Homemade soy yogurt recipe – made from soybeans

Pure soy milk yogurt that’s thick and creamy.

Enjoy pure soy milk yogurt without preservatives, sugar, flavouring or fillers. This homemade soy milk yogurt is the perfect example of how easy it can be to make healthier versions of your favourite vegan and dairy-free speciality foods at home. 

We posted a simple soy yogurt method here using store-bought soy milk that many of our customers enjoy, however, the Luvele kitchen recently discovered how easy it is to make homemade soy milk from just organic soy beans and water. With the Vibe Blender System, it’s never been simpler to make it at home. 

We’re excited to share this new probiotic and protein rich, homemade soy milk yogurt method. It’s a rich, creamy and tangy delight that will not compromise your health. We guide you step by step, so you can confidently control the tartness, the texture and even experiment with vanilla. Homemade soy milk yogurt is so easy that you may never want to go back to buying expensive soy yogurt ever again!

SOAKING SOY BEANS

It’s well known that legumes can cause tummy issues. Soaking soy beans overnight, softens the beans for blending but also helps to make the beans more digestible. If you are extra sensitive, adding a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or whey to your beans while they are soaking will help draw out more of the phytic acid content in the beans.

THICKENING NON-DAIRY YOGURT

While plant-based milk will culture and produce a sour yogurt-like taste, it won’t naturally set without a thickener. We used a teaspoon of agar agar powder. Agar is a plant-based, gel-like substance derived from red algae and is a perfect Vegan gelatin substitute. Add a teaspoon of agar to every 4 cups non-dairy milk before heating. Agar agar must be heated to 190⁰F (87⁰C) and held at that temperature for 5 minutes. 1 teaspoon is a guide only. Some agar agar is a fine powder while others are flakes. Flakes may require more - experiment and add more or less on your next batch to get the consistency you enjoy most. A double boiler will keep the milk from scorching during heating.

SOMETHING SWEET FOR THE STARTER CULTURE

In traditional dairy milk yogurt, the bacteria in starter culture thrive on the sugar (lactose) content, naturally found in dairy milk. The bacteria populating your soy milk must have something to feed on to allow the culturing process to take place. One teaspoon of sugar or one tablespoon of pasteurised honey is enough to kick start fermentation. Raw honey may have an antibiotic effect and is therefore not suitable for making soy yogurt. We used Yogourmet non-dairy starter culture. But you can view other suitable starters here.  

PREPARATION 

It is recommended that you sterilise your yogurt making jar and utensils beforehand. We have always found it is enough to wash in hot soapy water, then rinse in boiling water before use.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup of organic soybeans
2-3 cups water for soaking
4 cups water for blending
2 medjool dates pitted
1 teaspoon of agar agar powder
1 teaspoon of white sugar OR 1 tablespoon of pasteurised honey
Non-dairy Yogurt starter culture

Optional - 2 teaspoons of vanilla bean paste or 1 vanilla bean pod, sliced and seeds scraped

METHOD

1.   Soak the soybeans in water for six hours or overnight.
2.   Drain and rinse the beans
3.   Add the soaked beans and dates to the clear Vibe blender jug with 4 cups of water.
4.   Secure the lid on the jug, choose ‘smoothie’ mode and blend for approx. 40 seconds

5.   Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag over a large saucepan.
6.   Squeeze or press down on the nut milk bag so that all the liquid drains into the saucepan. Discard or compost the soy pulp.
7.   If making vanilla flavoured yogurt – add the vanilla pod and scraped seeds or vanilla bean paste to the soy milk now.
8.   Heat the strained soy milk to 212ºF (100ºC). Hold this temperature for about 10 minutes. 
9.  While heating, remove the foam that starts floating on top.

10. After 10 minutes. Add the agar agar powder and whisk in.
11. Continue to cook the milk for another 10 minutes, stirring every now and then. The soy milk must cook for a total of 20 minutes.
12. Remove from the stove-top. Remove the vanilla bean pod if using.
13. While the soy milk is hot, add the sugar or honey and whisk in.
14. Allow the soy milk mixture to cool down to below 108° F (42° C). 
15. Pour the soy milk into a sterile yogurt making jar.

16. Add your preferred starter culture and gently whisk it in. Don’t worry if the soy milk goes cold and the agar starts to thicken the milk.
17. The soy milk is now ready to begin fermentation. Put the lid on the glass yogurt jar and place into your Luvele yogurt maker. 

18. Switch the yogurt maker on. Set the temperature to 38° C, set the timer to anywhere between 12 – 24 hours. A longer fermentation will produce a tarter tasting yogurt.
19. When the fermentation is complete, place the soy yogurt in the fridge for at least 6 hours to cool and set.

For other non-dairy yogurt recipes visit our yogurt basics recipes blog here.

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