Homemade Yogurt in a Crockpot

nickyeatrunread

We're trying to cut down on $$$ spent on groceries and I stumbled on a recipe to make homemade yogurt for a FRACTION of what we spend here (2 people x 1 yogurt a day for lunch x approx .89-$1/yogurt= 10-14 dollars a week!)

It turned out so delicious that I had to share:

You will need:
-half gallon of milk (the recipe I used recommended not using ULTRA-pasturized, but I did and it turned out beautifully)
-1 small plain yogurt (I used chobani greek and heard that it makes thicker yogurt)
-1 crockpot
-1 large towel
-1 small bowl
-10-12 hours (start before bed and let it sit while you sleep, or on a lazy saturday)

1. In your crockpot pour a half gallon of milk
2. Heat it in the crockpot on high for approximately 2 hours or until the milk reaches 180º. This will kill all the bad bacteria.
3. Cool milk to 110-120º. I was in a rush and lifted the insert out and put it in an ice bath to speed things up.
4. Take 1 cup of the cooled milk out and mix it in a small bowl with the small, plain yogurt
5. Add milk/yogurt starter to the rest of the crock pot and stir
6. Put the lid back on the crock pot insert and using a large towel, wrap the closed crock pot insert to keep the heat on (I tried to put the most of the towel at the top where the most heat would escape
7. Place towel-wrapped crock pot in the oven and close the door
8. Let it sit for 8 hours (overnight?) to let the starter colonize the rest of the milk

Then you should have yogurt! With the ultra-pasturized it wasn't that thick, but after leaving it in the fridge for awhile overnight (I made my yogurt during the day), it was PERFECT when I woke up this morning.

Great taste and it made 10.5 servings for 40 cents each and that's considering I used organic milk! To make it sweeter, you can add honey, vanilla, fruit, or even jam. So easy!

Plus, with no added sugars or anything, each serving came out to 101 calories!

Had to share, I'm just so pleased knowing how easy it is to make, how healthy it is, and how much money we will save!

jtdowell

excited to try this! thanks!

Becca211H

I've been doing the same thing, but I heat it the first time on the stove to speed up the process. It is so easy!! You can strain it the next morning to make it more like greek yogurt.

MrsZMartin

Think you could use Almond Milk???

MrsZMartin

Think you could use Almond Milk???

Googled this to answer my own question...I eat a lot of yogurt....looks like you can use almond or soy milk

Thanks for sharing this!!!!

w2bab

Thanks for posting this. I was just wishing yesterday that I hadn't donated my old yogurt makers.

christina_theresa

Hmm, I am going to have to try this! Thanks for sharing!

nickyeatrunread

Thanks for posting this. I was just wishing yesterday that I hadn't donated my old yogurt makers.

Yeah, I'm so glad I can use my crockpot for it--I have no room to add a yogurt maker into the mix in my tiny apartment. I don't know what I'd do without a crock pot.

MrsZMartin

Just a note...the almond milk did NOT work. Trying again today with normal milk and fage 0% plain greek yogurt. It's crazy how much $$ I spend on yogurt!