Not that long ago, the closest you could get to vegan yogurt was lactose-free varieties hidden in the corner of the dairy section at your local grocer. Now, it seems like every yogurt brand has jumped on the plant-based bandwagon with a vegan yogurt of their own.
Add these options to the many vegan-centric brands making waves in the yogurt aisle, and you suddenly have a lot of choices. Like, possibly, too many choices.
To help you cut through the crowd to find the best vegan yogurt brand that actually tastes good and is good for you and the planet, we’ve put together this list. Here you’ll find our favorite brands of every type from oat to nut to soy, so you can find the best fit for your taste buds and dietary goals.
Table of Contents
1. Forager Project
Forager Project yogurt is first on our list for one simple reason: it tastes great! There are so many vegan yogurt brands out there that taste too much like their base ingredients to ever truly capture the flavor of traditional yogurt. But this one is an exception.
All Forager yogurts are made with cashew milk. This unique base is naturally creamy and, most importantly, comes with a very neutral flavor. Add a little vanilla or strawberry on top of that creamy but relatively benign base and you have a delicious snack or meal mixer for any occasion.
Our favorite flavor is tried and true vanilla, but the fruit flavors are great too. You can even find Forager options with added seeds and oats for a nutritious and filling breakfast without the work.
And for those of you who believe company practices are just as important as the taste of the product sold, this brand has plenty for you, too. All Forager products are organic and made with ingredients grown in California on Forager-owned farms. The company has a long-standing commitment to plant-based and organic products that are better for people and the planet.
Varieties: Unsweetened, lightly sweetened, vanilla, various fruit flavors, and oats and seeds varieties
Base ingredients: Cashew milk
Calories per 5.3 ounces: 110 to 330
Find it at: Safeway, King Soopers, Whole Foods, Ralphs, and more
2. Kite Hill
Kite Hill has been bringing artisan processes to the plant-based food industry for nearly a decade. Their attention to detail and use of vegan enzymes and cultures has made their yogurt a favorite among vegan connoisseurs.
Here, you’ll find plenty of options in terms of base ingredients and overall flavor. Kite Hill’s yogurt lines include coconut milk, almond milk, almond milk with added protein, and greek-style yogurt made of almond and soy milk.
The texture of these products varies from slightly runny to impressively thick. And the flavor options are basically endless.
Kite Hill is committed to plant-based products and grows many of its own ingredients on its California-based farms. The company uses only non-GMO almonds and has been active in advocating better treatment and husbandry practices for the bees that pollinate their orchards.
Varieties: Almond milk, coconut milk, added protein, and greek-style yogurts all in various flavors including fruit and unsweetened varieties.
Base ingredients: Almond milk, coconut milk, and/or soy milk
Calories per 5.3 ounces: 130 and up
Find it at: Safeway, King Soopers, Whole Foods, Bristol, Ralphs, and more
3. Siggi’s Plant-Based
I fell in love with Icelandic yogurt (also known as skyr) on a decidedly un-vegan adventure through Iceland many, many years ago. This specialty yogurt is so thick and creamy, it may make you rethink your plant-based pledge. That’s why I was so excited to learn that Siggi’s Icelandic Yogurt was putting out a plant-based yogurt line.
These options aren’t quite the same as their ultra-decadent skyr, but they do bring a new texture to the table that you won’t readily find elsewhere in the vegan yogurt world. The secret to the thick and creamy texture and flavor is a combination of coconut milk, pea protein, and macadamia nuts.
This newer plant-based option is available in multiple flavors, including mixed berry, vanilla, and toasted coconut. Each has more protein than sugar and is perfect for a midday pick-me-up or protein-packed breakfast.
Siggi’s was born in America after Siggi Hilmarsson began feeling homesick for his native Iceland. Using a recipe his mother sent, he began making skyr in his kitchen. Today, Siggi’s produces a long list of yogurt products, all made with simple, natural ingredients and less sugar than your typical commercial yogurt.
Varieties: Sweetened plain, vanilla, toasted coconut, and various fruit flavors
Base ingredients: Coconut milk and pea protein
Calories per 5.3 ounces: 158
Find it at: Safeway, King Soopers, Whole Foods, Bristol, Ralphs, and more
4. Silk
Silk has been doing the plant-based thing for over 25 years and that experience has driven some tasty results and a lot of different options.
Their plant-based yogurt lines include almond milk, oat milk, soy, and greek-style yogurt alternatives. All have a little something different to offer in terms of taste and texture. The ingredients list for each is a little longer than what we like to see and the cultures types aren’t spelled out, but everything used is easily recognizable.
Silk is a B Corp that’s committed to sustainability and plant-based eating. They use only non-GMO soy and are serious about adding nutrition to every product. This company may be a little bigger than others we tend to cheerleader for, but their heart (and flavors) are in the right place.
Varieties: Almond milk, oat milk, soy milk, and greek-style, all in various flavors
Base ingredients: Almond milk, oat milk, soy, coconut milk, and/or pea protein
Calories per 5.3 ounces: 120 to 190
Find it at: Target, Walgreens, Safeway, King Soopers, Whole Foods, Bristol, Ralphs, and more
5. Chobani
Chobani has been making great yogurts for a while. More recently, they have added a couple of plant-based yogurt lines to their arsenal.
Their oat milk yogurt is a little runny for our tastes, but their coconut milk line really hits the mark. Like all coconut-based vegan yogurts, these have a noticeable coconutty undertone, but we find it adds more depth to the overall flavor than anything.
Each flavor features their classic plain coconut yogurt on the top and a mix of real fruit on the bottom. These are marketed as “treats” rather than yogurt alternatives, which might have something to do with the higher sugar amount. But if you like your yogurt sweet, these treats won’t disappoint.
While not a vegan-centric company, Chobani is committed to producing better, more nutritious foods for the health of people and planet. All of their products are made with only natural ingredients. And they have one of the best records when it comes to employee satisfaction and treatment.
Varieties: Coconut milk with fruit on the bottom, vanilla coconut milk, and oat milk in a variety of mixed flavors
Base ingredients: Coconut milk or oat milk
Calories per 5.3 ounces: 140 to 170
Find it at: Target, Safeway, King Soopers, Walgreens, Whole Foods, Ralphs, and more
Things to Look For
In a market that was once dominated by soy-based products, you can now find a seemingly endless number of different types of dairy-free yogurt options. To help you navigate all those options, here are a few things worth considering as you hunt for the best vegan yogurt brand to fit your tastes.
Protein Content
The protein content of yogurts has always been variable depending on the type. This is even more true of vegan alternatives.
Straight plant-milk-based options tend to have the least amount of protein, with oat, coconut, and almond, specifically, coming up short in this category. Soy milk yogurts have a decent amount of protein that is more comparable to traditional yogurt.
For a serious protein boost, look for Greek-style plant-based yogurt or skyr-style, like Siggi’s. Dairy yogurts in these categories get their thick consistency from a higher milk protein content. Plant-based companies replicate this texture by adding ingredients like pea protein.
Added Sugar
Compared to traditional yogurt, most flavored varieties of vegan yogurt tend to have less sugar. This is more a reflection on the health-focused tendencies of plant-based eaters than anything. So if you’re watching your added sugar intake, you’re in luck.
If you like things a little sweeter, opt for fruit flavors that naturally bring more sugar without the need for a lot of added sweeteners like cane sugar and maple syrup.
Price
When vegan yogurts really started trending a few years ago, the price of these products was well above that of dairy-based options. Luckily, this gap is slowly narrowing, making plant-based yogurts more affordable to everyone.
Big companies like Silk and Chobani are able to sell their vegan products at a lower price than smaller competitors. But often, the extra cost of vegan-centric brands is worth it to support a company that sees the value in only offering earth-friendly, plant-based products.
Which Vegan Yogurt Brand Is Best?
When it comes to the best of the vegan yogurt brands, we have to nominate Forager Project yogurt. Not only does their line of cashew-milk-based yogurts taste very close to the real thing, but the company is one we can easily get behind.
Of course, anytime it comes to food it’s impossible to pick one winner that everyone can agree on. But at the very least, you can rest assured that the five plant-based yogurt brands above are operating in an earth-first, ethical way you can get behind while producing some seriously tasty products.
