Cocobella protein coconut yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Cocobella protein coconut yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, uses and flavour of this dairy-free, high protein yoghurt. And we’ll talk about its strengths and weaknesses.
This vegan yoghurt is available in some supermarkets and health food stores in Australia. We bought it in a medium-sized Woolworths store in Brisbane.
For this review we have tasted the vanilla flavour (which currently seems to be their only version).
You might also be interested in reading our article about the best vegan yoghurts in Australia reviewed or our article about the best high protein yoghurts in Australia.
Ingredients of Cocobella protein coconut yoghurt
The ingredient list is quite extensive, but there isn’t anything nasty in this yoghurt.
The specific ingredients are:
coconut yoghurt - water, coconut milk, pea protein, faba protein, native starch, cane sugar, calcium phosphate, carob bean extract, agar, yoghurt cultures
vanilla blend - water, cane sugar, native starch, natural flavour, natural colour (caramelised sugar), vanilla bean and lemon juice concentrate.
The added cane sugar would be the least desirable ingredient.
It has two types of added protein in the form of pea protein and faba bean protein.
It also has added calcium in the form of calcium phosphate.
In case you wondering, carob bean extract is a natural thickening agent made from the seeds of the carob tree. It is used as a thickener and a stabiliser to prevent separation. And agar is a jelly-like substance derived from red algae which is used as thickener and a vegan alternative to gelatin. We’ll talk more about how these thickeners affect the texture below.
Benefits of Cocobella protein coconut yoghurt
Here we’ll look at the health benefits of this yoghurt as well as comparing some key health metrics against dairy yoghurt and their normal Cocobella coconut yoghurt.
Probiotics
Probiotics are live, beneficial microbes that have been proven to offer health benefits.
Cocobella protein coconut yoghurt includes the following microbes, most of which can be considered probiotic:
Bifidobacterium - the species is not specified so we can’t be sure it is strictly a probiotic, but it is likely to be
Lactobacillus acidophilus - a probiotic which supports digestion, enhances gut microbiota balance and may reduce symptoms of lactose intolerance
L. paracasei - a probiotic which boosts immune function, helps manage inflammation and supports gut barrier integrity
L. bulgaricus - sometimes considered a probiotic but it doesn’t survive gastric acid well
Streptococcus thermophilus - not a probiotic, used in yoghurt fermentation
In terms of the actual amount of these live cultures, there are 2 billion colony forming units (CFU) per 100g. It’s worth noting that unlike most other vegan yoghurt we’ve reviewed, this CFU count includes the live cultures which aren’t considered probiotic.
For context, the normal Cocobella coconut yoghurt includes the same strains of live cultures, however there are slightly higher numbers of these with it having 2.5 billion colony forming units per 100g.
Read more about the benefits of probiotic foods.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Other health measures
One thing to be conscious of when buying coconut yoghurt is that it has a different nutritional profile to dairy yoghurt.
Protein: This yogurt is high in protein with 6.3% protein - which would place it above the average dairy yoghurt (but below a high protein dairy yoghurt). And this level of protein is especially high for a vegan yoghurt as the normal Cocobella coconut only has 0.9% protein.
Fat: This yoghurt is high in fat with 8.3% fat - which would place it on the high end of dairy yoghurt. Although, this is below the normal Cocobella which is 9.7% fat. It’s also important to note that the fat in coconut yoghurt has a higher percentage of saturated fat than dairy yoghurt does.
Calcium: Even though this yoghurt has added calcium, it still only has less than half that of the average dairy yoghurt. However, this would be far higher than the normal Cocobella which doesn’t have added calcium and doesn’t even mention its calcium levels.
Sugars: This yoghurt is comparitively high in sugar with 5.9% sugar. This is substantially higher than most dairy yoghurt and almost triple the normal Cocobella yoghurt which has 2% sugar.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it appears like more like a fudge than a yoghurt. Frankly it looks odd and nothing like yoghurt and makes me think the texture is going to be the same…
Texture
The texture is very thick but this comes from the two added thickeners and the two added proteins. Similar to the normal Cocobella coconut yoghurt, it’s thick but in a strange and unsatisfying way. And even though it’s high in fat, it’s not nice and creamy like a dairy yoghurt.
Flavour
The aroma is not strong with some lemon and flour vibes coming through.
The taste is interesting to say the least. It doesn’t taste very much of coconut and the earthy taste of the added pea and faba bean proteins is fairly dominant. There’s also a lemony taste and just a hint of vanilla. The acidity is low to moderate.
Overall, the taste is pretty strange and probably not what you were expecting. It’s not great, but not very bad. The texture is equally, if not more, odd considering it’s meant to be a yoghurt.
Uses
On its own this yoghurt is not going to be very thrilling. Perhaps it would be best used in a smoothie or combined somehow with other ingredients so the taste of this yoghurt isn’t dominant.
Cost of Cocobella protein coconut yoghurt
A 500g tub from Woolworths costs $6.50 - which is more than premium yoghurt per gram, and even more expensive than the premium Coyo coconut yoghurt.
Summary
Rating: 3.25 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Unlike most vegan yoghurt, Cocobella protein coconut yoghurt is high in protein and has some added calcium. However, the taste and texture are strange, and it is high in fat and very expensive.
Pros
dairy free (if that’s important to you)
high in protein (for a vegan yoghurt)
various probiotics
some added calcium (but still far below dairy yoghurt levels)
Cons
strange taste
odd texture which is not like yoghurt
high in fat
very expensive
Factors we consider in our ratings
The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.
Health benefits
We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.
Things detrimental to health
We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if it might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.
How its made
This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.
Price
While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.
Flavour
For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.
Our favourite gut health products in Australia
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
FixBIOME is a natural and very evidence-based supplement which is specifically designed to get your gut back into good shape. Perfect for those who need a gut reset
Read more about the best gut health products in Australia.
Your reviewer
This hands-on review was written by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut-health enthusiast, science nerd and passionate kombucha maker of over 10 years!
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