Vitasoy oat yoghurt review
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of Vitasoy oat yoghurt. We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition, uses and flavour of this dairy-free yoghurt. And we’ll talk about its strengths and weaknesses.
This vegan yoghurt is widely available in supermarkets and some health food stores in Australia.
For this review we have tested the vanilla flavour.
You might also be interested in reading our article about the best vegan yoghurts in Australia reviewed.
Ingredients of Vitasoy oat yoghurt
Compared to dairy yoghurt, there are a lot of ingredients in this oat yoghurt. And there are similarities between the ingredients in this yoghurt and Vitasoy’s soy yoghurt.
The specific ingredients are:
oat yogurt (91%) - oat milk (filtered water, whole oats, oat flour), pea protein, sugar, cocoa butter, tapioca flour, tapioca starch, mineral (calcium phosphate), natural flavour, sea salt, live vegan cultures, vitamins (vitamin D, vitamin B12)
vanilla blend (9%) - water, sugar, rice starch, natural flavour, vanilla bean, acidity regulators (citric acid, sodium citrate)
Like their soy yoghurt, the ingredients list is extensive but there isn’t anything terrible for you in this yoghurt - with the added sugar probably being the least desirable.
Other additives give vitamins, minerals and protein. While the starches are likely used to add texture and stability.
Needless to say it’s not an authentic, traditional product as natural dairy yoghurt is.
Benefits of Vitasoy oat yoghurt
Here we’ll look at the health benefits of this yoghurt as well as looking into some key health metrics and compare them to dairy yoghurt and Vitasoy Greek style soy yoghurt.
Probiotics
Probiotics are live, beneficial microbes that have been proven to offer health benefits.
Vitasoy oat yoghurt includes one strain of probiotics in the form of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis (aka B. lactis). This strain promotes regular bowel movements, supports gut barrier function, enhances immune response and may reduce bloating and gastrointestinal discomfort.
In terms of the actual amount of this probiotic, there are 100 million colony forming units per 100g.
The probiotics in this oat yoghurt are the same as their soy version.
Read more about the benefits of probiotic foods.
Postbiotics
Postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce during fermentation. These include healthy short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Other health measures
One thing to bear in mind when buying oat yoghurt is that it has a different nutritional profile to dairy yoghurt.
It also worth nothing that the nutritional profile in this yoghurt is generally better than a coconut yoghurt such as Coyo cocunut yoghurt.
Fat: This yoghurt has 3.1% fat which would place it in the low-to-mid range for dairy yoghurt fat content. Vitasoy’s soy yoghurt has 4.1% fat.
Protein: It has okay protein levels of 3.8%, which would be in the mid range for dairy yoghurt. Their soy version has about 50% more protein with 6% protein.
Calcium: It has 120mg of calcium per 100g which is comparable to a low-to-mid range for dairy yoghurt. This is the same as their soy yoghurt.
Sugars: It has 6.8g of sugar per 100g which would be very high for a dairy yoghurt. This is similar to their soy yoghurt.
Sodium: This yoghurt is low in sodium - as most are.
Vitamins: This yoghurt is fortified with vitamins D and B12, as is their soy yoghurt.
Appearance
As the picture below shows, it has a brownish colour and looks a bit more glossy and slimey than dairy yoghurt.
Texture
The texture is quite thick from the starches but not in the same creamy way a dairy yoghurt is.
Flavour
The aroma is not very strong with lemon and vanilla notes coming through a bit.
The taste has lemon and vanilla in front of an oaty background. It’s quite sweet and has a moderate acidity. There’s also an earthy oaty aftertaste.
As with the soy version, the lemoniness is quite apparent and interesting.
Overall, the taste is fair. I easily prefer it to the soy version - but the taste doesn’t compare to coconut or natural dairy yoghurt in my opinion.
Uses
You could have this yoghurt on its own, on cereal or in a smoothie.
Cost of Vitasoy oat yoghurt
A 450g tub from Coles costs $6 - which is much more expensive than premium yoghurts on a per gram basis.
Summary
Rating: 3.5 stars out of 5.
Verdict: Vitasoy oat yoghurt is a decent dairy-free option. But this comes with a hefty price and the taste, while better than their soy yoghurt, will not blow you away.
Pros
diary free (if that is important to you)
fortified with calcium, vitamins and minerals
Cons
very expensive
the taste will not satisfy everyone
higher in sugar than dairy yoghurt
a huge ingredient list (but with no serious nasties)
just the one strain of probiotics
Factors we consider in our ratings
The factors we consider when doing a review (and the weightings of each of these) may vary depending on the product we are testing, but here are the key general factors we consider when we settle on a rating for a product.
Health benefits
We find out how the product will be good for your health and outline the benefits for you in simple language. This often involves doing research so you don’t have to. We often link to scientific studies or articles summarising scientific findings so you can dig deeper if you want to.
Things detrimental to health
We want to highlight where a product might include something bad for your health - even if it might be good for you in another way. This could include such things as pointing out certain additives it contains or high sugar levels.
How its made
This will vary depending on the product, but we want to see a quality process for making it and quality ingredients. For example, we want to see a kombucha traditionally fermented with lots of different microbial strains and we want to see a yoghurt made with fresh milk and not milk powders.
Price
While we expect quality products to be more expensive, they still have to be priced within reason. On the other side of things, a product which is priced very competitively will get a ratings boost based on the value it provides.
Flavour
For some products flavour won’t be a factor (eg probiotic tablets), but for others, like yoghurt or kimchi, flavour is a key aspect because these products are made to be enjoyed as well as being healthy! We will try to be as subjective as possible and describe the flavour in detail so you can get an idea of whether you would like it or not.
Our favourite gut health products in Australia
YourBiology Gut+ probiotic not only offers 10 strains of probiotics, but also includes two types of prebiotics, three digestive enzymes and vitamin D for gut health support. All this means it offers a lot more benefits for gut health and general health than most probiotic supplements do
FixBIOME is a natural and very evidence-based supplement which is specifically designed to get your gut back into good shape. Perfect for those who need a gut reset
Read more about the best gut health products in Australia.
Your reviewer
This hands-on review was written by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut-health enthusiast, science nerd and passionate kombucha maker of over 10 years!
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