DIY Recipe: Homemade Yogurt!

What you'll need:

Milk (I used 1%) Plain yogurt (I also used 1%) with live cultures (I'm pretty sure that's the definition of yogurt anyway, so feel free to pick up whichever kind you like.) Crock pot (any size - mine is just a lil guy at 1.5 quarts) Dark-colored towel or blanket Cheesecloth (or a clean, unbleached white t-shirt, sheet, or pillowcase) Strainer

Step 1: Pour milk into the crockpot. Mine holds 1.5 quarts, so I put in 4 cups of milk. Most larger crockpots should hold 8 cups comfortably. Leave a little extra room to account for the froth it will produce, as well as the yogurt you'll have to add.

Step 2:

Cover your crockpot and turn it to low for about an hour. The milk should reach about 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 3:

Turn off the crockpot and let it sit for roughly 30 minutes - keep it covered. This should cool the milk to a comfortable 115-120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 4:

Add a small amount of yogurt to the mix to start the process. Since I used 4 cups of milk, I put in 1/4 cup of yogurt. If you used 8 cups of milk, put in 1/2 cup, and so on. You don't need to add a lot of yogurt to start the yogurt-making process - just a small amount will do.

Step 5:

Wrap the crockpot with your towel. The key is to ensure that it stays warm in a dark, still environment. That's how the yogurt bacteria roll, apparently.

Step 6:

Wait 6-12 hours. If you wait for a shorter period of time, the yogurt will be runnier and not as tangy. It will have a higher lactose content. If you wait 10-12 hours, you'll get thicker, tangier yogurt, similar to Greek yogurt.

Step 7

Depending on how thick you like your yogurt, you'll have to strain it a bit. You'll notice that it's still fairly runny at this point, but that doesn't mean you've done anything wrong.

I set up a bowl to catch the whey, and put a little strainer on top of it to filter the yogurt.

Step 8:

Next, lay your cheesecloth over the strainer. I used an old pillowcase for mine. Whether you choose to use real cheesecloth or a t-shirt/sheet alternative, ensure that the cloth is untreated with chemicals, and hasn't been washed with detergent recently. You don't want your yogurt to taste like soap. Pour your yogurt in. Don't worry if some whey has already separated; it'll filter through again.

If you want a thicker yogurt, cover this and set it in the fridge. Let it drain for a few hours, and you'll end up with your own homemade Greek yogurt. If you want something similar toplain yogurt, or you'd like to use it for smoothies, strain it for a half an hour or so. You can test it every so often to see how it's shaping up.

Step 9:

Admire your homemade yogurt. Then eat it.

After you're done, you can collect the whey and save it. Use it instead of milk in shakes or baking recipes. Maybe someday I'll try more things out - but I used it in my protein shakes and it worked wonderfully!

As promised, here's the cost breakdown:

1 gallon of 1% milk (pasteurized, non-organic): $2.99 1 quart of plain 1% yogurt: $2.99 So, for $6, I could make 16 cups of yogurt, or, roughly 16 servings. That's only about 38 cents per yogurt.

I'm sure I could get this to be even cheaper if I managed to find a better brand of milk and yogurt, or if I had a coupon. I'm not a big dairy consumer, so I didn't do a lot of research. Still, I think I did pretty well. You can also use half of your ingredients for yogurt and do something different with the other half - make your own cheese, dips, frozen yogurt, or do something totally crazy and creative. I don't know. I tried making spreadable cheese (turned out okay), ricotta (meh), paneer (took a few tries, but was great with my saag), and frozen yogurt (I need practice). For 6 dollars, I'd say that's a pretty good deal!

Related Articles - homemade yogurt, make yogurt in a crockpot, DIY yogurt, Greek yogurt, yogurt recipe, crockpot yogurt,

Email this Article to a Friend! Receive Articles like this one direct to your email box! Subscribe for free today!