Homemade Coconut Crème Greek Yogurt

So Dannon came out with a new wonderproduct called Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt.  It’s sweetened with stevia, which is great for those of us on low-glycemic diets.  Problem is, it comes in very small containers that most of us have to pay at least a dollar a piece for.  I am a severe tightwad (I prefer to call myself frugal), and paying a whole hard-earned dollar for thirty seconds’ pleasure just isn’t happening.  The stuff is great (I’ve only ever had the coconut crème variety), but it’s just not worth that much to me, especially when I’m used to making my own Greek yogurt.

I did a few calculations.  I can get a gallon of skim milk at Sam’s Club for $2.54.  A gallon of milk usually gives me about 6 cups of homemade Greek yogurt (check out my video tutorial here if you’re interested in making your own; it’s very easy).  That’s 48 ounces.  Each Dannon Oikos Triple Zero is 5.3 oz.  48 divided by 5.3 equals approximately 9 Triple Zeros worth of homemade Greek yogurt.  At a dollar a piece, you’re saving over seventy cents a piece by making your own.  I rest my case.

So now that we’ve decided to make our own, we have to recreate the superior taste of the Coconut Crème Triple Zero.  Easier said than done.  It tastes like toasted coconut, and it’s silky-smooth.  A lot of Greek yogurt is tangy and tart, but the Triple Zero people somehow made the Coconut Crème incredibly mild-flavored for a Greek yogurt.

Good news: homemade Greek yogurt is a lot milder than storebought.  We’ll start there.

Now I’ve given you three options in the recipe.  You can stir in the flavorings and sweetener and have a flavored Greek yogurt that’s not as mild and silky as the Triple Zero, but still very good.  Your next option is to add some unsweetened almond milk as well.  This gives you a smoother, milder-flavored Greek yogurt more the texture of regular yogurt (but without the carbs).  If you want both the milder flavor and the thickness, you can stir in some xanthan gum at the very end.  This gives the yogurt thickness but also makes it a strange texture.  I don’t know how to explain it.  There’s nothing wrong with it, and I liked it, but I could see why some people wouldn’t appreciate it.  So it’s your choice.

Now for the flavor.  Obviously, we need coconut flavoring.  I added a little vanilla for a pleasing taste, as well as some caramel flavoring to help with the toasted flavor notes.  Still lacking a little something…so I added a few drops of liquid smoke.  Yup.  Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.  If you have moral opposition to liquid smoke because of carcinogens and all that, you definitely don’t have to add it.

Is it exactly like Dannon Oikos Coconut Crème Triple Zero Greek Yogurt?  Probably not.  But it’s very close, and at a fourth of the price, I am satisfied.

Not all Greek yogurt, not even all homemade Greek yogurt, is created equally, so your liquid and flavoring amounts may vary.  Adjust to your tastes.

Trim Healthy Mamas (click here for my quick synopsis of the plan), Greek yogurt is a great plan-approved protein source!  If you use skim milk to make your yogurt, you can have a cup of Greek-style yogurt in an S, E, or FP setting, but be aware that the carbs in the yogurt do count towards your 10 gram allotment in an S or Fuel Pull meal.  Therefore, you might not want to use a whole cup in those settings so you don’t have to watch your other trace carbs so carefully.  It all depends what else you’re eating with it.  If the yogurt is the protein source with your meal, you’ll want close to a cup, but if using it as a dessert for an S or FP meal, you should probably use closer to a half cup.

For photographic purposes, I topped my yogurt with some toasted unsweetened coconut flakes.  You can do this if you like, but beware that doing so may take this out of the “low fat” category and make it an S for Trim Healthy Mamas, depending how much you use.

Here’s the link to my homemade Greek yogurt video tutorial again.  To make 0% Greek yogurt, use skim milk.

Question of the day (comment below!): have you ever made your own Greek yogurt?

You can pin this recipe from my Fuel Pull Board here.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Homemade Coconut Crème Greek Yogurt

 

Author:

Briana Thomas

Serves: approx. 2 - 2½ cups

Print

 

THM:FP, Low-carb, Low-fat, Sugar free, Gluten/Egg/Peanut free | All measurements may vary according to how thick and tart your Greek yogurt is to start with. Adjust to your own personal preferences.

Ingredients

• 2 cups 0% Greek yogurt (I prefer homemade for a milder flavor)
• 4-5 doonks THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder (a doonk is 1/32 tsp.)
• 1½ tsp. imitation vanilla flavoring
• 1 tsp. Watkins imitation coconut extract
• ½ tsp. Watkins imitation caramel extract
• Dash of salt
• 2-3 drops liquid smoke, optional (watch for allergens)
• ¼-1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, optional
• ⅓ tsp. xanthan gum, optional

Instructions

1. You have 3 options:
2. (For a thick, more tangy yogurt) Whisk all ingredients except for the almond milk and xanthan gum together until smooth. Taste and adjust to your personal preferences.
3. (For a milder Greek yogurt more the texture of regular yogurt but without the carbs) Whisk all ingredients except for the xanthan gum together Taste and adjust to your personal preferences.
4. (For a milder Greek yogurt that is thick but has a funky texture) Whisk all ingredients except for the xanthan gum together. Taste and adjust to your personal preferences, then whisk in the xanthan gum (add the xanthan gum while whisking so it doesn't clump). This will probably need stirred before eating because it tends to separate. Don't worry - it will stir right back together.
5. Depending on how thick and tart your Greek yogurt was to begin with, you may need more liquid or sweetener. Feel free to make the flavors stronger as well.

3.2.2929

• Watkins Caramel Extract
• Watkins Imitation Coconut Extract
• Xanthan Gum
• THM Pure Stevia Extract Powder can be purchased from the Trim Healthy Mama online store.

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