Homemade Soy Yogurt

I've always loved yogurt, and it was one of the last things I gave up when I became vegan. I've been on the search for a creamy not so sweet replacement for plain greek yogurt, but the store brands escaped my needs. There are a couple of brands out there for your interest: but many of them contain way too much sugar for my likes.

1) Nancy's Cultured Soy Yogurt

2) WildWood Organics

3) WholeSoy&Co.

My recipe is pretty simple and takes minimal amounts of prep work. I usually start this process at night, right before I get ready to go to bed, put it in the oven and forget about it. I can even turn the heat down so save some extra energy while using the oven for so long.

One of the most important aspects of yogurt making is your container selection and sterilization. You'll need a glass jar with a dome lid. You won't be heating this jar to the temperature that you would be during canning, so a standard glass jar will serve you well. I chose an peanut butter jar, because the neck of some jars make it difficult to get the yogurt out. Clean the jar well, with soap and water, then fill with boiled water and screw the lid on. Once cool enough to handle, pour the water out. Heat your oven to the lowest setting (about 110-140 degrees)

As for the recipe, add the following ingredients, screw the lid on and shake!

Soy Yogurt

- 2c soy milk *

- 2t - 2T sugar (for a bit of sweetness and a starter for bacterial growth)

- 2T yogurt starter acidophillus or 2T of cultured soy yogurt from a store

- 2T arrowroot powder

* I usually have unsweetened soymilk, so I use this and add sugar to control the sweetness.

Remove the lid after shaking and leave in the oven for 7-9 hours (while you sleep or work is great). After cooking, replace lid and store in the fridge. You might need to add some more arrowroot if it isn't as thick as you'd like, or you can experiment with thickening agents.

This recipe is really easy to double or half if you need to. You'll need to play around with the sweetness and thickness, but it's easy to add those after cooking so you'll know how to make your next batch. Mix in some fresh fruit, nuts, or granola and enjoy!