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Kelly
It’s time to try this. I’m on an anti candida protocol and I’m missing the crunch factor in breakfast. I’ll be leaving out the lime and honey ? though. Do you think oat bran will work in place of the oats?
Jessica Fisher
The recipe that inspired this used ground up shredded wheat. You can do any grain that you like.
Amy L
So, I literally just jarred up a gallon of homemade plain organic whole milk (for my skinny kids and hubby) yogurt right before sitting down to read your blog today ?
I make mine in the Instant Pot and incubate for 24 hours so that it is lactose free. I totally agree with the healthier plain option. Flavored yogurts sometimes have as much sugar as a donut does ?
I usually serve it with granola on top, but I’m excited to try this recipe instead! Thank you!
Jessica Fisher
Does the 24-hour time frame make it more sour? And how thick does yours turn out? We’ve been buying Greek yogurt for the past year or so and my last batch of homemade was just not thick enough.
Katy
I’ve made yogurt for years with good success using the water bath method. Now I have the Instanpot and I will never make yogurt any other way again! It’s sooo easy. I read those comments from the past and I am so thankful I don’t have to worry about failed yogurt anymore. Also, the morning oats and yogurt is delicious Btw.
Jessica Fisher
So, you use the IP to warm the milk to the right temperature? Do you incubate it in there, too, or move to jars?
Katy
I do the whole thing in the pot. Heat it to the right temperature 180. Then cool it to 110 in a water bath in the sink, add starter (I use small cup of Fage), then incubate in the IP for 8 hours on the yogurt setting. Then I cool it in the fridge for overnight in the pot insert and then I put it into quart jars for storage because I do a gallon of yogurt at a time. It does tie up the IP for a while but the yogurt comes out perfect every time so its worth it and its very hands off. No worrying about consistent temps or anything.
Jessica Fisher
How thick does it turn out? That’s currently my issue. I can make fine yogurt, but not as thick as we like, which is more custard thickness.
Katy
It’s really thick like custard. Before when I water bathed, I had to strain it to get it thick. Now I don’t, its thick like greek yogurt. Just make sure that when you do it for 8 hours it goes to medium. When you press the yogurt function, it goes “boil”, then you push it again and it should say “8 hours” and medium light should be on. A couple of times I accidentally pressed it a third time and it said “24 hours” and I just adjusted the time down to 8 hours but that setting is low and the yogurt was a runny mess. Finally figured out the 8 hour and medium light and its been perfect and thick every batch since. Hope that helps.
Jessica Fisher
Good to know. Thank you!
Jana Conover
I love a good yogurt bowl! I’ve never tried lime and honey, but I can’t wait to!
Deanna Furrey
When I make yogurt,I mix in powdered milk to thicken it. Then I heat it on the stove to between 180 and 185, then cool to 115 or so. then I take some out and mix in about 1/4 I think it is, of yogurt as a starter. Then, I put it in the crockpot and wrap it with two blankets, or a towel and a blanket and leave it for 12 hours. Sometimes it ends up being longer than that if I forget, am busy, or gone. I like Nancy’s yogurt and I think the other one is Mountain High. They do not have pectin or anything, just milk and Live Probiotic Cultures. Nancy’s has 5, so it’s my favorite but I believe the minimum should be 3. The yogurt is pretty thick this way and my husband loves it. I have to sweeten it to eat it, but that’s fine with me. You can add honey and fruit. We usually add our homemade jam. It’s yummy and super good for you! Take care! 🙂
Sarah @ Economist at Home
Julie – you CAN’T start with flavored or sweetened yogurt. Your starter must be plain. However as soon as your batch is done you can add vanilla and sugar (honey, maple syrup, agave…) and you’ll have homemade vanilla yogurt. It’s a great way to offer the vanilla yogurt your family loves for less, while perhaps easing off the sugar over time.
I’ve been happy with my crockpot yogurt: http://economistathome.com/2013/10/homemade-yogurt-another-great-use-for-a-slow-cooker/. If you have a need for whey, I think straining it to get a thicker product is great. If not, I’d recommend adding dry milk so you don’t have to throw away a quarter of your batch (in the form of whey).
I’ve had good luck with Trader Joe’s plain organic European style yogurt as a starter, but only for the first batch. The next made from my homemade yogurt was lumpy. Not sure what that’s about but it tasted fine.
Jessica Fisher
How can you make the sweetened variety be thick and solid in the container. I’d like to make that happen. Then my people would eat it more often.
Julie
My family really loves vanilla yogurt, but I’d really like to try making my own. Can you start with a vanilla yogurt or do you have a recipe to make vanilla? Thanks!
Jessica
I don’t think you can incubate it with the flavorings. I’ve only had experience making plain. Sorry, I’m not much help.
Sandi
It’s been a few years since I made vanilla yogurt, so I don’t quite recall proportions. I didn’t use vanilla yogurt for the starter, as I was not sure how the sugar in that would react. After heating/cooling the milk and whisking in the starter, I then added the vanilla extract before incubating it. As far as I recall, it came out okay, but was not as sweet as the store-bought stuff so might have benefited from added sweetener after it developed. I’m thinking it was maybe a tbsp of vanilla? Really not sure since I did not have a recipe and was simply trying to wing it. I only did it once or twice before reverting to simply making plain since I learned to like it that way. 🙂
bob taylor
we have been making our own yogurt for about a year now- a couple observations from our short time doing this. 1- we have had good success using a hot water bath in an insulated water cooler to keep the yogurt warm for the required processing time- just be sure you do not get the water too warm at the start. for us, the hot water bath seems a lot simpler than using a crock pot, but that is just our preference. 2- we did an experiment- bought 9 different live culture yogurts (plain flavor) from the store, and tried making our own (using powdered milk from the LDS dry pack cannery- we used powdered milk because we do not normally use milk because of past food allergies with our boys))- all processed well, but the point is that if your original yogurt starter has live cultures in it- then you are good to go and will not need to buy any more starter cultures. we settled on Chobani yogurt, but any commercially available yogurt containing live cultures can be used as a starter for making hour own at home.
from our experiment, we settled on the greek style yogurt for flavor and texture– for those who do not know, greek style refers to how the yogurt is further processed after it comes out of the incubator- in this case, by straining to remove some of the whey- it has nothing to do with it being greek or any other nationality 🙂
Ellen
I tried the the breakfast cream, and I LOVE it. I’m trying to get off some baby weight, so I also picked up “French Women Don’t Get Fat” from the library. Have you tried or adapted any other recipes from the book? I’d be curious to hear more about how you’re using this philosophy in your life with lots of busyness and children. It’s a little challenging to slow down when eating at our family dinner table. =)
Jessica
@Ellen, I have not tried many other recipes in the books, but they inspired me to start making the things I ate when I lived in France. The biggest take-away about eating (one of them, anyway) was the idea of portion control. When we go out, I divide my plate in half. If I’m still hungry, I do that again. SHe recommends it in one of her books, and it’s proven to be a great strategy for curbing over eating.
Haley @ Cheap Recipe Blog
GREAT ideas! I’ve just recently gotten into yogurt – mostly because I’ve started flavoring it myself instead of buying fruity or sweetened varieties.
BTW – I LOVE your tagline “act your wage”. How cute – and true – is that? Great blog! I’m enjoying looking through your posts.
Stacy
I eat it often for breakfast, Fage 0% mainly, with some Kashi Lean Crunch cereal and/or organic berries. I’ve been working on losing weight, and Fage has been a real lifesaver in terms of providing fat free high protein small meals. I’ve wanted to make my own, but got kind of sidetracked on cooking this summer while I was working at just eating small meals and exercising a lot more. I’ll try yours now that you’ve worked it out–we get to benefit from your trial and error, so thank you. I also sometimes use yogurt instead of mayo on sandwiches, as a substitute for sour cream in tacos and burritos or whatever else, and in smoothies. My family has yet to take to the plain yogurt even with sweetener, but I sneak it in here and there since it’s good for them–in the tacos and with fruit.
Rebecc
I was so excited when you mentioned a slow-cooker yogurt, but then was quickly bummed when you said it turned out thin and runny. I wonder if there’s a better recipe out there? I love yogurt and really want to make my own, but there always seems to be some contraption you need. A slow cooker recipe would be perfect!
Jessica
Do you have a heating pad? I really like that method and it is super easy. On the other hand, lots of folks LOVE the slow cooker method. You could try it and then see.
Jessica
We’ve been making our own yogurt for a few months now. I use the cooler method from Katie at Kitchenstewardship. She does a great job explaining all the details. We make 3 quarts a week and if I use regular ole milk, that means I’m making a quart for .75 !! It kills me to buy a quart now.
Mandy
When you replace buttermilk with yogurt, do you use the same proportions? I make a lot of buttermilk biscuits for my son who is a picky eater and would like to substitute yogurt.
Jessica
I usually mix yogurt with some milk to make an equivalent in consistency, usually about 1 part yogurt to 3 parts milk.
AllieZirkle
I’m glad to hear about the two tests, the differences between their outcomes. I’m going back to oats soon. I use yogurt and eggs now, separately. 🙂
Seems like oats & yogurt are a hip trend. I’m going to try some overnight fridge oats tonight.
Allie
Jessica
@AllieZirkle, ha! I guess they are a trend now. I started using this last summer back before it was cool. 😉
Jessica
@AllieZirkle, and I’m not putting no chia seeds in my yogurt. Eww.
Melissa
I use plain yogurt instead of mayo and sour cream in recipes. When I make macaroni salad I use mayo and yogurt and no one has ever known. I’ve been doing this for atleast 6 years.
Sally
To strain thin homemade yogurt, line your sieve with a coffee filter.
Jessica
@Sally, yeah, I used several layers of cheesecloth which is an equivalent and it was still too thin. Really. It was THIN.
Karen
Thanks for a terrific post. A question about the French Women series, would you mind sharing which of her books you read? There are several on Amazon. Thank you, Karen
Jessica
I’ve read all four of her books. My favorites are the one on work and the first in the FWDGF series. You can read my reviews here: http://lifeasmom.com/2011/10/booking-it-with-the-french-lady-october-check-in.html
Sally
I’m a brand new yogurt maker; just made my third batch last night. I use a combination of stovetop plus crockpot method.
First, I plug in my crock pot and set it to low. Then, I heat the milk to 185* on the stove. Next, I set the pot in a sink of cold water and let it come down to 112*. Then I take out a cup of the warm milk, stir in my starter and pour it all back together. I turn off the crock pot, pour all the milk mixture into it, wrap it in towels and let it culture for at least 4 hours.
I keep my culturing time short (currently 5-6 hours) because I am training family member’s taste buds to enjoy yogurt. Longer culturing causes tangier yogurt.
This method keeps my hands on time very short. I was absolutely astonished to find the process so easy and the flavor so delicious.
Respectfully,
Sally
BethB
@Sally,
This is similar to what I’ve been doing based on an article Tammy’s recipes. The key to getting it thick is to put the crock of cultured yogurt in the fridge WITHOUT DISTURBING IT for at least 8 hours. The biggest challenge I have is making yogurt during the time of the week I have enough room in my fridge for the crock.
I’ve been making yogurt on and off for ten years now. My challenge is to find a starter that produces the most consistent consistency (ha!). So far the best thing for me has been to just shell out for powdered starter. My current batch I bought from New England Cheese supply.
http://www.cheesemaking.com/store/p/301-Yogurt-Sample-Pack-Y1-Y3-Y5.html) It’s a bit more than $1 a batch (2 quarts) but that’s still cheaper than store bought yogurt and the other ways I’ve obtained starters. The kicker is you can only make 2-3 batches per starter. I spent around $15 on 11 packets so I’m guessing that will be 20-30 batches of yogurt.
When I use store bought yogurt I the only brand that works consistently is Danon and even then I end up having to buy a new one every month or so. That’s still using more plastic tubs than I’d like.
Last year I tried buying a reusable culture from Cultures For Health. It worked for awhile but it has to be cultured every 7 days. I got behind, probably made an error during the next batch, and started getting runny, gummy, yogurt. Yuck.
Jessica
Thanks for sharing all your experience. I’ve been reading lots of articles about cheesemaking and that New England Cheeese Supply site is continually referenced.
Jessica
@Sally, that’s interesting about the tartness. I’ll try reducing my time next go round.
Steph
I’ve been planning on making homemade yogurt for weeks now and it keeps not happening. Hopefully tonight.