Details

A blend of lactic acid bacteria specifically selected for use in making dairy-free yogurt, this direct-set vegan culture has a mild yogurt flavor with a smooth texture and slightly weak viscosity.

• Each box contains four packets of starter culture.
  
• Use 1 packet with 1-2 quarts milk.
• For larger batches, use 2 packets with 1-4 gallons milk.
• Includes instructions
  
• Cultures at 110ºF using a yogurt maker or other appliance.
• This culture works well with a variety of non-dairy milks and thickeners.

Ingredients: Rice maltodextrin, live active bacteria (Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp bulgaricus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Streptococcus thermophilus)

This product contains no GMO ingredients.

Shelf-life:

Our Vegan Yogurt Starter Culture is shipped in a barrier-sealed packet as a freeze-dried yogurt culture. The starter is good

• At room temperature (68° to 78°F): 3 to 4 weeks
• In the refrigerator (40° to 45°F): 6 to 12 months
• In the freezer (0° to 25°F): 12+ months

Allergen Information:

• May contain trace amounts of gluten: Barley source is used as a fermentation nutrient.
• May contain trace amounts of soy: Soybeans are used as a fermentation nutrient.
  
• Packaged in a facility that also manufactures products made with dairy, wheat, soy, eggs, nuts, and fish.

The composition of alternative milks is considerably different from that of dairy milk. While yogurt cultures can be used to culture alternative milks, they won’t survive in the alternative milks and cannot be recultured. To make yogurt with alternative milks, you must use a new starter each time. Most alternative milks can be purchased commercially; however, they often contain additives that can interfere with the culturing process. Whenever possible, use milks without additives or preservatives. The best way to ensure you have additive- and preservative-free milk is to make your own.

How to Make Non-Dairy Yogurt

There are many reasons for choosing to make yogurt using non-dairy milk: a vegan diet, allergies to dairy, or for ethical reasons. Whatever the reason, non-dairy milks can be cultured into yogurt, with some care.

Choosing a non-dairy milk:

Nearly any non-dairy milk can be cultured, including legume, nut, seed, grain, or coconut milk. While store-bought boxed or canned milk may be used, we recommend using milk with as few additives as possible. Homemade milks culture well and are easy to make.

Adding Thickeners:

While non-dairy milk will culture without a thickening agent, it usually will not set. To produce a spoonable, fairly thick yogurt, choose a thickener that meets your dietary needs.

Choosing a Recipe:

• Vegan Yogurt Recipe (coconut milk, rice milk, soy milk)
• Raw Almond Milk Yogurt Recipe
• Hemp Milk Yogurt Recipe
• Dairy-Free Coconut Milk Yogurt Recipe

Special Concerns When Culturing Non-Dairy Milks

• Some alternative milks have added calcium. If using Pomona’s Pectin as a thickener, it may be necessary to eliminate the calcium water, to avoid over-thick yogurt.
• Because some alternative milks have less sugar than dairy milk, it can help to add sugar to promote fermentation. Approximately 1½-2 teaspoons sugar per cup of milk is recommended. Rice milk doesn’t need additional sugar.

This non-dairy yogurt is prepared with pectin and calcium water. Working with non-dairy milks can be a bit tricky, and some brands of ingredients may work better than others. This recipe was tested with several brands of pectin and only Pomona’s brand yielded satisfactory results.

Ingredients

• 3½ cups coconut milk, rice milk, or soy milk
• 2 teaspoons pectin powder
• 2 teaspoons calcium water, prepared according to package directions
• 1 package Vegan Yogurt Starter

Instructions

1. Add pectin powder to 1 cup room-temperature coconut milk. Blend in blender until well combined. Set aside.
2. Heat remaining 2½ cups coconut milk in a saucepan with the calcium water. Heat to 140ºF.
3. Add reserved milk and pectin. Return to 140ºF, then remove from heat.
4. When milk is cooled to 110°F, sprinkle vegan yogurt starter over milk and stir well. Pour into a clean 1-quart glass jar and cover, or pour into your yogurt maker jars and follow manufacturer's directions.
5. Culture for 6-8 hours at 105º-112ºF.
6. Shake or stir and refrigerate. Yogurt will not thicken until after refrigeration time. Thickening may take up to 24 hours.

Please note:

Some alternative milks have added calcium. If the milk thickens in the blender when pectin is added, do not use calcium water. Doing so can result in overly thickened yogurt.

2. Vegan Raw Almond Milk Yogurt

This recipe is based on making homemade raw almond milk, not using commercial brands of milk.

Ingredients:

• 3½ cups Homemade Raw Almond Milk
• 2 teaspoons pectin powder
• 2 teaspoons calcium water, prepared according to package directions
• 1 package Vegan Yogurt Starter

Instructions:

1. Measure 1 cup of almond milk and add pectin powder. Blend in blender until well combined. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan, slowly heat the remaining almond milk, with the calcium water added, to 140ºF.
3. Add reserved almond milk/pectin mixture. Return to 140ºF. Remove from heat.
4. Cool to 110ºF. Sprinkle vegan yogurt starter over the milk and stir well.
5. Pour into a clean 1-quart glass jar and cover with a coffee filter, secured with a rubber band, or pour into yogurt maker container and follow manufacturer's instructions for covering the containers.
6. Incubate for 8-10 hours at 105º-112ºF. The longer the yogurt incubates, the tangier it will be.
7. Shake or stir and refrigerate. Yogurt will not thicken until after refrigeration time. Thickening may take up to 24 hours.

Make delightful non-dairy hemp milk yogurt at home. No additives, fillers, or preservatives in this amazing recipe!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups Fresh hemp milk
• 2 teaspoons pectin powder
• 2 teaspoons calcium water, prepared according to package directions
• 1 packet Vegan Yogurt Starter

Instructions:

1. Combine pectin powder with 1 cup milk in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Heat remaining 3 cups milk in a saucepan with calcium water to 140ºF.
3. Add reserved milk and pectin.
4. Return milk to 140ºF and remove from heat.
5. When milk cools to 110ºF, sprinkle vegan yogurt starter over the surface.
6. Stir well to combine.
7. Pour into a clean, 1-quart glass jar and culture at 105-112ºF for 8-10 hours.
8. Shake or stir and refrigerate. Yogurt will not thicken until after refrigeration time. Thickening may take up to 24 hours.

Working with non-dairy milks can be a bit tricky and some brands of ingredients may work better than others. This recipe was tested using Native Forest and Natural Value brands of coconut milk and Great Lakes brand gelatin.

Ingredients

• 4 13.5-ounce cans of additive-free coconut milk (guar gum is okay)
• 1 tablespoon gelatin
• 1 packet Vegan Yogurt Culture

Instructions

1. Heat coconut milk to 115ºF.
2. Remove one cup of coconut milk.
3. Sprinkle gelatin into this cup slowly while mixing well.
4. Add back to the rest of the coconut milk and mix well.
5. Cool to 110ºF, then add culture. Mix well.
6. Pour into a clean jar and cover with a coffee filter, secured with a rubber band, or pour into yogurt maker container and follow manufacturer's instructions for covering the containers.
7. Culture at 108ºF for 6 to 8 hours.
8. Shake or stir and refrigerate. Yogurt will not thicken until after refrigeration time. Thickening may take up to 24 hours.

Q. How long will the yogurt starter culture last if unopened? What do I do with extra packets of yogurt starter culture?

Q. What kind of milk can I use?

A. Alternative milks can be used, but will require thickeners in order to achieve a spoonable consistency.

Q. Will my yogurt culture better or have more probiotics if I use more than one packet? Can I use more starter culture to achieve a thicker yogurt?

A. Do not use more starter than recommended. Using too much starter can crowd the bacteria, causing the bacteria to run out of food before the yogurt completely ferments the milk. The result is often a thinner, sometimes bitter, yogurt.

Q. Can I combine different yogurt starter cultures or add a probiotic capsule to make a different kind of yogurt or increase the probiotic content?

A. Yogurt cultures are a carefully balanced combination of bacteria that will produce a particular type of yogurt. Mixing different cultures or bacteria together may cause the culture to weaken or die.

Q. Once I’ve activated the yogurt starter culture and used it to make a batch of yogurt, what should I do with what’s left?

A. What you have remaining is yogurt. Eat it plain, sweeten or flavor it and enjoy!

Q. Why do you recommend culturing no more than ½ gallon of yogurt per batch?

A. With that much liquid, it is difficult to keep temperature consistent. If culturing a thermophilic at 110ºF, the outer portion is likely to be warmer or the center will never be warm enough. For mesophilic cultures, it takes a long time for milk come to room temperature and for the culture to begin working while the milk bacteria is building fast and can compete with the yogurt culture.

Q. How can I make my yogurt thicker?

A. There are several ways to improve the thickness of the yogurt. Refer to the Thickening Homemade Yogurt article for information on a variety of thickening options.

Q. How important is temperature when culturing yogurt?

Q. How will I know when my yogurt has set?

A. Yogurt that has set will be more or less uniform in appearance: one solid mass. The yogurt should appear relatively smooth and should pull away from the side of the container when tipped. Sometimes a bit of whey will separate from the yogurt during the culturing process. This is completely normal.

Q. Why is store-bought yogurt thicker than homemade yogurt?

A. Store-bought yogurt generally contains thickeners. You can drain whey or add thickeners to homemade yogurt to achieve similar thickness. Details are in our article, How to Thicken Homemade Yogurt.

Q. When can I flavor my yogurt?

A. To avoid interfering with the culturing process, it is best to flavor after the culturing process is complete. This is most import when working with heirloom cultures.

Q. Can I use my yogurt to revive another culture (like milk kefir, buttermilk, etc.)?

A. No, combining different cultures leads to competition between bacteria. The bacteria can kill each other, ending in an undesirable finished product.

Q. Are there differences when culturing yogurt at high altitudes?

A. Making yogurt at high altitudes causes it to set faster. Putting yogurt in to culture overnight might not be wise.

Q. How long will finished yogurt last in my refrigerator?

A. In the refrigerator (40° to 45°F): 7 days to maintain re-culturing viability; 2 weeks for edibility.

Thickening Homemade Yogurt

• Add thickeners This is a process that is most successful with direct-set cultures, or when maintaining a separate mother culture, since the thickeners may interfere with reculturing. In general, yogurt will not thicken until cooled. In some cases this may take up to 24 hours. Even if the yogurt is thin, it is still a cultured food.
  • Milk solids: Powdered milk solids are available in soy varieties. For every 3-4 cups soy milk add ¼-½ cup powdered milk.
  • Gelatin: For every 3-4 cups milk, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of gelatin into 1 cup of milk. Gelatin must be heated to at least 95⁰F to activate. Mix well to combine. For mesophilic yogurts, cool to culturing temperature before adding starter culture.
  • Pectin: For 1 quart of yogurt, pour 2 cups of milk into a blender. Add 1-2 teaspoons pectin (depending on the type of pectin), and blend until pectin is incorporated. Add to the rest of the milk and heat to 140⁰F. Cool to culturing temperature and add culture. The quantity of pectin may need adjusting depending on the milk or pectin used. Sugar-activated pectin may require additional sugar in the milk to be effective. Calcium-activated pectin uses the calcium in the milk to set up. When using non-dairy milks, add the amount of calcium water specified by the recipe.
  • Agar: For every 3-4 cups milk, dissolve ½ teaspoon powdered agar into the milk. Heat to 190⁰F and hold for 10 minutes. Cool to culturing temperature and add culture.
  • Guar gum: For every 3-4 cups milk, add 1 teaspoon guar gum to a small amount of milk, heated and cooled to culturing temperature; mix well, then combine the small amount of milk with the larger portion of milk.
  • Tapioca starch: For 3-4 cups of milk, dissolve 2 tablespoons tapioca starch into the milk and heat to 140⁰F. Cool to culturing temperature and add culture.
  • Arrowroot starch: For 3-4 cups of non-dairy milk, dissolve 1½-2 tablespoons of arrowroot starch into the milk and heat to 140⁰F. Cool to culturing temperature and add culture. (Note: arrowroot is not recommended for dairy milks)
  • Ultra-gel (modified corn starch): For 3-4 cups milk, add ¼ cup Ultra-gel to the heated and cooled milk. Mix well to combine. While regular corn starch can be used, it is not particularly stable and can yield an odd consistency.