Decadent Homemade Non-dairy Yogourt (Cashews)

Making yogourt is a science project, not an artful pursuit.  I've been obsessed. 

In the past, I was able to consistently make fabulous yogourt with cow's milk. My non-dairy attempts, however, have been disastrous. Unable to cope with another failure, I banished my yogourt maker to the storage closet for a few years. When my little girl suddenly asked for yogourt after 6 months of being dairy-free, I mustered up the courage to try again. Commercial non-dairy yogourts taste bad and are full of sugar and additives.

If you haven't made any kind of yogourt before, you need to know a few things:

• You need a yogourt Starter ("good bacteria"). I use a non-dairy product, GI Prostart that I ordered from the United States. It seems expensive but you only need a little bit at a time and it works consistently. To my surprise, more than a year and a half later, it's still active. Most starters are made with dairy so keep an eye out on the labels. Apparently, you can use the contents of high quality probiotic pills or re-use a small amount of yogourt from a previous batch.

• Temperature is KEY.  The "good bacteria" will DIE if your milk is above the ideal range of 105° to 115°F.  If it is too cold, the fermentation process will halt. Either way, your yogourt will not work. When you add your starter to the milk, the temperature must be between 105-110°F and remain there for the 8-hour fermentation period. That's where a yogourt machine comes in handy. The goal is to keep the yogourt at a constant temperature so feel free to use an alternative method. A simple candy/deep fry thermometer is also required.

• Beware of BAD bacteria. You can destroy the fermentation process with dirty bowls / utensils or from bacteria in the the milk. The "bad bacteria" will overpower the "good bacteria" and your yogourt will not work. Many recipes require you to heat your milk, sterilize all your cooking tools which adds an extra layer of work.  In this recipe, the nut milk doesn't need extensive heating and I simply make sure all of my tools are washed with hot, soapy water. I haven't had a problem yet.

• You need sugar to culture the "good bacteria".  Don't leave out the sweetener. Non-dairy milks require additional sugars in order for the cultures to have enough to eat during fermentation. I use local, organic maple syrup. Agave, honey and organic cane sugar seem to work as well.  I have already reduced the sugar, but try to use even less and see what happens.

• Yogourt isn't naturally thick. Commercial yogourts use all kinds of products to thicken it or the yogourt is strained in order to remove excess liquid. Most homemade non-dairy yogourts use agar-agar and tapioca starch. While they work well, it makes the process longer and more complicated. My recipe uses coconut oil and lecithin.

There are many websites with additional information. Cultures for Health is a great resource if you are interested in learning more about the process:

• http://www.culturesforhealth.com/yogurt-starter-frequently-asked-questions-faq
• http://www.culturesforhealth.com/how-to-make-yogurt

If I haven't scared you off yet, keep reading. If I have, that's too bad. Once you understand the basics, you can make scrumptious non-dairy yogourt in your sleep. It just seems complicated at first.

After many failed attempts, I was finally inspired by a recipe from Crudessence's "Raw Essence" book (which I highly recommend if you are into raw food). Typically, I don't post recipes that aren't freely available online. In this case, I've modified the proportions after lots of testing, added ingredients and supplemented the instructions significantly.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cashews 
• 1 cup filtered water 
• 1.5 TB maple syrup (half of the original recipe)
• 1/4 ts GI Prostart Yogurt starter (or an alternative)
• 2 TB coconut oil (melted)
• 1 ts non-GMO soy or sunflower lecithin (emulsifier)
• 1 ts vanilla (I use alcohol-free)
• 1/4 ts ground cinnamon 

Note: The coconut oil and lecithin help to thicken and act as an emulsifier. I tried to leave them out but the texture didn't come out nearly as well.

 

Directions  

The process may seem long and complicated, but it isn't. In total, it is less than 30 minutes of work over a 24-hour period.

 

PHASE 1

1. Soak your cashews in water for at least 4 hours. Soaked nuts are healthier and produce a smoother, creamier texture. I usually leave them soaking in the refrigerator overnight. 

 

PHASE 2

1. Wash all of your tools with hot, soapy water (bowls, thermometer, a few mixing spoons, measuring cups/spoons, blender carafe and your HANDS).
2. Rinse your cashews in cold water. Discard the water you used to soak your nuts. 
3. Turn on your yogourt maker.
4. In a high-speed blender, mix up your cashews, filtered water and maple syrup. Two minutes on the highest setting in a Vitamix should bring you to the perfect temperature range of 105° to 115°F.  I once used the Ninja Professional Blender which wasn't up to the task- the texture wasn't creamy enough and it could not heat the milk. 
   
5. If you are not using a Vitamix or its equivalent, you will have to heat the milk on the stovetop and wait for it to cool (105° to 115°F).  Watch it carefully and stir or it will burn.
6. Once the milk reaches the appropriate temperature, pour it into a clean bowl.  I like to use a glass bowl like this one (holds 4.5 - 5 cups). It's the maximum my yogourt maker will hold (I often triple this recipe).
7. Stir in the yogourt starter with a clean spoon and place the bowl into the yogourt maker. Let it sit undisturbed for 8-10 hours.  It should smell a little tangy and will be thinner than the final product - don't worry it, will thicken in the refrigerator. 

[Update/Experiment: From a triple batch, I left one cup in the there for an additional 5 hours - it increased the tangy flavour and came out much thicker. Perfect for tzatziki or other dips]. 

 

PHASE 3

1. Place the yogourt in a blender and add the coconut oil and lecithin. My lecithin doesn't dissolve well. I use a coffee grinder to make it into powder first. 
2. Add the vanilla and cinnamon. Blend it all together. Put it back in the glass bowl, cover and refrigerate for several hours. Add additional sweetener, flavouring or fruit as desired.

You should end up with a sinfully thick, creamy and tasty yogourt that feels like dessert. Served best with fresh strawberries in a martini glass :)

It should keep for a week in the refrigerator. It will never last that long! Even when I TRIPLE this recipe, it doesn't last for a week.

Soak the cashews in the filtered water overnight. Drain and rinse the cashews. Add to the blender with another 3 C. (750 ml) fresh filtered water.
Blend on high for 3 minutes, adding in the maple syrup. If you have a regular (not high-speed) blender, blend for 5 minutes. The yogurt should be the perfect temperature after blending.
Prepare your culturing container by washing it thoroughly in hot, soapy water, then rinsing it completely so there is no trace of soap remaining.
Pour cashew mixture into the culturing container. Stir in the contents of the probiotic capsule, discarding the capsule itself. Cover and culture for 8-12 hours.
If you’d like thicker yogurt, stir in the chia seeds, then refrigerate to thicken. You can try using other nuts for this, including almonds and sunflower seeds. You should always rinse nuts after soaking, here is an excellent explanation why to soak and rinse nuts, seeds, and grains.

- See more at: http://reciperenovator.com/special-diets/vegan/how-to-make-cashew-yogurt/#sthash.bQLv5YzG.dpuf