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Vegan rainbow yogurt parfaits are a fun and healthy breakfast, snack, or dessert. Making your own vegan instant pot yogurt is easy if your instant pot has a yogurt setting. This homemade soy yogurt recipe only takes 5 minutes prep time, saves you a ton of money, and is better for the environment than store-bought yogurt.

This recipe makes approximately 32 ounces of yogurt or 16 ounces of greek-style yogurt.

Table of Contents

(click the links below to skip to the section you’re looking for)

• Yogurt Recipe
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Ingredient Substitutions
• Nutritional Information
• Contact Me with Questions

This isn’t the first time I tried to make vegan yogurt. Or the second. Or the third. Luckily, the ingredients and time that go into making yogurt aren’t much, so when I failed, it wasn’t so big a loss that it discouraged from me from trying again. Every failed attempt got me closer to my desired consistency, until I finally ended up with the perfect thick greek yogurt.

This vegan soy yogurt recipe requires an instant pot with a yogurt setting. If you don’t have one, there are tons of recipes online that use other methods. There are also tons of coconut milk yogurt recipes online that use coconut cream, but I get enough coconut milk in my diet already. This is a fabulous thing to make for anyone who has their wisdom teeth extracted and can only eat soft foods.

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Ingredients for Making Your Own Vegan Yogurt

(jump to the substitutions section to see ingredient details and suggestions for substitutions)

• 1 quart organic soymilk*
• 2 vegan probiotic capsules
• ¼ cup organic powdered sugar (optional)*
• 2 teaspoons vanilla (optional)

How to Make Homemade Dairy-free Yogurt in an Instant Pot

Pour the milk into a bowl with a spout on it (if you have one).

Empty 2 vegan probiotics capsules into the soymilk and whisk well. This is your vegan yogurt starter. Alternatively, you can use ¼ - ½ cup vegan yogurt as a starter.

Pour the mixture into pint jars. You don’t have to use a mason jar. The instant pot won’t get very hot at all. I think it only keeps the temp at barely above room temperature. So, I just use recycled jars that once had vegan mayo or pasta sauce in them.

Place the jars in the inner pot of the instant pot (the liner). Set the lids loosely on the jars. You don’t have to screw them on. You’re just using them to keep the condensation from dripping into the yogurt.

Lock the instant pot lid.

Press the yogurt button, and then press the up arrow until it says 14 hours. The instant pot will say Yogt when it’s done.

Remove the lid carefully after 14 hours (don’t tilt it) so that none of the condensation drips into the yogurt.

Remove the jars of non-dairy yogurt from instant pot and put lids on them and chill if you like plain, unsweetened yogurt. However, if you’re like me, and you like thicker yogurt or sweeter yogurt, follow the next few steps.

Place a strainer over a bowl, and place a nut milk bag inside the strainer (you can use cheesecloth if you don’t have a nut milk straining bag).

Pour the yogurt into the nut milk bag, and let it sit there for an hour draining off the whey.

Transfer the thick, strained yogurt into a bowl, and feed the whey to your dog. If she’s anything like my dog, she’ll drink it all and then lick the bowl clean.

Whisk the vanilla extract and the powdered sugar into the thick yogurt, if you like your yogurt to be sweetened. You can also mix in fruit preserves, maple syrup, or any other flavors you like.

Transfer the yogurt to a container with a lid and chill in the fridge. The yogurt should keep for up to 3 weeks.

Make a plant-based yogurt parfait after the yogurt has chilled for at least 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions

I tried using homemade almond milk to make this recipe, and it didn’t thicken. What happened?

In order for the chemistry to do its magic, there needs to be 8-10 grams of protein in each cup of milk you start with. So, if your homemade almond milk didn’t work, I would suggest making it again but with a higher almond to water ratio. Try the ratio I use for almond coffee creamer.

My dog didn’t like the liquid I drained off when I made my vegan greek yogurt. Are there other things I can do with that liquid so I don’t waste it?

You can use the liquid you drain off of the yogurt to make salad dressings or soups. It has a slightly lemony flavor, like rejuvalac.

This recipe makes a very tangy yogurt. Can I make it more mild like Kite Hill? What can do with this reject yogurt?

It is true that 14 hours of fermenting yogurt does make a tangier yogurt. If that’s not for you, use your unwanted yogurt to make a chocolate mint cake, oreo cheesecake brownies, or to frost a birthday cake for your dog.

So, can you ferment your yogurt for less time so it has a more mild flavor? Kite Hill, Forager, and many of the store-bought yogurts are able to ferment the yogurt less time because they use thickeners. You can do this at home using xanthan gum, tapioca starch, or agar agar. This is a more complicated process and not one I’m interested in trying, but you can find other bloggers talking about it if you search for it.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Soymilk: I usually buy the 1 quart, shelf-stable, organic unsweetened soy milk. The ones made by Westsoy or the one from Trader Joe’s that comes in the green and white container work best. You want to make sure the only ingredients are soy beans and water, and nothing else. I tried this recipe with non-dairy milk that had other ingredients, and they just didn’t thicken. If you avoid soy, you might be able to use homemade almond milk or homemade cashew milk.
• Vegan Probiotics: I always buy the RenewLife probiotics because I know they’re vegan. If you don’t want to buy probiotics, you can use ¼ - ½ cup vegan yogurt in place of the probiotic capsules. If you prefer this method, you just save the last bit of each batch of yogurt you make to use as the starter for your next batch.
• Optional Powdered Sugar: If you like sweetened yogurt, you can add ¼ cup organic powdered sugar. If you try to avoid simple sugars, use ¼ cup maple syrup or date sugar. If you like unsweetened yogurt or you want to use your yogurt to make savory things (like savory scones), omit the sugar.
• Optional Vanilla: If you like vanilla yogurt, add 2 teaspoons of vanilla flavoring or vanilla extract.

Nutrition Facts for This Vegan Yogurt Recipe

This nutritional value information is based on an assumption that this recipe makes 8 servings that are each 4 ounces (113g). It also assumes you’re having plain yogurt and there’s no added sugar or flavor.

• Servings: 8
• Calories per serving: 65
• Calcium per serving: 15mg
• Cholesterol per serving: 0mg
• Dietary Fiber per serving: < 1g
• Iron per serving: < 1mg
• Potassium per serving: 180mg
• Protein per serving: 4g
• Total Carbohydrate per serving: 8g
• Total Fat per serving: 2g
• Total Sugars per serving: 6g
• Sodium per serving: 70mg

Comments or Questions?

If you make this homemade yogurt recipe, I would love it if you’d snap a pic, post to instagram, and tag me @vegandollhouse. It seriously makes my day/week/month!

Please message me (instagram or email) if you have any questions or feedback about the recipe.

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* I use mostly organic ingredients when I cook. I realize that not everyone has the disposable income to buy only organic ingredients. So, I only specify organic on the ingredients that matter: when buying the organic (or non-GMO) version is the only way to ensure that an item is vegan.

This post links to items I used when I made this recipe. If you click on the purple Buy Now button on a product page, you will go to a website (like Amazon) where you can buy the same product I used. Sometimes, the store you purchase from (Amazon, Etsy, etc.) will pay me for referring you. This costs you nothing extra, and I would never recommend a product that I don’t use. These affiliate programs help me buy the ingredients to create these recipes for you. Read more about this in my privacy policy.

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