Make Your Own Yogurt!

The first thing I started making from scratch was yogurt. We go through tons of the stuff, in smoothies, lunchboxes, and frozen into popsicles. It makes an easy breakfast before school too!

Making your own yogurt is not only easy, it's made from ingredients you probably already have and has no impossible to pronounce additives and dyes. 

My kids haven't missed Trix yogurt at all! (I might, though - seriously, cotton candy flavor? Yum.)

So to make yogurt, you need:

A crockpot

8 cups of whole milk (half a gallon)

1/2 cup dry nonfat milk (optional)

1 cup honey or sugar (optional)

1 Tbsp. vanilla (optional)

1/3 cup plain yogurt (to use as a starter)

Mix the milk and dry milk in your crockpot. I add the dry milk because I have found it helps to thicken the yogurt, but you could strain it through cheese cloth to thicken. I have used both ways, but I prefer the dry milk addition because it's easier and less messy! The advantage of cheese cloth is that you can strain is until it is as thick as you like, even like Greek yogurt. 

Put the lid on, set your crockpot on low, and let it go for 2 1/2 hours.

Yeah, another picture of milk in a crockpot. 

Not super exciting, but it is delicious!

Now, if you want to make vanilla yogurt, here is where you add your sweetener and flavoring.

I use honey, but sugar would work too.

If you want plain yogurt, do nothing!

Put the lid back on, but turn the heat off. Leave it for 3 hours.

After 3 hours, it's time to whisk in our starter.

You want to use a plain yogurt with live cultures. After your first time making yogurt, just set aside 1/3 cup of your own yogurt to use as a starter next time! 

Get ready, the next step is a doozy: wrap a towel around your crockpot and leave it.

Yup.

I leave mine overnight, about 12 hours.

And... it's done! Doesn't look like much, but it's thick and delicious! It will thicken up even more after being refrigerated for a few hours, but we didn't wait, it was breakfast time!

There is nothing better to wake up to!

Unless, of course, you have a mimosa or something.

I always make plain or vanilla, because I use it in so many different ways, but I imagine there would be a lot of different ways to flavor this yogurt! Let me know if you try it!