Dairy-Free Full GAPS Coconut Frozen Yogurt

This coconut frozen yogurt has the tang of a cultured base with honey, lemon, and vanilla stirred through it. It starts with homemade coconut-milk yogurt that is already made and chilled. The overnight draining step comes next, followed by mixing and churning.

Coconut yogurt behaves differently from milk yogurt. The homemade component linked here uses gelatin to give it a set, so you may see very little liquid collect beneath the strainer. Use all the yogurt left in the cloth, without trying to make it behave like a bowl of strained dairy yogurt.

As a working, homeschooling mom of six, I need the waiting time in a recipe to be clear. My Luvele is my go-to for yogurt. Making the coconut yogurt is a separate job; this dessert begins with four cups of that finished, cold component.

GAPS Stage

This is a dairy-free Full GAPS dessert after coconut, the starter ingredients, gelatin, and sweet foods have been introduced. Use homemade coconut-milk yogurt with gelatin for the prepared base, and keep its complete ingredient list and culture method.

That component is made with rich homemade coconut milk and a live dairy-free cashew-yogurt starter. It contains cashews and gelatin. Keep those ingredients in mind when choosing a dairy-free dessert for your household; this particular base is not nut-free or vegan.

Ingredients

• 4 cups completed, chilled homemade coconut-milk yogurt, measured before straining
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon
• 1 tablespoon homemade vanilla extract

Make enough of the coconut yogurt to measure four cups after it has cultured and chilled. The milk used to make it is not the same starting ingredient as the finished yogurt. Begin with the prepared food so the culture, chilling, and set have already happened.

The linked coconut-yogurt recipe includes its own gelatin, honey feed for the culture, and starter. Keep that preparation as written. The one-third cup of honey listed here is added later to sweeten the frozen dessert.

Honey softens the tang, lemon keeps the flavor bright, and vanilla flavors the whole batch. Whisking releases the vanilla aroma as the honey blends into the cold yogurt. Whisk them into the yogurt after its overnight drain. Any liquid collected underneath stays separate from the frozen base.

The vanilla recipe explains how to prepare the beans and spirit ahead. Measure a tablespoon of the finished extract after draining the yogurt.

Dairy-free describes the milk and starter ingredients in this version. The coconut-yogurt component uses a cashew-based starter, which is why its complete recipe is useful when planning food for someone avoiding nuts. Read the ingredient list of that prepared component alongside the frozen dessert ingredients.

Yield: four servings. The amount of drainage varies, so the finished dessert is portioned into four servings rather than promised as four cups.

Instructions

1. Set a fine-mesh stainless-steel strainer above a glass or ceramic bowl and line it with clean, tightly woven cheesecloth.
2. Pour in the four measured cups of completed, chilled coconut-milk yogurt and fold the cloth over the top.
3. Refrigerate overnight with the yogurt held above any liquid that collects.
4. Move all the yogurt remaining in the cloth to a mixing bowl. Keep any drained coconut liquid separate.
5. Whisk in the one-third cup honey, juice of half a lemon, and tablespoon of homemade vanilla until evenly mixed.
6. Churn the cold base according to the ice cream maker’s directions, respecting its capacity. Divide the finished dessert into four servings.

At step 1, rest the strainer securely across the bowl. There needs to be room below it for liquid to collect without reaching the yogurt. Fold the cloth over the top and refrigerate the whole setup.

The yogurt may retain most of its body during the overnight rest because its component recipe uses gelatin. A small amount of drainage is not a reason to add more yogurt afterward. Scrape everything remaining in the cloth into the mixing bowl.

When you lift yogurt from the cloth, the set may let it come away in soft spoonfuls instead of pouring like a milk drink. Scrape the cloth carefully so the thick part goes into the mixing bowl. Then work the honey, lemon, and vanilla through the whole base, including the yogurt at the sides and bottom.

At step 5, whisk until the honey and vanilla are distributed throughout. Look for an even mixture without darker honey streaks at the bottom. Keep the base cold while the machine is being prepared.

Follow the machine’s completion directions for churning. The goal is a soft frozen dessert that is ready to portion when the cycle finishes. If your machine needs more than one batch, keep the waiting mixture refrigerated.

Why It Fits Full GAPS

The prepared coconut yogurt is made from homemade coconut milk and a dairy-free culture, with gelatin and honey used in that component’s own method. The frozen dessert adds its measured honey, fresh lemon, and homemade vanilla after straining.

Sandor Ellix Katz discusses cultured nut milks in The Art of Fermentation. The coconut-yogurt recipe explains its complete culture method. Make and chill that component ahead, then use four cups of the finished yogurt for this dessert.

Coconut milk has no lactose. The yogurt component’s own 24-hour culture schedule is its preparation method, rather than a transfer of the dairy lactose-removal rule to every plant yogurt. Follow that component, then chill it before measuring the dessert batch.

Storage And Serving

The recipe card allows 24 hours for preparation and refrigerated straining, followed by about 15 minutes for standard machine churning. These estimates begin with completed, chilled coconut yogurt. Making that component and preparing a machine’s freezer bowl take additional time.

Serve when the churning cycle finishes for a soft texture. Transfer leftovers to a covered freezer-safe container. More time in the freezer makes the dessert firmer, so let it soften enough for a scoop before serving again.

Check the capacity of your machine before filling it. This coconut base may lose less liquid than the dairy version. Leave the manufacturer’s required room for churning and use batches when needed; additional batches take additional time.

For eight servings, double all four dessert ingredients, starting with eight cups of finished coconut yogurt before the overnight drain. Keep the same sequence of draining first and adding the honey, lemon, and vanilla afterward.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Coconut Yogurt Have To Culture For 24 Hours?

The linked homemade component uses its own 24-hour culture method. Follow that recipe’s preparation and chilling instructions before starting this dessert. This is a separate schedule from the refrigerated overnight drain and from any Swirl freezing time.

Why Measure Before Straining?

Four cups is the starting amount of finished yogurt. Use what remains after the overnight drain. Adding more afterward changes the balance with the honey and flavorings.

Why Is There So Little Liquid In The Bowl?

The linked coconut yogurt is set with gelatin, which gives it body when chilled. It can retain more liquid than a dairy yogurt. Keep the overnight method, then use all the yogurt in the cloth without expecting a particular cup measure of drainage.

Can I Use Dairy Whey As The Starter?

Use the dairy-free cashew starter specified in the separate coconut-yogurt recipe for this version. The liquid collected under this dessert’s strainer is coconut-yogurt drainage, not dairy whey.

Can I Use Store-Bought Coconut Yogurt?

This recipe uses the completed homemade component linked above. It gives you a clear milk, starter, gelatin, and culture method to follow. Measure the four cups after that preparation and chilling are complete.

Can I Use My Ninja Swirl CREAMi?

I own a Ninja Swirl CREAMi. For that alternative, divide the same cold base among matching 16-ounce Swirl pints below MAX FILL. Cover and freeze level for at least 24 hours, then assemble the machine as directed.

The pint fill lines determine how many containers to use. Four cups is the amount of yogurt before draining, and the honey and flavorings add more volume afterward. Have enough matching pints ready and stop at each MAX FILL line. Keep any mixture waiting for its container cold while you portion the batch.

Select SCOOP, then ICE CREAM for this rich coconut base. The manufacturer’s Ice Cream program includes dairy-alternative recipes. Use RE-SPIN if the texture is crumbly. This is a scoopable alternative; it is not an instruction for dispensing soft serve.

The Swirl’s freeze comes after the coconut yogurt has been made, chilled, and strained. That additional freeze is not included in the standard churning estimate on the recipe card.

Related Recipes

Make the coconut-milk yogurt component first. Its recipe links to the rich coconut milk and cashew-yogurt starter used in that preparation. The flavoring comes from homemade vanilla extract.

For a dairy version, use the separate Full GAPS frozen yogurt made with homemade 24-hour yogurt.

Recommended Equipment

Use a fine-mesh stainless-steel strainer, tightly woven cheesecloth, a deep glass or ceramic bowl, a mixing bowl, and a whisk. The primary method needs an ice cream maker prepared according to its manufacturer’s directions.

I use the Luvele Pure Plus Yogurt Maker for the separate yogurt component. This is a paid referral link to the model I own. Its two-liter glass vessel is for preparing that component; the frozen dessert still begins with four measured cups of finished yogurt.

My Luvele makes the separate yogurt component. My Swirl is the optional freeze-then-process alternative for the finished dessert base. These are different jobs, with different waiting times.

More Frozen Treats

For more homemade cold desserts to rotate through family snack times, look for my upcoming Frozen Treats Cookbook through the WFLI shop. Prepare the yogurt ahead so the mixing and churning fit the day you plan to serve it.