Coconut Yogurt Brand Review and Comparison

For years, my favorite breakfast was yogurt with honey or fruit, but as  my severe lactose intolerance became clear, I gave it up and moved on. It wasn't until I started seeing countless recipes calling for yogurt that I decided to check into the nondairy yogurt brands I saw creeping up in stores. Hoping to find a close approximation to the yogurt I remembered, I bought a few and HATED them. So I bought a different brand and it wasn't so bad but not what I wanted for cooking. The flavors differed greatly even among non dairy yogurts with the same base and were often so sweet they became a dessert more than a yogurt. Eventually, I began making my own coconut yogurt at home. It offered the creamiest texture and tang of real yogurt and it worked well for me. But when I started writing recipes with yogurt, I decided I would save the time of those who don't make their own and review the store bought brands myself. 

I walked into all the major grocery stores in my area (I live in rural Ohio) and bought every brand of coconut yogurt I could find... which ended up being 3. While each brand carried several flavors of the stuff, the brand options were extremely limited. I tried to get the closest to plain yogurt as I could but in the end, I was only able to get plain, vanilla, and raspberry. I only tested brands and flavors available to me locally and in store. I'm sure some of the brands have plain or unsweetened options but I wanted to look at what is available to everyone without having to order online.

Below I will compare the three brands on this criteria: price, ingredients, taste, texture, and versatility. I will also include information on the homemade yogurt so you can compare.

Non-Dairy Chobani: Slightly Sweet Plain

Price: $1.99 per 5.3 oz cup, 0.38/oz 

Ingredients: Cultured coconut blend (water, coconut, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, agar, cultures), cane sugar, water, chicory root fiber, natural flavors, lemon juice concentrate, fruit pectin, Manufactured in a facility that also handles milk.

Taste: Slightly sweet is a relative term it seems. As someone who always had unsweetened, whole yogurt, this is pretty sweet in comparison. But the flavor isn't all that bad. It's mostly neutral with a slight hint of something resembling vanilla and a slight bite at the end. Very slight. And not the same bite as greek yogurt. It's creamy but tastes... watered down somehow. Overall, the taste is a 6 or 7 on a scale of 1-10

Texture: When you first open the cup, there is heavy separation. The solid bit has the consistency of a soft jello and mixing the liquid back in is difficult. It first becomes a lumpy soup that does not have good mouth feel. Once is is integrated, it has an alright texture. Smooth but not quite creamy.

Versatility: It was the only brand with a "plain" option in stores but it was also the least sweet by more than a mile. While still sweeter than real yogurt, it is less so than the others and would blend into other flavors better.

Bottom line: While this was the most versatile and closest to yogurt in flavor, it has a strange texture reminiscent of jello and requires vigorous stirring. I also find it lacking in creamy taste. That being said, if I desperately needed coconut yogurt for a recipe, I would get this brand as it is the only one I saw with a "plain" option and has the highest chance of working. However, the ingredients aren't all that bad considering what else is out there.

SO Delicious: Vanilla

Price: $1.59 per 5.3oz cup, 0.3/oz

Ingredients: Organic Coconutmilk (Filtered Water, Organic Coconut Cream), Organic Cane Sugar, Rice Starch, Contains 2% or Less of: Natural Flavor, Calcium Citrate, Pectin, Locust Bean Gum, Citric Acid, Live and Active Cultures, Vitamin D2, Vitamin B12

Taste: Sweet. Very sweet. It tastes like pudding. Really tasty pudding. I love this brand's ice cream and it seems they make all of their foods dessert. 

Texture: Creamy and thick. Legit just open the closest pudding cup you can find and that's what this was like. It was smooth and satisfying.

Versatility: Almost no versatility except for in the world of dessert.

Bottom line: This stuff is pudding. It's delicious. One might say it's...So Delicious... (No need to come after me for that joke I already hate myself) It straight up tastes like the vanilla pudding I ate at summer camp when I was ten. It has a wonderful creamy flavor and good, smooth texture, but if you are looking for a replacement to dairy yogurt in recipes, you will be disappointed. I like that it ia fortified with vitamins many plant based eaters are often lacking in their diets and all of the listed ingredients are easy to understand.There was no unflavored variety available in the stores I checked and the flavor/sweetness is distinct enough that it would not blend into dishes well. It DEFINITELY shouldn't be used for savory foods. However, if you are looking for a sweet treat, have at it. 

Oui by Yoplait : Raspberry

Price:$1.99 per 5oz cup, 0.4/oz

Ingredients: coconut base (water, coconut cream, modified tapioca starch, cane sugar, natural flavor, malic acid), raspberries, cane sugar, water, black carrot juice (for color), pectin, natural flavor, lemon juice concentrate, cultures.

Taste: Artificial doesn't even begin to cover it. Not only is this one even sweeter than So Delicious, it has an intense artificial raspberry flavor. They can say natural flavor all they want on the label, that isn't what raspberries taste like. 

Texture: While it is slightly creamy, the texture is very soft making it nearly runny. 

Versatility: None. 

Bottom line: Nope. Someone must have mixed up a flavor shipment between Yoplait and a cough syrup factory. That's the only way I can imagine this taste made it onto store shelves. This yogurt had a STRONG artificial flavor and a watery taste beyond that AND it was overly sweet (which I suspect was also done artificially). The texture was also loose and disappointing. It could never be used in any recipes and was unappetizing even if you were looking for a sweet yogurt treat. 

Homemade Coconut Yogurt

Price: $2.59 per 13.5fl oz + $0.50 for 2 capsules, $0.23/oz

Ingredients: Coconut milk (coconut extract, water, guar gum) and 2 capsules vegan probiotic 

Taste: Homemade yogurt differs depending on the type of milk you use and how long you let it set. The longer it ferments, the tangier it gets. My preferred brand has an almost a lemon flavor as it's bite. The other brands I use have a sharp tang similar to greek yogurt. All of them are, of course, unsweetened and I sweeten to my preference when consuming. They taste creamy and more yogurt like than the store brands as well.

Texture: Again, the consistency depends on the coconut milk brand you use (brand comparison coming soon!) but it ranges from soft and almost runny to thick like greek yogurt. 

Versatility: Use this stuff anywhere. Dessert? You got it. Dipping sauce? You got it. Curry? Tacos? Mashed Potatoes? You got it. She blends beautifully in with other ingredients and has a flavor close enough to normal yogurt to work perfectly as a replacement.

Bottom line: Obviously, I'm biased. This is my preferred yogurt. It has the yogurt tang missing in all of the store brands and can be sweetened for desserts or used in savory dishes. It also has a creamy taste and consistency without the artificial flavors and thickeners. The only downside is the time commitment and that you can't just get it in a pinch when you need it. 

What this all boils down to is this: 

What do you want your yogurt for? If you want a tasty and creamy treat, go for So Delicious. If you want something to use in a savory dish, try Chobani or sub in just straight coconut cream and hope for the best. Below is a chart of how each brand stacked up against the others in my test so you can see their ranking in each category.

	Price	Ingredients	Taste	Texture	Versatility	Overall
1	So Delicious	So Delicious	So Delicious	So Delicious	Chobani	So Delicious
2	Chobani	Chobani	Chobani	Chobani	So Delicious	Chobani
3	Oui	Oui	Oui	Oui	Oui	Oui