring the temp high enough (see below).

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk (or coconut cream for a thicker result)
1 tablespoon inner-eco liquid probiotic (see pic, I found it a Sprouts) I heard you can also use a probiotic capsule, but these can really vary, so I went with the exact liquid that was recommended in the recipe. My guess is this may be why some people had a "fail".
1 clean glass jar with lid
a free oven for 24 hours!

I happened to double the recipe only because I had a large jar. This is the brand of coconut milk I used. It was very smooth when I opened it, not separated. I think this helps.

Directions:

Mix the ingredients together in the jar. For thinner, Kefir-like yogurt, use the whole can of coconut milk. For thicker yogurt use unsweetened Coconut Cream or refrigerate your coconut milk until it separates...and just scoop out the cream that rises.
Put the lid on the jar and place it in the oven with the light ON, and close the door for 24 hours. Leave it undisturbed for 24 hours. DO NOT TURN THE OVEN ON...just the LIGHT. The light alone should get your oven to a temp of 105-110 degrees, perfect for the coconut yogurt to incubate.
Refrigerate when done. It will last about one week in the fridge.

Mine was very good. It was smooth and tangy like yogurt should be. It had a nice coconut flavor. I probably wouldn't eat it all alone though. After Whole30, I think adding a little bit of raw honey to the mix would be good. I think this would be wonderful added to some compliant granola and berries! I smashed some blackberries and put them in the bottom of a fancy glass (like the original recipe did;) I added some slivered almonds to the top, took my pretty pics, then stirred it all up! It was quite good! Do I think it would be better a little thicker? Yes. People also use this as a base in sauces or in place of sour cream...

Overall, I'm excited to experiment more with coconut yogurt. I know there are a lot of different methods out there. If you have any that I should try, let me know! If you would have told me a few years ago that I'd be incubating my own yogurt, I would have thought you were nuts. LOL;) I was reading the labels of all the coconut yogurt in the store a couple of days ago before deciding to try this...all had sugar in them, or carrageenan!

Give it a try! Everyone love a science experiment, right? :) Enjoy! I'd LOVE to hear how it turns out for you! ...and I'll update this post when I try the thicker version to keep you posted;)

-For the original recipe: find it here on nomnompaleo.com