Vegan Chickpea Yogurt Recipe

My favorite hobby lately is to experiment with vegan yogurts. There are so many options, and the result is so dependent on what the person is willing to consent that it's hard to decide on recipes worth sharing. So instead of making a decision after a few trials, one or several times in a row, I wait for some time to pass after my first attempt and try the same recipe once again in the future. It is not common to love new flavors the first time. It is quite common to reject at the beginning, especially if this new taste will replace something you already love in your life. Therefore, the best thing to do in such a situation is to give yourself time.

For example, when I first tried chickpea yogurt recipe as it was on the internet, the first thing I thought about was this can only be eaten to avoid starvation. Still, I did not throw this idea away. Because it was actually very successful in terms of consistency and texture. Only the chickpea smell was overwhelming and the bitter / astringent taste of the chickpeas was bothersome. I took a break to think about them and give my palate time, and then tried over and over again with the changes I made myself. Among what I did were using sugar, salt, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, vinegar, probiotics, and increasing the amount of water. You can see in the recipe which ones worked for me among those I tried.

First of all, the sugar eliminated that astringent taste that I was uncomfortable with. The smell of chickpeas did not go away completely, but it diluted as I increased the amount of water. Especially in the garlic yogurt it decreased a lot. It has made me get used to the taste and smell of it. It is not a perfect yogurt, but it is very economical, easy to make and suitable for use in all kinds of salty recipes and yogurt salads. With this yogurt, you can turn your favorite yogurt salads into vegan.

There is a stage that I do not use in the chickpea yogurt recipes you can find on the internet; fermentation stage. In those recipes, it is recommended to add some of the water that the chickpeas soaked for the first time in the yogurt and then the chickpea yogurt that is obtained, which is exactly a scam. There is no fermentation in this recipe. Chickpea milk is cooked and thickened with its own starch, and like any liquid cooked with starch, it becomes thicker as it cools and waits.

Frankly, I can't understand the effort to imitate the rituals of the original recipe in vegan recipes. Sometimes it seems like some recipes are made just to say that look non-vegan people we eat just the same things like you. One of them is to treat everything edible with yogurt color and consistency as yogurt. Does taste really not matter? Being vegan does not mean consenting to everything. I always give the same example, but vegan mayonnaise and vegan merengue are really great examples. They do not contain any animal products, and they are as good as their counterparts containing animal products, perhaps even more delicious than them. That's why I don't find it right to say somehow it is impossible to get the same taste, at least let's fool our eyes.

Is Probiotic Required?

I would also like to mention the probiotic capsules I have given optionally in the recipe. You do not have to use it, it will not make the yogurt to ferment, thicken, etc. But if you are already consuming probiotics or want to consume them, you can do this with chickpeas, which is a prebiotic food, and multiply its benefits.

How Long Does Chickpea Yogurt Last?

Finally, let's talk about the consistency and shelf life of chickpea yogurt. When you make chickpea yogurt for the first time, that is, after keeping it in the refrigerator, it has a consistency that can stand on the spoon, so to speak. As you wait, the solid part and the water begin to separate and the solid part becomes more solid. I recommend you to use it by whisking the solid part with its water with a blender and making it homogeneous. I've kept it in the fridge for ten days at most. There was no change in taste and smell, but as I said, the solid part and water separation increased a lot.

Enjoy ...

Bon Appetit...