How to Make Homemade Yogurt

Who knew that making homemade yogurt could be so simple? Homemade yogurt is actually super easy and really versatile. Instead of dealing with extra, unneeded ingredients, you can make homemade yogurt and add fresh fruit or eat it with homemade granola.

It really is easy!

Best Milk for Homemade Yogurt

If you can get your hands on some raw milk, you will avoid the harm that occurs at the cellular level from homogenization, and you’ll retain the good bacteria that usually gets destroyed through pasteurization.  The scare from raw milk started with industrialization and people moving away from farms and into the cities.  Milk took longer to get from the cow to the people’s homes. But treated properly, it is really the only milk you should be drinking.

Raw milk is also beneficial because it already has the nutrients in it ready to make yogurt, but if you need to buy pasteurized milk that’s ok too.

What about percentage?

I’ve only made homemade yogurt with whole milk, but I have a friend who uses 2% and it sets up just fine.

4 Step Homemade Yogurt Process:

Follow these few easy steps and you’ll have fresh, delicious yogurt that you’ve learned to make yourself!

1) First, in a large pot, gently bring one gallon of milk up to 180 degrees Fahrenheit, and then remove it from heat and cool to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. 

By completing the heating process, you prepare the milk to be thicken smoothly by denaturing the whey protein. If you slowly heat it and remove it from the heat immediately, you will not kill all the good bacteria in your raw milk. You can still make good yogurt if you skip this step, but sometimes it won’t be as smooth.

2) Once the milk is cooled to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, remove 1 cup to a separate bowl and add a 1/2 cup of organic yogurt with 1 cup of the warm milk. Mix well, then pour the mixture into the saucepan with the rest of the milk. Stir to combine.

It’s important to not add the yogurt when the milk is too hot or you will kill the cultures.

3) If you want to make vanilla yogurt, now is the time to add 2 tablespoons homemade vanilla extract.

4) Pour the milk into sanitized jars and put lids on loosely.  Keep at 110 Fahrenheit for 6 hours without mixing, stirring, or moving! This is important. 

There are a few ways to do this (Choose One):

1. Put the jars into a yogurt maker that keeps them at 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Put the jars in a large pot of water on the stove that is already at 110 degrees Fahrenheit and wrap towels around it to keep warm. I’ve done this before, and it stays warm for a very long time. You just need to check occasionally and turn the burner on for a minute or two (REMOVE TOWELS FIRST) if it cools down too much. Watch carefully.
3. Put the jars in the oven with the light on and place candy thermometer on the rack so you can see the temperature. This usually stays at 110 degrees Fahrenheit for about 4 of the 6 hours. If you turn the oven on, watch it very carefully.

Homemade Yogurt Recipe

Below is the yogurt recipe in a printable format.

Special Tips:

Looking for a way to start your yogurt without a yogurt starter culture? Heat 2 cups of milk and then cool it to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Add 1-1/2 teaspoons of cardamom seeds and let it sit in a warm place for 10-12 hours. This will be your starter. Follow the recipe above and add 1/2 cup of this starter instead of yogurt to your milk.

Have an instant pot? Most instant pots these days have a yogurt setting. Get your milk fully ready to set for 6 hours and instead of incubating them, put them in your instant pot and turn it on to the yogurt setting and you’re done!