Has anyone ever made their own yogurt?

[ten6mom]

We go through a fair about weekly of plain nonfat yogurt and I was just wondering if anyone here has ever made their own, and if it was cheaper for you (I pay almost $3 for a 32 oz container) and if you felt it was worth the trouble.

 

[aprilchem]

I do. It depends on what you pay for milk in your area, because the cost of yogurt is mainly the cost of milk and then a small amount of money for the starter (which can just be some yogurt with live cultures). It takes me about 30 minutes to set my yogurt maker up (you need to heat the milk to a certain temperature, cool it to a certain temperature and then mix in the starter) and it takes about 14 hours to make yogurt. The main limiting factor, for me, is getting time to set it up when I can be available 14 hours later.

 

[ten6mom]

I think milk where I am is usually between 2.50 - 3.00 a gallon (there are probably sales if I care to look for them... but I don't). Hmmm I did not think about the time factor.

When you say "yogurt maker," do you mean a specific device or appliance that is made to make yogurt?

 

[Happyjen27]

I did, but, my organic milk was about the same cost as the large organic yogurt I was buying. I made my yogurt in the crock pot, and it worked great!! I didn't mind the process, but, for about the same cost, it is easier for me to save the time right now.

 

[Jeff_G]

My wife made a batch of Greek yogurt, it was a pain in my opinion. You have to keep the yogurt / milk mixture at 108 for 4 to 12 hours. This was done by turning the oven to warm, then turning it off letting it cool to 108, then leaving the light on the oven. She had to watch the temperature closely...

I wouldnt do it again without the yogurt maker, and then you have to ask yourself will you actually save anything over just buying the yogurt.

 

[Jaime4004]

I've made it with a slow cooker. It came out okay but my kids prefer greek yogurt and I could never get it quite as thick (close though).

 

[LJSquishy]

I make it myself now and love it! I posted a while back asking if anyone here had a yogurt maker before taking the plunge.

I was originally going to use a crock pot but decided against it because of having to keep it in the oven or wrap it in a towel, etc...it just seemed like a lot of extra work. Plus I would have had to buy another crock pot anyway so I wouldn't tie my current one up so much since I use it to make veggie stock.

I bought the Euro-Cuisine digital yogurt maker (and an extra set of jars) because my husband takes yogurt to work almost every day and the jars makes it handy to grab and go. They're 6oz jars and they have a turn dial on the lid so when you make it you can set the number for the date it will expire (they say 10 days, we always eat it by then so I don't know how long it really lasts).

It is much cheaper...I can buy a gallon of local organic 100% grass fed milk (we use whole milk, no diet or fat free products in our house) for $5.89. It takes 42oz of milk to make seven of the 6oz jars, so each jar costs about 1/4 of the cost we were paying before for premium yogurt. If you eat Yoplait and the like, even using high quality milk you'll cut your cost almost in half...and if you use conventional milk you'll save even more.

I make it weekly and it only takes a small amount of time to prep and I do it overnight. I initially used a quality cup of yogurt as my culture but now I just reserve 3oz from the last batch to use for my new batch. It works great and tastes amazing! I wish I would have started years ago.

 

[aprilchem]

I think milk where I am is usually between 2.50 - 3.00 a gallon (there are probably sales if I care to look for them... but I don't). Hmmm I did not think about the time factor.

When you say "yogurt maker," do you mean a specific device or appliance that is made to make yogurt?

Yes, I have a specific appliance. It's a Donvier Yogurt Maker, but I bought it many years ago at Goodwill for about $5, and I don't think they make that brand anymore. My pressure cooker also has a yogurt setting but I've never used it to make yogurt. I think the Euro-Cuisine is the standard yogurt maker now.

 

[keelyhealthnut]

I would love to do this! It's on my list of fermented foods to start making, but I haven't gotten around to it. My family loves yogurt, but good luck getting good vegan yogurt w/o fillers and other junk. Plus, it is sooo expensive. I've heard that you can also use a dehydrator to do this and I think I'd try it that way first. We spent so darn much on this thing that I'll use it for every single thing that I can! haha

 

[ten6mom]

Thank you all for the feedback and information. I had no idea there was such a thing as an appliance to make yogurt. That is probably the route I would go because of the convenience factor. I will go look some up and then see if it's a good idea financially. Thank you!

 

[chris31997]

Making yogurt in my crockpot and then covering it with towels easy. And it tastes sooo much better than the store bought stuff. After making my own for over a year, I had to buy some yogurt because we will be leaving in 2 weeks. I did not want the batch to go bad. The homemade stuff is runnier, but it has a better taste and tang. I would also use it for sour cream.

For us, I could make a big batch in my crockpot, about a gallon, less than what I would spend on yogurt and sour cream for 3-4 weeks.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

My grandma made yogurt for my mom whenever we visited. Now my mom sometimes makes her own. They both used the old-fashioned method and made it on the stove, then let it sit in a bowl covered with towels. I can't stand the smell of the plain stuff, but my mom grew up with it and she loves it. Also, the homemade kind tends to be more watery than store bought. I prefer to stick with my flavored Greek yogurt.

 

[ten6mom]

I only buy plain. My older son likes frozen wild blueberries in his for flavor (whole) but my younger son eats it straight. They both sprinkle grape nuts on it too. I think if I were going to flavor it I would use a touch of honey or pureed fruit... but I would probably add it after the fact, not during the cooking process. I wonder if the yogurt making appliances have instructions for flavoring??

 

[Gr8t Fan]

I make it myself now and love it! I posted a while back asking if anyone here had a yogurt maker before taking the plunge.

I was originally going to use a crock pot but decided against it because of having to keep it in the oven or wrap it in a towel, etc...it just seemed like a lot of extra work. Plus I would have had to buy another crock pot anyway so I wouldn't tie my current one up so much since I use it to make veggie stock.

I bought the Euro-Cuisine digital yogurt maker (and an extra set of jars) because my husband takes yogurt to work almost every day and the jars makes it handy to grab and go. They're 6oz jars and they have a turn dial on the lid so when you make it you can set the number for the date it will expire (they say 10 days, we always eat it by then so I don't know how long it really lasts).

It is much cheaper...I can buy a gallon of local organic 100% grass fed milk (we use whole milk, no diet or fat free products in our house) for $5.89. It takes 42oz of milk to make seven of the 6oz jars, so each jar costs about 1/4 of the cost we were paying before for premium yogurt. If you eat Yoplait and the like, even using high quality milk you'll cut your cost almost in half...and if you use conventional milk you'll save even more.

I make it weekly and it only takes a small amount of time to prep and I do it overnight. I initially used a quality cup of yogurt as my culture but now I just reserve 3oz from the last batch to use for my new batch. It works great and tastes amazing! I wish I would have started years ago.

Thanks OP for starting this thread and thanks LJSquishy for the Euro-Cuisine recommendation. I found one on CL with an extra set of jars for $20 and picked it up this morning. Looking forward to making my own yogurt this weekend.

 

[nalajms]

I used to make our own yogurt when my kids like plain yogurt with honey. Cost savings is not that much since 1 gallon of milk doesn't give you 1g of yogurt. And it's less if you make greek yogurt.

I use the water bath method: heat some water in a big pot. Put the yogurt container in there. Turn off heat, close lid, wrap with a down jacket over night.

If you want greek yogurt, you strain it with a clean nylon or cheese cloth. I prefer to flavor with strawberry jam.

 

[LJSquishy]

Thanks OP for starting this thread and thanks LJSquishy for the Euro-Cuisine recommendation. I found one on CL with an extra set of jars for $20 and picked it up this morning. Looking forward to making my own yogurt this weekend.

You're very welcome, and what a great bargain you found on Craigslist! I hope you enjoy your yogurt maker as much as I enjoy mine. The jars really are awesome to have so you can just grab and go. A warning, though: the lids are not leak proof, so if they're going into a lunch bag or anything you'll want to keep it upright (or put a piece of plastic wrap over the jar opening before screwing on the lid). Starting with 42oz of milk and 4oz of yogurt for your culture is the perfect ratio and will fill your seven jars perfectly.

My yogurt turns out just as thick as store-bought...I use whole milk and set it for 12hrs (I start it in the evening after dinner and in the morning I put them in the refrigerator), that's the length of time that works best for my particular milk. Greek yogurt is just strained regular yogurt so if you want it thick like that you'll just strain it with a nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or something like that.

 

[LJSquishy]

Can I jump in with my own question and ask how you flavor your yogurt? My son loves yogurt....I buy yobaby or yo kids and it's getting expensive. He mostly eats vanilla, banana, Apple, cherry, and lemonade flavors (also cotton candy gogurt when I cave in the store...don't judge me haha). I don't think he'd eat plain yogurt with fruit chunks in it. Do you purée it?

I just make ours plain, but I've done two things for my husband who likes flavored yogurt occasionally:

I make an unsweetened fruit puree and freeze it in jelly jars so he can just pull one out to keep in the fridge for a few days, or his favorite is when I make cherry "pie filling" for his yogurt...just simmer frozen dark sweet cherries (Costco has organic ones) with a little water and maple syrup to lightly sweeten, then after they break down some I thicken with arrowroot powder (you can use cornstarch, just make a slurry first with cold water). I also store that in jelly jars to keep in the freezer. He likes the "pie filling" the best because it reminds him of the Greek yogurt cups with the separate fruit section.

I don't think you'd be able to replicate the banana flavor accurately because it probably tastes like fake banana and not like real banana...so I guess you could mash banana and stir in to see if he likes it, and if not, try adding a drop of banana extract. I would also sweeten with a little maple syrup or honey and gradually add less over time. Those yogurts are all sweetened so plain yogurt mixed with real fruit will not taste the same.

My favorite way to eat yogurt is to mix it with diced apple and I sometimes add granola on top (Organkc kind at Costco, can't think of the name but it's in a brown box)...yummy! I have that for various meals...sometimes breakfast, sometimes lunch, and sometimes for dessert!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

You're very welcome, and what a great bargain you found on Craigslist! I hope you enjoy your yogurt maker as much as I enjoy mine. The jars really are awesome to have so you can just grab and go. A warning, though: the lids are not leak proof, so if they're going into a lunch bag or anything you'll want to keep it upright (or put a piece of plastic wrap over the jar opening before screwing on the lid). Starting with 42oz of milk and 4oz of yogurt for your culture is the perfect ratio and will fill your seven jars perfectly.

My yogurt turns out just as thick as store-bought...I use whole milk and set it for 12hrs (I start it in the evening after dinner and in the morning I put them in the refrigerator), that's the length of time that works best for my particular milk. Greek yogurt is just strained regular yogurt so if you want it thick like that you'll just strain it with a nut milk bag, cheesecloth, or something like that.

Thanks for the tips. Can't wait for our first (of many, I hope) batch!

 

[AquaDame]

I've been interested in doing this, but I don't quite think the math adds up in our case. Yogurt keeps getting more expensive but we can currently get a 64oz container of organic Nancy's yogurt for $5.19 vs. buying a quart of organic milk (they don't have gallons) for $2.48. I'm not certain that .23 per batch makes sense - that is a LOT of yogurt to make our money back. I'm not savvy enough to work out the energy costs to use it/water soap to wash the jars in either. :/