Grab your granola! Wondering what the best vegan yogurt is? We did the hard work for you! From almond milk to coconut milk yogurt, this is the ultimate vegan yogurt taste test.
Whenever someone talks about giving up dairy, there is always one thing that they say ‘But I could never give up {insert thing here like cheese/yogurt/etc.}’.
For me, I’m still working on the cheese thing (it’s really hard to find a cheese substitute!) and for others it might be milk or ice cream. When my BFF Kath said she was thinking about giving up/backing off on dairy a bit, she also mentioned that yogurt would be something that she dearly missed with her morning breakfast if she went cold turkey on dairy. Between So Delicious and Kite Hill, plus all the others that are out there, I knew there were plenty of viable non dairy yogurts on the market, so I proposed a taste test!
Kath came to visit Milwaukee last week, so we took the chance to buy ALL the vegan yogurts at Whole Foods, lay them out with some granola, and do a good ol’ taste test.
The Taste Test
There weren’t really any criteria for these, it was mainly crack it open, take a scoop and then write down first impressions of the vegan yogurt.
Mainly we went for flavor/mouthfeel, but then took into account how it tasted when you added toppings or kept trying it after the initial bite. The one thing we found rang true across all of the vegan yogurts was that the really sharp tang that is characteristic in regular yogurt didn’t translate across the their non-dairy counterparts.
For the most part, this was ok since the flavor of the yogurts made up for any lack of tang-iness. We also elected to taste the vanilla flavor of each brand across the board, with the exception of one greek style yogurt that only came in blueberry.
I broke out the yogurts we tasted and made a few notes, but the winners are all the way at the bottom. This is by no means a fully comprehensive list/taste test. Yogurt on!
The Yogurts
So Delicious Greek Style Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt– Like I noted above, we actually tasted the blueberry version of this greek style yogurt. This was the first one we tasted and it was kind of meh out of the gate.
The taste was fruity and coconutty, but the real issue was with the texture, which left an almost waxy feeling in the mouth. I think I went back a couple times to try this one, but each time felt like it wasn’t something I would buy again. I did use up the remainder of it in a smoothie and it worked well, but not our favorite!
Nancy’s Cultured Soy Yogurt– Remember in the intro when I said the tang factor was missing from a lot of the yogurts we tasted? This one was the yogurt that actually did have quite a bit of tang, which in part due to the cultured part of the yogurt making process.
Many of the others were made with probiotics or other things that gave a little tang, but this one went through a normal culturing process that upped the tang game significantly.
The downside to this one is that as soon as we popped the lid open we looked at each other and went ‘uhhhhh?’ and made a face. The yogurt starts out as a solid clump in the container and needs to be stirred significantly until it becomes somewhat smooth.
It also still was somewhat chunky after continued stirring, so I would say the texture was the downside to this soy yogurt. Otherwise, the vanilla flavor came through really nicely and it did have the usual yogurt tang to it.
Kite Hill Almond Milk Yogurt– If you recall, I’m already a big fan of not only eating, but baking with this almond milk based yogurt.
Kath was surprised to see that there was even an almond milk yogurt on the market, so that was a game changer for someone who is getting used to the coconut based products or not into the soy aftertaste. I personally can’t say enough good things about this one, between the vanilla flavor, vanilla flecks in the yogurt and smooth texture, I buy this one for myself on the regular.
This yogurt did have a tangy flavor to it, checking a lot of the boxes in looking for a fulfilling non-dairy yogurt. It does have an almond flavor, so if you aren’t into that this isn’t the yogurt for you. We tasted this yogurt towards the end and it came out as a definite favorite!
Stonyfield Organics O’Soy Yogurt– This soy based yogurt was one that we tasted initially, weren’t sure about, but as we went back for more it began to grow on us.
The downside is the amount of sugar it has (I think 21 grams, eek!), so that’s probably what was redeeming it over time. This yogurt did have an almond/vanilla flavor but it struck a little on the fake side, rather than the whole vanilla flavor a few others had.
When we added muesli to this one it improved a lot, but I wouldn’t probably buy it again due to the amount of sugar and the initial blah feeling we had about it when we first tasted. I used the leftovers in a smoothie and it was delicious, but wouldn’t probably buy again.
Coconut Grove Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt– This one. Ohhh boy. We peeled back the lid to taste this cultured coconut yogurt and it first glance it was kind of weird looking.
The texture was sort of jelly-like and wobbly, plus it didn’t really get better even when stirred. I think we both went in for one taste on this one and then promptly moved on because it just wasn’t what we were looking for at ALL. My notes also say ‘geltainous and watery, not even trying to taste like yogurt or vanilla’.
That basically sums it up. I wouldn’t recommend this one and I don’t think I even saved the leftovers for a smoothie (also, there is a sad face drawn next to the notes soo, that about says it)
WINNER: So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt– You know how they say to save the best for last? That was right on the money with this one!
I’ve worked with So Delicious in the past and consistently buy their products (including yogurt), so I knew I liked this one from the get go. I wasn’t sure how it would hold up against the others, but it turned out to be one of the best of the bunch.
Between the smooth texture, solid vanilla flavor and slight (but not too much) coconut taste, this was the clear winner of the group! Kath is getting used to coconut, so I wasn’t sure how she would feel about this one, but it ended up being just enough coconut flavor without overpowering the whole yogurt taste.
We both went back for more of this one and right after tasting it, deemed it the clear winner.
The Best Vegan Yogurts
For a quick recap, here are our favorites! We ranked them according to taste, texture, amount of tang and overall likeness to dairy yogurt.
- So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt
- Kite Hill Almond Milk Yogurt
- Stonyfield O’Soy Yogurt
- Nancy’s Cultured Soy Yogurt
- So Delicious Greek Style Coconut Yogurt
- Coconut Grove Cultured Coconut Yogurt (just don’t even with this one)
Overall, it was interesting to taste a few yogurts side by side to compare soy with coconut versus the almond milk one versus what does/doesn’t have tang and which ones had the most flavor or sugar.
Overall, I’m probably sticking with the Kite Hill or So Delicious flavors, since I’ve consistently liked those and they go well in smoothies too. This is just two opinions, so if you have any others that you’ve tried, tell me!
Kath says
Woo! Now I’m craving yogurt again! Also shoutout to the best muesli I’ve ever had! 🙂
Heart of a Baker says
Theeee best! I want to buy 100 bags of it. Thanks for helping me!! xoxo
Sara @ Cake Over Steak says
This is awesome! I’m not a huge fan of yogurt in general, but when I was trying out “dairy-free life,” yogurt was basically a no-go for me. Sadly, my local grocery store doesn’t carry ANY non-dairy yogurts. Crazy! Maybe that will change and I’ll have to keep my eye out for them. But at least now I know what to look for. 🙂
Heart of a Baker says
Oh BOO!! I know it’s becoming more common, but enough so that everyone can get them. If you want to taste test vegan chocolate with me, I’m looking for a helper 🙂
Kelly McDevitt says
You need to try Anita’s coconut milk yogurt – it is really good – very creamy – different from normal yogurt though. If you are ever in Europe, Provamel key lime soy yogurt is soo good – the texture and flavor is sooo good.
Heart of a Baker says
Ohh well, now it sounds like I need to plan a trip to Europe to try those!
Kathleen says
Great job! I had all but written off non dairy yogurt, but will def go back for a try thanks to your hard work. Your favorite brands are available at my local grocery too – in meat heavy Saint Louis! Thanks again.
Heart of a Baker says
I hope it helps Kathleen! There are some good ones out there, it’s just about finding the right one 🙂 I’m from the Midwest so I know what you mean! xo
Dana @ FoodieGoesHealthy, says
Thanks for the taste testing. Most of the ones I have tried have been bad, so I’ve been discouraged. Now I know which ones to try next, so thank you.
Heart of a Baker says
Enjoy Dana! I know how trial and error can be frustrating, so I hope this helps!
AO says
You left out Forager.
I Wilkerson says
What a fun project! I used Dream coconut yogurt for a smoothie recipe once but I suppose that isn’t the biggest challenge! Enjoyed that, though I love coconut in any form!
Heart of a Baker says
Me too! But I realize not everyone does as much as I do 🙂 I’m thinking a chocolate taste test is up next!
Robin says
Fun taste test! It’s always interesting to hear others’ opinions on products I’ve tried (I’ve tasted all of these, excepting the O’Soy). I’m with you on the So Delicious ones! The Greek style is meh but the regular is great, in my opinion. My favorite flavors are the blueberry and raspberry. Have you tried the Silk yogurts yet?
I was also wondering if you have a favorite brand of muesli? I’ve made my own before but…lazy. 😉
Heart of a Baker says
Hi Robin! I actually haven’t tried the Silk yet! I need to keep an eye out for those! I do have a favorite brand, it’s Seven Sundays and I LOVE them! http://www.sevensundays.com/ It can be a little hard to find, depending on where you are located, but it’s the best I’ve had yet! If you can snag the cocoa flavor buy 500 of them, it’s so so good!
Sara @ Cake Over Steak says
OH heck yeah!!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
I was JUST wondering about this – I have a recipe that uses greek yogurt and someone wanted to know if it could be made vegan. I’ll have to try it! Thanks for the tips!
Heart of a Baker says
Ah I hope this helps! It’s sometimes hard to know unless you do a side by side test 🙂
Caitlin says
i used to be a DIE HARD fan of silk’s blueberry soy yogurt back in the day (like 10 years ago). i think i ate it every day for a year for my breakfast with a banana. and then i moved on. i recently have been wanting to try yogurt again, but the problem is finding one without a ton of sugar. i finally hunted down so delicious’s unsweetened vanilla in a grocery chain and got it last night. i can’t wait to try it! i hope it’s as good as your review of the sweetened vanilla version. the only thing is that it doesn’t come in individual cups and is in a bigger container. but i’ll deal.
Heart of a Baker says
Oh sister, amen to that! Some of the ones we tried were wayyy too sugary, so they definitely couldn’t be eaten everyday. I hope you love the So Delicious one, it’s one of my favs! xo
Nessa says
Hi,
I’m from Geneva, Switzerland. I found out I was dairy intolerant 2 or 3 years ago in Australia while I was finishing high school there. I miss milk chocolate the most with white chocolate being second and ice cream next. I prefer these brands of soy milk: Soya Dream and Soya Line. I find almond milk slightly too nutty though in cooking with it is fine. Never seen coconut milk, liked coconut cream and liked coconut water plain in a glass. Used to have rice milk for cereal but eventually it got a bit too sickly sweet and was quite watery too.As for soy yoghurts, I find the Soyaline brand tastes a bit too much much of flour and it seems a bit heavy in texture, the SojaSun brands are my favorite and Alpro if I can’t find SojaSun as Alpro seems quite close to a Greek style yoghurt in texture as it’s quite smooth and a bit creamy. Will probably end up trying quinoa milk which also has rice in it as well, will look out for cashew and sunflower milk. My father recently bought oat milk so tried plain and with cocoa power for cold ‘hot chocolate’ and I think I would prefer it without the sunflower oil added to which chocolate it was better.
I recently had the best rice ice cream so far as I haven’t yet found many non dairy ice cream alternative, have mostly been choosing sorbets and water ice. I think the Cheezly brand is a soy cheeze and it work well in a toasted sandwich or with gnocchi but doesn’t seem to melt very well in the oven, and grates okay but is very crumbly. Then there’s this other vegan cheeze which is very close to Mozzarella in shape texture and flavour except slightly sweeter, can’t rember the brand or what the cheese was called but it was my favorite vegan cheese as it melted quite well in the oven on a pizza and it tasted really good as plain slices.
Heart of a Baker says
This is all good info! Thanks so much for visiting!
Cheyenne says
Nancy’s Cultured Soy is one of my favourites because of the familiar yogurt tang! Strain out the liquid it through cheese cloth and the texture gets better, thicker and creamier. My current favourite is Amande, it’s almond based yogurt and the vanilla and plain are the best
DebW. says
I recently ate the most incredible coconut milk yogurt- Nakula mango. Ate it in Australia. Not sure they sell it in the US.
L c York says
I regularly buy the Silk soy yogurt (in vanilla, strawberry & mango peach) also like the Silk Almond milk yogurt flavors(esp the plain- which I add stevia & vanilla extract & stir well) This cuts out most of the sugar(yay!!) & basically gives you vanilla yogurt. I add fresh berries to all of these. Oh, & for chocolate lovers,I add cocoa & vanilla ext. & stevia to the “plain” Silk almond yogurt. Quite good!
Lorraine says
I have been on a years-long quest for the best vegan yogurt. I have tried just about everything. I like several for what they are, and can enjoy them for breakfast or a snack. But none really satisfy my craving for the tartness of real yogurt. This has been especially true for cooking/baking needs. Most of the non-dairy yogurt is too sweet for use with savory foods and again, the needed tartness and texture are just missing! I have FINALLY found the answer and I really need to share! It’s Daiya! They make a plain Greek yogurt alternative that literally has it all. It is thick and creamy (like real Greek yogurt), tangy and not sweet. This yogurt could serve as the base for a savory sauce, a smoothie, sour “cream”, anything. Or just top it with granola, honey or fruit. Daiya also makes the same yogurt with fruit flavors. Even with the added fruit/sweetness, the tanginess still comes through, and you miss out on none of the true yogurt experience.
Heart of a Baker says
Ohh I haven’t tried that one! Man, now I need to pick it up ASAP!
Kathryn Schultz says
Which coconut yogurt substitute tastes the most like coconut? The So Delicious vanilla only tastes like vanilla, not like coconut at all to me.
Heart of a Baker says
Hi Kathryn! I would say most of the coconut ones have a slight coconut taste!
Prasad Seshadri says
I just had Silk Almond Yogurt. Very nice. Matches Kite Hill in flavor.
Shelly says
That’s amazing information about vegan yogurt. i’m a big yogurt’s fan too. Thanks for sharing and love your site
Heart of a Baker says
So glad you enjoyed!