This unsweetened, additive-free vegan yogurt requires a lot of inactive time but is a cinch to prepare using the slow cooker as an incubator. It works great in both savory and sweet applications and can even be strained for a super thick Greek variation!
Ingredients
1 to 2 quarts pure*, organic, unsweetened soymilk
Vegan yogurt starter cultures OR ¼ cup store-bought or homemade vegan yogurt
Instructions
Pour the soymilk into a medium sized (roughly 4-qt) slow cooker. Place the lid on top and heat the soymilk on the low setting for 2.5 hours.
After the 2.5 hours, turn off and unplug the slow cooker and allow the soymilk to cool for 3 hours.
Remove about 1 cup of the warm soymilk to a separate bowl. Add starter cultures or ¼ cup yogurt to the bowl of soymilk and stir to combine.
A line of tofu skin will likely have formed around the crock. Remove it now if desired.
Pour the soymilk/culture mixture back into the slow cooker and stir. Replace the lid and wrap the entire slow cooker with towels to insulate. Allow the soymilk to culture for 8-12 hours.
Once the soymilk has finished culturing, stir with a nylon or silicone-coated whisk to even out the texture. If desired, reserve ¼ cup of the yogurt in a small, airtight container to use as a starter for your next batch. Transfer the rest of the yogurt to food storage containers and refrigerate.
Greek Variation: Set a colander over a large bowl and line with several layers of cheesecloth. Transfer the yogurt into the lined colander, cover with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator, and strain to desired consistency. Scoop strained yogurt into a food storage container and refrigerate to store.
Finished yogurt will keep for 7-10 days.
Notes
*Pure soymilk will have only two ingredients: soybeans and water. In the U.S., EdenSoy and WestSoy are good options. Try other brands with varying results.
Recipe by Leaves of Kale at http://www.leavesofkale.com/2015/05/homemade-soy-yogurt/