Homemade Yogurt

Homemade is best

This is one recipe where homemade is best. This homemade yogurt is softer, smoother, and creamier than any Greek yogurt I can purchase in any store. Granted, it’s more convenient to pick up a pint of yogurt than to take the time to make your own. I’ll continue to do that when necessary. In the meantime, I’ve found this awesome homemade yogurt recipe that is a forever-keeper.

My friend Elma told me about her homemade yogurt and gifted me with a half-pint one day. With the yogurt came the recipe which she got from a friend. I tasted her yogurt and was so glad she gave me the recipe. It saved me a phone call to ask for this simply must have recipe. 

You need two ingredients for the yogurt and three other items to do the project. For the yogurt, you need a gallon whole milk and cultured yogurt (see, I still have to buy yogurt in the store). You’ll need a crock pot and a strainer or sieve and a cloth or disposable coffee filters to sieve the final product. That’s it. 

Materials for straining homemade yogurt

For the cloths, I have used coffee filters – spread on the bottom and up the sides of a colander. I’ve also used cheese cloths and linen tea towels. You decide what works best for you. The coffee filters can slip a little if you don’t overlap them enough. The cheese cloths and tea towels must be anchored so they don’t fall into the pan under the sieve that collects the whey. You can use clothes pins or a rubber band large enough to cover the perimeter of your sieve.  Here you see the one with coffee filters and the one with cheesecloth.  

Tips for homemade yogurt

When you make your own yogurt, you decide how thick or thin you want the yogurt. Draining it longer, of course, makes the yogurt thicker. The recommendation is 8-24 hours. The yogurt thickens a little when it is refrigerated and sits a while. Under 8 hours makes it a little “wobbly” like jello that is not quite set. 8 -10 hours gives it a thickness that can literally be dropped by gobs from your spoon like whipped cream. You choose. 

I like to start my yogurt late afternoon. Before bedtime, I add cultured yogurt and let it sit all night. In the morning, I start the draining process.  By evening, it’s done. The picture below shows the results from one recipe. Yes, I use whatever lids I have on hand. 🙂 If you drain it longer, you’ll get less yogurt; if you drain it less time, of course you’ll get more.