Making Soy Yoghurt

Enjoying plant-based yoghurts but frustrated by the amount of plastic packaging they require and the additives they contain? Set the bacteria to work yourself. It’s surprisingly easy and you’ll be able to enjoy a more eco-friendly and healthy option, bacteria! Hooray 🙌

Soy milk

To make soy yoghurt, you can either use store-bought soy milk or make your own by following the steps below. However, if you use store-bought soy milk, be aware that the resulting yoghurt may not be as creamy.

Soy beans

For the most balanced taste and the least amount of work, it’s best to buy dehulled soybeans. Hulled soybeans will work too, but they need to be soaked a bit longer and it’s a bit more work to remove the hulls. Alternatively, you can leave the hulls on, but this will give the soy yoghurt a slightly more beany taste (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing).

Soy Yoghurt Recipe

  1. Soak around 300 grams of soybeans in water for a couple of hours. In case of soybeans with shell soak them for at least 8 hours, in case of dehulled soy beans soak them for at least 4 hours.
  2. For a less beany flavoured yoghurt, remove the shells of the soy beans
  3. Blend the soaked soybeans in a high-speed blender and strain the resulting mixture through a cheesecloth to extract the soy milk
  4. Pour the soy milk into a pot
  5. Remove any foam which formed on the soy milk, this will reduce the beany taste
  6. Bring the soy milk slowly to a boil, and let it simmer for about 30-40 minutes, if any foam forms; remove it
  7. Allow the soy milk to cool down to below 50 degrees Celsius
  8. Add about 4 tablespoons of soy yoghurt from a previous batch, a probiotic capsule, or a yoghurt starter culture, to start the fermentation process
  9. Keep the mixture in a warm place (around 42 degrees Celsius) for 12 hours
  10. Enjoy your plant-based yoghurt! ✨

Ps. Whisk the yoghurt before consuming it to remove any lumps and achieve a creamier texture.

Good to know

  • When using whole beans, make sure to remove the skin before blending the beans
  • When using whole beans, you can easily let them soak for more than 12 hours. The beans might sprout slightly, which according to some research might improve the taste and nutrients
  • Removing the foam from the soy milk will reduce the beany taste of the soy yoghurt
  • Some recipes recommend pooring boiling water of the beans when starting the soak, in my experience this reduce the richness of the taste of the yoghurt, you will get a lighter tasting yoghurt