Do you enjoy yogurt? I think everyone has their particular preference for taste and brand. My Mom loves her pomegranate chobanis, my roommate likes Cabot Greek Yogurt in French Vanilla, and I’m partial to Whole Milk Plain yogurt any brand. I can plow through 32oz in just a couple days.
I can handle a small amount of dairy but I definitely think it exacerbates my skin problems so I avoid buying milk and most cheeses at the grocery store. I don’t avoid all sources of dairy but I try to keep it to a minimum. So for the past few weeks, since I’ve been back at school, I’ve kept my beloved yogurt off my grocery list and out of the house. I also wanted to see how this affected my skin (so I actually had 3 variables going on, not just 2), and I think it’s been working well.
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I’ve missed the convenience of yogurt. It’s a good fast protein source for the mornings or snacks when I don’t have the time or patience for anything that requires more than one bowl and one spoon.
So last week in a dairy free hunger induced frenzy I grabbed a So Delicious Coconut milk yogurt from the store to see if I could find a good substitute for my yogurt obsession.
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Blech. I did not enjoy this at all. It was weirdly sweetened and a runny, lumpy texture, which surprised my taste buds when I was expecting a smooth, creamy, plain yogurt. I guess I would have known that had I read the ingredients before my purchase- it contains evaporated cane juice and tapioca dextrose among other ingredients I’m not crazy about.
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Tahini Pudding
I decided to whip something up quickly to substitute for my lack of yogurt. I knew these girls love their chia puddings, and they have always intrigued me. After a bit of searching I landed on this recipe and thought it sounded great since I love tahini. I tweaked it just a tad and used…
- 1/4 cup chia seeds
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 1 Tbsp tahini
- dash vanilla extract
- tiny pinch of sea salt
Mix ingredients very well and place in fridge for 10-15 minutes so the chia seeds can gel up and give the pudding a nice thick texture. Enjoy topped with fruit, nuts, almond butter etc.
Thanks for the recipe idea Lori and Michelle, it was SO good and fixed my craving for yogurt instantly. Now if I could just make a 32oz container filled with it so I can plow through it in a couple of days I’d be all set.
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Do you eat yogurt? What is your favorite flavor or brand?
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I’ve yet to try chia pudding. I love chia seeds but something about the quantity of them in puddings scares me. It might just be my fear of walking around with chia seeds in my teeth and no one telling me though.
I always check my teeth after I eat chia seeds for this exact reason! The chia pudding is worth it though. Just keep some dental floss on hand.
LOVE chia puddings. I used to like yogurt…ehh…ok. I was never really a huge fan. What I loved the most was the toppings: fruit and granola. But the chia puddings work perfectly.
do you like any yogurt substitutes (other coconut milk yogurts or soy?) or do you just stick with these puddings and plain coconut milk for your fix?
I haven’t really been able to find a yogurt-substitute that doesn’t add sweeteners! I’m sure I might like it if I found one, though. I think some soy yogurts are unsweetened, but don’t like to eat soy because it is so highly processed.
I am totally starring this because I avoid dairy too. I kind of miss that yogurt texture sometimes. I agree, alternative “yogurts” don’t cut it. I would especially steer clear from the soy varieties!
good to know, after the coconut one I think i’m done trying substitutes. I may try goat milk yogurt soon though.
I LOVE yogurt. I prefer 2% greek yogurt. It’s the bomb.
oh yum! your recipe looks wonderful. glad you liked the tahini chia pudding, it is one of our favs!
I also like plain yogurt – or vanilla if I’m getting a sweetened one, but flavoured yogurts aren’t really my thing.
With you on the coconut milk yogurt – I really wanted to like it, but … eh. But the chia pudding looks awesome! I haven’t made chia pudding in ages, thanks for the reminder
I hear ya dollface with the skin and dairy…although I don’t know if its only caused by dairy cause I haven’t eaten it in ears and my skin still sucks! LOL! Lately I have been adding in plane goat yogurt with good results and love it!!!
I agree, the coconut yogurt even in plain is too sweet!! Why so much sugar, people?!
xxoo
thanks for the goat milk yogurt recommendation, will look for that at the store next I think it sounds good!
This reminds me of AZ when I used to buy Goat Yogurt all the time! Then to further the experience the guy I got accupucture from actually bought goats and they made it for us from scratch!
Remember our little dream vacation..weird to think you weren’t gluten free back then! It’s amazing how our bodies can change…anyway, I am getting off course here..
Goat milk is my new favorite..takes some getting used to but goat milk has numerous benefits! Just toss those delicious looking raspberries in there and you are good to go!
Miss you love!
Oh chia pudding! I made my first batch last week and was pretty surprised by how much I liked the jelly texture. It really is all about the flavoring
yes I enjoyed the strange texture too! It was lumpy but not in a weird lumpy way that the coconut milk yogurt was.
WOW! The chia pudding looks great! But OMG, you have to try the Greek coconut yogurt. It’s really thick and creamy and not runny at all. It’s the closest thing to real yogurt I’ve ever tasted, and it’s really gooood!
good to know! my store doesn’t have it but I will be on the lookout. Is it sweetened or completely plain?
What a great idea! I try to avoid dairy to help my skin too but it’s SO hard to give up yogurt!! I haven’t tried the whole chia seed pudding thing yet though because something about all those chai seeds freaks me out.. the texture I guess? I don’t know.. maybe I”ll have to get over it and try this soon!
yes the texture is a little different but I really like it for some reason. might take a little getting used to though.
That looks so pretty! I love using chia seeds to make puddings!
yum yum YUM! I ALWAYS love the photos of chia seeds all nicely gelled up! woohoo!
Such a great idea! I also have been staying away from dairy and have seen a massive difference in my skin. Finding quick and simple solutions to yogurt has been tricky and this looks like a great alternative
I’m addicted to yogurt. No really, I eat it every day. Without fail. I agree, though, that a lot of dairy free alternatives are “blech” (as you so aptly articulated). Before you rule out coconut milk yogurt, though, I do urge you to try Turtle Mountain coconut milk GREEK yogurt. It’s wonderful!
second commenter that said the coconut milk greek yogurt is actually really good so I’ll be looking for it thanks!
oh i agree, i miss yogurt. The yogurt and dairy here is so different and my stomach is happy. I still go for the goats milk yogurt but I am enjoying the full fat cream tops here. amazing. I like your version. CHia and tahini are a creamy light blend. Nice katie!
love the cream top ones here as well, incredibly rich! going to try out goats milk yogurt soon, I’m intrigued.
Okay so I’m sorry you had a lousy experience w that coconut milk yogurt, but I’m sooo glad you tried it because I was thisclose to buying it in the same dairy-free induced frenzy! Ugh.. I figured it wouldn’t be close to my fav, plain Greek yogurt (any brand).
yeah it didn’t compare so don’t bother! hoping goat milk yogurt will be good, thinking of giving that a try.
You are BRILLIANT!!! I am so excited to try this! I totally miss yogurt sometimes, but my stomach does not! This will be a perfect way to get my yogurt fix AND boost those omega-6′s! LOVE IT!
omega 3s!!
Gah! Yes! Omega 3s! It has been one of those days!
My daughter can handle a little dairy but not soya. I give her non dairy, non soya at times too…But she nags me for her favorite yogurt all the time. I allow her 2 times in a week but that just about it. I am hoping to try this recipe out, to answer her cravings. Thanks!
Very interesting! I’ve never had a form of chia pudding. I am obsessssed with yogurt. Greek preferably and eat it all the time!
Cool! I too struggle with letting go of dairy. I try hard to avoid it, but sometimes just miss yogurt (and cheese) too much.
Thanks for the recipe, definitely going to try it out
Wow, I never would have thought of adding tahini. Sounds interesting.
I’m glad to hear going dairy-free seems to be helping your skin, but sorry you can’t eat your favorite yogurt!
~Emily~
I quite like tahini, but adding some almond milk and chia seeds sounds so cool…I really want to try this soon! Though I’ve heard so much about them, I’ve never tried a chia seed puddding, though I do like adding some chia to my overnight oats. Yogurt is pretty much a staple in my diet, only greek yogurt though, protein!
I need to give this recipe a try! I love chia pudding but never thought to put tahini in it. I seriously love plain Greek yogurt and the fact that it doesn’t contain added sugar (which I think even plain coconut milk yogurt does). Unfortunately dairy and my skin are frenemies, so I tend to avoid it. I do love goat milk yogurt, and it doesn’t seem to affect me as much, perhaps because it doesn’t contain the level of hormones in cow’s milk yogurt. It is more expensive, but I pick it up every once in awhile.
I MADE IT!!! And I LOVE IT!!! Stop by and check it out, if you like! Thanks for the inspirations!
Have you tried making your own coconut yogurt using young coconuts? It is miles ahead of store bought coconut yogurt and gets all thick and creamy as it ferments – oh my goodness- it is delicious and super easy to make!
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