Oat yogurt is lacking the right creamy structure

Question

I've been on a journey of trying to develop a recipe for home made oat yoghurt.

my current recipe is as follows:

1. blend 80g rolled oats with 400g water
2. heat to 80c and add N1 amylase
3. let it rest for 10minutes
4. strain it through cheese cloth
5. blend in half teaspoon of xanthan gum
6. let it cool to 40c and mix in 1 tablespoon of yoghurt
7. put it in yoghurt maker at medium heat, for 20h.

The yoghurt actually comes out with the right amount of sour (skipping N2 did the trick), and quite good taste. But I'm still not happy with the structure. The xanthan gum prevents it from separating into a liquid, but it's missing some creamyness. So should I switch to a different thickener? or do something else?

Making yoghurt from animal milk is quite a lot simpler I've found...

Answer 1

Nice to hear that you've come so far in your recipe.

You're lacking fat. The creaminess in normal milk comes from the milkfat, and that's what will give you a good mouthfeel in your yogurt too. You'll have to emulsify it, but that should work well enough with the xanthan you're adding.

I'm afraid I don't have enough experience with plant-based yogurts to suggest the best fat for the job. Intuitively, I'd go for a liquid oil rather than something like pure coconut oil, which is solid, but happens to have a too-crystaline structure. You may have success with adding coconut cream to the oat milk though, there the fat is nicely emulsified already and has a great mouthfeel. Else, use a neutral oil and blend it well. A third option may be ready-made margarine and other butter substitutes, they will come with even more emulsifiers, possibly producing a better mouthfeel.