This vegan and dairy-free cultured cashew yogurt is a breeze to make. It's thick and tangy and delicious and filled with great-for-you probiotic cultures.
I love this cashew yogurt so much, it has pretty much replaced the quick, non-cultured yogurt I'd blend up in the past to eat or add to various dishes.
I loved yogurt in my pre-vegan days and I've never really been able to wrap my head around storebought vegan yogurts, which just don't taste right and their texture is almost always completely off. Call me picky.
So the last time I bought a cashew yogurt off the shelf that had live cultures, I decided to try making my own. Partly so I didn't have to spring six bucks for a small tub of yogurt, and partly so I didn't have to rush to Whole Foods each time I needed some.
I also wanted a thicker yogurt, and the storebought ones are too thin for my liking.
I loved the result, and I started to make my own, using some of the storebought yogurt as a starter.
This is really a very simple recipe -- all you need are the cashews and the starter (any vegan yogurt with live bacterial cultures will do), a bowl, and a blender, and you're all set. The result is a thick, creamy, tangy yogurt that tastes gorgeous.
I love eating this yogurt by the spoonful, but I especially love stirring in some berries, or using it to top granola. It also works great in Indian curries, raitas and biryanis, when the recipe calls for yogurt.
Try making some today. It takes minutes, and it is, like any homemade yogurt, a gift that keeps on giving. You'll never need storebought again.
Recipes to make with vegan yogurt:
- Cucumber Raita
- Mushroom Biryani
- Tofu Tikka Masala
- Vegan Harissa Meatballs with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
Vegan Yogurt Recipe
Soy-Free | Gluten-Free | Probiotic
Homemade Cultured Cashew Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews or cashew pieces
- 1 cup filtered or distilled water (this helps the cultures grow faster than chlorinated tap water would)
- Either 1 tbsp vegan yogurt to use as a starter. Be sure to use one with live, active cultures. Or you can use probiotic pills, see next ingredient
- 2 vegetarian probiotic pills (instead of the vegan starter. I've linked to the brand I use)
Instructions
- Place the cashews and water in a blender and blend to a very smooth paste.
- Place the cashew paste in a ceramic or glass bowl. Microwave for 10-15 seconds or until slightly warm. You can skip this step, but I like that it gives the bacteria a head start.
- Stir in the starter or, if using probiotic pills, open the capsules and empty the powder into the cashew paste. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and place in a warm spot, like a cold oven with the pilot light on, or, in hotter temps, on the countertop.
- Let it stand for six hours or overnight. The set yogurt should be very thick and tangy.
Nutrition
How many billion should the probiotic be? I checked amazon Canada and there are several different ones. I can’t wait to try this.
Thank you!
I checked the bottle of PB8, which is the brand I use and recommend, and it says that a 2-capsule serving has 14 billion.
I usually don’t stop to comment on blog site recipes, but I had to thank you for getting my 2021 off to such an epically yummy start!! 🙂 The vegan yogurts in the stores are so expensive and full of extra sugars, so I’d only eaten them as treats. This actually gives me good protein and helps my stomach. I can’t believe how easy this is, and it’s made my morning smoothies taste so much better!!
I left it closed in my cold oven overnight, but I was worried it wouldn’t come out right b/c there was no light (as mentioned in the instructions...lol I’m new at this). But, it turned out creamy and tangy! Thank you! Will be looking at more of your recipes! HNY!
Hi Sasha, that's awesome to hear! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Hi Vaishali,
I came across your page when looking up homemade vegan yogurt, and boy, what a find! Love your blog, and love your pet peeves even more 😀
Question on the cashew yogurt, I have been using forager yogurt, but am trying to recreate something as close to Indian yogurt as possible. Forager is great, but lacks the tangy taste. Any pointers on what can help with that?
TIA
Hi Viji, 🙂 welcome to the blog! I find that leaving the yogurt out at room temperature longer usually makes it tangier--sometimes too tangy, in my experience. 🙂 Have you tried that? I sometimes use both Forager and a probiotic pill and that usually gives me quite a tangy result.
Ah, ok. So when I make it next time, are you suggesting to add the forager (assuming it has live cultures), and a pill or two of the probiotics?
Yes, about a tablespoon of the forager and a probiotic pill would work.
I have made the yogurt twice so far. Put it in my yogurt maker for 8 hours. It’s so thick and tangy. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I was skeptical about this process, but it totally worked! I can't believe I made my own homemade vegan cashew yogurt just putting it into my oven overnight! Thank you for sharing. I'll try 3 capsules of the Jamieson probiotic next time, but my result was very thick and sour yogurt (12 hours overnight). I may never buy yogurt again after learning this!
Hello, I see that you recommend filtered or distilled water, but would it work with regular tap? Where I live, the water is not chlorinated but IDK what else they do to it. Thanks!!!
Hi Amy, I would assume any drinking water that's not chlorinated should be fine.
Hello. I am planning to make this today. Can I substitute the vegan yogurt with vegan sour cream?
What dish are you planning on making?
I understand that you use vegan yogurt as a starter because you are getting this recipe towards vegans, but if a person is not vegan could you make a cashew yogurt by using a regular milk yogurt starter? One reason I ask is that I've been making my own yogurt for a long time but with regular milk and I was curious about making it with cashew or almond milk instead. It would save me having to go to the store to buy a vegan yogurt if I could just use some of the yogurt I already have made with whole milk.
Hi MaryLou, that's a good question. I can't be 100 percent sure as I haven't tried this, but I would assume that any culture with probiotics should work,at least in theory. You could experiment with a small quantity of cashews. If it works for you I'd love to know!
I tried this recipe for yogurt and it’s not tangy or much flavor at all. Is there anything I can do to make it tangy now? I used a starter with live cultures.
It's probably your starter. The probiotic powder I used is amazon.com/gp/product/B01E7R4F48/ and it provided super tangy results. I've made 5 batches so far, subsequent batches were made from leftover yogurt from previous batches. The warmer the location you can let it sit in and the longer you let it sit for the tangier it gets. I wouldn't go longer than 18 hours though, that was much too tangy for me.
Hi, Thank you so much for this recipe. I tried it last night in my instapot, and was wondering if you have ever encountered spots of pinkish coloring? I scraped off the top and it looks like it is just in the top layer and so I’m eating the rest. It is tangy.
Hi, do you think it would be possible to use the same strategy with oats?