ORIGINS: The name for the haskap berry comes the language of the Ainu, an indigenous culture in Japan who has traditionally considered haskap the “elixir of life.”
DIY Haskap Berry Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 cup unflavoured vegan yogurt or plain yogurt 240 g; see Note 1
- 1 tbsp haskap jam or haskap compote 20 g
Instructions
- Stir yogurt and haskap jam together. Taste for sweetness.
- Serve with fresh haskap berries, chopped nuts and seeds, dried fruits, or whatever other toppings you like.
Nutrition
Recipe Notes
- Of the many vegan yogurts I’ve tried (see “Vegan Yogurt Taste Test” section below for full results of my taste test), the ones I recommend for this recipe are either Maison Riviera Coconut Delight or Silk Plain Soy Yogurt. (Obvs, if you’re not vegan, feel free to use any unflavoured yogurt.)
Haskap FAQ
The haskap berry also goes by the names honeyberry and blue honeysuckle. In Russia, they’re known as ΠΆΠΈΠΌΠΎΠ»ΠΎΡΡΡ (zhimolost, “honeysuckle”). They look somewhat like mutant blueberries with their elongated shape. In China, Japan, and Russia, where they’re native, they’ve been harvested wild for centuries. More recently, Canadian growers have found that it does really well in our climate too (thanks, USask)! When I was little, I’d never even heard of haskap, but lately I’ve found a few farms here in Alberta growing the fruit. Planning to go u-picking when they come into season this July.
Not only do haskaps resemble blueberries in appearance, they taste a bit similar too. Most people say they taste like a combination of blueberry and raspberry, but imo it’s closer to a cross between blueberry and blackberry. There’s a slight tangy flavour there that’s really nice and refreshing. And it’s so juicy!
Many haskap farms make their own homemade jam, so do a Google search for haskap growers in your area and see if they’re selling. Although I haven’t seen them sold in stores, you might have luck at farmers markets too. I got mine from JamGoddess as they’re based right here in Calgary.
Here in Canada, u-pick farms are your best bet. The Haskap Canada Association keeps a nice list of farms across Canada that sell fresh honeyberries. A lot of them also carry frozen haskaps for when the season is over.
Vegan Yogurt Taste Test
I’m on a quest to try all the storebought vegan yogurts available in Canada. I’ll continue updating this list as I find more.
Maison Riviera Coconut Delight
This is my top pick for using in this haskap yogurt recipe. It’s thick and creamy and doesn’t have much of a weird underlying flavour. Good all-purpose vegan yogurt. Can’t really tell that it’s made with a coconut base.
Silk Plain Soy Yogurt
My second favourite, also has the advantage of being a bit cheaper than the other brands. Slightly more tangy than Maison Riviera, but again, a great all-purpose yogurt. It doesn’t feel as creamy as Maison Riviera either.
Yoso Cultured Coconut Yogurt
Most expensive, but also a pretty good taste. Unlike the Maison Riviera coconut yogurt, this one has a stronger coconut taste. However, there’s something gritty, almost chalky, about the texture that may be off-putting. Although I bought the unsweetened version, it had a vague… I dunno, sweetness? vanilla-ness? that makes it a bit weird to use in savoury applications. Very good for the first five mouthfuls, then you get sick of it quite quickly. Can’t eat too much at once without feeling a little nauseous.
Maison Riviera Oat Based Vegan Delight
Compared to the Coconut Delight yogurt from the same brand, this one has a bit of an odd taste and smell. Also, it’s weirdly beige-coloured. Doesn’t taste great on its own, but when mixed with the berry jam in this recipe, it’s not bad.
More International Yogurt Recipes
Looking for more ways to use up your tub of plain vegan yogurt? Try one of these recipes:
- Borani banjan (Afghan eggplant casserole)
- Perok (Armenian cake)
- Fata (Eritrean bread rolls in tomato sauce)
Nutrition, Cost, and Emissions Information
Each bowl of haskap yogurt is 130 cal, costs $2.87, and releases 571 gCO2e of carbon emissions into the atmosphere.
Calculation for full recipe as written:
Feel free to contact me for sources on the nutritional and carbon emissions information presented here. Note that I am not a nutritionist and guidelines on this page are provided for informational purposes only.
Excellent recipe!
Thanks so much Lama!