After making several batches of failed vegetable yogurt (10 is a good estimate), I'm at my wits end and running desperate.
My attempts have been with either coconut or almond milk. Coconut milk, I've tried homemade and canned with 68% coconut and only 4 ingredients; I also tried pureed fresh coconut but I couldn't achieve the right consistency in my blender. Almond milk, I've tried homemade and store bought with 5 ingredients.
Thickeners: I've tried tapioca starch, cornstarch and xanthan gum.
Probiotic: I'm using something called Beneflora. I'm confident in my probiotic, I know two people who use it with good results. But one of them is using a kitchen robot (I don't own one), the other lives in another country and the milks she uses aren't sold in my country.
I'm using a brand new yogurt maker and I culture anywhere between 8 and 12 hours. I've thought there may be an issue with the yogurt maker but I tried putting an oven thermomether in it and the temperature seemed right (around 40ºC). My oven doesn't have a light so the oven method is not a possibility.
The recipe that's closest to success is 1 can coconut milk, half a teaspoon xanthan gum, 1 teaspoon fructose and half a teaspoon probiotic. Add milk, xanthan gum and fructose and mix with a stick blender. Add probiotic and stir with a fork. Get it on the yogurt maker and culture for 9 hours.
When I finish mixing in the probiotc my milk is a dreamy, creamy consistency. But after I remove it from the yogurt maker, it's runny! And it doesn't thicken in the fridge.
What could I be doing wrong? I feel completely desperate. I bought a yogurt maker exclusively for this. And I'm determined to make this work. Let me know what you think. Thank you.
Best Answer
An update: the things I were the most confident with (my probiotic and my yogurt maker) were the ones malfunctioning. I was successful making yogurt with lactose free milk and homemade coconut milk using store bought lactose free yogurt as starter and a yogurt nest (basically a thermal bag made of fabric and cork). As for the almond milk I believe removing the peels will solve the problem. I've made 3 batches so far. Super happy!