For years the trend has been developing towards more vegan alternatives and away from animal products. However, it doesn't come as much of a surprise. Because with vegan alternatives you can do a lot of good for the environment and animals.
Not only vegans are happy about alternatives to normal products, people with intolerances also benefit from them. A well-known intolerance is lactose intolerance. People with this disease cannot digest lactase - they experience stomach pain and digestive problems.
A variety of alternatives are suitable for these cases. Because in many cases they are lactose-free and vegan. We'll show you what the best yogurt substitute is .
Why replace yogurt at all?
As already mentioned, there are many cases of intolerance worldwide. There are many people who consciously decide against consuming animal products. In both cases, a yogurt substitute can be useful .
Yoghurt is a widely used food for a wide range of dishes, occasions and tastes. For example, it is often used for dips. Especially in summer it is a popular addition to the BBQ with spices.
Yogurt also tastes great for breakfast. Crunchy muesli, fresh fruit and nuts mixed with yogurt is definitely one of the breakfast classics in this country.
It is perfect for cooking or baking. This gives your delicious sauces an even creamier consistency and cakes become even fluffier.
Yoghurt substitute : Here's how
Replacing yogurt isn't much rocket science. It's very simple, because there are now many vegan yogurt alternatives that show the same results when used. For example, you can use soy, coconut, oat or almond yogurt. Depending on what you are using it for, you should pay attention to the sweetness. Coconut yoghurt is sweeter than soy yoghurt and is therefore more suitable for sweet dishes such as breakfast.
However, if you don't want to use vegan alternatives, you can also replace it with, for example, quark, sour cream, crème fraîche, buttermilk or milk .
- Quark is closest in taste to yogurt. You can use it perfectly for dips or baking.
- Buttermilk, on the other hand, is the lower-calorie option and is more liquid than quark. You can use them as a great substitute for desserts or baked goods.
- Creme Fraîche is significantly higher in fat than other substitute products and is suitable for refining sauces or soups.
- Milk is also a great substitute for yogurt, since yogurt is made from milk. If the milk is too liquid for you, you can thicken it with a little roux.
However, these substitute products are not an alternative for vegans or people who completely avoid dairy products. Then vegan yogurt alternatives are perfect.
What is vegan yogurt?
Vegan yogurt is now available in many designs, flavors and sizes. It is often difficult to see the difference in consistency and taste. The reason for this is the ingredients, which are actually very similar in both variants. Yogurt cultures (Bifidobacterium bifidum or Lactobacillus acidophilus) and lactic acid bacteria are used.
Vegan yoghurt cultures: this is how vegan yoghurt substitutes are created
For the vegan alternative, the term “lactic acid bacteria” can be misleading. Because this can also be of plant origin.
Lactic acid is hydroxycarboxylic acid, which also includes citric and malic acid. These bacteria were first detected in sour milk, which is why the name “lactic acid” was given.
When lactic acid is created, sugar and starch ferment and they begin to ferment. This means the pH value drops and the food lasts longer.
But be careful: not all lactic acid bacteria are vegan. Foods such as yogurt and whey contain animal lactic acid bacteria.
Yoghurt substitutes can be very healthy because they contain healthy fats, fiber and are lactose-free. Unfortunately, some yogurt substitutes contain a lot of added sugar - you should pay attention to this when buying. You can often recognize sugar-free yoghurts by a large “Sugar-free” print.
Make your own vegan yogurt substitute
If the yoghurt you buy contains too much sugar or is too expensive for you, you can simply make your own yoghurt. It's easy to make your own yogurt, but you need some patience for the fermentation.
For your vegan yogurt you need (approx. 600 milliliters):
- Mix 500 ml of plant milk for yourself, for example our vegan organic oat drink
- 1 packet of yoghurt powder for the lactic acid bacteria
- Boiled screw-top jars & bowl
- Air-permeable cloths (e.g. kitchen towel)
- Rubber bands
Note: You can buy yogurt powder in various drugstores, health food stores or pharmacies. This contains the bacterial culture in freeze-dried form. If you stir this into warm milk, the bacteria become active.
This is how you make your vegan yogurt substitute:
- Heat your plant milk to 40 degrees and make sure that the temperature is maintained.
- Now add the yoghurt powder to the warm plant milk. Pay attention to the amount described on the powder packaging.
- Now stir the yoghurt until the milk and powder have mixed well.
- Pour this mixture into the previously boiled screw-top jars.
- Cover the open jars with a kitchen towel and secure it with a rubber band.
The yoghurt must be kept warm at 40 degrees for 14 hours. You can do this as follows:
- Heating: If your apartment needs to be heated anyway, you can use the heating heat. Make sure you have set the heating to the correct temperature.
- Bed: Wrap the yogurt jars in towels and place them in your bed. You want to stay nice and warm, so add a hot water bottle. Make sure that the glasses cannot fall over.
- Oven: Preheat your oven to 40 degrees and place the glasses in it. After about an hour you can turn off the oven. The residual heat should be enough for fermentation.
- After 14 hours your yoghurt is ready and you can enjoy it.
