Coconut yogurt is a thing, you guys! I know because I made it and then I took it a step further and made these delicious Coconut Yogurt Smoothie Bowls with Grain Free Granola. Yum!
This is actually two recipes in one, and they’re both super simple. First you’ll begin by making the yogurt (if you’d rather skip this part, get some store-bought coconut yogurt instead, but I highly recommend you try making your own sometime really soon!), which is going to take more inactive time than effort. And by that I mean you need to plan ahead so that the yogurt cultures have time to do their work. The easiest, most simple recipe out there is by Minimalist Baker, and you just need two ingredients: coconut milk and probiotic capsules. That’s it. Get the recipe for Easy 2-Ingredient Coconut Yogurt HERE.
Dana from Minimalist Baker recommends using Thai Kitchen full fat, Whole Foods 365 full-fat brands, or Native Forest Organic Coconut Milk Classic. My first attempt was with Native Forest, and after just 18 hours, my yogurt was perfectly thick and tangy.
I made a second batch of yogurt using Thai Kitchen full-fat coconut milk and the yogurt was tangy after 48 hours, but still quite watery – it did thicken up, though, after being refrigerated overnight. As Dana explains, you need to experiment a bit and see what works for you. Be sure to read her post because she goes into great detail and offers lots of excellent tips for achieving good results.
FLAVORING YOUR YOGURT FOR THE SMOOTHIE BOWL
I used dates and frozen sweet cherries to sweeten and flavor my yogurt for my smoothie bowl. Feel free to experiment with other sweeteners, like maple syrup or honey.
My husband and I recently discovered Smart Harvest Organic Sweet Cherries, and we love them! You can find them in the freezer section at Costco. I haven’t looked for them elsewhere, but if you spot them, give them a try. The cherries are sweet, plump and really flavorful. We love throwing them into our morning smoothies, and I can’t get enough, so I blended them into my coconut yogurt, along with the dates, and yum!
If you prefer, you could use fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, mangoes, strawberries…use your imagination!
Note that once you blend your coconut yogurt with the fruit and sweetener, the consistency will become runnier, more like, well, a smoothie bowl! So, there you go — place your blended, flavored yogurt in the refrigerator to chill a few hours and you have a perfect, canvas for a healthy, dairy-free smoothie bowl!
GRAIN-FREE COCONUTTY GRANOLA
Trying to avoid eating grains? This nutty grain-free granola will is the perfect alternative.
It’s a mix of almonds, pecans, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and a dash of salt. The consistency is delightfully crunchy, and the granola holds together well in yogurt or nut milk. I just polished off another bowl – I can’t get enough! Top it off with fresh berries and it’s the perfect breakfast or snack.
Just 25 minutes in the oven and your granola is ready to eat.
That’s it friends! Remember to head over to Dana’s blog for her easy peasy coconut yogurt recipe and then come back here for the Coconut Yogurt Smoothie Bowls with Grain Free Granola recipe.
Coconut Yogurt Smoothie Bowls with Grain Free Granola
Ingredients
Smoothie Bowls:
- 1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened coconut yogurt (home-made or store bought)
- 2/3 cup frozen organic sweet cherries or fruit of choice, fresh or frozen
- 6 dates soaked for two hours drained and pitted
Grain-Free Granola:
- 1/2 cup raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw pecans
- 1/2 cup raw cashews
- 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2-3 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/4 cup flaked unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
Smoothie Bowls:
- Combine smoothie bowl ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate at least two hours.
Grain-Free Granola:
- Preheat oven to 300°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine all the nuts (not the seeds) in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times until the nuts are coarsely chopped (if you don't have a food processor, place the nuts in a ziplock bag and use a mallet).
- Place the nuts in a medium-size bowl and add the seeds, salt and cinnamon. Combine the melted coconut oil and maple syrup in a small bowl, whisk and pour evenly over the nut and seed mixture. Stir to coat.
- Toss the granola mixture onto the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Add the coconut to the granola, toss to combine, and bake another 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Store in an airtight container.
- To make the smoothie bowls, divide the coconut yogurt mixture into two bowls, top with grain-free granola and fresh berries.
Notes
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