Sometimes we buy packaged food for convenience, and sometimes we believe that prepare them ourselves have to be difficult and expensive. This homemade soy yogurt is a clear example of how easy it can be to prepare food at home and in addition, we can save money.
To make homemade soy yogurt you're gonna need only two ingredients: soy milk and a starter (you can use store-bought or previously homemade soy yogurt or a yogurt starter powder). So simple and cheap.
I used to buy organic soy yogurt and it was quite expensive, but now I only need homemade soy milk and a homemade yogurt. That's all!
You only need to buy a store-bought yogurt or a yogurt starter powder for the first time, then you can use your own homemade soy yogurt as a starter.
You can also make homemade yogurt with others plant milks, we also make yogurt with coconut milk and a yogurt starter powder (we couldn't find coconut yogurt), it's really creamy, sweet and delicious.
We've used homemade soy milk, it's so cheap and easy to make, and it tastes so much better than store-bought, you should try! We'll share the recipe soon. Use not transgenic or genetically modified soy milk and with no additives, preservatives or sugar, you can add healthy sweeteners such as dates, stevia, coconut sugar, maple or agave syrup, etc.
We've used a teaspoon of agar agar powder for a thicker yogurt, but you can use other thickeners such as tapioca flour, carrageenan, corn starch or corn flour, xanthan gum, flax seed, etc. You can add more or less thickener, it depends on the consistency you want.
I have good news for you, you don't need any equipment, if you have an oven, you can make homemade yogurt! You only need to preheat the oven at 50 º C or 120 º F for a few minutes, turn off the oven and place the yogurt inside for about 8 hours.
You can add fruits, seeds and nuts to your yogurt, so it will be even healthier and more nutritious. This time we've added nuts, sesame seeds and goji berries, we love them!
We recommend you to make homemade soy yogurt, it's cheap and easy, and also it's healthy, creamy and it tastes amazing! If you don't like the soy flavor you can make homemade yogurt too, you only need your favorite plant milk and a yogurt starter powder and you'll make the best yogurt you can imagine. Seriously, it's awesome!
Soy Yogurt
Ingredients
- 4 cups soy milk
- 1 teaspoon agar agar powder
- ½ cup soy yogurt, or yogurt starter powder (the amount may vary, follow the package instructions)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 50º C or 120º F.
- Pour the soy milk in a saucepan, add the agar agar, stir and heat the mixture to 90º C or 195º F, but be careful because it shouldn't boil. You can use a thermometer, but it's not necessary.
- Pour the mixture in a bowl and let it cool to 40 or 50ºC (105º F or 120º F). If you don't have a thermometer you can put your finger in the mixture and when it's hot but not burn it's ready.
- Add the starter (soy yogurt or yogurt starter powder), stir and pour the mixture into glass jars or containers.
- Turn off the oven, place the glass jars or containers (without lids) inside and let stand for at least 8 hours. You mustn't open the oven during this process.
- Now you can cover the jars or containers and keep the yogurt in the fridge.
Chetan Padliya says
I made soy yogurt so many times without using agar agar but it never becomes sour as animal curd. Have any idea how to make it sour?
Iosune says
Hi Chetan! My soy yogurt wasn't as sour as regular yogurt either, but for me it's okay. I'm so sorry, but I can't help you... Maybe you could add some lemon juice, but I'm not sure if it will work. Have a nice day!
Rouke says
I've made yogurt from cow's milk (powder) for many years using the previous batch as starter each time I made a new batch. It worked very well, so I was confident that I had enough experience to try almond milk yogurt (store bought, ready-to-drink). It didn't work. I ended up with a layer of sediment in a jar of water. I continued with the cow's milk powder for a few more years. Then I saw a pack of organic soy milk powder and I tried again making yogurt, but again with the same result. My understanding is that the yogurt bacteria (Lactobacillus bulgaricus) I've been using is very specific to real (cow's) milk (hence the name 'Lacto') and may be unable to ferment whatever sugar is present in soy milk. I read somewhere to add ordinary sugar as a energy source for the bacteria, so I did, but without success. What's you thought on this? Are there specific strains of bacteria that can convert the sugars naturally present in soy milk to produce yogurt? Or is the thickener perhaps the secret that takes over the function of the lactic acid to give it a yogurt-like texture?
Iosune says
Hi Rouke! I don't know, sorry... I just added regular agar powder. It's also important to use a soy milk made only with soy beans and water. Hope it helps!
Karen dixon says
Can you make this recipe in a traditional yoghurt maker
Iosune says
Hi Karen! I've never made it in a yoghurt make, but I think it should work 😉
Elizabeth C says
Hi. I enjoyed studying your recipe and I have a question for you please. I am particularly interested in your mention of using homemade soymilk for your yogurt. I tired this once and it didn't work. I did some research, which led me to the Vegan Under Pressure cookbook by Jill Nussinow. She writes that homemade soy milk isn’t successful to make homemade soy yogurt. I wrote a comment/question on her blog and she responded that she doesn't really know why but she uses store-bought soymilk to make it. She suggested that perhaps commercially made soymilks are prepared differently. Which brings me to my question. How does yours turn out? Do you do anything special? Thanks.
Iosune says
Hi Elizabeth! I usually use store-bought soy milk because it works great and is also more convenient. I didn't do anything special, just followed the recipe 🙂
Sara J Cary says
Maybe you can answer...
When one makes plant milk, the solids get strained off...
What if you make yogurt from milk that HAS NOT been strained? I hate to get rid of the nutrients.
Must say, I have not made yogurt or milk.
Thanks!
Iosune says
Hi Sara! I've never tried it, so I can't help you, sorry!
Sue Williams says
Hi Iosune, thank you for this simple recipe. I've just made it and I used one 50-million-strain probiotic capsule for the starter. It tastes fine but the texture isn't creamy, it's more like a flummery or jelly and breaks into segments when I serve it. Can you suggest how I can make it creamy?
For your information, I left it in the oven for longer (9 hours & 15 minutes) because I fell asleep 😕 so perhaps this made a difference. Also, when I turned the oven off I left the oven light on - should it be on, or off?
Thanks for your help.
Iosune says
Hi Sue! I'm not sure, did you added the agar powder? You should try the recipe following all the steps. About the light, it doesn't matter. Hope it helps!
Sue Williams says
Hi again Iosune, I tried the recipe again and left it in the oven for the 8 hours without the oven light but it still came out like a junket (better description than the flummery or jelly that I said earlier), breaking into pieces, not creamy.
Perhaps I should use only half a tsp of the agar agar powder - do you think this might help? Thanks for your time.
Iosune says
Hi Sue! I'm so sorry it didn't work. You could try... I would also use another brand of soy milk (mine is made with just 2 ingredients: soy beans and wate). Hope it helps!
Sue Williams says
Hi Iosune, I tried again with half tsp of agar agar but it didn't thicken enough. I have tried 3 different brands of soy milk but unfortunately where I live in rural Australia I cannot buy one with only two ingredients (soy beans and water) - they all include additives such as corn maltodextrin, cane sugar, acidity regulators, minerals, vitamins, etc, etc.
Do you think that the soy milk might be the reason I'm not getting the right consistency?
Thanks again for your time, Sue
Iosune says
Hi Sue! I'm not sure, but I've read it's important to use a milk made with only soy and water...
Andrea says
Hi, I’m really fed up! I’ve bought Soya beans. Made 2 lots of milk and tried to make yoghurt with a newly purchased maker. It’s been a disaster both times. No yoghurt just a yellow water. It takes ages to make the milk and I’m really disheartened - what am I doing wrong!
Iosune says
Hi Andrea! Is your milk only made with water and soy beans? Maybe it's because of the starter, I'm not sure, sorry!
Tom Bruno says
Dear Iosune - It has been suggested to use soy milk that contains only soy beans and water. But my wife needs a vegan source of calcium [she is post-menopausal]. She would rather get calcium form her diet than take a supplement. Can any fortified soy milks be used for making yogurt? Thank you. - Tom
P.S. - Thank you for the work you put into this blog.
Iosune says
Hi Tom! I'ver never made yogurt using fortified soy milk, so I'm not sure, but I think it could work. When I said it's better to use milk that only contains soy beans and water I was talking about avoiding other additives or preservatives. Hope it works!
Faith Ukwuomah says
Can I use lemon/lime in place of the starter culture when making this recipe? I have been looking to make my own dairy-free yogurt (being gluten and lactose intolerant), but I don't want to spend too much money and I like to use natural ingredients.
Iosune says
Hi Faith! I don't think it's going to work, but you could use some store-bought soy yogurt instead of the starter culture 🙂
Raj says
Hello Iosune,
Made this recipe today and it's still in yogurt maker since 11 hrs, checked still not set?. Followed exactly you have written. Any thoughts.
Thanks,
Raj.
Iosune says
Hi Raj! I didn't use a yogurt maker, so I can't help you, sorry!
Magda says
Hi. Just made it last night and ate 1 this morning. Looks legit. Thanks for the easy recipe! I made it using store bought yogurt as the starter. I find that my home made yogurt isn't sour at all. I like sour yogurt. Do you have any idea why it wasn't sour? If anything, thanks so much for the easy to follow recipe!
Iosune says
Hi Magda! I don't know, but you could leave the yogurt in the oven for 12 or 24 hours, maybe it works 🙂
Maria says
I've never commented on a recipe before but I just had to this time. Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I live in Greece and in the area where I live it is hard to find soy yogurt plus it is expensive. The recipe was easy to follow. The yogurt is delicious – better than store bought. I eat it with fruits and sugar on top. I save half a cup to use as a starter for my next batch.
Iosune says
Hi Maria! So glad you liked it and thank you so much for your comment 🙂