You know what this blog is missing? A homemade yogurt recipe tutorial!
Homemade yogurt is really one of the easiest real foods to make. Cultured dairy is a very traditional food, with the earliest record of it dating back to caveman times, more specifically, the neolithic period. That’s pretty old, eh?
Because yogurt is so gentle on the digestive tract, even those with lactose intolerance can tolerate yogurt. Also, because yogurt is a living cultured food, it can last for 1-2 months in the fridge. Yogurt is a great option for an acidic medium when making grain dishes that you’d like to prepare properly.
What are the benefits of Homemade Yogurt?
- Yogurt contains transient beneficial bacteria meaning yogurt PROVIDES food for your good gut bacteria and keeps your intestines clean.
- Typically Yogurt is fermented for 7-8 hours producing copious amounts of beneficial probiotics!
- When you use REAL WHOLE MILK, you don’t need to add any thickeners at all, plus you get all the benefits of a full fat product!
- YOU control the sweeteners and YOU can avoid any nasty dyes as well! It’s an awesome feeling not to stuff your kids with junk, let me tell you! Probably the easiest way to feel like wonder woman.
- It’s WAY cheaper than store bought! Woot woot!
- Real live probiotics are about a million times better than probiotic supplements you find at your health store.
Supplies needed for Homemade Yogurt
- A Yogurt Maker – Now, I’ve known people to get away with making yogurt in a crockpot or in an insulated cooler, and I’m sure historically, our ancestors probably used non-electric versions, but a yogurt maker is SO helpful to get perfect yogurt each time. Click here to see my favorite yogurt maker.
- A Yogurt Culture – I like to buy an heirloom yogurt culture so I can reuse my culture again and again. (I explain this in the video). Click here to see where I buy my yogurt culture.
- Whole Milk – Let’s face it, low-fat milk is just out of style.
- A Pot & Spoon
Hi DaNelle
I saw you yogurt video with your instant pot, is that recipe available?
Hi Gabby-
Here is the recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/instant_pot_yogurt/
If you’re using raw milk, you will need to heat it to 180 degrees Fahrenheit first before you make it.
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
Which electric yogurt maker is your favorite?!
Hi Chantel-
This is the one DaNelle recommends: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EX16RY/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000EX16RY&linkCode=as2&tag=weemre-20
Thanks -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
First of all I LOVE YOUR SITE!!!!! And use it all the time. I’ve been making yogurt for a few years and got my girls this year,and started milking( I love my sweet lite tasting milk). So now it’s time for yogurt, and I have a yogurt maker(same brand as you but half gl) and made it the same way as I did with the store bought cow milk and it didn’t turn out. Was super runny! did I take my temp to high or use wrong starter, am at aloss to what I did. I guess my question is do you do anything differant when using raw goats milk? As starter I use a store bought yogurt and says to use 1cup and I did. Any ideas would help. And FYI I think my girls are cuter and sweeter than yours…LOL!!
Hi Cindi-
Lol on the goats!
Goat’s milk yogurt does have a tendency to be runnier in general, so you don’t expect a Greek yogurt texture. If the yogurt is separating, and that is why it is runny, then you will need to reduce the fermentation time. If it is just runnier than you expect, then you can strain it and this will thicken it up. Some folks add gelatin to it as well to make it thicker. Also, make sure you are not taking any of the fat out of the milk before making it into yogurt. I hope that helps! Thanks for the kind words!
Thank you -Bobbi (DaNelle’s Assistant)
I love your blog, new to real food but the changes I’m making are already making a difference! I’ve made yogurt 3 times now and need help! I’m following both your written & video instructions, using the heirloom starter (storing in the freezer as recommended), and the Euro Cuisine electric yogurt maker with the 7 little glass jars. 1st time, using fresh Organic Valley Grassmilk, my yogurt turned out great! 2nd time, using week-old Grassmilk, my yogurt came out watery/broken. So sad. (But, I made the thicker portion into your Ranch salad dressing!) This recent batch separated. (I thought I bought raw milk but it was vat pasteurized (just not homogenized). I read that I might have brought the milk to 180 too fast the 2nd time (medium heat on my glass cooktop may be hotter?), so this time I kept the heat on the lower side of medium.) This morning, after being refrigerated overnight, the whey is clear and there is a thin layer of fat on the top. What can I do next time to get the results in your video again?
Hi Nancy,
It’s likely that you need to reduce the fermentation time. When it “breaks” that means that they culture over grew:)
Hi, I am loving your blog! Thank you for all the well written information and recipes !
I have actually been making yogurt for years in my Donvier, but recently started culturing it in a mason jar wrapped in a towel and set in a warm Crockpot. (I’m selling my yogurt maker, hooray for one less appliance!) I have always used regular pasteurized milk. I’m making the real food switch, so I drink raw milk now, but since you basically pasteurize the milk in the process of making yogurt… My question is, why is raw milk (the more expensive) better to use instead of pasteurized milk for yogurt making?
Hi Bethany!
Pasteurized milk is heated to higher temps than when we’re making yogurt:) But some people still do use pasteurized milk and it does well!
Can I use pasteurized milk to make yogurt? I can get raw milk in my state, but it’s only available if I pre-order it and then it gets delivered to a place where I need to go pick it up twice a month (aka not very convenient). Thanks for your help! 🙂
Forgive me if this is answered in the video (I haven’t watched it yet!) but I clicked on the heirloom started you referenced and it looks like one of the ingredients is powdered milk, which I try to avoid. Is that just in all yogurt starters? I’m about to order the yogurt maker and am so excited!!
Hi Kelsey,
I am pretty sure the powdered milk is simply the dehydrated yogurt culture. It’s not the typical powdered milk with oxidized cholesterol.
Can you add raw honey while the milk is warming so it goes through the yoghurt easier.
No, I usually like to wait until the yogurt is completely made.
DaNelle, you prefer the yogotherm over the electric yogurt maker, right? I have made yogurt sitting in the microwave over night several times (just tends to be a warm spot), but I am ready to invest in a more reliable way to do it!
Well, I do like both. I’ve been using my electric yogurt maker lately, it gives me an even constant temperature. The yogotherm is sometimes hard to get the temp exactly right before insulating it.
We’ve been making our own goat yogurt for quite some time. We add vanilla beans, split open, while the milk heats up. The smell (and taste) is fantastic! Sieve them out and then add the culture (after cooling.) If we want a little sweet we add some pure maple syrup after it’s yogurtized. We use it in our protein shakes, as popsicles, and in granola parfaits. YUM!!
LOVE the vanilla idea!
Ok, how did I not know that a yogurt maker was so dang inexpensive?? I seriously put off making yogurt because I don’t like the hassle of making it in my crockpot, lol. I’ll be getting one of these very soon. I loved the video by the way:) Thanks for sharing DaNelle!
No problem!
Never seen a yoga therm. Do u like it? I sit mine on top of my continuous heated coffee maker, works great. I use 1/2 qt jars and it makes thick yogurt. Enjoyed the video, you should do more to show all the real food recipes you make. I have your book and refer to it all the time for recipes and references. You are one of the few blogs left that believes whole grains (properly prepared) are good and have a place in our diet. Thankful for that 🙂
Teresa
Thanks Teresa! My yogotherm is okay. It’s hard to get the exact temperature correct before closing it up and insulating it correctly. I like to have it on hand, but I use my electric one regularly.
DaNelle, do you use goat milk for your yogurt? Our goats won’t be making milk for a while yet, so I’m just planning for the future right now. I’d love to use it to make yogurt though!
I do! Tastes delicious!