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homemade yogurt

Homemade Yogurt

Homemade yogurt is not only easy to make, but it’s also a healthier, more affordable alternative to store-bought options. The homemade yogurt recipe below can be made with cow milk, goat milk, sheep milk, raw milk, and pasteurized milk.
Cook Time 3 hours
Resting time 6 hours
Total Time 9 hours

Equipment

  • 1 Large pot
  • 1 Thermometer
  • 3 Glass or Plastic jars
  • 2 Towels
  • Optional: strainer and cheese cloth
  • Optional: Crockpot or Instant Pot

Ingredients

  • 1 Gallon Milk of choice
  • 1 cup Starter yogurt

Instructions

  • Turn heat source on and pour milk into pot so it reaches a temperature of 185°F. Don't let it boil.
    If using a crock pot: turn the crockpot on to high and pour the milk in, it will take around 3-4 hours
    If using an Instant Pot: turn on boil with yogurt setting
  • Once the milk reaches around 185°F, turn the heat source off and let the milk cool to about 120°F. While cooling, it may form a skin on the top, this is normal.
  • Once the milk cools down to 120°F, add in the yogurt starter culture. Careful! Adding your starter while the milk is too hot can kill the live and active culture
  • Stir until the yogurt mixture until it is fully dissolved.
  • Cover the pot with a towel and place it inside the oven and put the oven light on. You can even preheat the oven to 100°F and turn it off to keep the oven warm overnight. Alternatively, you can place the pot on a sunny windowsill or in a cooler.
    If using a crock pot, treat the crock the same as a large pot above
    If using an Instant Pot: turn on the yogurt function and set the timer for a duration of at least 6 hours to 12 hours.
  • Once six hours have passed, you can strain the excess liquid out with a cheese cloth for a thicker consistency.
  • Bottle the yogurt and put in the fridge, and store up to two weeks.

Notes

You can use cow milk, goat milk, sheep milk, raw milk, or pasteurized milk.
If you plan to make homemade yogurt pretty consistently, you can save yogurt from a previous batch.
Incubation Time
Flavor & Result
6 hours
Mild, slightly sweet yogurt
8 hours
Classic yogurt flavor
10–12 hours
Tangy, thicker yogurt
24 hours
Extra tangy, lower lactose yogurt