Homemade Pineapple Coconut Yogurt is a delicious, good-for-you breakfast, snack or light lunch. With just 2 ingredients and some patience, you will feel so satisfied that you made this yogurt all yourself.

A glass bowl with yogurt, fresh pineapple and granola

If you’re a product ingredient reader like me, you will see that there are so many unhealthy ingredients that you don’t needed added to fruit yogurts that you can buy in the store. This is the reason I like to make my own.

Fresh pineapple is stirred into to this homemade yogurt to add fruit and natural sweetness. Unsweetened shredded coconut is also added for a delicious flavor combination (pineapple and coconut are so good together). The coconut adds a little crunch and just happens to be a superfood.

A spoonful of yogurt with pineapple and granola

You can use defrosted frozen pineapple, canned or fresh, already cut that you can find in the produce section. It is also much more convenient that having to cut and break down a whole pineapple.

I recently used my homemade yogurt to make Blueberry Coconut Frozen Yogurt Popsicles. A simply and healthy popsicle (or ice lolly) for adults and kids.

A closeup of a blueberry coconut frozen yogurt popsicle on top of fresh blueberries

Probiotics

Probiotics are the good bacteria (yes, there is such a thing) that is found naturally in yogurt. Flora is the collection of bacteria in our digestive systems and the probiotics help with the balance of the flora between the good and bad bacteria.

Pineapple is not only rich in vitamin C (which is great for an immune boost), it also has dietary fiber which works in conjunction with the probiotics for digestive health. The coconut also has its own benefits of dietary fiber so this yogurt is a digestive health triple threat.

Disclaimer: This Homemade Pineapple Coconut Yogurt is not intended to cure any ailments or be part of any diet. This information is simply information about the benefits of this yogurt for you to add to your regular eating plan.

The probiotics in the yogurt come from a ‘yogurt starter’. These are cultures that are mixed with milk and a temperature is maintained until yogurt is formed, which is then refrigerated. The cultures help the fermentation process to create the good bacteria.

Yogurt starter/cultures

There are 2 different yogurt starters/cultures, thermophilic and mesophilic. The thermophilic requires boiling the milk first, the mesophilic does not and that I the type I used for this recipe.

What is amazing about making your own yogurt is  you only have to buy the cultures once. After you make your first batch of yogurt, all you do is save a little and culture it for another batch. This can be repeated endlessly.

Tips for making the best yogurt

Use pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized milk.
Use 2% milk if you want a low-fat yogurt (it will be a thinner consistency)
Do not use any metal bowls, pans or spoons, stainless steel is ok.
To keep the milk to the optimal temperature while it set, place in a sunny windowsill, wrap well in towels and place in a closed door microwave, or preheat a crockpot on warm, turn it off, place the bowl inside and cover with a lid.
If you want to make this yogurt Greek style, drain and allow the liquid to strain out for a thicker consistency.

Serving suggestion

My favorite way to enjoy this yogurt is with homemade granola, parfait style as you can see being made in the video and in the photos. If you would like the yogurt sweeter, add some of the natural pineapple juice from the pineapple tidbits.

If you’ve tried this Homemade Pineapple Coconut Yogurt or any other recipe on the blog, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

Yield: 4 cups

Homemade Pineapple Coconut Yogurt

Layers of yogurt with granola and pineapple in a glass bowl

Homemade yogurt with fresh pineapple and shredded coconut.

Prep Time 1 day 6 hours
Total Time 1 day 6 hours

Ingredients

  • 4 cups ( 1 liter) whole pasteurized milk, cold
  • 1 tablespoon mesophilic yogurt starter/cultures
  • 1 ½ cups pineapple chunks
  • ¼ cup shredded coconut

Instructions

  1. To a large, ceramic or plastic bowl add the cold milk and mix in the cultures. Cover with a towel, secure the towel with a rubber band or cover with a pan lid. Place in a warm area, 70-77°F (158-170°C) for 12 hours. 
  2. After 12 hours, check to see if it has set, it should pull away from the side when tilted.  If not, leave for up to 24 hours, checking often.
  3. Once set, refrigerate for at least 6 hours.
  4. After 6 hours, mix in any whey (liquid) that has formed.
  5. Stir in the pineapple and coconut. Serve or transfer to a container with a lid and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1 cup

Amount Per Serving Calories 207Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 20mgSodium 146mgCarbohydrates 30gFiber 1gSugar 16gProtein 9g

Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt

Fruit on the bottom yogurt served in a jar with rasbperries