Greek Yogurt in the Crockpot
Last week I made my own Greek yogurt! The process was so easy and inexpensive that I’d like to try and do it on a weekly basis.
Yogurt is one of those things I’ve never really considered being able to make at home. Like cheese, or even soap, it’s something I’ve just always assumed you buy, why on Earth would you try making it yourself? (For the record, I have made my own soap, and it’s definitely more fun than buying it!)
The original “recipe” (and I put recipe in quotation marks because there’s not much to it!) came from here.
The steps are pretty basic: I used a half gallon of 2% milk and just dumped it into my clean crockpot (I decided not to use a crockpot liner for this one). I set it on low and though the instructions say it’ll reach 180 degrees in about 2.5 hours, mine took closer to 4 (I used a digital thermometer to check).
At this point I combined the info on the blog with one of the comments further down.
When it got up to temperature, I turned off the crockpot and left the lid off for about 2 hours until the temperature got down to 105. Then I added half a cup of Oikos Greek yogurt as a starter directly into the crockpot and combined it with a whisk.
The blog says to wrap the crock up in towels and place it in your oven for the night with the light on. I completely bypassed that step. I wrapped the crock in towels but left it on my counter overnight (actually closer to 12 hours).
When I got up in the morning the yogurt looked beautiful (see first pic above), and I was ecstatic. It smelled right, it felt right and it tasted right!
(I will admit to being a little nervous about leaving a milk product out for so long!)
Before I did anything else, I scooped out half a cup of the unstrained yogurt to keep in the fridge as the starter for my next batch, as suggested in the comments.
I also did not transfer the crock to the fridge for three hours before straining. I felt this was unnecessary, as the commenter mentioned, so it went directly into a cheesecloth-lined strainer which was placed over a bowl. While it strained I put the whole thing into the fridge for about two hours.
It turned out perfectly! And you can’t beat $3 for this much Greek yogurt!
[originally posted at pinspired.org]
Wow. I spend $3 just buying a 6-pack of Greek yogurt. This sounds like a better alternative!
[Reply]
Heather
April 11th, 2012 at 10:53 am
Exactly – it’s crazy how much it is at the store but I always thought it was worth it. I was so happy that this worked because you get so much more, and I don’t have to be stingy with it 😀
[Reply]
This is one of those “mind=blown” ideas…I once spent over $100 for a yogurt machine, and I never realized I already had one! I read food blogs every day, and it isn’t very often I am surprised by an idea, but this is one time for sure. I’ll have to go to the store and get some starter since I haven’t made yogurt in ages. I think I’ll be making a lot more now 🙂
[Reply]
This sounds so good. When you added the container of yogurt (for the starter) did you use plain or vanilla? Does it matter? This sounds so cool! Can’t wait to try it!
[Reply]
Heather
October 16th, 2013 at 4:32 pm
Hi Kathy! I use plain.
[Reply]
I put powdered milk in my yogurt to thicken it & not lose the whey that comes to the surface while it sets up. This would be the very last step in the process of making my yogurt before I let it rest for the night to set.
[Reply]
Have you made flavored yogurt using this recipe? If so when did you add the flavoring?
[Reply]
I have been making Greek yogurt since the early 70’s before I knew it was Greek yogurt! LOL, it is one of the first “solid” foods my kids ate. If you mix your favorite herbs, roasted garlic and onion in it and strain it again (overnight and in the fridge) you will have an awesome spread for crackers.
[Reply]
In a regular yogurt maker you may add about 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder to turn it to Greek yogurt. This makes the thickness Greek yogurt is commonly know for soooo, I am wondering if the straining can be bypassed by simply adding the dry milk powder—I’m betting that will work too!
[Reply]
thank you so much! had no idea it was this easy!
[Reply]
How long does this last in the fridge? I like the fruit varieties,so should I add fruit when it is stored or add just before consuming? Thanks
[Reply]