Coconut yogurt substitutes

Cultured nut yogurts, thick and tangy like coconut yogurt but without the coconut flavor, which is the main reason to reach for them.

Best for

raita, tzatziki and cucumber sauces, vegan ranch and creamy dressings, curry finishing, smoothie bowls, savory dips

Neutral and clean where coconut yogurt is sweet and tropical, so a raita made with cashew yogurt tastes like raita and one made with coconut yogurt tastes like a coconut sauce with cucumber in it. Slightly thinner and slightly less rich, since coconut fat is unusually solid, and a little less sweet. Cashew yogurt is the creamier of the two and the closest match overall. Not an option for nut allergies.

The only plant yogurt with protein in the same range as dairy, which changes what it can do in a recipe rather than only how it tastes.

Best for

baking, cakes and muffins, marinades for chicken and paneer, flatbread and naan dough, anything that needs to set or thicken, high-protein breakfasts

Tangier and beanier than coconut yogurt, and thinner unless you buy a Greek-style soy version, but the protein makes it the more capable ingredient: it tenderises a marinade properly, it thickens a sauce rather than just enriching it, and it holds structure in a bake. Because it has much less fat, a curry finished with soy yogurt tastes leaner and sharper, so a spoonful of oil or coconut cream alongside closes the gap.

The emergency route when you have coconut in the cupboard but no yogurt. Chill a tin of full-fat coconut milk, scoop off the thick cream, stir in the acid.

Best for

finishing curries and dals, smoothies and smoothie bowls, creamy dressings, no-bake desserts, chilled soups

Gets the coconut richness and a clean sourness in roughly the right proportions, and in a curry it is very close indeed. What it lacks is the complexity that fermentation gives, so the tang is one-dimensional and slightly bright rather than rounded and lactic, and it has no live culture, which matters if that is why you were eating it. It is also thinner than set yogurt, so it will not hold up as a spoonable topping.

If dairy is not the reason for the coconut yogurt, this is the most straightforward swap of all and behaves better in most cooking.

Best for

baking, where it swaps directly for sour cream too, marinades, raita and savory sauces, curries added off the heat, breakfast and granola

Sharper, much higher in protein and lower in fat, so a curry finished with dairy yogurt tastes brighter and thinner and is more likely to split if it boils, whereas coconut yogurt is the more heat-stable of the two precisely because it has so little protein to curdle. In a cake, dairy yogurt gives slightly more structure and coconut yogurt slightly more moisture and richness. Greek yogurt is the closer match on thickness.

A dairy-free, nut-free, high-protein stand-in that gives you thickness and tang without any coconut flavor.

Best for

baking and muffins, savory dips and dressings, creamy pasta sauces, vegan tzatziki, high-protein smoothies

Completely neutral, which is both the advantage and the catch: it needs the salt and the acid or it tastes flat and faintly beany. Blend it a full minute or it stays chalky. It has protein and almost no fat, so it behaves like a lean yogurt, thickening and binding well but never tasting rich. In a smoothie bowl where you want the luxurious mouthfeel of coconut yogurt, it disappoints. In a dressing or a bake, it works well.

Soak, blend until completely smooth, and you have a thick, rich, tangy cream that stands in for coconut yogurt in almost any cooked or blended use.

Best for

curry finishing, vegan sour cream and dips, creamy dressings, no-bake cheesecake, creamy soups

Richer and denser than coconut yogurt with a mild nutty sweetness, and thicker straight out of the blender, so thin it with a spoonful of water for a pourable consistency. No live culture and a simpler sourness than a fermented product, but it is neutral rather than tropical, which makes it the better choice in Indian and Middle Eastern cooking. Soak four hours in cold water or fifteen minutes in boiling water first.