I am always amazed at how quickly we go through yogurt in this house. I’m talking copious amounts!
Little One eats plain Greek yogurt with honey. Hubby likes yogurt with fruit in it. I like my Activia. Our boarder is not fussy and is happy to eat whatever yogurt we have on hand. I figured that we consume so much yogurt, I needed to make it in bulk.
A few months ago, Little One’s classmate’s mom told me that she makes her family’s yogurt in her crock pot. Yes! Crock pot yogurt! She’s even got it down to a complete science — perfectly timed so that when she wakes up in the morning, the yogurt is good to go!
Unlike store-bought yogurt, the only ingredients in here are milk and starter yogurt. There’s no pectin or any other thickener. The first thing I noticed was that homemade yogurt doesn’t have that firmness that store-bought yogurt does. I did notice a lot of whey, but it was easy to drain the liquid off. I like the consistency and taste of homemade crock pot yogurt.
Thanks, Barbara P., for sharing this recipe with me and for letting me share it with my readers.
Ingredients:
- 2 bags of 3% milk (If you’re Canadian, you’ll know what 2 bags of milk means. If you’re not Canadian, then 2 L of milk) ** I’ve seen other recipes call for 1/2 gallon of whole milk.
- 1/2 container of Plain Balkan 6% yogurt (red container)
- 1 cup sugar (optional)
Instructions:
- Pour 2 bags of 3% in a crock pot and set it to low. Cook for 3hrs.
- Turn off crock pot off after 3hrs. Take lid off and skim the top.
- Take out 1-1 1/2 c, mix 1/2 container of Balkan style 6% yogurt (red container) and 1 cup sugar.
- Wisk it, then add back to crockpot. Put lid back on and leave for 10-12 hrs. Put a blanket over it.
I have made this yogurt for my family and they are big fans! This yogurt is perfect eaten on its own, on top of granola or topped with fruit. We also enjoy the homemade crock pot yogurt in smoothies as well!
As mentioned earlier, the homemade yogurt is not as thick as the store-bought ones, but if you skim off the whey and let the yogurt settle, it does thicken up. It doesn’t thicken up to the consistency you are probably accustomed to, but it’s still delicious!
Oh, make sure to reserve a cup and a half of your homemade yogurt so you can use as a starter for your next batch!
Seriously?? I have never heard of this before! Wow you learn something new every day. Not sure if I would ever make it but it is very interesting for sure.
Now I know I need a crock pot – love plain Greek/Balkan vegetarian yogurt and I keep on asking my local store to keep getting it but we haven’t had a supply for over a month
I used to make my own yogourt but stopped having the time. I had never considered making it in a crock pot!
This is great! I would love to give it a try. 🙂
this is my first time seeing a home yogurt recipe. looks pretty good
Ok, you got me. Never in a million years would I have thought it possible to make yogurt in a crock pot. Now I know. Thank you for this AWESOME idea. I am going to try this and *hopefully* never buy fruit yogurt from the store ever again.
Thank you for the recipe christine as i have always wanted to make my own yogurt!
Wow I did not know you could make this in a crock pot, but it sounds and looks delicious!
That is so cool!! Who would of thought of making yogurt in the crock pot!! Amazing must try!! 🙂
If you use whole milk the final product is going to be very thick. That also depends on the starter itself. I used all kinds of starters (buttermilk, sour cream, balkan style 6% yogurt-but only the real ones, you know, without any yack in them). I just dump the starter in the big pot of milk, mix it well and leave in the warm place (like on top of the air vent) overnight. The longer it stands the thicker it gets. I left it on the counter too, but then milk needs to be warm and it takes longer, and I personally don’t like it to be without the fridge for longer than it has to be. To me, though, what I get is only a middle product, I put some aside for my family to eat, but the majority of it is used to make pressed dry cottage cheese (that is so rare in Canada :)) The culture used as a starter makes a difference on the consistency and taste of the final product, so we figured we love sour cream the best. One of my friends actually prefers Balkan style 6% yogurt for the same purpose.
I’ve never made my own yogurt before but I’m all about the healthy alternatives. Worth a try, my kids love yogurt.
I never would have thought of making yogourt in the crock pot. Looks delicious!
I have made home-made yogurt years ago but not since them. My husband has started eating yogurt now and I think I will give your recipe a try. Do you turn the heat on again once you add the starter yogurt and sugar? Thank you for this simple recipe and for the answer to my question. Hugs
Thanks so much for this amazing recipe, it’s a keeper!
Thank you for posting this recipe. I have been looking for one that doesn’t require large amounts of ingredients like this for quite a while. And this one looks absolutely delicious!
That’s a recipe I have to try. Looks really good and easy to make.
Helene, it’s so easy! I love having our own yogurt! Like I said, we go through lots of it a week, so doing it in a big batch is perfect.
We love yogurt in this house so I think I will have to give this a try and see what we think. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Thanks, Judy! Let me know how it turns out for you! It really is easy. It will be not as thick as store-bought. If you skim the liquid from the top and let the yogurt settle, it will thicken a bit, but won’t be firm like the store-bought ones. I love it. If you want to add vanilla, that’s an option. I leave it plain though.
Wow this is awesome!
Thanks, Brandy!
I am going to try this!
Please do! Let me know what you think 🙂
I had no idea you could do this in the crockpot! What a great idea. I’ll have to try this out 🙂
Yes, Brandi! In a crock pot!! How awesome (and easy) is that?! Funny…someone told me, “Oh, you make your own yogurt. Must be nice to have so much free time.” LOL!!! I said, “I make it in a crock pot! All you do is put the ingredients in and leave it alone!”
This sure sounds delicious,I would love to try it sometime.
Kathy, if you do try it, let me know what you think!