Cashew Yogurt is creamy, delicious, and the easiest thing ever to make! I like it even better than dairy yogurt!
Editor's note: Since the original publication, I have increased the water in this recipe by ¼ cup for those who would like their yogurt to be less thick.
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How many of you can't have dairy, or know you shouldn't but crave it anyway? If you're not sure, check out How to Know if You Have a Food Intolerance or Sensitivity. As I've been trying to reduce the dairy in my diet, I've been searching for good dairy-free substitutions. At some point, cashew yogurt came across my screen, and I've been making it for a while now, using it whenever a recipe calls for yogurt. It's so good that I decided I must share it with you.
PROBIOTICS
This Cashew Yogurt recipe utilizes probiotics, living bacteria, the "good guys" that we need to have in our guts to help with digestion and strengthen our immune systems. They grow in cultured foods, such as sauerkraut or this yogurt, when left sitting at room temperature. If we cook the food, we lose the benefits of the probiotics. That's why it's important to maintain a slightly warm but not-too-hot temperature while making your yogurt. I use a capsule of Natural Factors Ultimate Multi Probiotic with 12 billion active cells in each batch. Break open the capsule and add the contents to your yogurt ingredients. Don't use the outer capsule itself.
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Keep it Clean!
It's also important that the containers you work with be very clean. You don't want to be growing the wrong thing! Be careful to insert only clean utensils into your yogurt even after you've finished making and as you eat it.
Water
Use pure, filtered water to make your yogurt, as chlorine could interfere with the fermentation process.
CASHEW YOGURT
This yogurt is incredibly simple to make! Basically, you just soak cashews, whip it all up in a high-speed blender, and let it sit on the counter covered by a towel for a day or two!
For the blender I use and my other favourite kitchen tools, read this.
This yogurt is delicious on top of:
- Grilled Pineapple
- Borscht
- Granola
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
- Roasted Beets and Carrots
It's also the main ingredient in Avocado Veggie Dip.
For another healthful source of probiotics that you can make yourself, check out my instructions for raw sauerkraut.
Some other dairy-free recipes and reading you might enjoy are:
- How to Know if You Have a Food Intolerance or Sensitivity,
- Gluten Free Butter Tarts with Dairy Free Option
- Gluten Free Lavender Biscotti
Recipe
Cashew Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups raw cashew pieces
- 1 ¼ cup filtered water plus more for soaking and rinsing
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 vegan probiotic capsule contents only
Instructions
- Soak the raw cashew pieces in plenty of water overnight.
- Drain and rinse the cashews. Add them with the other ingredients to a clean high-speed blender.
- Blend for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Be careful not to let the mixture get too hot from blending. A little warmth will help to start the fermenting process of the probiotics, but too much heat will destroy them.
- Pour the mixture into a very clean jar, cover loosely, and let sit at room temperature in a dark place for a day or two.
- When yogurt is ready to eat, store unused portion in the jar in the refrigerator with a tightly fitted lid.
Pattie says
I had reduced my dairy consumption to just Greek yogurt and butter but after finding and trying your recipe, that is my go to yogurt from now on! I did reduce the maple syrup to 1/2 teaspoon. Put the yogurt in two pint jars wrapped in towels hot from the dryer and put in an insulated lunch bag for 48 hours. Perfect tangy taste, texture and thickness. Thanks for such a great, uncomplicated recipe!!
Pattie says
Sorry, I forgot to put a rating. Definitely a 5 star recipe!
Cathy says
Thanks so much! I appreciate it.
Cathy says
Wonderful! What a great idea to use the hot towels and insulated bag! I love it!
Gay Fox says
Delicious. Just made it the second time. I read one comment that said to reduce water 1/4cup to make it thicker. I did and it was a great thick consistency. I’m eating a strawberry yogurt shake right now. The reason to make more. Also made French onion dip- stayed nice and thick, yogurt orange and citrus salad dressing yum and a lemon colada ( not sure if that is spelled right ). Lemon juice, sweetener, water yogurt and gelatins. Came out great. I’m allergic to milk and bought nut milks have so much stuff in them yuck. This is working out wonderful to me. Thank you for posting.
Cathy says
I'm so glad you're enjoying the yogurt. Those sound like some wonderful things you're making with it! Thank you for letting me know.
Dawn says
This is a fantastic recipe! I skipped the maple syrup so I could use with savory recipes. I’ll just add in some maple or date syrup if I want sweetener. I also left out 1/4 cup of water because I like my yogurt super thick. This way fruits like melon don’t water it down too much.
Thank you so much for this perfect recipe!
Cathy says
Thank you for letting me know how much you like the recipe! Reducing the water to make it thicker is a great idea!
Laurraine says
How hot is the room? My kitchen is 19c overnight. Is that hot enough?
Cathy says
Don't worry. Mine doesn't actually get very hot, either. A cooler room is a little less than ideal, but it still works. Your yogurt might just take longer to develop than it would in a very warm room.
Audrey says
Easy and incredibly tasty. Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I let it sit for a day and it was perfect. I’m going to freeze and try in a smoothie tomorrow.
Cathy says
I'm so happy that you like your yogurt! Thank you for your feedback. I'd be interested to know how it freezes. I've never tried that!
Jean-Sebastien says
Thanks for this amazing recipe! With 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, how sweet in the end result? Ideally I would want a very plain yogurt, so was wondering if I can opt out on the maple syrup and let the bacterias feed on the cashews alone?
Cathy says
The end result is not very sweet. I do think that the maple syrup is necessary to feed the bacteria, and I'm not sure how successful your yogurt would be without it. I would recommend using the sweetener.
Elizabeth Hatchard says
I was very excited to find this recipe and give it a try. This morning when I opened the link to the recipe the ingredients list seems to be missing and I can't access the video that I watched originally. Does anyone know the exact ingredients list? I soaked my cashews last night but didn't write down the quantities of the other ingredients.
Thanks!
Cathy says
I am so sorry this happened. I don't know why the recipe disappeared, but it's back now. The "Jump to Video" button is still not there, but I have inserted the video just above the recipe. I hope you can enjoy your yogurt.
Karen MacDonald says
I am vegan and have not been able to find non-dairy commercial yogurt that I like, I have made several batches of this yogurt since discovering your recipe about a month ago. It is creamy and delicious and has the consistency of real yogurt. Thank you for this recipe! I have a question though: this time my batch appeared oddly curdled after 36ish hours in the dark, but was nice and thick and creamy once I stirred it up. I sampled a bit and it tastes fine. Is the curdled look normal and/or okay to eat?
Cathy says
It's great to hear how you've been enjoying the yogurt! I'm glad that you have made several batches successfully so that you know what it's supposed to look like.
You have me stumped on this curdling. I can't say I've had that happen. Perhaps some other bacteria got introduced this time. It doesn't sound normal to me.:(
Karen MacDonald says
Hi Cathy,
I decided to stir up the “curdled” yogurt really well, and hope for the best. I have eaten it every day since, and have had no negative reactions of any kind. It seems fine, and I’m still loving this yogurt! Thanks!
Stephanie says
Do you need to put in the fridge once its done? How long should this keep if I don't eat it right away?
Cathy says
Put the yogurt into the fridge when it's done to your liking. It should keep fine there for a week.
Kathy says
I am going to try this recipe as written for myself, but I am wondering what substituting dates for the syrup would do. Is it a possible switch in your opinion? I would like to make this for someone is also sugar (no syrup) free Thanks!
Cathy says
I have not made yogurt with dates in it, but I think it would be worth a try. I'm not sure how the dates would react during the culturing process. If you do try it, I'd be very interested to hear how it works for you.
Kathy says
The cashews are soaking as I type. I'll be sure to let you know. Thanks!
Cathy says
Awesome!
Kathy says
OMGosh! It is good with the dates! Only thing I need to work out is making sure the dates are really well-blended. Thumbs up all around. Thanks so much for this recipe 🙂
Cathy says
That's wonderful! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Meredith says
Since I have gone dairy free, I have been missing my greek yogurt with granola for breakfast. I tried coconut milk yogurt, but it was a bust for me. I will DEFINITELY be trying your cashew yogurt! Thank you!!!
Cathy says
I hope you like it. It has been the answer for me!
Nicole | What She Ate says
I've been wanting to make this since I first saw it on Instagram. I MUST pick up some probiotic capsules and whip some of this up already. I love your video too, just shows how easy this is!
Cathy says
It's always good to take probiotics, anyway.:) I think you'll like the yogurt.
Stephanie from Pinotte.ca says
Wow! This looks so easy and deliciously creamy! Also, big fan of anything with maple syrup in it. I am trying to eat a little less dairy as well as my stomach is not too happy with it sometimes, but I've been craving ice cream like crazy these days. You think I can make frozen yogourt with this?
Cathy says
Frozen yogurt would be worth a try. If you do, let me know how it works for you.
Denise from Urb'n'Spice says
I am so looking forward to trying this, Cathy - I had no idea it would be so easy. I have made dairy-free coconut yogurt before but I have not yet tried to make a cashew based dairy free yogurt. Thank you for sharing!
Cathy says
I think you'll love it !