I may receive commissions from purchases made through links in this article. Full Disclosure
I have been feeding my boys yogurt for their breakfast lately. I have decided that they need some probiotics in their system to keep them healthy or should I say get them healthy; they have been sick for too long in my opinion.
I set out to buy organic yogurt that contained all the good probiotics.
However, organic yogurt is expensive! Even in bulk it is pricey.
Naturally, I started thinking about the idea of making yogurt but the thought has always been very intimidating to me.
There is a lot involved when it comes to making yogurt on the stove and oven. After a bit of searching I found recipes for cooking yogurt in a crock pot, I figured I would give it a try!
Plus just check outlet price comparison!
Price Comparison of Store Bought Yogurt to Homemade Yogurt
Store Bought:
Organic Yogurt 64 oz. – $7.78
Homemade:
1/2 cup of organic yogurt – $0.89
1/2 gallon organic milk – $3.00
Total cost for 64oz homemade yogurt – $3.89
This means that you get the same amount of yogurt but for HALF the price if you make it yourself!
Think of it this way, many times you can buy non-organic yogurt at the store for $0.50/6 oz.
When you make your own yogurt it ends up being $.36 and that is for ORGANIC yogurt.
How to Make Yogurt in a Crock Pot
8 cups (1/2 gallon) milk (I use organic but you can use any type of milk, except milk that is ultra pasteurized, it does not work for yogurt. Some recommend starting with whole milk until you get the hang of it but I started with 1% and had no problem.)
1/2 – 1 cup cup natural, live culture, plain yogurt. (I find that 1 cup gives me thicker yogurt)
2 thick bath towels (4 if it’s cold in your house)
Directions:
Turn your crock pot on low, add the milk, then cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
Unplug crock pot after the 2 1/2 hours. Leave the cover on and let it sit for 3 hours.
After the 3 hours, scoop out 2 cups of the warm milk and put in a bowl. Add the 1/2 cup of yogurt to the milk and whisk. After this is mixed well, add the mixture to the crock pot and stir it into the rest of the warm milk.
Put the lid back on. Keep crock pot unplugged. Wrap the towels all around the crock pot for insulation. Let it sit for 8 -12 hours. (This is great to do before bed so that this period of waiting can be done in your sleep.)
The yogurt is now done. It will thicken up as it cools in the refrigerator.
This will last for 7 -10 days in the refrigerator.
How To Make the Yogurt Thicker:
There are apparently a few ways to thicken yogurt: adding a bit of dried milk or adding some gelatin. I have yet to try either of these. You could also strain it through cheesecloth but that results in greek yogurt.
I did try to use pectin once…it did not turn out right, don’t use pectin. I have found that if you increase your yogurt starter from 1/2 cup to 1 cup that it will result in much thicker yogurt.
Tip: Save 1/2 – 1 cup yogurt from this new batch for the next time you make yogurt. This makes it even cheaper!
I saw your link on Crunchy Mamas. I love your blog.
I have been making my own yogurt for months! I love it. I add honey to mine, just a bit, to cut the tart. My kids eat it plain with granola. I have a yogurt maker but might try it in the crock pot!
Thanks!
I will have to try this recipe. I buy 1 6-pack of YoBaby every week because my son loves yogurt that much!! I guess you can mix the fruit in when serving.
Does it not go bad from sitting out all night? I'm guessing not, but wonder why.
I tried this! It worked pretty well but my yogurt is a little weak-tasting. Still, I am pleased overall. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Can you add vanilla in while it's cooking or once it's refrigerated? Or is it best to just flavor each serving? Great recipe – can't wait to try it out!
It's generally best to add anything once it's refrigerated. Extracts shouldn't effect the consistency too much. However, fruit should be added per serving and right before eating.
thanks for this! it makes it sound a lot less intimidating. would it be ok to use raw milk for this too or should it be pasturized??
You can use raw milk for this. However, you might want to look into counter-top yogurt making as you do not need to heat the milk (thus keeping all the goodness of raw milk) It sounds like you do need to purchase an initial starter but after that you just save some of your yogurt batch for following batches.
Hello from BBC!!! What about milk alternatives? Soy or almond yogurt?
Jessica – I have heard that you can make it with alternative milks. It might not be as thick. Most alternative milk recipes add some type of thickener. I tried making coconut yogurt once but I didn't let my homemade coconut milk cool enough before cooking (so it ended up getting hotter then it should have) so it didn't culture properly. I need to try it again.
Hmm I want to try this the dairy free way… do you think it'll work? Maybe full fat coconut milk?
Bree – You can give it a shot. I've tried it with full fat coconut milk but my coconut milk was too warm and so things didn't turn out right. I'm trying to get up the nerve to try it again. Let us know if you do try it and if it works!
I've just uncovered my first batch of crockpot yogurt. Used plain greek as the starter with 2% milk. The consistancy is more drinkable with a straw rather than eatable with a spoon. I've read the suggestions on thickners, but could you describe the thickness you get from a batch fresh out of the crock?
Jessica – Usually when I make yogurt it is really thick when I first uncover it. As the days go buy and we dip into it it gets thinner however and more or the drinkable consistency.
There are a few things to keep in mind: 2% milk will yield a thinner yogurt then whole milk. If you add your starter in when the milk is too hot or too cold it will not be as thick (this happens to me when I've added it too late because I forgot…) Or if you do not keep it warm enough under the towels. I find that I need at least 4 towels in the winter but less in the summer. The more yogurt you use for your starter the thicker it should be…but you are then entering the world of experimentation. 😉 I personally use 2 cups starter and it works great but obviously it will affect your temperature if you are adding that much cold yogurt.
Also, thickness depends on the yogurt you buy for your starter. I only like one brand of yogurt for my yogurt (Wild Harvest) but my grocery store no longer carries it. So I've been going through different brands; some yield really runny yogurt unfortunately. The one time I made it with greek yogurt it turned out runny as well… but I also might have added at the wrong temperature.
So it does take some experimenting. I'm also looking into just getting a counter top starter (viili) where you do not need to cook the milk at all. But that probably won't be happening soon. However it's another option.
You can also strain your yogurt through cheesecloth/muslin/coffee filters and that will separate your whey from the yogurt and actually gives you greek yogurt.
Thanks for the great tips. I tried it again last night and it turned out great! I found another tip that the milk should be 119* when the started is added. Instead of three hours of unplugged time, two hours (plus a few minutes) brought it to that temp. (All crockpots are different…?)
Next time I'll try using 2 cups starter instead of one, just to see how much thicker it gets. Good to know that as days go by it gets thinner. Thanks!!!
I’m onto my 6th batch and still ending up with a very runny end result. Have tried coconut cream, even refrigerated it. Tried tapioca and increased the probiotic capsules. Have tried leaving it on the bench, oven method and easiyo method. Still failing, any other suggestions to get it thick? I’m using the honest to goodness brand of coconut cream which is bpa free and no other nasties added. I should just give up I know but I can’t rest not knowing what I’m doing wrong.
So I tried this and I used whole milk and a cup of yogurt. It smells like yogurt but it’s still very much milk. What can I do with it? Can I reheat and try again? Can I turn it into a custard? Or do I have to dump it and start over? I just dont want to make anyone sick or anything by unknowingly doing something wrong.
I’m sorry it didn’t turn out! Temperature seems to be everything with yogurt, at least that’s what I’ve found.
I also toss my failed batches. If it’s thick at all, I might call it a liquid yogurt and use for smoothies but if it looks identical to yogurt then I’d assume the yogurt didn’t do it’s job so you’ve basically had milk sitting out four hours upon hours and that’s not good.