Is there anything better than yogurt? I mean the good stuff: cool, thick, just a little tart and packed with probiotics. I’m not a big fan of Greek yogurt, especially since the stuff you buy in America barely resembles what was served with breakfast when I was in Greece (served warm, it had the consistency of spackle). But I do love the creamy, tangy deliciousness of vanilla yogurt and the sauces, smoothies, and purees that I make are a summer staple.
Which is why I love how easy yogurt is to make at home.
Dairy isn’t cheap. Gone are the days of a gallon of milk for under a dollar, and the prices of butter and cheese are steadily rising. Pints of yogurt here are typically about $2.50, which is crazy when I can make a gallon of homemade yogurt for half the price. And mine is real, not what some companies call yogurt that’s really pudding (read the ingredient labels if you don’t believe me!) You can buy a yogurt maker like this one, but I usually just use my crockpot.
Baby K would eat her weight in yogurt if I’d let her, so having a cheaper, healthier alternative to store-bought is awesome.
I did some research and played around with the recipes. Here is what I’ve come up with as my favorite:
Crock Pot Vanilla Yogurt
Equipment
- crock pot
- 2 extra large towels
- small bowl
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 1 cup starter (already made yogurt)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 tbsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Pour the milk into the crock pot and leave on low for three hours.
- Turn off crock pot, add sugar and vanilla. Leave off for another three hours.
- Remove 1 cup of the crock pot mixture and pour into a small bowl. Mix in the old yogurt starter and then add back to the crock pot. Whisk mixture quickly, replace lid.
- Wrap the entire crock pot in the towels and leave it alone for the next 8 hours. I leave mine on the counter overnight and wake up to glorious fresh yogurt for breakfast.
Possible Issues
There are a few things to watch for when making your own yogurt in the crockpot.
The quality of your milk will affect your finished product. Fresh milk works wonderfully, but if you can’t get it, go with a good store bought whole milk. I have never tried making yogurt with skim milk, but I imagine it would be much runnier without the milk fat.
You definitely don’t want your liquid to get too hot or too cold. When I was learning, I kept an eye on things with a candy thermometer. Too much heat will cause an excess of whey, which separate and make your yogurt taste more like sour cream. If you mixture stays too cold, you won’t have the reactions needed to make full yogurt and you’ll end up with sour milk: not what you want for breakfast! You also don’t want to mix your yogurt too much: leave it alone so everything comes together on its own. Finally, I’ve found that my yogurt “firms up” a little if I leave it to sit in the fridge for an hour or so before I dish them into my mason jars.
It might take a time or two practicing, but I promise once you have it down, it’s sooo worth it!
Try it and let me know what you think!
Love,
