Vegan Oat Yogurt

I really enjoy yogurt, but there is a ton of added sugar. So because I limit my dairy intake, I usually eat yogurt alternatives. 

I like to add my own seasonings and flavors so I can control the amount of added salt, sugar, etc. I’m also not a fan of all the extra ingredients. As I will say, “Don’t be adding stuff to my food!”

Most yogurts do not have effective active probiotics. The yogurt container may say live cultures, but here in America, we pasteurize our foods. By the time that process is complete, most of the probiotics are no longer active. However, if you make homemade yogurt, you can add your own active probiotics. 

Lastly, my primary catalyst for making yogurt at home was that my 15-month-old daughter loves yogurt alternative. Because I don’t want to feed her those added processed sugars, so I decided to make my own!

A few weeks ago, I attempted homemade hemp milk-based yogurt, homemade oat milk-based yogurt and homemade almond milk-based yogurt. I also wanted to try an array of vegan thickeners. I tried arrowroot, agar and vegan pectin. This ambitious effort of probiotic tastiness was an all-day process, but worth it! My favorite was the oat yogurt.

Most of my clients will tell you that one of my first questions is if they are on good probiotics. If not, I advise that they get on one pronto! Probiotics are incredibly beneficial to your gut health, which is beneficial to your overall immune system. It will do wonders for your digestion, bring down the belly bloat, make you “regular” and solve a lot of those so not fun tummy issues. 

Probiotics are live microorganisms (good bacteria) that help digest food, destroy disease, assist with nutrient absorption and contribute to immune function. Our bowels already have 100 trillion microorganisms of 500 different species. Most of these bacteria are good, but due to a multitude of scenarios such as diet, environment, disease, etc., the bacteria in our gut can become imbalanced with harmful bacteria. Probiotics help keep the good bacteria and bad bacteria in our gut balanced. (We are always striving for balance in everything!) 

Although probiotics contain a variety of microorganisms, Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium tend to be the most common. Various probiotics help with different things. For instance, the nightly probiotic capsule that I take  (yes, take your daily probiotic pill at night) assists with gut health, nutrient absorption and vaginal health. There are even some that help with oral health, so be sure to get a daily probiotic for your specific health needs. However, in regards to probiotic snacks and foods, those are just yummy bits that have health benefits like this oat yogurt. 

*Because this recipe has quite a few steps, you get a twofer! You will get a recipe for oat milk and then the recipe for the yogurt. First, you have to make the milk, then you can make the yogurt. Allow several hours for this recipe. For instance, I would start around 11 a.m. so the yogurt cups can be in the instant pot by 1 p.m. and in your fridge by 8 p.m. to enjoy in the morning.

What you will need:

  •  Instant pot with yogurt button or a yogurt maker
  • 3 cups organic rolled oats
  • 8 cups water (I prefer Spring, naturally alkaline but use what you have)
  • High-powered blender
  • Nonstick pot
  • Whisk
  • Vegan yogurt starter
  • A natural sweetener (I used 2 dates and 2 full droplets of stevia, because I didn’t have enough dates, but you can use agave, raw cane sugar or honey)
  • 1 tablespoon ceylon cinnamon, optional (this ingredient is not needed, but I used it when I made this recipe so I included it)
  • 1 teaspoon agar powder, optional (agar is a vegan gelatin made from seaweed; it does have a taste, not unpleasant but I can tell the difference)
  •  6 4oz glass storage jars (I prefer mason jars because of the good seal)
  • Nut milk bag

*Clean all cooking tools with a paper towel and white vinegar and let dry until smell is gone. (Pot, blender, bowl, storage jars, everything.)

Instructions:

Make oat milk.

  1. *This recipe makes 7 cups of milk. I jarred and stored 4 cups of the oat milk in the fridge and used the other three to make the yogurt.
  2. Combine dates with 8 cups of water in a high-powered blender until fully blended. If you opted for another sweetener like sugar or agave, you can skip this step and just add at the same time as oats.
  3. Pulse the 3 cups of oats. Do not pulse until oats are fully blended. You only need to pulse about 6 times. If you pulse or blend until oats are fully blended, your oat milk will be slimy.
  4. Strain oat water mixture into nut milk bag and squeeze oat milk into a sterile glass or metal bowl. The liquid strained into your bowl is your milk.Yay, you did it!

 Make yogurt.

  1. Heat 3 cups of homemade oat milk in a saucepan on low medium heat and continually whisk so it will not stick.
  2. Bring mixture to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. 
  3. Add the agar for thickening. (This is primarily for texture preference. If you prefer it thinner, it will still taste good.)
  4. Remove from heat once the mixture reaches 160 degrees and let cool to at least 90 degrees.
  5. Once cooled, add vegan yogurt starter. (This is your probiotic, I used a whisk to add it in.)
  6. Pour mixture into your clean glass jars and seal with lids.
  7. Place jars into your instant pot.
  8. Pour water into instant pot, a least enough to cover most of the yogurt portion of your jars.
  9. Press the yogurt button and let it incubate for 8 hours.
  10. Once done, let cool if needed and place in refrigerator overnight.

In the morning, enjoy! I love to make a delish yogurt bowl with hemp seeds, chia seeds, berries, matcha green tea powder and sliced almonds. For my daughter, I blend with strawberries and place it in a squeeze pouch. She loves it.

Enjoy this recipe made with love!

LB?

Nutritional value of 1 serving:

  • Serving size 4 oz of oat yogurt only
  • 73 calories
  • 14 Carbohydrates
  • 115 mg Calcium
  • 2 g Protein
  • .25 mg Vitamin B2
  • .68 mg Manganese
  • 76 mg Phosphorus

Sources:

NIH, N. (2020). Probiotics: What You Need To Know. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/probiotics-what-you-need-to-knowHarvard Health Publishing. (n.d.). Health benefits of taking probiotics. Retrieved June 03, 2020, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/vitamins-and-supplements/health-benefits-of-taking-probiotics