Anytime Gourmet: Homemade Greek Yogurt

All you need is milk, a little yogurt, and a slow-cooker. In just 14 and a half hours, you have your own, freshly made yogurt. It sounds like a long time, but the hands-on time is probably 15 minutes total. With a little bit of planning, the process is very easy and extremely rewarding.

I got the idea to make my own yogurt on Pinterest, when I read about using a slow-cooker to make it. I had always wanted to make yogurt, but I knew it had to be kept at a constant, warm temperature in order to work. I didn't want to buy any special equipment, so the slow-cooker was a brilliant idea!

The basic process is this (full directions are below):

1.         Heat a half gallon of milk (anything but ultra-pasteurized) on low in a slow-cooker for 2 ½ hours.
2.        Turn off slow-cooker and let sit for 3 hours.
3.        Add ½ cup yogurt and mix well.
4.        Insulate slow-cooker with a heavy towel and let sit for 8 hours.
5.        Let yogurt sit over a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined sieve for at least 1 hour to drain.
6.        Transfer to plastic container and refrigerate!

I made this all in one day, starting when I woke up in the morning and finishing just before going to bed. You could also do the first part of the process (5 ½ hours) before bed, and let it sit for the 8 hours while you sleep, then strain it in the morning.

I have made plain yogurt and I just add flavorings such as honey, jam or fruit when I eat it. I’m not sure how adding flavors to the whole batch would work. It may change the texture.

I calculated that making my own yogurt saves money too. I have bought a half-gallon of milk for anywhere from $1.25 - $2.00, and the ½ cup of yogurt from my quart of Greek yogurt from Costo costs about $0.50, so overall, the cost ranges from $1.75 - $2.50 for a quart of yogurt. That’s a great price compared to a quart of store-bought Greek yogurt.

Homemade Greek Yogurt (from Noel's Kitchen Tips)

8 cups milk

½ cup store-bought natural plain yogurt (Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)

Note: (whole, 1%, 2% or skim Pasteurized Milk, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized it won’t work.) You can also use 1 gallon of milk and 1 cup of yogurt, just heat the milk for 3 hours instead of 2 ½ on step 2. The rest of the steps are the same.

1. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor. (After the 5 ½ hour mark, you can go to bed.)

2. Plug in your slow-cooker and turn to low. Add a half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 ½ hours.

3. Unplug your slow-cooker. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

4. When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in ½ cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crock pot. Wisk to combine.

5. Put the lid back on your slow-cooker. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.

6. Go to bed or let it sit for 8 hours.

7. In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened to the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.

8. Place cheesecloth or paper towels into a fine-mesh sieve and ladle the yogurt into it, place the sieve into a big bowl or in the sink.