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  • Makes 4 cups
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A blend of cashews and rice makes a delicious, neutral-flavored vegan yogurt, but you can use any nuts you like. Agar powder helps thicken the yogurt. You’ll need a cooking thermometer plus 11 hours of soaking, fermenting, and chill time, but the hands-on time is minimal. You’ll also need vegan yogurt starter, which provides the beneficial bacteria that ferments the nut milk and gives yogurt its characteristic tang. For this recipe, we used Cultures for Health Vegan Yogurt Starter Culture.

You can also use an Instant Pot to make yogurt. Follow the recipe below as directed through Step 3. Place glass jars or containers in the insert of an Instant Pot electric cooker. Lock lid in place; press Yogurt setting and set pressure valve to Venting. Once done, follow with Step 5.

By Darshana Thacker Wendel,

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons raw cashews, almonds, or peanuts
  • ¼ cup uncooked brown rice
  • ¼ teaspoon agar powder
  • 1 0.4-gram packet vegan yogurt starter

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl combine nuts, rice, and 2 cups water. Let soak 2½ hours. Drain. Transfer solids to a blender and add 2 cups fresh water. Cover and blend until smooth. Strain milk mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.
  2. Transfer milk mixture to a medium saucepan. Add agar powder and 2 cups fresh water. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until agar has dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Let cool to 110°F. (This is important. A higher temperature will kill the live cultures in the yogurt starter.) Stir in yogurt starter.
  3. Transfer liquid to two 16-oz. jars or other glass containers with tight-fitting lids; cover.
  4. Place jars in a warm, dry place, such as in the oven with its light on or close to the stove, for 8 hours.
  5. Stir or shake yogurt. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or until thickened, stirring after 1 to 2 hours. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
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12 Comments

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Helen Lee6 months ago
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Recipe doesn’t work. I have tried it since with COOKED brown rice and it works much better.

Laurie1 year ago
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I was very excited about this recipe and when I made it, it came out like water. I have read the recipe over and over trying to figure out what is wrong but can’t figure it out. Any ideas?

Jennifer2 months ago
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Also be sure you’re using a good high speed blender like the Vitamix. Seems to work the best.

Jennifer2 months ago
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Hmm.. maybe use a little more agar powder & be sure to cook if after adding the agar powder (since it has to soak in). It should be medium-thick when you turn it off to let it cool. Definitely let it sit on the counter for at least 4-8 hours. For me.. the fridge is where the real firming up happens. After a stay overnight it’s really firm.

Mary Verkuilen1 year ago
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Sounds like a good recipe. Can you name some yogurt starter brands and where they can be bought? I don’t think any stores where I live carry vegan yogurt starter. We also don’t have any good sources in our area for whole grain breads. Thank you.

Jennifer Cahill2 months ago
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Mary, bella +bella (avail on Amazon) makes a great non-dairy yogurt starter (it’s vegan). Works great! I use it all the time.

Maria1 year ago
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If I want to make a new batch can I use one of this or should I use again the yogurt starter?

Dena1 year ago
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I’d like to add fruit to the bottom of the container before putting the mixture in and refrigerating the jars. Can I just put chopped fruit in the jars or are there processes needed prior to adding to jars and refrigerating?

Jennifer2 months ago
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Dena, you can add fruit to the bottom for sure. Fresh fruit is best, frozen is fine if you don’t mind the liquid it would add by unfreezing.

JMac1 year ago
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Can nutrition info be added to these recipes?
Thank you

Ramona2 years ago
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I’m concerned about arsenic in rice – what other grain could be used? thx

Zoom2 years ago
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The soaking should remove most of the arsenic (if there is any). you could always change the water and soak it again if you are really worried.

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about the author

Darshana Thacker Wendel

Darshana Thacker Wendel is a whole-food, plant-based chef and former culinary projects manager for Forks Over Knives. A graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute, she is the author of Forks Over Knives: Flavor! She created the recipes for Forks Over Knives Family and was a lead recipe contributor to the New York Times bestseller The Forks Over Knives Plan. Her recipes have been published in The Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease Cookbook, Forks Over Knives—The Cookbook, Forks Over Knives: The Plant-Based Way to Health, and LA Yoga magazine online. Visit DarshanasKitchen.com and follow her on Instagram for more.

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