I get SO many questions about what I do for yogurt. Because I have only found one store bought yogurt (GT’s Living Coconut Yogurt) that meets my nutrition and sustainability standards, I rarely have it! Nutritionally speaking, many yogurts have a lot of added sugars, preservatives and additives and I’m suspect about the quality of the dairy. In terms of plant based, vegan yogurts, they too have additives, fillers and added sugar and, personally, I don’t like the taste. The only vegan yogurt I like is coconut yogurt and the two most delicious brands come in plastic…

From a sustainability standpoint, most yogurts come in single use plastic containers that might or might not be recyclable (and likely aren’t getting recycled anyway). Others come in glass jars. Although in general glass is preferable to plastic, a lot of resources are used to make and to recycle that glass that you use only once. So glass is better, but I still like avoiding single-use items (glass or plastic).

Because I’m never really satisfied with store bought yogurts, it was time to MAKE MY OWN! My friend Shannon Kenny inspired me to conquer the art of homemade zero waste, plant based yogurt. And, lucky for all of us, I finally nailed it.

This Banana Yogurt is almost too good to be true. (It could easily double as a banana pudding). It’s made with only 4 real, whole food ingredients that you can usually find in bulk sections plastic free- cashews, almonds, banana, and vanilla extract- and some water. And, because I used my NutraMilk machine*, I didn’t have to soak the nuts ahead of time. The recipe took 10 minutes to make and meets my nutrition and sustainability standards!

HOMEMADE BANANA NUT YOGURT (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 1 cup almonds

• 1 cup cashews

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 1 ripe banana

Directions

1. Add the cashews, almonds and water to the NutraMilk machine. Select the butter cycle and set for 3 minutes (until gorgeously creamy).

2. Add in the vanilla extract and banana and run on the butter cycle for another minute.

3. Transfer to 4 glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

4. Enjoy with sliced banana, hemp seeds, cacao nibs, or dried fruit!

I use my NutraMilk every single week and it’s a pleasure to work with a company that values my nutrition and sustainability expertise. Thank you for supporting me and the companies, like NutraMilk, that make these recipes possible!