Homemade Yogurt

Finished product, it is so creamy.

Last night I made homemade yogurt. I was really worried about how it was going to turn out or if it would turn out at all but low and behold I woke up this morning and it was done.  Not only was it too easy to do but it was cheap! I made 64 ounces of organic yogurt for the price of buying five yogurts that have who knows what added to them. Oh yeah, I’m doing the happy dance!

To make your own you will need:

½ gallon of milk (I used organic that was on sale for ½ price)

2.5 TBSP of starter yogurt (use plain yogurt with active cultures. Once you make your own yogurt you can use that as your starter)

1 double boiler or pot
1 casserole dish (with lid)
1 candy thermometer
Cheese cloth (optional)



Heat to 180

Cool to 110

Save 2 TBSP of milk in a bowl. Heat the remaining milk in the double boiler / pot until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit (continually stir the milk to keep from burning). Remove from the burner and pour into the casserole dish, let cool to 110 degrees. While the milk is cooling, mix the 2 reserved TBSPs of milk with the starter yogurt. Turn your oven on to warm or 100 to heat it up. Once the milk has cooled, add the starter yogurt mixture and mix well, place the lid on the casserole dish, cover with a dish towel and place inside the oven. Turn the oven light on (for heat), turn the oven off, and let the milk sit overnight or 8 hours. In the morning you will have yogurt!

Cover and let sit 8 hours

TOO EASY!!! There are some substitutions that you can make if you don’t have an oven light that produces heat; you can place the casserole dish in a cooler and seal it to keep the yogurt warm. If you want to have greek yogurt then you can strain your finished yogurt through a cheese cloth (layered into 4ths) removing the whey and creating a thicker product.

 I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do!

 Do you have any recipes for homemade treats that are healthier to make than they are to buy?