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Here’s a cult that you might actually want to join.
Users on social media have become obsessed with a probiotic yogurt created to clear your gut — and some report it’s even making them “hotter.”
Coconut Cult is all over TikTok with consumers posting reviews, tastes tests and their takes on how to properly eat it. Some say it’s the best yogurt they’ve had while others think it’s too tart, but most reviews aren’t focused on flavor.
The cult of Coconut Cult alleges that eating the probiotic yogurt everyday promotes gut health, helps digestion, eliminates bloating, improves immunity and clears skin.
“I’ve never looked hotter,” claimed TikTokker Kelly Ann Peer to her 16,600 followers after taking one spoonful a day for seven days in a row.
Another shared that they’ve been taking one spoonful for over a year and their “body has never looked so good.”
Noah Simon-Waddell, who founded Coconut Cult in 2015, shared in a 2022 TikTok that he created the yogurt “as a way to heal myself and my gut, which was really sick.”
“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,” he wrote on the website.
Simon-Waddell said that a daily dose of his yogurt can improve general mental and physical health — but he doesn’t want to be part of “diet culture.”
The brand name was inspired by “cocoivores,” a real-life cult that followed German philosopher and nudist August Engelhardt and only ate coconuts — until it led to health issues and sometimes death. The name is supposed to be ironic, according to The Chalkboard.
The dairy-free probiotic yogurt is packaged with roughly 50 billion colony-forming units (CFUs) — the stuff that breeds good gut bacteria — per ounce. The difference between this cultish yogurt and others, according to Simon-Waddell, is that most yogurts are pasteurized after fermentation to be shelf-stable, ultimately killing the probiotics they’re touting on their labels.
“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.”
The Coconut Cult team recommends starting with one to two spoonfuls of the yogurt per day, especially if you’re new to probiotics. They also suggest eating it first thing in the morning — which is what most TikTokers seem to do, on an empty stomach — or as a late night snack.
The company also said not to stir or double dip since saliva can kill the yogurt’s microorganisms.
Registered dietitian Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, LD, CLEC, echoed this, telling Delish that double dipping can “introduce bacteria, enzymes, or other potentially harmful contaminants into the jar.”
Manaker also advised using a plastic spoon when having your daily dose. “Metal can sometimes react with the probiotics, impacting their potency or altering the flavor,” she said.
But the yogurt doesn’t come cheap — and many on TikTok say that it’s hard to find. In most grocery stores, Coconut Cult is sold for $10 per 8-ounce jar, and on the brand’s website, 6-ounce jars go for $39 each.
Additionally, Manaker said that like most things, Coconut Cult isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
“While many creators on TikTok rave about its ‘magical’ effects, the results can vary,” Manaker shared. “Factors like your overall diet, lifestyle, and existing gut health all play a role.”
“Coconut cult is a luxury wellness product, not a necessity,” health creator Brooke Harter added to Delish.
“If you love the taste and can justify the cost, go for it. But if you’re looking for reliable probiotic benefits, a third-party tested supplement or a quality yogurt with live cultures is a better bet.”
