How To Make Organic Yogurt in a Crockpot! (Recipe)

It’s true: You CAN make your own organic yogurt in a CROCKPOT! Welcome to Part Two of Eco-Friendly Friday: Yogurt edition. And don’t forget to check out Part One: Nancy’s Yogurt (Review).

My family loves to eat yogurt, which can get pricey when you start adding up the cost per cup. I have been looking at yogurt makers for awhile now, trying to decide if I should splurge for one. In the meantime, I have found directions on How To Make Yogurt in a Crockpot (Thanks for the awesome recipe, A Year of Slow Cooking!)

I experimented with the recipe I found — with great results. I have photo documented the process so you can see for yourself how EASY it is and best of all, ECONOMICAL. All it takes is a half-gallon of Organic Whole Milk and a 1/2 a cup of Organic Yogurt (plain) to use as a starter. Once you have made your own yogurt, you can use that as a starter.

And it does take a bit of time – I started mine in the evening so it could sit overnight (8 hours).

FIRST THINGS FIRST: The milk sits for 2.5 hours in the crockpot on Low. Then, it sits for 3 hours in an unplugged crockpot. Then, you add the starter. (Please excuse the blurry photos)

BEDTIME For Me and the Crockpot. Tuck it in with towels for insulation.

GOOD MORNING! Did it work? YES! *Notice it seems a bit curdy compared to smooth store bought textures. Wasn’t chunky though. Maybe it will smooth out?

TASTE TEST TIME! Here it is, sitting next to one of my last jars of homemade raspberry jam from last summer. It is the kids’ sweetener of choice, although you can use honey, fruit, frozen pureed fruit, anything you want to customize your flavor!

The verdict on my homemade yogurt? It is a bit thinner than store bought whole milk yogurt, but tastes like the real thing! The consistency of my whole milk yogurt is comparable to store bought lowfat yogurt. I read the comments on the recipe link suggesting thickening the yogurt with a couple tablespoons of nonfat dry milk.

But will the kids eat it? YES, they did.

Will I make my own crockpot yogurt again? I sure will! Considering the high cost of organic yogurt, especially when you have multiple family members eating it every day, this is a great way to save grocery money. I can buy a half gallon of organic whole milk for $3.49 (Alaska’s prices are probably higher than yours). Compare that to the cost of ONE small cup of organic yogurt – I pay $1.89 or more per cup if it isn’t on sale. No matter where you live, I’m sure making your own yogurt is going to save you money.

Try this recipe for yourself and let me know how it goes!