Almond milk yogurt

I've been toying with the idea of making almond milk yogurt for quite a while now—since November. While I was in Indiana, I tried some and liked it, so I researched it. And waited. Last week I finally tried it.

I made the almond milk:

Take a cup almonds, soak them in water for 4 hours; drain
Put the almonds in the blender with 4 cups water; blend well.
Strain through cheesecloth or such (I used a bread towel)

Then I used a modified version of my milk yogurt recipe (1/4 cup yogurt/quart of milk). I let it set for about 4 hours. It separated and didn't have any taste. I put it in the refrigerator and let it set overnight while I researched some more...seems my problem wasn't unique. No solutions there...but I did find out that the incubation time is a lot longer than with milk. So, I shook up the solution and heated it to 125°F. I put it in the cooler again and poured hot (125°F) water over it to cover 3/4 of the pint jars. This time I let it set for 4 hours and then taste-tested it. It still had separated, but it was beginning to taste yogurty. I let it incubate another 4 hours (12 hours total). It tasted nice and sour with a smooth aftertaste. I liked it, so I put it in the refrigerator.

It is separated, but I just shake it and drink it as a yogurt drink. I'm going to make another batch today or tomorrow. There are various options out there for thickening it, but I don't want to add gelatin or corn starch. The majority of recipes also start with a brand name almond milk that is loaded with thickeners, so that might be why it works for them.

If anybody else has had success making thick almond milk yogurt, let me know!