Learn to Make Thick and Creamy Vegan Strawberry Yogurt

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This easy, vegan, strawberry yogurt is a flavorful variation of my favorite plain plant-based yogurt recipe. It’s perfectly silky smooth, with lots of strawberry flavor! With only six ingredients you can easily make this creamy, vegan, strawberry yogurt at home.

From Scratch Natural Vegan Strawberry Yogurt

It’s so fun and easy to make vegan strawberry yogurt at home! However, the process is different from homemade traditional dairy yogurt. Due to the nature of plant-based milk, and the microbiology of yogurt making, under no circumstances will plant-based milk thickens into a yogurt-like substance just by adding a culture. Cultured full fat coconut cream will be a semi-solid mass at room temperature because it’s full of saturated fats… but plant-based milk will not. Let me explain why.

Fermentation of Dairy

Various probiotic bacteria play important roles in the production of yogurt. Most often species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Streptococcus are the microbes found in various types of yogurt. Specific types of yogurt, such as Greek and Belgian, are distinguished by the species of bacteria used to culture animal-sourced milk into yogurt. When in animal-sourced milk, the bacteria can use up lactose present 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 mass with a drastic change in taste.

Lactic acid fermentation does not happen quite the same in dairy-free/vegan yogurt. Plant-sourced milk does not contain lactose. Instead, bacteria utilize other sugars and proteins for metabolism and reproduction. The bacteria still produce some acid in dairy-free milk, so the flavor is slightly tart. However, plant-based milk does not have the same proteins that coagulate in the presence of an acid, as in animal-sourced milk. 

So for this recipe, we aren’t using any plant-based milk. I’ll show you how to make easy, delicious, vegan yogurt using already thick substances. We’ll use cashew cream and coconut cream! To make yogurt using plant-based milk, CLICK HERE.

If you are interested in learning more about dairy products and gut microbiome health, CLICK HERE.

Vegan Strawberry 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 Cashews
• Maple Syrup
• Frozen Strawberries

For this recipe, it’s important to thoroughly clean your jars and equipment. You need to soak the cashews in boiling water before making the yogurt to prevent cross-contamination.

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