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Homemade yogurt? Yes, it’s that easy. And I had no idea just how easy until a few months ago when I started trying it out.
My main reason to learn to make it from scratch was because of the cost of yogurt at our remote small town grocery store, and the fact that our girls liked having some nearly every day for breakfast!
I found several recipes for making it in an instant pot, but because I didn’t have one I wanted to find another option that would be easy and simple. After learning to make it successfully in the crockpot for several weeks, I decided it was worth sharing with the blog just how EASY and MONEY-SAVING homemade yogurt could be…and of course it is absolutely DELICIOUS.
Why Make Your Own Yogurt?
- You know exactly what you are eating (no additives/preservatives/added sugar)
- Saves on the grocery budget
- Cuts down on garbage waste
- You can flavour it however you like!
- You can adjust the thickness by how much whey you strain out
What Can You do With the Leftover Whey? (It’s High in Protein!)
- Store in a sealed jar or container in the fridge
- Put the whey in soups and stews
- Add it to smoothies
- Use it to replace water when making bread or other baked goodies
Nutritional Benefits of Yogurt
- High in probiotics (live bacterial cultures)
- Contains many vitamins and nutrients
- High in calcium
- Source of protein
- Aides in digestion
- Immune system booster
How to Use Homemade Yogurt
- Try it in Yogurt and 3 Seed Breakfast Bowl!
- Use it with homemade granola or other breakfast cereals
- Use it in baking
- Use it as a desert topping over a bowl of fruit
- Make a yogurt parfait!
How to Make Crockpot Yogurt
Supplies Needed:
- Crockpot
- Meat thermometer
- Glass Jar, 250ml or bigger
- Whisk
- Containers or glass jars for refrigeration
- Tea towel or Nutmilk/Yogurt Bag
Ingredients:
- 8 cups 3% whole milk (2% works well too, just add another 1/4 cup starter)
- 1/2 cup yogurt starter (saved from last batch, or you can use store bought yogurt, unsweetened/unflavoured and if the label says it contains the live bacterial cultures. Dried yogurt starter is also available online)
Optional flavouring:
Directions:
1. Measure 8 cups of milk into crockpot.
2. Turn crockpot on low and heat slowly until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit when you dip it into the milk. For me it takes 3 hours and 10 minutes, but depending on your crockpot it may take less time.
3. At 180 degrees, turn crockpot off with lid on and let cool slowly until temp reaches 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. This usually takes me around 3 hours. Partway through this time, take out your yogurt starter from the fridge and let it come to almost room temperature.
4. Take out about 2 cups of warm milk and in a separate bowl, whisk in your yogurt starter (or see note above for store bought yogurt). Whisk until there are no lumps and return to crockpot.
5. Put lid back on, (if you have clamps on your crockpot it’s good to use them at this point!) and cover crockpot with several heavy towels. Let sit undisturbed for around 12 hours or overnight.
6. The next morning, spoon out the yogurt into a nutmilk bag or tea towel and hang up over a bowl to separate out the whey. Let strain for 1-2 hours for thicker greek yogurt. Strain for less time or omit straining altogether for a thinner, drinkable yogurt.
7. When it has strained out enough whey, pour yogurt into clean glass jars or plastic container and chill in the fridge for 4-6 hours.
8. Use up within 2 weeks. Make sure to save some pure yogurt (unflavoured) for the next batch!
Additional Notes:
- For those that like a little more flavour and sweetness, you can try adding one of the suggestions from above. We personally enjoy adding honey and vanilla!
- When making greek yogurt, I usually end up with about 2 cups of whey, and 6 cups of thick yogurt. Adjust desired thickness of yogurt by how much whey you strain out.
- For making drinkable yogurt, just leave the whey in and omit straining altogether. It is wonderful added protein!
Check out these other Breakfast Recipes from the Northbird Kitchen!
Hi, I’m Jessie!
I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.
Read more about my story HERE.
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How to Make Yogurt in the Crockpot
How to make your own greek and drinkable yogurt in the crockpot!
- For those that like a little more flavour and sweetness, you can try adding one of the suggestions from above. We personally enjoy adding honey and vanilla!
- When making greek yogurt, I usually end up with about 2 cups of whey, and 6 cups of thick yogurt. Adjust desired thickness of yogurt by how much whey you strain out.
- For making drinkable yogurt, just leave the whey in and omit straining altogether. It is wonderful added protein!
Supplies Needed
Ingredients
- 8 cups 3% whole milk (2% works well too, just add another 1/4 cup starter)
- 1/2-3/4 cup yogurt starter (saved from last batch, or you can use store bought yogurt, unsweetened/unflavoured, containing live bacterial cultures. Dried yogurt starter is also available online)
Directions
- Measure 8 cups of milk into crockpot.
- Turn crockpot on low and heat slowly until meat thermometer reads 180 degrees Fahrenheit when you dip it into the milk. For me it takes 3 hours and 10 minutes, but depending on your crockpot it may take less time.
- At 180 degrees, turn crockpot off with lid on and let cool slowly until temp reaches 110-115 degrees Fahrenheit. This usually takes me around 3 hours. Partway through this time, take out your yogurt starter from the fridge and let it come to almost room temperature.
- Take out about 2 cups of warm milk and in a separate bowl, whisk in your yogurt starter (or see note above for store bought yogurt). Whisk until there are no lumps and return to crockpot.
- Put lid back on, (if you have clamps on your crockpot it’s good to use them at this point!) and cover crockpot with several heavy towels. Let sit undisturbed for around 12 hours or overnight.
- The next morning, spoon out the yogurt into a nutmilk bag or tea towel and hang up over a bowl to separate out the whey. Let strain for 1-2 hours for thicker greek yogurt. Strain for less time or omit straining altogether for a thinner, drinkable yogurt.
- When it has strained out enough whey, pour yogurt into clean glass jars or plastic container and chill in the fridge for 4-6 hours.
- Use up within 2 weeks. Make sure to save some pure yogurt (unflavoured) for the next batch!
Nutrition
Per 1 cup serving: 173 calories; 8.8 g fat; 13 g carbohydrates;
8.6 g protein; 33 mg cholesterol; 133 mg sodium.
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