I’ve been experimenting with plant-based yogurts again and discovered the most reliable way to ferment soy yogurt is NOT in the Instant Pot, but in the…AIR-FRYER!

This is a bit of a puzzle since the Instant Pot actually has a yogurt setting and the air fryer does not. To make yogurt in the air-fryer, I set it to “Dehydrate,” and then lower the temperature to 112 degrees.

The difference between the two processes is evident in the picture below. The Instant-Pot yogurt is looser, less uniform, and contains more liquid; the air-fryer yogurt is firm, uniform, and contains very little liquid.

The other odd thing about the Instant-Pot yogurt is that it developed pink spots on top within a few days, so I had to bin it. Normally, yogurt should keep for at least three weeks in the fridge.

And since I use my Soybella to make the soy milk, the process is actually quite simple. By the way, if you choose to make your own soy milk, it’s probably best to use filtered water. You can make soy yogurt with commercial soy milk, but you do need to make sure the brand you choose contains no additives.

The yogurt-making process takes a couple of days because 1) you have to soak the soybeans overnight (if you are making your own soy milk) and 2) you have to let the yogurt ferment for at least twelve hours. In fact, I set the air-fryer at 112 degrees for twelve hours and then leave it for at least another three hours at room temperature. Some recipes indicate an eight-hour fermentation period, but my yogurt is invariably just thick milk after eight hours.

By the way, if you are making your own soy milk and want to add some nutritional boost to your yogurt, you can sprout your soybeans. However, soybeans are NOT the easiest bean to sprout, so you won’t see any little tails for four or five days:

Soy Yogurt

Step One: Add to a sauce pan and whisk over medium heat until agar agar dissolves…

1 tsp agar agar

1 cup water

2 TBS maple syrup (won’t sweeten the yogurt)

Divide agar agar mix between two mason jars.

Step Two: Heat to 112 degrees…

5 cups soy milk (if you make the soy milk yourself, you’ll need to wait until it cools to 112 degrees; any hotter than 120 degrees will kill the fermenting bacteria)

Divide the soy milk between the two jars containing the agar mixture and use an internal temperature to insure the correct temperature before adding probiotics.

Step Three: Add to each jar and mix well, the contents of….

2 probiotic capsules

Your probiotics capsules must contain at least one fermenting bacteria such as bulgaricus, acidophilus or thermophilus. I use this one…

Step Four: Lid the jars and place in the air-fryer (or your oven) at 112 degrees for twelve hours. After twelve hours, allow the yogurt to sit for another three or four hours at room temperature.

And there you have it…YOGURT!

I currently have an experiment underway where I have used about a quarter cup of yogurt rather than probiotics as a starter for my next batch. I’ll report back with the results!

Now, I’m not much of a fan of yogurt by itself or on fruit or oatmeal, but I do love its tangy taste in vegan cheese and salad dressing. Here’s one I created that’s only ONE Weight Watchers point for a quarter cup!

The dressing is not as thick as the dressing I make with silken tofu, so you can’t use it as a dip, but it’s a perfect salad dressing!

In other news, Poppy had a playdate with Ori, the world’s most adorable puppy, this afternoon!

And the song of the day is Leif Vollebekk’s “Long Blue Light” because my darling niece, Dana, recommended him to me yesterday, and I’ve been listening to him compulsively since then!