Making Dairy-Free Mango Yogurt at Home

It’s not complicated to make mango yogurt at home! However, the process is different from homemade traditional dairy yogurt.

To make thick and creamy dairy-free yogurt, you should start with ingredients that are already naturally thick before you incubate the yogurt. That’s why cashews and coconut cream make the best dairy-free yogurt base.

Mango Yogurt Fermentaiton

Various probiotic bacteria play essential roles in the production of yogurt. Most often, species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus are the microbes we find in yogurt.

Specific types of yogurt, such as Greek and Belgian, are distinguished by the species of bacteria used to culture milk into yogurt.

In animal-sourced milk, the bacteria can use lactose for energy. This produces a byproduct of lactic acid. Lactic acid builds up in the milk causing the coagulation of milk proteins. This is what transforms the milk into a semi-solid known as yogurt.

Lactic acid fermentation is not the same in dairy-free/vegan yogurt. Plant-sourced milk, for instance, does not contain lactose.

Instead, bacteria utilize other sugars and proteins for metabolism. The bacteria still produce some acid in dairy-free yogurt, so the flavor is slightly tart. However, plant-based milk does not have the same proteins that coagulate to form yogurt.

So for this recipe, we aren’t using any plant-based milk. You can make delicious, vegan yogurt using already thick ingredients like cashew cream and coconut cream.

To make yogurt using plant-based milk and thickeners, CLICK HERE.

Dairy-Free Mango Coconut Yogurt Ingredients and Supplies

One of my favorite things about this recipe is that you can use a yogurt incubator, but if you don’t have one, no worries! You can incubate at room temperature in a warm-ish spot, like on the counter near the back end of your refrigerator. The timeline will just be slightly different.

Here’s what you’ll need:

A Blender (I have a Vitamix, and it is perfect for blending the ingredients into smooth yogurt)
Yogurt Maker (optional) and Jars
Vegan Yogurt Cultures or Already-Made Vegan Yogurt
Lemon Juice
Coconut Cream
Unsalted Raw Cashews
Maple Syrup
Fresh or Frozen Mango, Peeled

For this recipe, cleaning your jars and equipment is essential. To prevent cross-contamination, you need to soak the cashews in boiling water before making the yogurt.

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Homemade Vegan Mango Yogurt with Coconut Cream

This dairy-free mango yogurt is a flavorful variation of my coconut cashew yogurt recipe. The coconut and cashews provide the perfect silky smooth yet thick yogurt texture. You can make this creamy, vegan mango yogurt at home with only six ingredients.

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

2 Cups Unsalted Raw Cashews
1/3 Cup Lemon Juice
24 Ounces Full Fat Coconut Cream
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
Yogurt Starter Cultures
1 Cup Diced Mango, Fresh or Frozen

Instructions

Add your cashews to a glass bowl. Top with boiling water and let soak for 30 minutes.
After you soak the cashews, drain and rinse with hot water.
Combine all of the ingredients, except the starter cultures, in a blender and blend on high until smooth.
Heat the mixture to 181° F in a glass container set over boiling water. If you have an instant pot, you can sterilize the mixture on the high yogurt setting.
Allow the mixture to cool to 110° F, then add the starter cultures.
Incubate. You have three options for incubating:
1. Dispense the yogurt into jars and place the jars in a yogurt maker for 6-8 hours, then immediately refrigerate.
2. Incubate the entire mixture in the instant pot container on the low yogurt setting at 107° F, then dispense into jars and refrigerate.
3. OR you can dispense into jars, incubate at room temperature for 12 hours, then immediately refrigerate.
Chill yogurt in the fridge for at least 4 hours to solidify.
Top with some fresh fruit, and enjoy!