This recipe makes a rich, creamy, tangy, and delicious yogurt. It doesn’t particularly taste like cashews or coconut in my opinion, just a creamy, dreamy, yogurt concoction. It’s a great way to make a dairy-free alternative that really hits the spot. Making it yourself means there are no artificial ingredients, like sweeteners, additives, or preservatives, and it’s full of healthy probiotics…it’s cultured, plant-based, vegan, and raw! I like the combination of the cashews, and coconut, but you can replace the coconut milk with water, and make it plain cashew yogurt instead, if you desire.
Making your own yogurt may sound intimidating, but it’s actually easier than you might think. Once you get the basics down, you can make yogurt so easily, and simply, you’ll wonder why you were ever buying it. Homemade yogurt has about 10,000 times as much live probiotics as store-bought yogurt does. The reason for this is that store-bought yogurt is pasteurized, and then a small amount of live cultures are added in…This way they can say it has live cultures, but it’s not much. This yogurt uses probiotic capsules as a starter, but you could use a couple of spoons of a store-bought plant-based yogurt with live cultures instead. Using the yogurt as a starter rather than the probiotics capsules sometimes takes a little longer fermentation time to work. You can also look at this like a test of the active cultures in your store-bought yogurt or your probiotics capsules…If it doesn’t work well, I would question the efficacy, and quality of the product I used.
This yogurt is chock full of healthy probiotics. Probiotics are the good gut-friendly bacteria that have been shown to provide a long list of health benefits. They help balance out the bad bacteria in our gut, that when outnumbered, can have a negative impact on our health…Balance is key. Having lots of good bacteria can help reduce bloating, pain, diarrhea, and other digestive disorders. Also, studies have proven that the state of your gut microbiome is linked to the state of your mental health. Probiotics can improve your mood, help with depression, anxiety, OCD, and stress.
Lots of people notice an improved mood, a skip in their step, and being just a little lighter after taking a good probiotic supplement for a period of time…but nothing can match consuming fermented food daily. Probiotics are also linked to keeping your heart healthy, by lowering bad cholesterol and high blood pressure. By inhibiting growth of bad bacteria and promoting the production of natural antibodies, probiotics help strengthen your immune system. Oh probiotics, how you slay! They might be that missing ingredient in your life.
The probiotic I’m using for this recipe is on the lower side of colony forming units (CFUs). It provides 10 billion CFUs per capsule… I use three capsules for this recipe. If you have a probiotic with higher CFUs, let’s say 50 billion, you will only need to use one capsule. The less CFUs you use, the longer the fermentation process will take. Also, make sure the environment you’re fermenting your yogurt in is warm, but not too hot or it will kill off the bacteria. You can place the yogurt in a turned off oven for the ferment process, or simply cover it, and place it on the counter in this warmer weather. If for some reason your yogurt ends up with a pink stinky layer on it, it has molded, and it was most likely lacking the proper good bacteria to complete the ferment. Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need…
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ cups raw cashew nuts
- 1 can 13.5 fl. oz. of coconut milk…I used coconut milk because that is what I had, but you can use coconut milk, reduced fat coconut milk, or coconut cream.
- (Here is what I find confusing…The coconut cream from Trader Joe’s has less fat than the can of reduced fat coconut milk, or the regular coconut milk…not like healthy fats are bad, but too much of anything isn’t great…so the best one to use would be the coconut cream. Sounds so sinful.)
- 3 capsules of probiotics (30 billon CFUs or more in total. The more the better)
Directions
Soak your cashews overnight in water. Soaking helps soften the cashews, and also helps remove some of the lectins, making them easier to digest and easier to absorb the nutrients from. Discard the water, and rinse the cashews well. Put the cashews in a high-speed blender with the can of coconut milk. Blend until smooth and creamy. Stop a couple of times to scrape down the sides with a spatula. Once desired consistency is achieved, open your probiotic capsules, sprinkle them into the milky liquid, and blend once more to combine.
I like to pour this mixture into a large mason jar that has been washed in very hot water—helping to kill off any harmful bacteria, but also leaving the jar nice and cozy warm. Place some cheese cloth or a paper towel over the top of the jar, and secure it with a rubber band. Tuck it away in a cozy dark place, covered with a dish towel or put it in a turned off oven. I leave it be, for about 24 hours…You can check it sooner if you like…depending on your probiotics it could take as little as 8 hours. The longer it sits the tangier it gets. If you try it, and would prefer more of a tang, just leave it for longer.
Avoid mixing the yogurt until you are happy with the results…mixing it can disturb the fermentation process. Sometimes you will see air bubbles forming in the yogurt. That is normal, nothing to be concerned about…When it is done, you can give it a good mix, and they will blend into the creamy dream you just created.
Look at you! You Yogurt making magician! Chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before using. Your finished yogurt will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week…maybe longer, but I have never gotten that far. Yum
Here are some yummy suggestions of how to eat your yummy homemade probiotic packed yogurt. I love it plain…But if you would like to add some sweetness, maple syrup with some pepitas, or other nuts is so good. A couple of dabs of your favorite jam, and some chia seeds would do the trick. A dash of vanilla extract can add a delicate flavor to it. A cut up apple, maple syrup, and a dash of cinnamon has got to be a favorite. I also love making a mango lassi like drink, by blending it with more coconut milk from a carton and frozen mango…so delish! I have yet to try it, but I can imagine it being a great base for an herby ranch-like dip… to dip raw veggies in…Ooh…I think I’m gonna try that…What are you gonna try? I hope you love this vegan yogurt! I wish you good health and good luck on all of your cooking adventures!
