Go Back

Homemade Yogurt

Chelsea Colbath
Homemade yogurt takes minimal prep and effort, and yields a gallon of yogurt for less than half the cost of store bought. Choose the highest quality milk you can find!
Print Pin It
Servings 16

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Gallon of Whole Milk* grass-fed + organic, if possible
  • 2 single-serving containers of plain store bought yogurt 8-10 ounces, or about 1 heaping cup of yogurt

Instructions
 

  • 1. Pour milk into a large pot with a lid. Put pot onto the stove over medium-low heat, and warm just until hot. Do not bring milk to a boil.
  • 2. Turn off the heat and let milk cool, uncovered, until it is warm to the touch but no longer hot (about 15 minutes). This step may seem redundant, but helps the yogurt maintain it's texture and jump starts the fermentation process.
  • 3. Empty the yogurt into a small bowl and add a ladle-full of the warm milk to the yogurt. Stir/whisk to fully combine, then pour the thinned yogurt into the pot of warm milk and stir to incorporate it.
  • 4. Cover the pot and put it in a relatively warm place for 12-20+ hours. A cold oven with the light on helps keep the pot warm, or alternately a warm spot in your house will work (near a heater/vent, in a sunny spot, etc). Do not stir the pot while it turns into yogurt. Just let it be.
  • 5. After about 10 hours, open the lid and gently jiggle the pot to see if the yogurt is thick yet. If it looks like yogurt, it's done. If it still looks thin/ like it's just milk, cover it and let it sit for up to 10 more hours. This works well overnight, or all day while you're at work.
  • 6. When the yogurt is done, transfer the pot to the fridge and cool completely. Once cold, enjoy it however you use store bought yogurt. You can also transfer it to smaller containers if the pot is too large for your fridge. Yogurt keep for up to 2 weeks in the fridge, or until the expiration date of your gallon of milk.
  • 7. Save 1 cup of your homemade yogurt to use as the starter for your next batch!

Notes

*Although you could use 2% or skim milk, I'd urge you to make this with whole milk. The overall flavor and texture is far more creamy and luxurious with whole milk. Also, the calcium and other nutrients in milk are more easily absorbed by your body if they are accompanied by some fat, so whole milk is always my first choice. I've even been known to pour in some leftover heavy cream into the milk to make my yogurt extra creamy + rich.