Homemade non-dairy yogurt recipe collection

[Aletheia]

Hi all-

I've been making yogurt at home by myself for a year or so, but haven't been totally pleased with the soy and coconut yogurts I've made. I'm on a search for more variation and thought I'd record my progress here (and poll you all for ideas!)

Soy yogurt


I have made soy yogurt from original flavor Silk (eh), plain flavored Westsoy (eh) and plain flavored Soy Nice (a bit better.)

I have experimented with adding gelatin, but did not like the way it made me feel like I was eating jello yogurt.

I have experimented with adding a bit of honey, but that doesn't seem to help make it set up.

I have experimented with two yogurt makers and various cooking times. 12 hours was about right for the first one, which cooked at a lower temperature, but 12 hours for the second one makes the yogurt sharp and somehow squiggly-- too much whey, I think.

Coconut Yogurt
I like the naturally thicker consistency of this, but it has a very sharp taste, and my son didn't like it. I would like to try it again- perhaps cutting it with soy or another milk.


I'd like to try hemp milk yogurt, although initial google searches make it sound like it won't set up.

I am also curious about using yogurt starters that aren't store-bought yogurt. We take a dairy-free probiotic... could i use that?

Otherwise, there is this:
http://www.customprobiotics.com/yogurt_starter.htm

[Aletheia]

This week's yogurt attempt will be...

So what will I start with? My son is really into the WholeSoy yogurts right now, so I don't want to jump straight to coconut. I need to wean him off the sweet stuff slowly!

So... am I brave enough to try hemp? Yes, let's just jump in there. I go shopping tomorrow, so if anyone wants to weigh in with suggestions between now and then, do.

Thickeners... what thickener do you recommend? Not gelatin!

[Aletheia]

Ooo- I just found this PDF file on this site
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/000176.html

It is a taste record. I'll have to create something similar.

[kjbrown92]

There was a whole discussion about probiotics vs. yogurt starters on one of these threads (maybe in the Allergy forum?) but for some reason probiotics were not a good choice. I tried gelatin as well and didn't like it.

I make coconut milk yogurt. And it took me about 15 batches to get it right. I've only made it from non-dairy starter (www.giprohealth.com), never from other yogurt (because no other yogurts were safe for us to eat). I don't sweeten it much when I make it (just enough sugar to feed it) so that I can use it as a sour cream substitute on potatoes and in dips and such or I'll sweeten it when we're having it as yogurt or as a fruit dip.

My recipe is at www.kathysrecipebox.com.

[Aletheia]

Thanks Kathy. In general, how do you know how much sugar is necessary to feed the bugs?

[kjbrown92]

trial and error for me. I think I only use a couple teaspoons.

[maplesugar]

Thank you so much for the idea. I will try that coconut milk recipe in my groovy yogurt maker from the early '80s. hope it still works.

[Aletheia]

Hemp Milk Yogurt

Ok... so finally, trial batch #1 is in process. I improvised on Kathy's recipe, so we'll see:

32 ounces hemp milk
2 Tbsp tapioca starch
1/2 tsp vanilla
~1 tsp sugar

I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but since this is batch #1, I'm not entirely confident.

[homeschoolingmama]

I would love to hear how the hemp milk yogurt turns out.

ETA: Oh and is there a specific way to make it? Like keeping it enclosed or something like that?

[Aletheia]

So the end product was tasty in a yogurty way, which is good. But the consistency was ... well, like milk with some tapioca starch in it.

Not sure what I'm going to do next, but something.

[calynde]

Great ideas! I'll be trying Kathy's coconut yogurt this weekend.

[Aletheia]

Hmmm... I'm not sure the enclosing has much to do with it, though certainly you don't want other bacteria to get into it. I have a (covered) yogurt maker. I wouldn't have bought it if I had first learned that you can make yogurt in your crockpot so easily. Making it in the oven did not appeal to me, and my oven doesn't stay cooler than 200 degrees anyway.

Originally Posted by homeschoolingmama

I would love to hear how the hemp milk yogurt turns out.

ETA: Oh and is there a specific way to make it? Like keeping it enclosed or something like that?

[Sayward]

How does one make crock pot yogurt?

[mrsdocmartin]

[Sayward]

*bump*

Any news on the yogurt making front? I'm getting ready to have a go at my first batch . . .

[Aletheia]

well, no. We have three cups left of the hemp yogurt sort of wheying it out in the fridge right now. i want to get back on it! what kind are you going to try first?

[Sayward]

I'm going to try coconut, and in the crockpot. I'm thinking of using arrowroot instead of tapioca. Any experience with this/idea of why it wouldn't be a good idea?

[Sayward]

Okay, my co op has small tapioca pearls, or tapioca flour, but nothing called tapioca starch. Is the flour the same thing? And does anyone know if I can try arrowroot instead?

[CoBabyMaker]

Tapioca starch and flour are different, the flour would likely give the yogurt a funny texture. I haven't tried arrowroot since the tapioca starch is easy for me to get so I can't help on that, sorry.

I use this recipe: Angela's kitchen

I am playing with using gelatin to firm it a little more because it's still a little too thin for DD to feed herself.

[Sayward]

Originally Posted by CoBabyMaker

Tapioca starch and flour are different, the flour would likely give the yogurt a funny texture. I haven't tried arrowroot since the tapioca starch is easy for me to get so I can't help on that, sorry.

I use this recipe: Angela's kitchen

I am playing with using gelatin to firm it a little more because it's still a little too thin for DD to feed herself.

Awesome, thanks! That would have been a bummer to ruin a batch with flour. Hmm, I can't use gelatin because it's not vegetarian/vegan. I'm just wondering if arrowroot would work, guess there's only one way to find out!