We’ve been in a breakfast rut lately interchanging whole-grain waffles with oatmeal, always paired with green smoothies.
It’s morning. Simple routines needed.
When I do break out of the waffle/oatmeal breakfast rotation, the girls are stoked!
Most stoked when it’s pancakes… but, also pretty happy to see a beautiful vegan yogurt breakfast parfait like this…
These vegan yogurt parfaits are an especially easy and fast breakfast treat.
They look so elegant but really quite simple to make!
You can prepare the vegan yogurt the day before, and then layer your favorite fruits into parfaits the next morning.
Put them in special cups or parfait glasses and the kiddos think it’s very fancy.
My wee girl said “this is the best day ever“! 😊
The parfaits start with Vanilla Cashew Yogurt. When I wrote LTEV I used storebought vegan yogurts in several of the recipes – the Creamed Cheese Brownies, the Gluten-Free Chocolate Yogurt Cake, and the Banana Butter Pie (I have GOT to get that recipe and photos up for you)!
I went a little overboard offering allergy-friendly and storebought substitutions with LTEV, so I decided to include a homemade vegan yogurt recipe.
This Vanilla Yogurt is not exactly like storebought brands. It’s not cultured with probiotics.
What it does offer is the characteristic tang and texture of a plain or vanilla non-dairy yogurt.
While it doesn’t include the probiotics, you can easily add your own probiotics when eating. (I add probiotics to store-bought vegan yogurts all the time!). Just open a capsule of whatever probiotic you are using, and stir it into the yogurt.
Enjoy this vegan yogurt straight up or as a topping for granola, baked goods, or to layer in breakfast parfaits. Here, they are layered with fresh kiwi, nectarines, and blueberries.
Many other fruits could be used, and in the fall an apple/pear/orange combination would be tremendous! You could also layer in for an even heartier breakfast (or snack).
The recipe follows. If you’ve already tried it, please share you how you’ve enjoyed it.
x Dreena
Vanilla Cashew Vegan Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 cup presoaked raw cashews
- 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce preferably organic
- 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp lemon juice see note
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk or more to thin if desired; but keep to 1/3 cup for use in recipes
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract OR 1/4 - 1 /2 tsp vanilla bean powder
- pinch salt
Instructions
- In a high-powered blender, puree all ingredients until very smooth. If using a standard blender, this may take a few minutes, and scraping down the sides a few times throughout. Serve, or store in an airtight container. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
Notes
- I created this vegan yogurt primarily as a substitute for premade yogurts in my recipes (ex: BF Blueberry Muffins, Fresh Orange Cake). As such, it isn’t overly sweet. Feel free to make it a little more fun for your little ones, by stirring in extra maple syrup, or try a few spoonfuls of a berry, peach, or other fruit jam. Also note that this vegan yogurt is nutritious for little ones that might not otherwise eat nuts or nut butters because of textural issues - nuts being too hard, and nut butters too sticky. This recipe brings cashews into a pudding-like form that can you can customize with extra flavor and sweetness!
- Use 1 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice for use in recipes, and if you’d like it tangier for eating straight, add the extra lemon juice to taste.
- Probiotics Note: Feel free to add probiotics (by breaking open a capsule), and stir into this yogurt.
Frankie says
Probiotics – are you able to recommend a good brand ?
I read this comment in your blog and will be trying the recipe right away~
“Almond Cardamom Toffee Cookies the other day and they were a hit. One person in our family said, “If you could make these cookies, I would never need chocolate chips.”
I need something to do while the cashews are soaking 🙂
Frankie says
Probiotics – are you able to recommend a good brand ?
I read this comment in your blog and will be trying the recipe right away~
“Almond Cardamom Toffee Cookies the other day and they were a hit. One person in our family said, “If you could make these cookies, I would never need chocolate chips.”
I need something to do while while the cashews are soaking 🙂
Lorie Armstrong says
Hi Looks great but how longdo you pre soak cashews
Dreena says
usually about 3 hours, they will soak a little more quickly in warmer water
Kathi says
This looks amazing! Though Cashews and I don’t get along. Would this work with Almonds? I tried to make almond yogurt with the kitchen gadget and packaged stuff from Whole Foods, but it wasn’t really good. Thank you for the great ideas!
Dreena says
You can, they need to be soaked for much longer, and I’d remove the skins (they slip off easy after soaking). Also, it may not be as smooth and may need extra liquid b/c the almonds are drier in general.
MOO moo says
Made this today and it is delicious. I used homemade applesauce that had a little sugar and cinnamon so I added only one soaked date for additional sweetener. Probably didn’t even need that.
I did add some probiotic to see if I can culture the finished product but it is delicious as is and I would love it in a parfait. I ate some of it on french toast and it was delightful!