Clean Eating Homemade Yogurt in the Crockpot (and Frozen Yogurt!!)

Makes 17 servings, 1/2 cup each
I got the original idea for making yogurt in the crockpot HERE. The first time I made it it was totally awesome... and I was FURIOUS. My kids have yogurt every single day for lunch which means I've been buying copious amounts of yogurt every week for 3 years now. When I first started feeding Colwynn solids, I saw several recipes to make homemade yogurt in my Super Baby Food book but they all seemed like so much work. I shudder at the thought of how much money I would have saved if I had known about the crockpot method sooner. Grrrr.


This is seriously the easiest thing in the world to do. It takes a while to make but 99% of the time is spent doing nothing so there’s almost no hands-on time. I’ve found that the best time to start it is 4:30 in the afternoon so that I’m doing the last hands-on step at 10PM before I go to bed. Then it makes itself while I’m sleeping. I’ve made the mistake of starting it too late before and have had to set my alarm clock to get up and add the starter at 1:00 AM. It was still totally worth it in the morning, though :)


UPDATE: Since posting this original recipe, I have played around with the measurements and I have actually gotten the best results using 2/3 cup milk powder and no gelatin. This gives me a thicker yogurt right out of the pot without the jello-like texture that the gelatin tends to make. This is just our family's preference so play around with it yourself and see what you like best :) Also, when you scoop it out of the crockpot into containers DO NOT STIR it first. The more you stir, the more liquidy it gets and it will not thicken up again unless you strain it.

UPDATE 2: Seriously, this is the easiest thing ever!! Don't be scared, just do it. I have changed the original post to have super simple instructions for all of my friends that say they need me to hold their hand through yogurt making (you know who you are). You can do it!! Then read the more detailed instructions if you want to get fancy with it. Now you have no excuse :)

Topped with nuts, drizzled with Agave nectar, and served with Homemade Granola Bars.
Can you say YUM?

Ingredients:

• Half gallon of milk (whole, 2%, 1%, whatever)
• ½ cup plain yogurt (I don't suggest using strained or Greek yogurt b/c when I've used them in the past, the resulting yogurt was kind of watery.)
• 1/3 - 2/3 cup nonfat dry milk (optional but really helps to thicken it, I use 2/3 cup)

Simple Instructions:

1. Dump milk into crockpot. Whisk in 2/3 cup milk powder (if using).

2. Turn crockpot on low, cover, set timer for 2 1/2 hours.

3. Turn crockpot off, keep covered, set timer for 3 hours.

4. Scoop out about 2 cups of the warm milk into a clean container. Gently stir in 1/2 cup plain yogurt. 

5. Dump the yogurt-milk mixture back into the crockpot, gently stir it once or twice.

6. Replace crockpot lid, wrap the whole crockpot in a thick bath towel, let it sit for about 8 hours.

7. Unwrap crockpot, take lid off, gently scoop yogurt into clean containers, store in fridge.

8. Do happy dance that you have an entire crockpot full of yogurt and it was the easiest thing you have ever made. (This step is optional but you know you'll do it anyway hehehe)

Fancy more detailed instructions: 

• For thicker yogurt, add 1 packet unflavored gelatin (details below)
• For sweetened yogurt, add in 4 Tbsp Agave nectar or honey (again, details below) 
• For Greek style yogurt, use the same recipe as regular yogurt and then strain it using the instructions below

ONE: Pour the entire half gallon of milk into the crockpot. Whisk in the nonfat milk powder and Agave/honey if using. Sprinkle the packet of gelatin on top. Let it sit 5 minutes to soften and then whisk it in.

Sprinkle the gelatin on top first so that it can soften

TWO: Cover and cook on low for 2 ½ hours (set a timer so you don’t forget about it).

THREE: Unplug the crockpot but don’t uncover it. Let it sit for 3 hours (again, set a timer... or your alarm clock hehehe)

FOUR: Scoop out about 2 cups of the milk into a bowl and whisk in the 1/2 cup of plain yogurt. Add the mixture back into the crockpot and stir well. Wrap the whole crockpot in a thick bath towel and let it sit for 8 hours or overnight.

I like to think of it as the crockpot being swaddled, hehehe :)

In the morning the milk will have miraculously become yogurt. It is the coolest thing ever. I promise you that you’ll get a little rush of excitement when you go to dip the spoon in and it’s thickened. Scoop it out of the container WITHOUT STIRRING IT FIRST and store it in plastic container(s) in the fridge. I use cleaned out 32oz yogurt containers… you know, from back when I actually paid for yogurt (again, grrrrr). I’ll admit I get a smug little grin every time I scoop my way cheaper homemade yogurt out of it. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch.

The first scrape with the spoon the next morning...
It's probably a little weird how excited I get at this moment, LOL

Breakfast :)

Straining instructions for Greek style yogurt:
The milk powder (and gelatin if you used it) will help to make the yogurt thicker but, if you would prefer Greek style yogurt, place several coffee filters into a colander and place it in a bowl. Spoon some of the yogurt into the coffee filters and let it drain overnight. Scrape the newly thickened yogurt off the coffee filters and back into a container. Enjoy :)

TO FREEZE: You can DEFINITELY freeze this and make frozen yogurt with it. We have an ice cream maker so I usually add a particularly sweet fruit, like pureed peaches or pears, in with the yogurt and follow the instructions for my model. However, Clean Eating has a great frozen yogurt recipe that doesn't use an ice cream maker HERE. (Update: this link is no longer working. I'll post the instructions soon.)

NUTRITION INFO:

Per serving using 1% (low fat) milk (unsweetened but made with gelatin and milk powder) - 59 Calories (11 Calories from Fat), 1g Total Fat, 1g Saturated Fat, 6mg Cholesterol, 64mg Sodium, 7g Total Carbohydrates, 0d Dietary Fiber, 7g Sugars, 5g Protein, 5% Vitamin A, 0% Vitamin C, 17% Calcium, 0% Iron

Homemade Chocolate Soy Yogurt

UPDATE: This was a TOTAL failure!! I am doing some research and I'll try it again. If I have success I'll let you know. DON'T WASTE YOUR SILK!! Instead make regular yogurt likeTHIS and just drink the silk :)...

UPDATE AGAIN: Okay, maybe not a total failure. The yogurt looked really gross and separated in the crockpot the next morning. I stuck it in the fridge on the off chance that maybe it would fix it. A few hours later it still looked pretty gross but, when I went to spoon it out to dump it in the sink, I noticed that there was actually thickened yogurt-type stuff amongst all the liquid. I strained all of it using colanders and coffee strainers over night and, lo and behold, this morning there was actually one 32oz container worth of edible chocolate yogurt. Woo hoo!! I still did some more reasearch anyway and I've modified the original recipe so maybe you'll get better results.

Makes about 16 servings, 1/2 cup each
I got the original idea for making yogurt in the crockpot HERE. I’ve made it a bunch of times now with regular milk and each time it’s perfect so I figured I’d give soy milk a try. I’m using cow’s milk yogurt as a starter so this won’t be completely dairy free. If you’d like to make allergen free yogurt, check out this post HERE.

This takes a while to make but 99% of the time is spent doing nothing so there’s almost no hands-on time. I’ve found that the best time to start it is 4:30 in the afternoon so that I’m doing the last hands-on step at 10PM before I go to bed. Then it makes itself while I’m sleeping. I’ve made the mistake of starting it too late before and have had to set my alarm clock to get up and add the starter at 1:00 AM. It was still totally worth it in the morning, though :)

Ingredients:

• Half gallon of chocolate soy milk (NOT reduced fat)
• ½ cup plain yogurt with live active cultures
• 1 packet unflavored gelatin OR 1/12 tsp powdered agar agar(optional)
• 1/2 cup tapioca starch (optional)
• Thick bath towel

ONE: Pour the entire half gallon of soy milk into the crockpot. Whisk in the tapioca starch and sprinkle the packet of gelatin or agar agar on top (if using). Let it sit 5 minutes to soften and then whisk it in REALLY well.

TWO: Cover and cook on low for 2 ½ hours (set a timer so you don’t forget about it).

THREE: Unplug the crockpot but don’t uncover it. Let it sit for 3 hours (again, set a timer...or your alarm clock LOL).

FOUR: Scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought plain yogurt (again REALLY well) and then add it back into the crockpot. Stir well and wrap the crock in a thick bath towel. Let it sit for 8 hours or overnight.

In the morning the milk will have miraculously become yogurt. It is the coolest thing ever. I promise you that you’ll get a little rush of excitement when you go to dip the spoon in and it’s thickened. Chill in plastic container(s) in the fridge. I use cleaned out 32oz yogurt containers… you know, from back when I actually paid for yogurt. I’ll admit I get a smug little grin every time I scoop my way cheaper homemade yogurt out of it. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make the next batch.

Soy yogurt is generally thinner than dairy yogurt. The tapioca starch and gelatin will help to make the yogurt thicker but, if you would prefer Greek style yogurt, place a colander into a bowl and line it with several coffee filters. Spoon some of the yogurt onto the coffee filters and let it drain overnight. Scrape the newly thickened yogurt off the coffee filters and back into a container. Enjoy :)

NUTRITION INFO:
Per 1/2 cup serving - 60 Calories (8 Calories from Fat), 1g Fat, 0g Saturated Fat, 1mg Cholesterol, 60mg Sodium, 9g Total Carbohydrates, 1g Dietary Fiber, 8g Sugars, 3g Protein, 6% DV Vitamin A, 0% DV Vitamin C, 20% DV Calcium, 5% DV Iron