Home-made Soya Yoghurt

I’ve always cringed at the price supermarkets charge for soya yoghurt, then one day while  walking around the local health food shop I saw a yoghurt making kit, that was sold with some really expensive flavour starters, of course none of these were vegan.

I went home and looked up yoghurt making and thought I’m sure I could use one of these kits without the flavour starter and make my own soya version! Well I’m going to share my findings with you and let me tell you, it couldn’t have been easier!

You will need:

Yoghurt Maker Kit (EasiYo was the one I got)
Yoghurt Maker Jars (again I got some extra EasiYo ones)
1tbsp Plain Soya Yoghurt (Alpro will do, to be used as a starter)
1ltr Soya Milk (go for unsweetened economy ones for best results)
1tbsp Caster Sugar
Kettle 
Microwave (or stove top and a pan)

How you make it:

1. Boil the kettle full of water
2. Fill the yoghurt making jar half full of soya milk and add 1tbsp of caster sugar. Heat this mixture for approximately 1min on high power or until the milk is blood temp (you should be able to put your finger in it without burning yourself) The sugar should be fully dissolved when stirred.
3. Top the yoghurt making jar to the top with soya milk and add 1tbsp of plain yoghurt to your mix and stir till it’s incorporated fully. Place the lid on the jar firmly.
4. Now that your kettle has boiled fill the Yoghurt Maker up to the top of the red shelf (if using an Easiyo maker, check other manufacturers instructions if using another brand)
5. Place your yoghurt jar into the Yoghurt Maker and secure its lid. Now place it in a safe place where it will not be moved or disturbed.
6. For soft set yoghurt leave for a minimum of 5 hours, if you like a firmer set you can leave it up to 8 hours or as I did over night. 
7. Once your yoghurt is set take out of the Yoghurt Maker and place in the fridge to chill. 
8. If you like a Greek style set yoghurt place some cheesecloth in a colander and rest this over a bowl before placing your 8 hour set yoghurt into it. Allow to drain over night covered and in the fridge.
9. Before adding any additional flavouring to your yoghurt set a least a table spoon aside as a starter for your next batch, this means you will never need to buy shop bought soya yoghurt again.

This really is one of the easiest things I have ever made and for years I was put off making it because I thought it was going to be expensive and hard to do. My initial cost was a little over £20 but apart from sugar, soya milk I will not have any more outlay and fresh soya yoghurt when I want it.