Coconut Cashew Probiotic Yogurt

This recipe never fails to amaze me. Somehow, with just five simple ingredients and no special equipment, we can make a tangy, super-thick, creamy yogurt from scratch. So do not fear! Just follow the instructions closely, and it will be as easy as pie (or … yogurt).

YIELD: SERVES 14

Ingredients

2¾ cups full-fat coconut milk

2 cups roasted unsalted cashews (not raw)

2 high-quality probiotic capsules*

1 Tbsp pure maple syrup**

1 pinch sea salt

Instructions

1. Gather the equipment you’ll need for this recipe: 1 or 2 large glass jars (such as quart-sized mason jars), boiling water, cheesecloth (or thin dish towels), rubber bands, and an oven that’s available for 24 hours.

2. Sterilize your jars by placing them in your sink and slowly running boiling water on their sides and inside. Using gloves or oven mitts, carefully pour out the boiling water from the jars. Let them cool to room temperature on the counter.

3. Add the coconut milk and cashews to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Empty the contents of the 2 probiotic capsules into the blender and discard their casing. Pour in the maple syrup and sea salt, and blend until completely smooth.

4. Pour the yogurt mixture into the sterilized mason jars (if your jar is quite large, the mixture might fit all in one jar). Cover the tops of the jars with cheesecloth. Secure the cheesecloth with rubber bands.

5. Turn on your oven light. Do not turn on the oven; the oven light is the only heat the yogurt needs in order to ferment. Put the jars of yogurt into your oven. Let the yogurt ferment with the oven light on and door closed for 16 to 24 hours. After about 16 hours you can briefly open the oven door and taste the yogurt to see if it’s tangy enough for your liking. The longer it ferments, the tangier it gets.

6. Remove the jars of yogurt from the oven and place them in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, to solidify. Serve the yogurt. Store leftovers in a jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

*Use a high-quality refrigerated brand of probiotic for best results. I use Renew Life 50 billion. Some probiotic brands have an added prebiotic. Don’t buy that kind! Added prebiotic can hinder the fermentation.

**To make this recipe sugar-free, omit the maple syrup.