The first step to making a vegan yoghurt recipe is to choose your base.

I strongly recommend choosing a calcium fortified plant milk.

Soy is perfect as it has the best profile for protein.  If your child is following a milk and soy free diet, you may wish to choose a nut, oat or coconut based drink.

Just remember to check for the following:

• has the plant drink of choice been fortified with calcium?
• does it have any B vitamins?
• any added vitamin D?
• any added sugar?
• any other bonus nutrients e.g. Vitamin B12 or iodine?

It’s a small commitment of your time but did you know that it’s apparently very easy to make?  You will also be in control of any added sugars, meaning, if you struggle to choose the best children’s yoghurt you will thoroughly enjoy making your own!

Try this recipe that I found online:

1 L of plant drink

1 dose or 1 capsule of milk-free probiotic

2 teaspoons sugar

Mix the ingredients together and follow the instructions of your yoghurt maker.  If you don’t have one, mix the ingredients in a glass jar, cover with a cheesecloth and allow the vegan yoghurt to develop for up to 24-48 hours in a warm place.

This vegan yoghurt recipe is brilliant as it has very little added sugar.  When you start reading nutrition labels of sweetened non-dairy based yoghurts, you will notice that although marketed as “healthy”, some brands of vegan yoghurts do contain sugar by up to 12g per 100g.

What’s more, some brands offer a blend of added sugar with fruit which also contributes to the overall sugar content of the yoghurt.

Keep it simple

No time to follow through with this vegan yoghurt recipe?  You’ll find that the supermarket branded ‘plain’ or simple non-dairy and milk free yoghurt-like offerings are suitable, but they just may not have any added calcium or bonus vitamins and minerals.

A dessert quick enough to please is to blitz a large handful of fresh or frozen berries and/or mango.  Now pour the delicious fruit puree over any unsweetened milk-free yoghurt.  Simple yet delicious.