How to make your own yogurt - An illustrated guide
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Cuisipro Donvier Yogurt Starter
Price: $2.95
List Price: $3.00 |
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Euro-Cuisine Yogurt Starter
Price: $2.85
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This what you'll need:
- a medium-large cooler
- 2-3 glass or plastic quart-sized containers (like pitchers, empty soda bottles, etc.)
- a kitchen thermometer
- about a dozen glass or ceramic cups for the yogurt
- 1/2 gallon - 1 gallon milk (lowfat to whole; I personally haven't had much luck with nonfat)
- small container of unsweetened, unflavored yogurt with live cultures (I've had the best luck with Stonyfield Farms) - for a more consistent result, you might want to try a commercially-available starter
- (optional) powdered milk, if you want your yogurt thicker - with a good starter, this usually isn't necessary. I do not use it.
1. Heat the milk
The milk needs to be heated to about 170-180F (76-82C). This is for two reasons:
- It kills any other bacteria that might be in the milk that would compete against the bacteria that convert milk to yogurt.
- It changes the milk protein in a way that allows it to culture and firm up.
Keep stirring the milk and do not let it go past 180F. If it scorches, your yogurt will taste bad.
2. Sterilize the containers
3. Cool the milk and inoculate
Once the milk reaches 170-180F (76-82C), turn off the burner and continue to stir it as it cools. You only need to stir it for another 2-3 minutes, to prevent any of the milk from scorching at the bottom of your pot.
Once it reaches 105-110F (40-43C), mix up your plain yogurt in its container until it's liquid, and add it to the pot of warm milk. Stir it for a couple of minutes for the yogurt to dissolve well into the milk. This will spread the bacteria (Lactobacillus, Bifidus, and other bacteria, depending on your source) throughout the milk and allow it to start to grow.
4. Pour into containers
Pour the inoculated milk into the containers.
5. Load into cooler and put in heat sources
Put all the containers into the cooler, along with the pitchers full of hot water from the tap. The heat from those containers will keep the containers warm. The heat should be maintained and stable throughout the process, so try to avoid opening the container at all until the end of the process. The fermentation takes anywhere from 4-8 hours (about 6 is ideal).
If the cooler/kitchen was a bit cool before you put everything in, you might want to quickly take those containers out at about the 1-2 hour point and refresh with hot water. But keep the cooler closed as much as possible, to avoid letting the temperature of the yogurt containers from dropping.
Also, avoid jostling the cooler, even if you have to open it up to refresh the hot water. It needs stillness to firm up.
6. Check yogurt to see if done
After about 6-8 hours (or a bit longer, if the temperature in your cooler is below 100F/39C), the yogurt should be firm. Test by gently turning it to see if it keeps its shape.
There will be some slightly yellowish, viscous liquid on the top. This is whey. You can either pour it off, or just mix it into the yogurt when you eat it.
7. Cover and refrigerate!
Cap or cover your yogurt and put them into your refrigerator. They'll last about 2 weeks.
If you want to use one of these yogurts as a starter for your next batch, use the yogurt within 5-7 days, or else freeze some of the fresh yogurt, and let it thaw before using it to inoculate the sterilized milk.
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Factory Reconditioned Cuisinart ICE-20FR Automatic Frozen Yogurt-Ice Cream & Sorbet Maker, White
Price: $32.95
List Price: $90.00 |
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Cuisinart ICE-30BC Pure Indulgence 2-Quart Automatic Frozen Yogurt, Sorbet, and Ice Cream Maker
Price: $63.99
List Price: $120.00 |
If you like thick, Greek yogurt, which is strained, you can use a coffee filter to strain the resulting yogurt to drain away the excess whey and leave you with a much thicker product. The longer you strain it, the more it becomes almost like sour cream in consistency.
If you don't want to use a cooler, there are a few incubators you can buy to maintain the right temperature during the fermentation process. A couple of the best are available from Amazon.
Other How-to guides
Check out my How to Geocache guide and I Ching Guide if you like this one.
Savings
- I bought a gallon of 1% milk from Berkeley Bowl for $3.70.
- The container of yogurt was $1.30.
- All of the other things I needed I already had on hand, so no cost there.
- I made the equivalent of 16 cups of yogurt (so about a cup per day through the 2-week life of what I made)
I spent $5 for 16 yogurts, coming out to:
- 32 cents per yogurt, or
- a savings of almost $16 over what I would have paid for 16 pre-prepared yogurts
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Comments
Thanks! It really does taste good, too.
great information livelonger, can i ask though if there is a bad smell from the milk during the process?.....jimmy
Bravo - great job, this is the same process I've used, although I did add the dry milk. Added extra "body" to the finished product and also boosted the protein!
Hi Jimmy, thanks. While the milk is being heated, no smell. The incubation period makes the cooler smell a bit sour, like yogurt, but once you take the finished yogurt out, cover it and refrigerate it, you just need to air out the cooler to get rid of the smell. Unless it spilled, there shouldn't be any lingering odor.
Michael - I've had to use dry milk sometimes, and I agree about the protein, although I feel like I've "cheated" a bit. ;-)
I love homemade yogurt; it reminds me of my Grandmother, who made delicious yogurt over the kitchen radiator...Regards.
Hi my name is Courtney i live in willis texas and this yogurt is the best thing that i have ever taste thanks for the great oppertunity for helping me make the best yogurt
Thanks for the recipe. Now I can make my own yogurt.
Great Hub! I've been making yogurt for my restaurant for years. What I do to keep the temperature steady is fill a huge pot of water and heat it up to 38 degrees, and then add the yogurt milk mixture into this in ziplock bags. Your method seems a lot less messy!
Thanks for the informative hub. More people should be making their own yogurt. It tastes better, and is so easy!
I've made cheese from plain yogurt, but never yogurt itself. This looks to be very good; I'll have to give it a try.
Thanks for a very clear and thorough guide. I cannot wait to start my first batch ;-)
Thanks for the recipe - looks too good not to try as soon as possible. We bought an incubator and jars at a garage sale today, so here goes....
Just bought a yogurt maker and been looking for a good recipe. Will try this one during the weekend! Will come back and share results!
I've made yoghurt before and there really is nothing better than homemade yoghurt! This is very informative, thank you! Can you really freeze the yogurt and expect it to work as a starter on future batches? That would really help me!
Yes, freezing your yogurt to use as starters in the future should work just fine, for about one year. Keep in mind that the starter should not be too many generations away from the original batch, because certain bacterial strains will slowly overpower others, reducing the diversity of cultures that created the quality of the original.
I've always wanted to try this. I have an old book from the 60s that talks about making yogurt, but it didn't give clear details. Since I keep plain yogurt in the refrigerator always, I'm gonna give this a shot. Thanks for the excellent tutorial.
one thinh you haven't mentioned is the amount of yogurt for a gallon of milk. thanks.
I also use Stonyfield Farm yogurt as my starter. This brand is rather pricey, which is what motivated me to try making my own in the first place! In order to grow the additional "probiotic" bacteria included in this brand of yogurt, I do the following: After heating the milk to 185F in the microwave (faster and easier than the stovetop), I lower the temperature to about 80F and incubate it in an oven (with only a pilot light) which is 120-125F. I've read that probiotics need to slowly increase in temperature to multiply successfully. Also, most other recipes call for a lower temperature incubation environment, but I've had more consistent results at this higher temperature. I like my yogurt thick like Stonyfield sells it, and at lower temperatures it sometimes turns out runny even with the exact same recipe. A couple of tablespoons of yogurt per quart of milk seems to work just fine, assuming it's thoroughly stirred into the milk. Perhaps I could use less, but it's not worth my trouble to find out. I always add some powdered milk to increase the consistency and flavor. I've also made yogurt using nothing but powdered milk, and that turned out fine also. One last comment: Inexpensive spring-type oven thermometers aren't always accurate, so I use a candy thermometer instead. A digital thermometer should also work well.
Very nice! We were making homemade yoghurt regularly at home in Slovenia. It's so simple. Our milk contained 3.5% to 5% of milk fat (diferent sources). We just left milk in big pottery bowl in the kitchen by night and in the morning we had very gentle and delicious drink/food. We never bothered with measuring temperature, and preparing special glasses, because our kitchen was always warm and we simply used eventual waste to feed animals, but that was on the farm. By travelling through different countries I've noticed that every sample of milk has a bit different taste, so does every sample of yoghurt. I really like many tastes from very acid to very gentle.
Thank you for reminding me on my old home and old habits.
Interesting hub! I'm a yogurt fan so this is great :) Easier than I thought
I have to try this we eat yogurt regularly.
I have a question. I just pulled out my old yogurt maker from the 70's and made 2 batches. Both batches turned out runny like kefir. The first batch was made using some yogurt w/live cultures. Since that batch turned out runny, I bought some yogurt starter, and that batch also turned out runny. Any suggestions on what I need to do to make the yogurt thicker? The last time I used my yogurt maker was about 10yrs ago and the yogurt turned out fine.
Thanks for your help and great instructions.
Diane - I'm not sure. Did you sterilize your yogurt maker with boiling water? How long did you let it incubate? Kefir tends to be a bit "clumpy" - was yours clumpy? Otherwise, I'd suggest trying a different starter, or adding some evaporated milk to the milk you use.
thanks for such a quick answer. I did sterilze the jars and i let it incubate the first time 10hrs (according to the directions on the yogurt maker). The second batch, was incubated 7hrs and when i found it runny (not clumpy - more pourable than spoonable) I let it incubate another 8hrs(while i was at work). Still no change in thickness. But one interesting thing - the longer it incubated the more "tangy" it became. Perhaps my old yogurt maker (Salton brand, i think) is dying...it is 30yrs old. I'm thinking - based on John Mc's comment, that maybe it is not keeping the temperature high enough.
I'd welcome any other thoughts you or anyone else has.
My mother in law taught me the way to make yogurt the old fashioned way. I prepare the milk mixture same way mentioned on this site (stove-top), but without adding powdered milk. The incubating method is different, I wrap the milk mixture container in thick blankets and place it on the living room carpet overnight, 10 hrs. Next morning pour out the water that's formed on top of the container and refrigerate. Always same greate taste, I love it.
you really are a great help to me
thank you
I have made yogurt several time using pwd milk. The first time it was just great but then it turned out stringy and runny. any suggestions?
I started this recipe at 10:30pm, but didn't finish until one in the morning! It takes a long time to heat up and cool down a gallon of milk... I had no idea. :) I followed all the instructions just as directed and when I woke up this morning I had great yogurt as a result. Thanks for the instructions WITH photos!
Radish: I'm not sure. Was your temperature kept at a constant warm temperature? Did you sterilize your cups? Was anything different at all the 2nd time around?
Kristen: Congratulations! I'm glad you're enjoying your yogurt. Yes, cooling off the milk can take some time. You can speed that step up by stirring constantly, or transferring to a (sterilized) glass bowl that's sitting in a larger bowl full of ice.
Why can't I use plastic container (Tupperware) to incubate yogurt ?
I'm using them, it actually become yogurt, is that why I'm having some gas after eating it ?
You should be able to use a plastic/Tupperware container. I prefer not to use plastic when I can, because of the phthlates used in them, but if that's not a concern for you, then by all means use it. It should have no effect whatsoever on the gas-producing level, although the degree to which it's cultured does if you're lactose intolerant (if that's the case, let it culture a few more hours than you've been doing so far).
Hi,I tried your instructions and found when I added the culture to the warm milk after it had cooled down , it imedeatly became curdled ? but I poured it into a thermous flask (41c)anyway and it has continued to seperate ??... any sugestions ??
I love your yogurt! Usually I have trouble with regularity, now I run like a freight train.
THanks for your comment. My yogurt is no longer stringy. It seems that scalding the milk is critical.
thanks for the great info. I've been trying and trying, I bought a yogurt maker, but it's always so runny. what happens if you heat the milk too hot? Will it kill all the good bacteria?
My wife loves Yogurt and has it every day. I guess I am going to make some yogurt now.
Very shortly I will not have time to go to bed.
Still may be the yogurt will give me stamina
IF I wanted a lightly sweet yogurt, should I add the honey (or whatever) after it's set and ready to eat? I guess I wonder if I wanted to add things to the yogurt, if it's best to add after it's done... Thanks, I can't wait to try making the yogurt at home, as I do have a degree of lactose intolerance and have been told making it at home will help with that issue.
Definitely add honey or other ingredients *after* culturing your yogurt; they can interfere with the bacteria's culturing process. And if you are lactose intolerant, then culture it as long as possible, more like 10 hours. It will be more tart, but will have less lactose (lactose=sweet -> lactic acid=sour)
I've made yogurt a lot in the past. Wrapping the container of yogurt in a towel or blanket. then leaving it in a warm room works just fine if you don't feel like going through the hassle of the cooler and water. It is a little runnier than normal yogurt, about the consistency of Wallaby brand yogurt. It is PERFECT for smoothies!
Thanks for the great recipe! I needed to do a projet on fermentation for biology and not only did you give great illustarted instructions you explained some of the processes! Thanks!
This is the best yogurt I've ever tasted!! Thanks.
Funny, I was wondering about making my own yogurt the other day. My kids eat tons of it...and for some reason they won't eat it when I buy the large tubs, and always want their own individual containers. Being on a mission to be Greener in all I do as a mommy, this really bugs me. I would love to give it a try....I will let you know how it goes! Nice pictures and directions, well done you!
thanks for this thread! What has made it so useful for me is the conversations, tips and ideas after the recipe. I've bought a commercial contraption that looks like a giant thermos. The idea is you put boiling water in the bottom and the cultured milk is kept in a closed container which sits in the bath, keeping it all at a constant temp over 8-12 hours. I've made a few batches so far but only from the pre-mixed yoghurt sachets sold by the same company so I can't wait to make my own so I know what I'm putting in it! :)
Has anyone tried setting yoghurt over fruit pulp in the bottom of the pot? A lot of gourmet yoghurts are doing it in Australia and I wouldn't mind trying it. Any thoughts?
I think it would work Dave - as long as the two layers stay completely separate. Let us know how it turns out if you try it!
i'd like to get started making my own yogurt and this looks like a wonderful guide to get me going. thanks so much for taking the time to put this together. i look forward to giving this a try. :)
I make my own yogurt all the time but the last few times it has turned out tasetless and slimmy, like snot. Any suggestions on what I should do differently? Thanks
New mommy: Did you change your culture or source yogurt at all? If not, then maybe the cups need extra sterilization - I'd boil them to make sure they're a "clean slate" for your cultured milk.
What if you want to make strawberry or blueberry yogurt? How and what would I do?
Angela - Definitely do NOT put the fruit in during the fermentation process. Fruit have plenty of yeasts that will ruin the culturing. You should wait until before step 7, and add it then.
hey this sounds great!! definately a plan for the weekend!
How much milk do you use thought? 1/2 gallon or 1 gallon? Also, the yogurt you add with the cultures should be 8 oz right?? Thank you!!
It doesn't matter - I use a gallon, but you can use a half-gallon as well. The amount of yogurt you add to culture it is about 1/2 to full cup. Not too important - it's not a recipe in the standard sense, so it doesn't need to be precise.
The whey on my yogurt is thick and slimey. The yogurt tastes fine but the slime puts me off. I wash all my cups and dishes with warm soapy water. How can I get rid of the slime?.
Thanks
Mohammad - that is normal. The whey has suspended proteins in it so it is viscous. You can just pour it off before eating.
Apparently I don't know how to use this Post Comment feature. I'll try again: Can I use instant powdered milk for a thickener in th yo-making process? Can I use instant milk to make yogurt? My recipe calls for non-instant milk, but it seems to be very hard to find.
Thanks
You can definitely use instant milk (meaning dried/powdered milk, and nothing else - no sweeteners, flavorings, thickeners, etc).
This is so funny ! I like it
I recently started making my own yogurt from scratch, The taste and the quality of the finished item is far superior than shop purchased yogurt.
I have started to experiment with thicker mixtures adding Dried milk and even putting in Gelatin sheets that where pre-soaked.
My family now prefer mine to shop bought pots. I am now starting to use different milks, IE, Goats, full fat & skimmed . Its not let me down yet.
I just can not keep up with the demand the whole family now raid the fridge and consume it in minutes.
For once I am not shouting at them for eating rubbish,
Experiment ! What have you to lose (nothing)! You have every thing to gain try introducing honey into the mixing procedure it changes the finished item...FANTASTIC !!
Great comment, Patrick - thanks! I'm surprised honey doesn't disturb the culturing process, but glad you tried it because it seems to be successful.
if i want to make sweet yogurt, when should i put sugar in the milk
Mike: You could try at two different times - BEFORE heating up the milk, or AFTER the yogurt has cultured/firmed up. I think if you introduce it in between, you run the risk of contaminating it and ruining the culturing process.
I've made yogurt many times. After you heat and cool the correct amount of milk and added the starter to the cooled milk, you can put it into a Walmart yogurt maker, turn on the switch to keep it heated overnight and next morning you have your yogurt. The yogurt maker is about $25. The maker keeps it heated at the proper temperature.
Making a purchase in Berkeley Bowl means you must be in Berkeley. Yeah Bay Area!!! Thanks for the tips on making yogurt!
i always make my own yougurt at home . when i add the plain yougurt and mix all together i close the pot and cover it with a blanket about 4to6 hours to keep it warm and sometimes all night long . then i put it in the refregirator to cool down before i use it .
ZoZoZo - Oakland, actually - right next door. :)
Sabine - that's a great way to make a big pot of yogurt and save yourself some work. The large pot of yogurt probably retains heat a bit better, too.
If you did it sabine's way (in a big bowl) you could later separate the yogurt into smaller containers, freeze some- correct? are there disadvantages of doing it this way?
thkx for this so simple 'n' clear recipe you gave to all of us.
I did try my own home made yougurt,'n' it worked for sure but not as this other procedure you just let me know from now going.
To every other internaut,would i say that ,i wasn't a professional soap producer untill a got to become it when i decided to.I went to the net 'n' started making reaserches some five years back. thkx to some people like our friends on this hubs,i'm today an experienced home made soap producer. I'm selling it well too.
therefore,i would like to share this good experience with all you so that any one who likes doing his own home made product can simply try this one as well as Jimy's.
Just go to google 'n' ckeck in the reaserches motor:HOW TO MAKE UR OWN HOMEMADE SOAP
thkx
I'll then give for next time, one of my own formula as a result of personal reaserches.
bye
This is such a great website. I've been making yogurt for years and still got some helpful tips. How thoughtful of you to take the time and share your knowledge; and in such a well organized and precise way!
Thanks!
Great website! Wish I had have found it before trying my first batch. I made it in an easiyo container but didn't add the boiling water in the bottom of the large easiyo container so it didn't retain the warmth. I put the 'failed' yoghurt/milk mixture in the fridge - is there any way to reuse it to get it to culture? Heating and leaving in container overnight again.... (with hot water in the easiyo container to maintain the temp). I'm guessing if you heat it too much you'll kill all the yoghurt culture... Any help appreciated. Thanks
thanks for this page. it really did help me understand the production of yogurt. how or is it the same way one can produce yogurt in large production
Thanks it is really helpful. I will give it a try over the week end.
When making frozen yogurt, do you simply putting it into freezer after step 6, even it is still warm, or it is better to use ice cream maker?
This is a nice procedure. I'll try it out
Those who wish to discuss and share all about effective way of teaching and teaching experiences are whole heartedly welcome to this page please feel free to share because it is said sharing is much better thn selfish enjoyment.My motto is ALL FOR YOU,YOU FOR ALL.
thank u very much the receipe was absolute correct since i am from hotel industry i am really appreciated. keep it up
awesome recipe it taste great thanxs
i'll try it, i used to eat sweet yogurt.. Nice hub..
I just tried my first batch of homemade yogurt. I prefer it very creamy and not very tangy. How can I keep it from being so tangy? I only let it sit for 10 hrs.
Dana - I would let it sit for a shorter period. You might have to experiment a bit, but 6 hours is typically enough time for it to firm up enough. Anything beyond that will just make the yogurt more sour.
What jars are you using and where did you get them from? They look like the perfect thing for yogurt!
Jenny - The brownish earthenware jars are from a local yogurt company called St Benoit. The glass jars with blue lids are from a very old yogurt-making set that my parents gave me. I'm not sure where they got that from.
Sure enough, I googled "yogurt jar" and there were similar ones. I'll have to order some and then try this out!
Coooooooooooool..........
its a great thing to know thanx
Thankx for information.Its cool keep going.... :-)
yo!gurt!
This doesn't look that hard. I always imagined huge vats of stuff fermenting for weeks.
Wow, wouldn't have thought to try and make this! Thanks for the instructions and recipes :)
Well I started to make my own bread... now this as insoired me to make some yogat, yummy
Can you make yogurt in a glass pot?
I can't wait to try this recipe - who would have thought!! Thanks for the very detailed recipe. The photos are superb!
This has been the arabic way of making yogourt for years. You can wrap the pot in a blanket and it will stay warm.....much easier. To make spreadable cheeze, put some into a cloth bag and hang it for a day or two...depends how sour you want it....or put it in a strainer with paper towels.
congratulations
working
vic says:
14 months ago
That yogurt in step six sure looks delicious. Thank you for an informative Hub.