Make Yogurt In Your Crock Pot
Edited on 10/5/09 to add: Since posting this I have also discovered that you can make raw yogurt on your counter top, without the use of a crock pot or yogurt maker. All you need is a starter and the super clear directions that come with it. Not only is it easier since you simply leave it on your counter top, but you also retain the benefits of the raw enzymes! You can find culture starters here.
I have tried other methods for making yogurt, but this is by far the easiest. I originally got this idea from Stephanie and use her basic recipe. Making your own yogurt is a frugal way to get some good probiotics into your family.
Here is the cost savings breakdown for us:
- Before: we would buy organic plain yogurt from Trader Joe’s: $3/quart
- Now: I make it out of our grass-fed raw milk from the farmer: $1.75/quart
- Savings = $1.25/quart x 2/week = savings of $2.50/week = savings of $130/year
Trader Joe’s is the cheapest organic yogurt you can find. The health food store sells it for $4.50/quart. For me, it is definitely worth the savings to do the five minutes of total work involved in making yogurt in the crock pot.
Crock Pot Yogurt
Recipe notes: This recipe uses a 2 quart crock. In using a 4 or 4 1/2 quart crock I found the yogurt to have a bit of a "springy" texture. I was able to alleviate this by heating the milk an additional 15 minutes for a total of 2 hours and 45 minutes.
- Turn your crock pot to low and pour in 1/2 gallon of milk.
- Heat on low for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
- Once 2 hours and 30 minutes have elapsed turn your crock pot off and unplug it. Let the milk cool in the crock with the lid on for 3 hours.
- After 3 hours remove 1-2 cups of the warmed milk and place in a bowl. To that add 1/2 cup of yogurt with live active cultures and mix very well.
- Pour the yogurt-milk mixture back into the milk and whisk thoroughly.
- Place the cover back on the crock and wrap the entire crock pot in a thick bath towel or two.
- Let it culture overnight, 8-12 hours.
- In the morning stir yogurt (if desired) and store in glass quart jars or a container of your choice.
- For optimum texture, refrigerate for at least 8 hours before using.
Yoghurt is an integral part of Indian good and many of us eat it with lunch and dinner, either as ‘curd’ or as a ‘lassi’. We Indians rarely buy yoghurt from outside and our way of making it is very simple. With your permission I would like to share a recipe:
Assumption: Milk is already boiled once and is now at room temperature. You could have boiled the milk previously and then kept in the fridge or whatever.
Ingredients:
2 cups of milk
1 tablespoon yoghurt for use as a culture.(could be ready made for the first time and then use home made yoghurt as culture from next time)
Method:
1. Take a glass or ceramic or stainless steal bowl.
2. Put 2 tablespoonful curd (yoghurt) in it) and beat with a spoon in single direction for atleast 5 mins(Little more will also do).
3. Heat milk till it is tepid hot(little more than lukewarm).
4. Mix this tepid milk with beaten yoghurt and mix well again for 5 mins.
5. Cover it with a lead and leave UNDISTURBED outside for about 6 – 10 hours. Depending upon the room temperature you maintain it will be done within anywhere from 6-10 hours or little more.
6. YOU ARE DONE!. Refrigerate it if you like it chilled (I like it that way). Stays good till it is over!.
If you want to set your yoghurt in individual small bows, you can pour the mixture for setting in separate small bowls also.
There are nth variations possible with respect to the flavour. But first please do let me know if this works for you.
Thanks so much for your recipe. I am 58 yrs old and am trying to make homemade raw milk yogurt in my crockpot. I was having trouble and came across your recipe and it works great and is simple. If my yogurt is thick does that mean the cultures in it are thriving? I want to be sure I am getting good probiotic yogurt. As long as I don’t let my starter go over 7 days without using it, is that ok?
Milk can sit out that long without causing food poisoning? We have this drilled into our head, that food above 40 degrees will spoil and form bad bacteria. How does this milk turning into yogurt not do this?
The yogurt cultures are probiotics. As long as there are no bad bacteria in the milk, the probiotics prevent spoiling.
Hi, I have a 7qt crock pot that has two low settings, 8 and 10 hours. Should I put it on the 8 or 10 when heating the milk, and should the lid be on or off?
leave the lid on. I don’t know the operating temps of your crockpot and how they relate to the low on my crockpot.
I make yogurt with raw milk making sure the temperature never goes above 118, which is the temperature enzymes are destroyed. A temperature of about 105-110 seems to be ideal.