November 21, 2025 – There’s no denying that the non-dairy yogurt market enjoys a health halo around the globe. That said, consumers also want treats for pleasure and reward, so any product with health benefits also has to deliver a solid taste experience.
Understanding Non-Dairy Yogurt
Yogurt trends show that non-dairy yogurt launches mainly are in the form of spoonable non-dairy yogurt or non-dairy drinking yogurt. It also can be squeezable. In the yogurt market, spoonable non-dairy yogurt can have a base of soy, coconut, oat, hemp, lupine, or other bases that create yogurt with a classic feel. Soy and coconut are the most commonly used bases for non-dairy yogurt, together accounting for over half of launches. Yogurt trends show that innovation around an oat or almond base has dropped off. Especially in Europe, soy is enjoying resurgence because of the availability of locally grown non-GMO soybeans. This helps appease consumer concerns about genetic modification or deforestation.
A look at yogurt trends around label claims shows that non-dairy yogurts typically have a dairy-free claim. Non-dairy drinking yogurt and fermented beverage typically have a vegan or plant-based claim.
Non-dairy yogurt is a small niche subcategory of the global yogurt market. Its penetration across all markets, including the most established markets, is under 5% of total yogurt retail value. Europe is the strongest and largest region for non-dairy yogurt innovation and well over half of launches are in Europe. Sales growth is stagnant in the US, where the marketplace might be saturated.
Non-Dairy Yogurt and Health
Innova Market Insights tracks two broad types of health claims, active health claims and passive health claims. Active claims relate to functional benefits while passive claims refer to nutrient content. Both active health claims and passive health claims are more prevalent on non-dairy yogurts than on dairy yogurts.
Consumers of non-dairy yogurt alternatives name health and naturalness as the top drivers of purchasing. This is inspiring brands to ramp up the health features and healthy enhancements in their product line. Regarding health, analysis of yogurt trends shows that protein is the feature that stands out most in non-dairy yogurt and appears in two out of five launches. This is significantly higher than five years ago. Non-dairy yogurt brands are following the lead of dairy yogurt in declaring their protein content on the label. Soy is naturally high in protein but other plant bases are not, so some brands add protein ingredients such as fava bean and pea proteins.
Claims regarding low sugar attract consumers, as do claims about lower fat content. Naturalness and real ingredients also are attractive features of non-dairy yogurt that are related to health and are inherent to plant-based non-dairy yogurt alternatives.
Non-Dairy Yogurt and Gut Health
In the yogurt market, players in the non-dairy yogurt industry include fiber in their products to support digestive health. In the past, probiotic ingredients were widely used for gut health and they continue to be popular. Today, global non-dairy brands also are adding prebiotics as a way to bolster their digestive health claims. The addition of prebiotic fiber ingredients mimics dairy yogurt also and supports highly appealing claims to plant-based yogurt consumers. Some brands are starting to add postbiotics for their gut-immune benefits.
Balancing Health and Indulgence
Consumers want health benefits from their non-dairy yogurt products but they also want treats and indulgences. Innova is tracking the introduction of flavors that are more indulgent, including smooth vanilla flavors and flavors of sweet bakery items. This approach helps brands to deliver indulgence plus flavor all in one product.
Features to Retain Current and Attract Future Consumers
Non-dairy yogurt no longer is the niche product that it once was. Consumers globally have more choices in non-dairy yogurt, including different base ingredients, options for package size and format, flavors, and types of non-dairy yogurt. Increased variety helps retain existing customers and also attracts consumers who are new to non-dairy yogurt.
Flavor is nearly as important as health to consumers of non-dairy yogurts. Non-dairy yogurt flavors offer a greater range of choices. Vanilla is the top flavor in non-dairy yogurt, followed by the resurgence of mango. Strawberry ranks as the third most widely used flavor. Watch for cake flavors, cookie flavors, and pie flavors in non-dairy yogurt launches.
Innova also is monitoring product segmentation in the non-dairy yogurt category, including fruit-on-the-bottom, split container with topping, kefir, and skyr. Flavored products are more common than plain, and consumers vary in preferring stronger or milder tastes. That is why consumers need choices that consider flavor diversity and novelty, indulgence, and limited-edition excitement.
What’s Next for Non-Dairy Yogurt Alternatives?
Brands need to offer healthy indulgence to meet the needs of non-dairy yogurt consumers who want to eat healthily without compromising on flavor and taste. The target for innovators is indulgence without guilt, and that can be attained through non-dairy yogurt that combines health benefits with more indulgent tastes.
Brands can enhance the gut benefits consumers may expect from non-dairy plant-based yogurts. Rather than focusing on probiotics, which are stable, companies can expand gut health benefits with prebiotic fibers and fiber claims for yogurt, add-ins, and toppings.
Plant-based kefir alternatives, skyr, and Greek yogurt can further segment the marketplace. Brands are expected to replicate the diversification in dairy yogurt and kefir may be the next target.
Plant-based non-dairy yogurt brands will be poised to meet the needs of consumers on GLP-1 medications. Products for this audience will be low in fat and sugar, and high in protein and fiber.
Environmental benefits are an important aspect of plant-based eating. Eco-friendly claims are stable in non-dairy yogurt, with room to expand with messaging around local sourcing, responsible sourcing, and reduction of packaging waste.
This article is based on Innova’s Non-Dairy Yogurt – Global report. This report is available to purchase or with an Innova Reports subscription. Reach out to find out more.