Yoghurt is one of the most popular foods on the chilled aisles in supermarkets and health shops, but good yoghurt is expensive. Making your own vegan yoghurt is pretty easy, though you’ll usually need a small pot of natural vegan yoghurt to start you off, then you can usually use leftover yoghurt of your own, to make further batches.
Or to keep things simple, you can buy Freshly Fermented Organic Vegan Yoghurt Starter (above). It requires heat and a thickening agent (tapioca start or agar) to make. The starter sachet of freeze-dried starter and tapioca starch makes 1 litre of yoghurt.
Good Brands of Vegan Organic Yoghurt
- Cocos Organic is a good brand in natural, strawberry, mixed berry, vanilla and mango/passionfruit. Made in the UK with 98% organic natural coconut, these contain real fruit pures and billions of live active cultures. Add to smoothies, dollop on waffles or spoon from the pot.
- Sojade is a good brand sold in indie health stores – made in a solar-powered factory in France). But apart from that, the rest of the brands leave a lot to be desired.
Recipes Using Vegan Yoghurt
Whether you make your own or buy ready-made vegan yoghurt, here are nice recipes to try. Yoghurt Berry Popsicles (Crowded Kitchen) are ideal to sneak in fresh fruits – berries (blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or cherries) to summer fruits (peaches, nectarines or apricots).
Melon Yoghurt Popsicles (Crowded Kitchen) are a bit more tropical, if you have some leftover melon in the fridge. Hints of lime and mint, keep these super-refreshing on a hot summer day.
Frozen Yoghurt Bark (So Vegan) is super-simple to make. You just sweeten up natural yoghurt with vanilla and maple syrup, add some fresh raspberries and blueberries, and top with crushed pistachios (protein and calcium).
