+++ Wednesday  2 July 2025 +++


The adventure of choosing a plant-based yogurt
==============================================

For years, I've had yogurt with muesli for breakfast. I like
to add some red fruits or half a banana to it.

I use plain dairy yogurt, and the muesli is the simplest
type, consisting of rolled oats, a few hazelnuts, and some
raisins.

I decided to find out if I could replace the dairy yogurt
with a plant-based alternative. It helps with animal
welfare, the environment, and my health.

Kinds of plant-based yogurt
---------------------------
First comes the question: what kind of plant-based yogurt.

Plant-based yogurt comes in various types.
It can be based on:

* Amandel-milk
* Cashew-milk
* Coconut-milk
* Soy-milk

The supermarkets in our area offer the soy-based variant and
the coconut-based variant.

In comparison to the coconut-based variety, the soy-based
variant is less creamy, and has more protein, less fat, and
less calories.

My choice: the soy-based yogurt.

Different brands
----------------
Next comes the question, which brand.

I only looked at soy-based yogurt without added sugar. The
nutritional values hardly differs between brands.

The Alpro yogurt has the best name, but is very expensive,
and comes from Danone, so we better avoid that.

Most supermarkets offer also their house-brand soy-based
yogurt. I decided to try each house brand, to discover which
one I prefer.

I started with the house brand of Lidl, after that the house
brands of the Dutch supermarket chains in our area, and ended
with the house brand of Aldi.

The testing took some time. After opening a package, I would
consume it over a couple of days, and only after that open
then next package.

Price and packaging
-------------------
There isn't any price difference, all costs Euro 1.60 per kg.

All brands offer it in a 500 gram package, except Aldi, that
offers it in a 1 kg package.

The 500 gram packages have a thin aluminum lid. Once
opened, it can't be closed. The Aldi package has a bigger,
sturdy plastic lid, and can be closed.

Taste and texture
-----------------
Soy-based yogurt has a different flavor, texture, and color
than dairy yogurt.

You need to get used a bit to the flavor before you can
appreciate it.

There is little difference in flavor across the brands. My
least favorite flavor is the Lidl's yogurt, albeit it
might be because I tried that first. The Aldi house brand
yogurt tastes slightly more sour.

There is a slight but noticeable difference in texture. The
texture of the Aldi house brand and Melkan (purchased from
the "Plus" supermarket) most closely mimics that of dairy
yogurt.

The color is the same across the brands. It is not white,
but off-white, a bit like RAL 9001.

Verdict
-------
* Taste:
  I expect that I can get used to the flavor of any house
  brand, The flavor of Melkan is my most favorite, followed
  by the Aldi.

* Texture:
  Melkan and Aldi are the winners.

* Packaging:
  Aldi is the clear winner.

* Convenience:
  The Plus supermarket (seller of Melkan) is just a 4 km
  bicycle trip from hour home, visiting the Aldi requires a
  10 km bicycle trip. Melkan is the winner.

Conclusion
----------
The test has a positive outcome:
I've made the switch to plant-based yogurt.

Plant-based yogurt is a good alternative. One gets used to
the flavor quickly, it has the same nutritional benefits as
dairy yogurt. It is slightly more expensive than dairy
yogurt.

Melkan and Aldi are my preferred picks.


Last edited: $Date: 2025/07/02 09:09:12 $