In a sign that the non-dairy market is maturing, there are now several natural plant-milk yoghurts available in the UK. The latest entrant, Redwood's 'Wot No Dairy' is soy-free too if you're excluding soya from your diet. We put the newcomer up against two established favourites from Provamel and Sojade. How does it fare?
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| Left to Right: Provamel - Wot No Dairy - Sojade |
Can the new pea-protein yoghurt hold its own against the soya yoghurts?
Wot No Dairy
Redwood are perhaps the largest vegan food producer in the UK, so it's no surprise to see them launch a yoghurt. Wot No Dairy is a real cultured yoghurt, but made with pea protein rather than soya. It's sweetened with apple juice and thickened with stabilisers, but the 'plain' version is definitely aiming to be a 'natural' style yoghurt.
We found it to be too sweet and the taste isn't great either, with a strong pea flavour. The texture is also more custard-like than yoghurt with the cocktail of four stabilisers giving it quite a wobble on the spoon.
Verdict: An acquired taste for soya dodgers
Veganoo score: ★★☆☆☆
Provamel
Provamel is the organic brand from the people that make Alpro and has been around for over twenty years. The yoghurt is a more recent product line, but has already become a fixture in the chiller cabinet.
This is not a live yoghurt, in that it doesn't contain live bacteria, although it is a real cultured yoghurt. It does rely on stabilisers and sweeteners though. The texture is smooth and thick and the taste mild but tangy.
Verdict: A versatile everyday yoghurt.
Veganoo score: ★★★★☆
Sojade
Sojade used to be sold under the brand name Sojasun in the UK, but like Alpro/Provamel the Sojasun name is now used in supermarkets (mainly in France) with Sojade reserved for wholefood stores.
The product is thankfully the same as ever, as this is the gold standard of non-dairy yoghurts. Not only is Sojade a live yoghurt with friendly bacteria, but it is also the best tasting yoghurt. This is done with nothing more than soya beans, water and culture too. No stabilisers or sweeteners. The taste is mild and tangy with a nice creamy texture.
Verdict: The best non-dairy yoghurt and our Taste Test winner.
Veganoo score: ★★★★★
Footnote: Ingredients
Here are the ingredients panels from each of the non-dairy yoghurts in our taste test.
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| Provamel |
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| Sojade |
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| Wot No Dairy |
I always found the Redwood's dessert pots to be revolting! The Sojade is definitely my favourite - has a very neutral taste that lends itself well to sweet AND savoury dishes. The Provamel one tastes identical to Alpro and seems to have a slight hint of vanilla flavour.
ReplyDeleteYou sure the Provamel one isn't live? Unless there are two versions of the plain one, one live and one not, because I have definitely cultured soymilk using Provamel yoghurt in the past, I make yoghurt at home from the dregs of purchased yoghurt really often. Anyway, just nitpicking.
ReplyDeleteIt didn't work when we tried it, but culturing is very sensitive to additives so that may have been the problem. The Provamel one is stabilised.
DeleteHave just found your site and have to say, a massive thankyou! This is just what I have been looking for, honest, in depth comparisons that are still easy to read and conclude which is best. I am not vegan but want to eventually be one, especially as i am also dairy intolerant, and I have seen many blogs and reviews on how "cheese like" and "just like the real thing" vegan cheeses etc are but in all fairness I think most of those reviewers must have been vegan for a long time because recently coming off milk and cheese it is a shock to the system tasting some of those vegan 'cheese' products and I am left dissapointed.And the aftertaste of soy products is something I am finding hard to get used to.. However your blog points out the things I want to know, the beany taste, the textures, the real tastes that hit your tongue and remain afterwards, those things all matter to me and you cover them all! Vegan items can be very expensive so trial and error isn't always possible for me to risk so this is very useful :) Sorry for the long post but I think you are doing an amazing job :)
ReplyDelete-blush- thanks Rebekka, hope the transition goes well for you.
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