TikTok Is in Love With This ‘Gut-Healthy’ Yogurt — But You Can Only Have 2 Spoonfuls a Day

At Food & Wine, we don’t condone cults — unless, of course, that cult is centered around a yogurt that promotes gut health. To be fair, Coconut Cult yogurt isn’t actually a cult (as far as we know), but it does have a cult following on social media. 

Search “Coconut Cult” on TikTok and expect your feed to be flooded with taste tests and product reviews. Some say it’s the best, creamiest yogurt they’ve ever tasted, while others feel that it’s too tart. But most of the reviews are less focused on flavor and more focused on how the yogurt makes them feel, reporting that eating Coconut Cult yogurt daily can help with digestion, reduce bloating, and clear skin. “I’ve never looked hotter,” said Kelly Peer (@kellyannpeer) after having one spoonful of Coconut Cult’s chocolate mousse flavor for seven days.

The other kind of videos you’ll find are about the exclusivity of Coconut Cult — how fast it sells out in grocery stores, and the absolute thrill of finding them fully stocked. And at approximately $10 per 8-ounce jar (the brand’s website, thecoconutcult.com, sells 16-ounce jars for $39 a pop), the yogurt doesn’t come cheap. 

Some creators are even sending suggestions of alternative probiotic yogurts, like Activia, Cocoyo, kefir, and White Mountain Bulgarian probiotic yogurt. Not to mention the dozens of other TikTok-favorite sources for probiotics, like Culture Pop soda and Lemme Debloat from Kourtney Kardashian’s supplement line. So then, is Coconut Cult really worth the hype?

Here’s everything you need to know about the premium yogurt brand that content creators are swearing by.

What is Coconut Cult?

The Coconut Cult was founded in 2015 by Noah Simon-Waddell. “I created this yogurt as a part of my healing journey,” he said in a 2022 TikTok video. “As a way to heal myself and my gut, which was really sick.” Simon-Waddell began making probiotic yogurt at home, and found that his recipe made him feel significantly better. In an open letter on Coconut Cult’s website, he wrote, “I felt more energized, clear-headed, creative, inspired, and truly connected to my body for the first time in a long time, if maybe ever.” 

But while Simon-Waddell claims that eating a daily dose of his yogurt can improve your general mental and physical health, he doesn’t want his product to be lumped into toxic diet culture. In fact, the name, “Coconut Cult” was inspired by a real cult of “cocoivores” — individuals who only eat coconuts. The group followed German philosopher and nudist August Engelhardt, and lived in the South Pacific, until their coconut-only diet led to extreme health issues and in some cases, death. According to The Chalkboard, the brand name is supposed to send consumers a tongue-in-cheek reminder of the dangers of fad dieting.

The dairy-free, coconut yogurt is packed with probiotics, “a microorganism that has been linked to health benefits when consumed in adequate amounts,” says Toby Amidor, MS, RD, CDN, award-winning nutrition expert, and bestselling author of Health Shots. Every 1-ounce spoonful of Coconut Cult has roughly 50 billion CFUs (colony-forming units). With three standard flavors (Original, Chocolate Mousse, and Harvest Strawberry) and limited, seasonal releases, Coconut Cult yogurt is meant to be delicious, but it’s designed to act as a daily supplement. Coconut Cult’s website claims “this isn’t a meal, it’s a ritual.” 

How is Coconut Cult different from other yogurts?

When Simon-Waddell was developing his yogurt recipe, he learned that most yogurts are, what he considers, “dead.” They’re pasteurized after fermentation in order to remain shelf-stable, which kills the probiotics. “Instead, we created a fermented coconut yogurt that acts as the perfect home for probiotics,” a member from The Coconut Cult team told Food & Wine. “We never pasteurize after fermentation to ensure our probiotics are thriving in order to do their best work.”

Because Coconut Cult yogurt is “alive” the flavor is tangier and the consistency creamier. It’ll have a kombucha-like effervescence and it might even explode when you open the jar. “An explosion does not mean your yogurt is bad. On the contrary,” Simon-Waddell explained in a TikTok. “It means the yogurt is extra probiotic and extra powerful. During the fermentation process, the yogurt’s bacteria will consume its sugar and produce oxygen. If you open a jar of Coconut Cult and hear a hissing noise, that oxygen is trying to escape from the surface, often leading to a yogurt eruption.

There are many other probiotic yogurts on the market, but to our knowledge, Coconut Cult is the most probiotic-dense. In comparison, Cocoyo has approximately 25 billion CFUs per ounce, White Mountain Bulgarian has 11 billion CFUs per ounce, and Activia has less than 1 billion CFUs per ounce. You can still get the same gut-health benefits from eating other probiotic yogurts, you’d just have to eat more of it 

What’s the best way to eat Coconut Cult yogurt?

According to Amidor, there is no standard for the amount of probiotics that should be consumed daily. “How much needed varies with different types of probiotics and what the treatment is,” she says. “Most doses range from one to 10 billion CFUs that are taken one to two times a day in supplement form.” It’s important to note, though, that taking a lot of probiotics could potentially lead to some gastrointestinal discomfort, “such as gas, bloating, or diarrhea.”

That means you might not want to eat a whole jar of Coconut Cult. If you’re new to probiotics, the Coconut Cult team recommends starting out with one to two spoonfuls of its yogurt a day. “Each serving contains 16 strains of billions of super-live probiotic culture, so a little can go a long way, but we want you to trust your gut,” they told us. “If you feel you need a little less, dial your serving down a bit. If you’re sick or your gut needs a little extra TLC, go for more. It’s your body, and you know best.”

The Coconut Cult team suggests eating the yogurt first thing in the morning or as a late-night snack. They also urge consumers not to stir or double dip, as your saliva can kill the yogurt’s microorganisms. Some creators say you shouldn’t use a metal spoon, but that instruction has not been verified by Coconut Cult. 

Is Coconut Cult actually any good?

I’ve only gotten a chance to taste Coconut Cult’s chocolate mousse flavor, but I can report — it’s really tasty. The rich, dark cacao flavor balances out the yogurt’s signature tang, and it’s delightfully fluffy. I’ve found myself looking forward to eating my morning heaping spoonful (and a bit disappointed I can’t go back for another scoop). 

Have I noticed immediate results (i.e. a lack of inflammation, flawless skin, and impeccable hotness)? No. But I’ve only been “taking” the yogurt for four days now. There’s still time!

The price would probably steer me away from purchasing Coconut Cult regularly, but if my gut needs a little reset, or if I want a little treat, I’d certainly buy it again.