Trader Joe's Vanilla Cultured Milk

Raise your hand if you like yogurt. Raise your hand if you like coconut milk. Raise your hand if you make impulsive purchases at the grocery store. I raised my hand for all four of those questions, which is how I bought vanilla cultured coconut milk during a recent visit to Trader Joe's.

Technically not yogurt, this vegan, cultured, milk product is sold in the refrigerated section along with milks and butters. It's a quick and easy breakfast when on a vegan kick and craving a creamy yogurt. Combine it with fruit, chia seeds, or even as a base to make vanilla-flavored overnight oats.

How does the vanilla cultured coconut milk hold up in the Sans Soy test?

Quality: Similar to many generic, vegan products sold at food stores, the packaging is great, but the item itself has much to be desired. After initially opening the vanilla cultured coconut milk (not yogurt!), a layer of liquid is present. Not a big deal when stirred into the rest of the product. If not, a coating of vanilla-flavored fluid with a consistency similar to slime is the initial texture to reach the tongue. After mixing, the rest of the cultured milk is runny and gummy, the result, I suppose, of  tapioca dextrose, organic rice starch, and additional thickeners.

Taste: I enjoyed the floral and fragrant taste of this vegan pudding-yogurt-like cultured milk product. Despite it's name, the coconut flavors are barely noticeable and exist more in subdued undertones. The star of the show is vanilla and sugar, baby! I happen to love vanilla flavor, and the intense notes don't bother me. Yet, this stuff is sweetened with cane sugar, and one 6-ounce tub contains 19 grams
of sugar!

Price: One individual container of vanilla cultured coconut milk is not expensive. I can't state the accurate price because I threw out the receipt; I believe it was no more than $1.25, if less.

Overall grade: C. This vegan yogurt, I mean, vanilla cultured coconut milk did not live up to my expectations. The texture and consistency was too gooey and sticky for my preference. Although I found the vanilla flavor to be lovely, it was saccharine sweet. Palatable when paired with a plain grain, I wouldn't recommend it to a friend.