Is Cocoyo living coconut yoghurt Vegan?

The Ingredient Breakdown

As a food scientist, I look for hidden animal-derived additives like gelatin, honey, or dairy-based stabilizers. Fortunately, the ingredient list for Cocoyo is remarkably clean and transparent. It contains only three main components: raw young coconut, raw young coconut water, and probiotic cultures.

The raw young coconut provides the creamy base. Unlike many commercial yoghurts that use thickeners like pectin or gums (which can sometimes be animal-derived), the texture here comes purely from the natural fats and fibers in the coconut meat. The raw young coconut water acts as the liquid medium, providing natural electrolytes and sugars that the bacteria feed on during fermentation.

Crucially, the probiotic cultures used are plant-compatible. Some yoghurts utilize cultures grown on dairy byproducts, but Cocoyo uses water kefir grains or standard vegan starter cultures. There are no traces of casein, whey, or lactose.

Nutritional Value

Because Cocoyo is a whole-food product, its nutritional profile differs significantly from processed, starch-based vegan yoghurts. A standard serving contains roughly 150-180 calories, driven primarily by the healthy medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) found in the raw young coconut.

In terms of macronutrients, it is low in protein (typically 1-2g) but high in healthy fats. The sugar content is naturally occurring from the coconut water and fruit, usually sitting around 10-12g per serving. It does not contain added refined sugars, which makes it a better option than sweetened conventional yoghurts, though portion control is advised for those strictly monitoring sugar intake. It fits well into Keto, Paleo, and Whole30 diets due to its high fat and low carb nature.