Vegan Yogurt from Almonds

As remarked in previous entries, dairy products can be difficult to separate from when becoming vegan, yogurt is no exception. A good source of healthy digestive bacteria cultures, yogurt is also a delicious source of protein. Unfortunately these benefits come with the unhealthy saturated fats and hormones of dairy foods. Thank goodness, much like non dairy milks, there is a way to make plant based yogurt. Now vegans can enjoy all the benefits of this healthy food. Yogurt is a great nourishing food that is perfect for breakfast. Mix with fruit and granola its a great first meal of the day. Try using as an ingredient in smoothies and baked goods for added protein.

For something more convenient there are several brands of plant based yogurts available at local supermarkets. Here we prefer the Silk brand of almond yogurts. It has a flavor more closely resembling traditional dairy yogurt making it easier to adjust to.

So there are certainly plant based yogurts available on the market but consider the benefits of making it at home. Its cheaper, there are no additives, and its fully customized to taste. If this catches your interest follow these directions for making a your own plant based yogurt form fresh almond milk. This recipe is simple as their are only a couple of ingredients and makes use of simple kitchen appliances.

 Homemade Almond Milk Yogurt Recipe
*Making use of a soymilk machine will make the process of extracting Almond Milk much easier.

Ingredients and tools/equipment

1½ cup whole almonds
2 tablespoons plant based sweetener
3 cups water
½ teaspoon non dairy yogurt starter
Mesh straining bag/Cheesecloth

Yogurt maker, Pressure Cooker that has a yogurt function or access to an oven
*Teaspoon of Agar powder (optional)

Method

1. To make almond milk yogurt, first you need to extract the almond milk from the nuts. To do this, you need to soak the almonds in a bowl of water, overnight. Make sure that you use sufficient amount of water to soak the almonds and all the nuts are completely submerged in water.
2. In the morning, drain the water from the bowl and place the almonds in a blender. Add the water and sweetener and process in the blender for 2 - 3 minutes, until you have a thin pulpy consistency. If your blender is not big enough to process all the almonds at the same time, then do it in two or three batches.  
3. Once you have processed the almond nuts in the blender, place a big bowl over your kitchen counter and place a cheesecloth over the bowl.
4. Pour the almond nut mixture over the cheesecloth and gently pull the four corners of the cheesecloth. Allow the almond milk to collect into the bowl below.
5. Once you have strained all the almond milk in this way, heat the almond milk in a thick bottomed saucepan.
6. Allow the almond milk to cool and place a candy thermometer in it to check its temperature. When the temperature reaches 105 degree F, add the non dairy based yogurt starter to the almond milk and mix thoroughly. For every liter of almond milk you need to use ½ teaspoon of the yogurt starter.
7. Place the almond milk into a yogurt maker and let it ferment for 6 - 8 hours. Once the almond milk yogurt is set, you can strain it again to get thicker Greek style yogurt.
8. (Optional) Add a teaspoon of agar powder for additional density and texture

This is how you make almond milk yogurt at home. If you do not have a yogurt maker, then there is no need to despair. You can make thick almond milk yogurt by using an oven, and all you need to do is place the almond milk which has been mixed with yogurt starter in a preheated warm oven at the lowest available temperature setting for 7 - 9 hours with the power off. Instead of using agave nectar, you can use some other sweetening agent like maple syrup or natural cane sugar. Now that you know how to make yogurt from almond milk at home, you can stir up a batch of delicious yogurt and enjoy it creamy texture and delicious flavor.

A great multipurpose appliance with a built in yogurt function is the Instant Pot. Get yours in the link below.

http://bit.ly/almondygrt