Homemade Yogurt In The Crockpot

[SkinnyCrockPot]

Homemade Yogurt In The Crockpot

Originally posted by Penny Fisher Burnworth

Source: ALICIA'S HOMEMAKING BLOG

You will need:
1/2 gallon (8 cups) of milk. I use 1%, but I think it would be divine with whole milk. {Update: It is divine with whole milk!}
1/2 cup plain yogurt starter w/ live active cultures
Sweetener of your choice (I use 1/2 cup of raw honey)
1 TBSP vanilla (optional)

First, pour the 8 cups of milk into the crockpot. Turn the crockpot on low, put the lid on, and heat the milk for 2 1/2 hours. After that time, turn your crockpot off (unplug it!) and let it sit, covered, for 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

Then, remove 1-2 cups of the yogurt.
Add the plain yogurt (your starter) and whisk in.
At this point, I also whisk in the 1/2 cup of honey and TBSP of vanilla.
Add the yogurt mixture back into the crockpot and whisk to combine.
Cover the crockpot and wrap it in a thick towel to insulate it.
Now you let the yogurt culture by letting it stand like this for 8+ hours.
Most of the time I let it stand overnight.

The next morning, wha-laa! You have yogurt!

Now, you can stop here, or, you can continue to thicken your yogurt further by staining it (which is what I do).
To strain it, take a strainer, line it with a coffee filter, and place it over a bowl. Then ladle your yogurt into the strainer and place the bowl/strainer combo into the fridge where your yogurt can cool.
After several hours, the whey will strain out of your yogurt, leaving it nice and thick!
Scrape the yogurt out of the coffee filter and into a container (pour your whey into a container, too--don't throw it out!!!).
This yields approximately 4 1/2 cups of yogurt and 3 1/2 cups of whey.

After the yogurt is thickened, you can add additional sweetener, if you desire.

Now, you're probably wondering, "What the heck do I do with the whey?" Whey is very nutritious, containing vitamins, minerals, and all those fabulous probiotics. If I don't plan on using it right away, I freeze the whey in ice trays (and then store in a freezer bag) for later use.

Here are some options for using your whey:
- Use as a replacement for buttermilk in recipes (it works great as the buttermilk substitute in Banana Pancakes!)
- Use as an acidic medium for soaking grains
- Add the frozen cubes of whey into smoothies for additional nutrition

[mrssillymom42]

Can this recipe be doubled?? My family loves it and we only have one crockpot..LOL want to be able to go a couple of days in between batches.

[SkinnyCrockPot]

I don't see why not. The timing may need to be adjusted, but other than that, it should do fine.

[lolac]

This sounds yummy! Can you use skim-milk? I prefer fat-free yogurt.

[Christa]

This is a great recipe..for years I struggled making yogurt the old fashioned way, and I am elated with this method.

My next batch I am going to try making it with almond milk and a Greek yogurt starter to make it thick.

Thanks for the recipe...Christa

[sjaela]

I am excited to try this recipe, omitting the sweetners, so I can use yogurt in more ways. Also wanting to strain it and use the whey in making fermented foods to reduce salt. I believe that freezing and heating kills the probiotics, so probably using smaller batches is best in retaining the nutrition. Thanks again for this great tip!