DIY Homemade Yogurt {New and Improved + Updated Tutorial}
Ingredients
- 1 gallon milk
- ½ cup plain yogurt with live and active cultures, look at the ingredient list to make sure it includes Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus
Instructions
- Heat the milk on the stove over medium heat to 180 degrees F. Stir often to prevent scorching on the bottom.
- Remove from the heat and stir in any sweetener or extracts, if using (see note above).
- Let the milk cool until between 110-120 degrees. I prefer catching it at the higher end of that range (around 119 degrees) since it will cool after you add the yogurt starter and it needs to be between 110-120 to culture properly.
- Measure out the yogurt starter in a liquid measure or bowl. Slowly whisk in a couple ladlefuls of the warm milk until it is smooth.
- Add the yogurt starter to the pot of warm milk and stir until it is thoroughly incorporated into the milk.
- Ladle the yogurt into quart-sized jars (a funnel helps!) and cover with a lid/ring or with a white plastic cap.
- Place the jars in an insulated cooler. Fill with hot water most of the way up to the neck of the jars. I like to take the temperature of the water to make sure it is within that 110-120 degree range. Too hot and the yogurt won't thicken (same if it is too cool). Add warmer or cooler water as needed.
- Close the cooler and place in a warm/non-drafty spot. Let the yogurt rest for 8-12 hours until thick and set.
- Using a nut milk bag or a colander lined with cheesecloth or coffee filters, strain the yogurt. You might need to spoon it out into the nut bag or colander vs. pouring, depending on how thick it is. I use the nut bag and tie it to a knob on my kitchen cabinets, letting the whey drip into a pot or bowl (I have two nut bags and put about 3 quarts of yogurt in each bag) - it strains much faster than cheesecloth; I let it strain 20-30 minutes. The colander with cheesecloth/coffee filters can be placed over a large pot or bowl and refrigerated to strain a couple hours. The total straining time will really depend on how thick you want the yogurt so watch closely. If it strains too thick, simply whisk in a little of the whey (or milk).
- After straining, scrape the yogurt into a bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. Spoon the yogurt back into clean jars, cover and refrigerate. It will thicken even more as it chills.
- The yogurt should keep 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator (using well-sanitized jars helps it keep longer, as well as using milk that isn't close to expiring).
Notes
Tutorial: make sure to check out the step-by-step picture tutorial.
Milk: I alternate making this yogurt with whole milk and 2% milk (cow's milk). I have not tried it with alternative milk products (like almond, coconut, soy, etc) but I know others in the original post have done so.
Sweetener + Extract: I don't include sweetener amounts in the recipe but since I include that info in the picture collage below, here are the details: I add 1/2 cup agave nectar and 1 teaspoon vanilla for every gallon of milk. You can experiment with different sweeteners and extracts (like coconut, yum). You definitely don't have to add sweetener or vanilla, especially if you want to use it as plain yogurt in recipes or for a sour cream substitute. We use it 99% of the time for eating so I prefer the lightly sweetened version.
Starter: lots of online sources say you can use less starter but when I've done so, my yogurt is much thinner, so I stick with the 1/2 cup. Also, you can use this homemade yogurt as the starter for your next batch, too.
Time Frame: finally one more note, if I start the yogurt at around 8 a.m., I can have it completed (strained and all) by bedtime.