Instant Pot Non-Dairy Yogurt (Cashew + Coconut Options)

For those of you who also make a lot of non-dairy choices, I feel like yogurt can be a tricky one. It’s so expensive to buy non-dairy yogurts, almost impossible to find ones without added refined sugar, and to be honest, I just don’t like the taste of most of them. So for a while I just gave up on yogurt altogether. It wasn’t until I got my instant pot that I decided it would be worth a try to make my own and so I’m glad I did! It’s not that hard at all and you can make a small or big batch depending on how much you go through, and you can use different kinds of non-dairy milk to suit your needs. I have an almond sensitivity, so I make coconut and cashew yogurt. I’ll show you how I make those!

For the coconut yogurt:

1 can of full-fat coconut milk (or coconut cream works too, try both and see which consistency you like better, although some coconut creams react oddly with the water and separates from it, which you don’t want)
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons gelatin
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 probiotic capsule (I use this one)

Blend the can of coconut milk and water in a blender until smooth. Add the mixture to your instant pot and set to “boil” to heat up the mixture (my yogurt setting has a boil option if you press the yogurt button a few times, but yours may be different). Once it has boiled and the machine tells you it’s done, check the temperature and make sure it’s hit 180° (if it hasn’t you can run another “boil” cycle to heat it up more). Sprinkle in the gelatin while whisking vigorously so there are no clumps and allow the mixture to cool to about 105°. Using a digital instant read thermometer is by far the easiest way to check temps and you can use it for lots of other recipes too. You can wait 30 minutes or so for it to cool down in the instant pot chamber or you can remove the pot and place it on the counter or in some cool water to speed up the process.

Once 105° is reached, mix in the maple syrup and sprinkle the insides of the probiotic capsule (pull apart the two capsule halves) while whisking to combine. Let yogurt cook on the “yogurt” setting for 12-16 hours (some do up to 24 hours if they want tangier yogurt) and then remove the instant pot lid. The coconut yogurt will still look super watery with a thin white layer on top, so don’t think you’ve failed yet! It needs to set up in the fridge, so give it a whisk to combine again and pour it into a container to finish in the fridge for a few hours. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Once the yogurt has set, it’s ready to eat!

*Note: Since you are dealing with an item that’s going to ferment, make sure all your utensils, bowls, measuring spoons, etc., are clean and sterilized before use (you can rinse them with boiled water to sterilize).

For the cashew yogurt:

1 cup raw cashews (soak overnight or for 30 minutes in hot water)
2 cups filtered water
1 1/2 teaspoon gelatin
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 probiotic capsule (I use this one)

Soak your cashews either overnight in water or for 30 minutes in hot water before making. Rinse the cashews twice in fresh water and add to blender with the filtered water. Blend for several minutes on high until smooth.

Add the mixture to your instant pot and set to “boil” to heat up the mixture (my yogurt setting has a boil option if you press the yogurt button a few times). Once the mixture has boiled and your machine beeps to signal it’s done, check the temperature to see if it’s up to 180° and sprinkle in the gelatin while whisking vigorously so there are no clumps. Allow the mixture to cool to about 105°, and, while whisking, add in the probiotic capsule (open up the two halves and sprinkle it in) and the maple syrup. Cook on the yogurt setting for 12-16 hours (the longer you cook it, the tangier it will be). The mixture will set up more in the fridge, so add it to an airtight container and place in the refrigerator. This recipe gives me a thick Greek-style yogurt which I love, but if that’s too thick for you, you can also add more water at the beginning to end up with a thinner yogurt or do a little less gelatin. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

*Note: Since you are dealing with an item that’s going to ferment, make sure all your utensils, bowls, measuring spoons, etc., are clean and sterilized before use (you can rinse them with boiled water to sterilize).

As a side note, I see that a lot of people use about 1/4 cup of already made yogurt in place of the probiotic capsule to get the bacteria going, so that’s an option too. But I just haven’t tried it that way yet—it’s usually gone to where I don’t have any left to add back in! Also, I’ve seen recipes where people do pretty much the same thing but omit the gelatin if they want to make it vegan or add some agar agar instead. I haven’t tried that either, but I would try adding the same amount of agar agar as gelatin the first time you make it and then add more or less the next time if you want different results. You can also double the yogurt recipes above (or triple too, probably) if you want to make more at one time. My favorite way to top these yogurts is with some fruit, granola, and a little bit of honey or maple syrup! Yum! xo. Laura

Credits//Author and Photography: Laura Gummerman. Photos edited with A Color Story Desktop.