Have you ever make yogurt in a crockpot? If you haven’t you don’t know the pennies you could be pinching by doing this!
At my grocery store I am able to get a top brand organic yogurt for $3.50 for 32 oz. The problem is my kids will eat that in 2 days, tops. So in order to pinch some pennies I learned how to make yogurt in the crock pot. After some trial and error I found this to be the best method for making yogurt.
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon milk. I found 2% works best because it has bit of fat in it and it makes a thicker yogurt. 1% and even skim work but you will end up with a thinner yogurt, along the lines of a drinkable yogurt consistency.
1/2 cup of yogurt starter. This is a yogurt that has active cultures already in it. Look on the side of your yogurt container see that specifically states that it contains live active cultures. The majority of the brands that I checked at my local grocery store have it printed on the side so it shouldn’t be hard to find. I use a yogurt that was plain or vanilla.
1 packet of unflavored knox gelatin. This is completely optional. I like a thicker yogurt and the only other way I knew to make it thicker was to strain it. I was willing to forgo the extra step of straining and toss in a packet of unflavored gelatin. Keep in mind this is NOT JELLO!! Found near the Jello but NOT JELLO
1 Slow cooker. I recommend a Crock-Pot 6-Quart Slow Cooker
1 Digital Cooking Thermometer/Timer
Start by adding the milk to the slow cooker and turn the temperature to low. Bring the milk temperature to 180 degreed F.
By bringing the milk to 180 degrees it kills any bacterial that may be lingering in your slow cooker or your milk. This is a step that must not be missed and 180 must be reached. In my slow cooker this took about 2 hours.
When the milk reaches 180 degrees, turn the slow cooker OFF!
Once 180 has been reached, sprinkle a packet of the unflavored gelatin over the milk.
Let it absorb into the milk and give it a stir to dissolve completely.
If you don’t dissolve it completely you will find a lump of gelatin in your yogurt. A lump of gelatin is not necessarily the surprise you would like to find in your yogurt.
Let the milk cool to 110 F.
Add 1/2 cup of active culture yogurt starter. Stir to incorporate.
If the yogurt starter is added when the milk is too hot it can kill the active cultures in the yogurt and cause the whole recipe to fail.
Now let your yogurt sit for 8-12 hours.
My slow cooker came with a Travel Bag
I let my yogurt sit over night and it is ready to go in the morning when I wake up!
Once you open your slow cooker you have made yogurt!
Look at that thick yummy yogurt!
Now keep in mind this will be plain yogurt. If you are looking for a sweeter yogurt just stir in honey or a sweetener of your choice. My kids love to add fruit to their yogurt. They also love to make a fruit and yogurt smoothies. We freeze fruit in the summer so that we can enjoy it all year long.
Here are a few How-To’s on freezing your fruit for use all year:
I was able to make 64 oz of yogurt for the price of a half a gallon of milk.
Have you tried this recipe before? What recipes do you like to use yogurt in? What is your favorite yogurt flavor! Comment below and let me know what you think!
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