Written by Emily, Contributing Writer
I've been making homemade yogurt for just about two years now, and I love the convenience, quality, and savings of making yogurt at home.
Yogurt is one of the most basic traditional foods, and even if you are just getting started with real food, including yogurt in your diet is an easy way to reap so many of the health benefits of cultured dairy. One of the main health benefits of yogurt, besides the protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals, are the probiotics. Probiotics are the good bacteria that inhabit our guts and help to promote better digestion and increase our immune systems.
Yogurt is an easily digestible food, and even people who have trouble with lactose intolerance can often eat yogurt because most of the lactose has been "eaten" by the good bacteria during the culturing process.
Making homemade yogurt really is easy, but it can seem kind of overwhelming because it does have a lot of steps. I'm going to walk you, step by step, through my method of making homemade yogurt, and after you've done it once or twice, you will be able to figure out what that works best for you and be able to provide your family with fresh made yogurt on a regular basis!
How to Make Homemade Yogurt Using a Crock Pot
Step 1: Turn your crock pot on low to let it heat up. It is important to remember to do this step first so you don’t forget, and so the crock pot is the right temperature when you’re ready to add the milk. Also, take your yogurt starter out of the fridge so it can warm up a little before you add it to your milk.
Step 2: Pour your milk into a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it reaches 185 degrees. (I have used a candy thermometer I got for $10). You can choose the amount of yogurt that you want to make at a time - I usually make 6-8 cups of yogurt per week. Be careful not to let the milk burn on the bottom of the pan during this step, and also make sure the milk doesn’t boil over – so stir often and keep an eye on it.
*Tip: I have stopped checking the temperature during this step. It’s just one less thing to have to do. When the milk starts getting bubbly and frothy (or it boils over onto your stovetop) you know it’s done.
*During this step I usually get ready for step three by getting the sink of cold water ready.
Step 3: Once milk reaches 185 degrees (bubbling) remove from burner, cover with a lid, and place the pan in a sink half full of cold water. (This is kind of obvious, but make sure the water doesn’t go over the top of the pan, just part way up the sides.) You can add ice to the water as well, but I’ve found that it doesn’t really cool the milk down any faster.
Step 4: Let the milk cool down, stirring occasionally. Once milk has reached between 90 and 110 degrees (I’ve read different temps here, I usually do about 100 degrees), remove pan from water. This usually takes just about 10 minutes for me, so set your timer, so you don't forget and the milk gets too cold.
*Tip: You can also do this step without a thermometer. After washing my hands, I stick my pinkie into the milk. If it's painfully hot to the touch, I let it cool a bit longer. If it's very warm, but not painfully hot, it is about the right temperature.
* While the milk is cooling, get ready for step 5
Step 5: Measure yogurt starter into a bowl (I use glass) and pour about a cup of the warm milk over it and stir together. Use 2 Tbsp of yogurt starter per 4 cups of milk. Meanwhile pour remaining milk into heated crockpot. Pour milk and yogurt from bowl into the crockpot and stir it all together.
Step 6: Put the lid on, turn off, and unplug the crock pot. Wrap a heavy towel around it. Let sit for 6-10 hours. (I usually do around 8 hours).
Step 7: After the yogurt has finished culturing, place the crock in fridge to cool yogurt. I have found this step to be really important because it helps the yogurt to set better. Since I started doing this my yogurt has been nice and thick and creamy. Don't stir or shake your yogurt, it needs to be disrupted as little as possible in order to set well.
When your yogurt has finished cooling and set, you can ladle it into a glass jar to keep in your fridge. I hope you can tell in the picture that this is finished yogurt, it has set, and is definitely more "solid" than milk. I have found that yogurt will keep for at least 7-10 days, and often it's still good at around 14 days, if there's any left of it by that point.
What is yogurt starter?
It is basically just yogurt. You can use the yogurt you just made as starter for your next batch. I usually set aside 1/2 cup of yogurt for starter into a separate small bowl right away, to keep the starter separate from the jar that we are dipping in to eat from every day, and also so we don't end up eating all the yogurt and I'm left without a starter!
You can also use store bought yogurt, of course, especially if this is your first batch of homemade yogurt or you feel like your homemade yogurt starter is getting weak. Just make sure that your store bought yogurt is plain, unsweetened, with nothing added, and it should save "Live and Active Cultures" on the label.
Stephanie's note: Though I also generally do the same as Emily, starting with plain store bought yogurt and then saving some each time to make my new batch, you can also purchase yogurt starter cultures for some unique types of yogurt or just regular yogurt, from Cultures for Health. Once you've used these to get started, then you can continue to set aside your homemade yogurt for making more.
Our family's favorite way to eat homemade yogurt is with a drizzle of raw honey and fresh or frozen fruit. Yum! It's also great with a sprinkle of nuts, or on top of homemade granola.
You can also use homemade yogurt in lots of different kinds of recipes. Here's a few for you to get started with:
I'm sorry if this has been mentioned already, but can I use 1% or 2% milk? The recipe I have been using calls for half and half and whole milk.
Thank you my first batch of yogurt came out beautifully. If I want to add vanilla and honey can I do during the process or do I need to wait until it's set?
This is my favorite homemade yogurt recipe EVER! I actually jumped up and down and squealed with delight when I saw how thick it turned out. Thank you!!
I followed the directions EXACTLY and ended up with something that smells like yogurt, but is the same consistency as milk. Extremely frustrating. I warmed up the crockpot, used 4 cups of milk and two tablespoons of starter, checked the temp with a thermometer to make sure it hit 185* on the stove and then 100* in the sink. I put two heavy towels around the unplugged crockpot, let it sit for about 9 hours, and then let it cool in the refrigerator. What did I do wrong?
Maybe something is wrong with your thermometer? Try using her tips instead (milk starts frothing and bubbling, put clean pinky in milk)
Jamie, did you add the starter to the four cups of milk and then heat it to 185 degrees on the stove? If so, that is the error. Heat the milk alone , then let it cool down to between 100-110 degrees before adding the starter and then letting this all sit in your crockpot. I have also added a tablespoon or two of powdered milk to my milk before heating it, if it was non fat milk, to increase the protein and firm up the yogurt. Hope this helps.
I've been using reserved home-made yogurt for my starter, and my yogurt seems to get thinner as I go (it's always been thin, but now even moreso, and it doesn't seem to be straining at all). This last time was my 3rd batch after re-starting with store-bought yogurt. Any ideas?
Thanks for the crock pot yogurt recipee! Where I live in Indonesia it's about $8.50 for a quart of plain imported yogurt, or 150ml (2/3cup)-containers of local-made yogurt for about $1 each. Last night I found and followed this recipee, using 7 cups of recontsituted full cream powdered milk, one cup fresh milk, and 1/2 cup yogurt starter ($4 of milk). My yogurt in the past always needed straininng, but this morning 8 cups of lovely thick yogurt filled my crockpot! New, local, yummy, economic way to live. Terima kasih!
Hey Annie, I live in Jakarta! Did you buy your crockpot here? If so, where? Thx!
If the yogurt says contains active yogurt culture, is that still good?
Thank you for posting this. I've never made yogurt but I followed your recipe and it turned out perfectly. I drained it and have the thickest and creamiest Greek yogurt. For under two dollars!
My favorite way to eat yogurt is to mix it with an organic granola and eat it as a breakfast-like cereal. I can't wait to try this recipe with my home-made granola!
I've read through you recipe several times and don't see the amount of milk you use. I'm guessing it's a quart. I've been trying to make yogurt using an electric yogurt maker and it never gets thick in fact the combined ingredients are thicker at the start than the finished product. If I strain the yogurt I end up with mostly whey and very little yogurt. (I use 1 qt of milk).
Any advise is greatly appreciated.
I also would love to try this but do not see how much milk. This would be my first time to make homemade yogurt so have no clue :)
She didn't write an amount, because it really doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is the proportion of "starter" yogurt. Somewhere up there she says it. I have made it so many times now, I just take a huge spoonful of yogurt to every quart I'm making. I like to pour my "pre" yogurt into canning jars before I put them into the crockpot overnight. So to know how much milk to use, I pour milk into the jars that will nicely fit into my crock pot, THEN pour that amount of milk into my cooking pot to start cooking. Then when I pour it back, there is no waste...it's exactly the amount I need. Best wishes! This is a great recipe! I have it marked in my "favorites" and come back often as a refresher.
I just made your yogurt recipe. It came out wonderful, thick and tastey. How long will the starter last before it goes bad. I'm thinking in 14 days it will be no good. I will need to start another batch before then. Is this right? Thanks for the infor. Love your site, so full of interesting things!
This recipe sounds great & i'm very excited to give it a try. I have some vanilla flavored yogurt right now I could use as a starter but I saw you said it needs to be plain, is there a reason for that?
Thank you so much for posting this very helpful article!! I made yogurt at home for the first time with my family this weekend. It was absolutely fabulous and a lot easier than I thought it would be. Thank you so much!
I FOLLOWED THIS RECIEPE TO THE LETTER AND IT TURNED OUT RUNNY. WHAT DID I DO WRONG?
I came across your website, saw your recipe for homemade yogurt, and tried it! I am happy to report that my yogurt turned out wonderfully! Mine had a bit of a bite to it as plain yogurt often will, but it made me realize how much sweetener must be added to make even the store bought vanilla flavor taste sweet. I like having control over how much sweetener and fruit is added. Thankyou for this recipe.
Why is fruit and sugar added after the yogurt is already made?
Adding it to the process of making it would get in the way of the beneficial bacteria being able to grow and multiply properly. The yogurt just wouldn't culture or set right, and the texture and taste would be off. It works much better to make your yogurt first, then just add whatever kinds of sweeteners, fruit, fixing, etc. that you prefer afterwards.
Hi there!! Do you have any idea if i could make this dairy free? With either soy or a nut milk?? I would love to have yogurt again :) Thanks!
If I make homemade yogurt pops using this recipe...does anyone know how long before they expire? Thanks! Looking forward to making a batch.
my yogurt was very thin, thicker than milk, but thin. It also is clumpy, thin clumps. what could I have done wrong? will try again, but what should I do with this batch. It is small, but is it edible?
Yes, it's still edible. I would use it for things like blended fruit smoothies. I would double check that your milk wasn't too hot when you started (because that can kill some of the bacteria before it has time to start multiplying). Other things to consider are that it stayed warm enough over night (maybe wrap your crockpot in an extra blanket next time?) and also leaving it long enough. I personally usually leave mine 8-12 hours, just to ensure thickness and a really good culture.
At Sandra B, I also make yogurt from home, and what I do once my yogurt has sat for 6-8 hrs, I than strain it through a tea towel for about 20-30 min. If you want creame cheese you strain it for six-8 hours in a HANGING tea towel. Hope that helps.
Thank you for the recipe. I live in South America and unfortunately haven't found a crock pot in stores here. I put the milk in a thermos and the yogurt turned out great.
What happens if you let the yogurt process too long? I made yogurt yesterday afternoon, and I forgot to put it into the fridge before I went to bed. When I woke up in the morning I remembered- but it had processed for 15 hours- is it bad?
No its still good if you can eat it .. with a long processing time it becomes really sour
I'm trying this method. Excited to see how it turns out. I used to make Kefir just by adding the culture you mentioned to a glass of milk on the counter. Leave it for 18 hours and come back and it's kefir. You have to fish your culture out every time but you don't have to keep buying a jar of yogurt to add to the batch. Also if you leave it longer and then strain it you get a very mild bland cheese or tofu like block that you can cook with. Kinda like paneer. This awesome Russian lady shared a piece of hers with me but this is basically what she gave me were the milk kefir grains from culture for health website
Thanks for the recipe. Fun to play. :)
hi Emily
If the yogurt doesn't seem to be setting have you ever added more starter yogurt after a few hours? Does it work?
The thought of heating milk to that point kinda makes me gloomey. I use raw milk and when you heat it you destroy all the good thuings...so to say the least I don't understand how it can be good for you
Dianna, when you heat it, you kill any cultures that have entered to that point, giving the yogurt all the space and food to grow and spread.
Dianna, the recipe in the GAPS book by Natasha Campbell-McBride says that you don't have to heat raw milk to make yogurt. But, since raw milk has its own bacteria in it, the resulting yogurt might be more sour or lumpy or liquid than you like. Gentle heating would be OK if you want consistant results and it's not as bad for the milk as commercial pasteurization. So, If you're flexible about how the yogurt turns out, you don't have to heat it. If you have picky eaters at home, then heating it is the way to go.
I’ve tried making yogurt using different methods including this one. But no matter which method I try, my yogurt always ends up with little tiny chunks in it. Reminds me a little of teeny tiny cottage cheese chunks. It tastes and smells like yogurt, but I am scared to eat it incase there is something wrong with it. I always use fresh milk and yogurt, and follow the recipe directions.
Has this ever happened to anyone?
Hi Sarah,
I have been making yogurt for a while now. When I first started I had this issue. The little chunks are fine to eat. I found that whenever I over heated the milk, these little chunks would form. Once I figured that out, I only bring up the milk to 180 degrees F so that I had a little wiggle room in case it got too hot. After I figured that out I haven't had grainy yogurt since.
In addition, I found that once you get the milk to 180, if you hold the temperature there for at least 10-20 minutes, the yogurt comes out thicker. Holding the temperature at 180 allows the protein lacto-globulin to denature and thus makes a thicker yogurt.
Hope this helps.
Wali
I have another question :),
what type of milk is used?
I drink only Soy and my family drinks 1%?
Dont know about soy but I use skimmed milk ... that works great for a fat free yoghurt so 1% should also be fine
Do you have to store it in your crockpot after your finished making it ?
No, you can transfer it to a bowl or a jar to put it in the fridge.
I can wait to try to make it.. But I have a question.. When do I use the starter .. Did I missed that part? I don't see it in the receipe .. Thanks
I am excited to try this recipe. Do you know if there is a way to make flavored yogurt? Could I use vanilla yogurt as a starter or does it have to be plain? I'm new to making homemade yogurt and just wanted to check. Thanks for the recipe!
Use plain yogurt as a starter. To make flavored yogurt add whatever flavorings (and sweetener if desired) after your yogurt is done, or right before consuming, whichever is easier for you. But don't try to flavor it until you are done with the whole process.
My milk burnt a little during the process and the yogurt has a slight burnt taste to it. Is that unsafe to consume or will it just taste bad? I'd still like to eat it for the cultures if possible. Thanks.
It's not unsafe, it just won't taste quite as good. I've done it many times. :)
I burnt my milk too, can I use it for a starter for my next batch or will the next batch taste burnt too.
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I've never made yogurt because I don't have a yogurt maker, I didn't know it could be made in a crockpot!
after reading I managed to make yogurt successfully
Have you tried making kefir with your crock pot? I LOVE the Redwood Hill Goat Milk Kefir but for the life of me I have not been able to replicate its delicious creaminess.
Wonderful, thick and creamy yogurt. This is such a simple method I am planning to make it each week. I made a gallon of it last night (8 mouths to feed) and it worked out perfect!
Thank you for this recipe.
I've been making this for over a year, and I always forgot to stop and say thanks for the great recipe. Homemade yoghurt is the best, and this crockpot method is so quick and easy. Thanks for sharing with us!
Emily, you are an inspiration to homemakers! I raised three children on homemade yogurt, which probably saved us enough in groceries each week to pay for a family camping vacation every summer. For readers who are having issues with watery yogurt, consider how much starter you're adding. Too much culture will make the final product very thin. If you ruin a batch, whip up some kefir, which is basically a yogurt drink blended with fresh fruit.
I make yogurt regularly...the other day I was trying to do too many things and did the whole process but forgot to mix in the yogurt....the milk set up like yogurt , but obviously doesn't have the culture in it....can I use it for anything else...is it safe/unsafe to consure? Any ideas?
Did you find out an answer for your post? I did the same thing last night!
I too have been making yogurt for a few years but I set it in my warmed oven with the light on for the day. But my last attempt failed and I don't know why. It tried to yogurt but was very watery after the normal 8 hours in the oven. My starter came out of the freezer like usual. I use unflavored gelatin for a thickener. Have any ideas what went wrong?
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe. I've been making homemade yogurt on and off for a while now, but have had a few problems with it not being thick enough lately. I'm going to try this idea of using the crockpot. Thanks for sharing :-)