Chickpea Yogurt
I’ve been intrigued lately with making my own dairy-free yogurt. One that can be combined with other flavors and used as a dip or in salads. Something easy, that didn’t require fermenting or any other fussy, time-consuming steps. While this recipe does require straining, it’s super easy and doesn’t taste like chickpeas!
Ingredients
1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight in water, about 2 inches above chickpeas
juice from 1/2 lemon
water
nut bag or cheesecloth
Instructions
Drain soaked chickpeas and place in a medium saucepan along with enough water to go about 1 inch above chickpeas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer until chickpeas are tender. The time will vary depending on how fresh your chickpeas are. I purchase my beans from Rancho Gordo so I know they’re fresh. The older the bean, the longer the cooking time. In fact, old beans may never even soften.
Drain cooked chickpeas and place in the pitcher of a high-speed blender. Add 1 cup water and blend on high, you may need to add additional water if your blender blade stops spinning, you want a thin, smooth consistency.
Add 4 cups more cups water to the chickpea mixture, and blend if your pitcher isn’t large enough to hold additional water, it can all be stirred together in a large bowl.
Strain with a nut bag or cheesecloth into a saucepan. Set aside the remaining chickpea meal and see note below for uses.
Place the pan on the stove and over medium-high heat, bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook down until it thickens, yes, it will thicken. Don’t stop stirring or you will scorch it!
Remove from heat and let it cool down to room temperature. Stir in lemon juice, feel free to add more if you want a more tangy flavor.
Pour into a glass jar, secure lid, and refrigerate overnight.
Yields 1 cup yogurt
Note:
Don’t waste the strained chickpea meal, it can be used to thicken soups, stews, and sauces, or as a binder in veggie burgers.
If you want a sweeter yogurt stir in maple syrup.
