I’ve been working on this yogurt for a few months. I wasn’t having much of luck getting a tangy yogurt that was also medium-thick and creamy, like the yogurt I grew up with. I also wanted a mixture that didn’t include a thickener that needed to be cooked, and I also didn’t want to have to sterilize the milk first.
I have finally refined the recipe to my satisfaction, and, now that I have an Instant Pot with a yogurt mode, that makes it even more convenient. It’s so quick to make that I make a batch every 5 days or so, rather than making huge batches that may or may not fit into my refrigerator!
Why do I make soy yogurt? I want the nutrition of soy milk and the creaminess without too much fat. The most thorough chart of the nutrients in various plant-based milks is here: http://www.onegreenplanet.org/foodandhealth/the-ultimate-guide-to-plant-based-milks/ You can see there how superior soy is in nutrition.
If you are wary of soymilk, check out my page of research here: http://veganfeastkitchen.blogspot.ca/p/are-you-concerned-about-safety-ofsoy.html If you are worried about GMO beans, just buy organic soymilk– organic products cannot contain GMO ingredients or they lose their organic labelling. The thickening ingredient is also GMO, according to my research.
Many people make coconut yogurt from canned coconut. However, 1 serving (1/2 cup) of that type of coconut yogurt is 240 calories compared to about 57 calories for this soy yogurt (which is made from full-fat soymilk). The coconut yogurt contains about 20 g fat per serving, 14 g of it saturated., compared to 2 g fat (.4 g of it saturated) in the same amount of soy yogurt. And 1/2 cup soy yogurt contains about 3.2 g protein, compared to 2 g or less with canned coconut milk.
BRYANNA’S EASY, CREAMY HOMEMADE SOY YOGURT IN THE INSTANT POT
Yield: 5 cups
Ingredients (only 3!):
4 cups (946 mL) UHT (ultra heat treated; in a Tetra Pak carton) organic soymilk, original style– use an UN-opened carton
(I use PC Organics Fortified Soy Beverage, Original, a Canadian brand)
1/4 cup soy yogurt with live culture, OR 1 tsp. dried vegan yogurt culture
3 Tbs Instant Clear Jel (I understand that you can substitute twice as much Cornaby’s Ultra Gel, which is easier to find in Canada. Instant Clear Jel is available in Canada only from baking supply wholesalers but it’s carried on amazon.com for US customers. Ultra Gel is available in Canada from healthykitchens.com)
For information about these thickeners, see http://sharealikecooking.blogspot.ca/p/clearjel-page-clearly-best-thickeners.html
Equipment:
An 8-cup microwave-safe (Pyrex) batter bowl or something similar
measuring cups and spoons
Immersion/stick blender
an 8″ fine mesh stainless steel strainer with handle
a soup spoon
another bowl or pitcher (or even a pot) that will hold at least 6 cups– the strainer should be able to rest on top of it without slipping.
5 half-pint canning jars and lids
Directions:
Sterilise all equipment with boiling water, including the jars and the working end of the immersion blender.
Pour 1 cup of the soy milk, straight out of the newly-opened carton, into the batter bowl. Heat on High in the microwave for 2 minutes. Pour in the remaining milk. Add the starter or yogurt and sprinkle on the Instant Clear Jel or alternate. Blend with the immersion/stick blender until well-blended with no perceptible lumps, but not excessively frothy.
Place the strainer over the extra bowl, pot or pitcher and slowly pour the yogurt mixture into it. Press the mixture through with the back of the soup spoon if it won’t go through easily. Strain all of the yogurt mixture. This will make for a very smooth yogurt and only takes a minute or two.
Pour the mixture into the 5 jars, screw on the lids and place on the rack inside of the Instant Pot. Secure the lid, open the steam vent and push the Yogurt function button. Set the time. I like a fairly tangy yogurt, so I set it for between 9 and 13 hours, depending on how long I’ve been using the starter (it gets tangier with age, and then weakens, by which time you need a new starter). You can taste it after about 8-9 hours and add time if need be. It will get a little tangier as it cools in the refrigerator.
When it’s done, refrigerate the jars for 12 hours before serving. Save 1/4 cup for the next batch.
Servings: 10
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per 1/2 cup serving): 57 calories, less than 1 calories from fat, 2g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 26.1mg sodium, 160mg potassium, 5.9g carbohydrates, less than 1g fiber, 3.2g sugar, 3.2g protein, 1.4 points.
Enjoy!
