Of Donkeys & Dhoklas

I run a free WhatsApp group called Vegan Dahi (Curd) & Jaman (Starter), where I teach people how to make various kinds of vegan curd at home. It is a fun and vibrant group where we constantly experiment with various ingredients and techniques in the realm of vegan dahi and starters.  Sounds exciting? Click here to join!

Now, “budget-friendly” is not exactly a term we associate with almonds, but hear me out on this! I already have one recipe for Almond Curd uploaded on the blog, which is a rich and thick version that we can make as an occasional treat or for guests. Our group member, Sonali Madan, tweaked the recipe to create a lighter, more economical version that is suitable for daily use.

You can make this light and refreshing almond curd at home using ingredients that cost around Rs. 110 per liter (as of September 2025). As we all know, it is impossible to find such clean and healthy vegan curd options in this price range in the market. So why not whip up a batch of this super-easy, delightfully tangy, and versatile almond curd at home? You can serve this curd with meals or use it to make chaach, lassi, raita, kadhi, mor kozhambu, etc.

Recipe Notes

* Since this is Sonali ji’s recipe, she measured the almonds in grams. I don’t have a kitchen scale, so I had to tweak it a bit. One big almond weighs around 1 gm, so if you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can simply use 50 almonds.

* You can replace 50 gm of almonds with 50 gm of cashews or use a combo of both nuts in the same recipe.

Time taken: 20 minutes + setting time (5-12 hours)

Yields: around 500ml

Ingredients

• 50 gm or 50 no’s almonds (soaked in water for 4-5 hours, drained, & peeled)
• 500 ml water
• 1/2 teaspoon – 2/3 teaspoon agar agar powder (I use Urban Platter )
• 1-2 tablespoons vegan curd starter 

Method:

1. Blend the almonds with 100 ml of water until smooth and creamy. Add  300 ml of water to the paste and blend to get 400ml of almond milk.
2. In a saucepan, mix the agar agar powder with 100 ml of water and keep aside for 5 minutes. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring continuously until the powder is fully dissolved. Let it simmer for 1 minute. Switch off the heat.
3. Add the almond milk to the agar agar water and stir well. When the liquid is warm but not hot—you should be able to dip a finger comfortably- mix in the vegan curd starter.
4. Keep aside to set for as long as you would for dairy curd, according to the climatic conditions in your region. The setting time would vary from 5-7 hours in summer to 10-12 hours in winter.

Also check out: 15+ Varieties of Vegan Curd to make at home!