I’m looking at all the things we can do with slow cookers, or as we call them, crock pots, and I have to say that I am amazed. In all the years I’ve thought about different ways to make yogurt (or is it yoghurt?) I never came across the idea of using a crock pot. Until recently… And it’s a genius of an idea!
Healthy, nourishing yogurt – Image by jules:stonesoup
Yogurt (I’m sticking with this spelling) is one of the dairy products most of us just mindlessly buy at the store when it is easy to make and cheap to make at home. It’s great when stretching a tight budget to save a few bucks by making it yourself, especially when your kids eat a lot of it.
Dairy products, like yogurt, taste best and are most nourishing when made from whole fresh milk. Today, finding that high quality milk is next to impossible. The next best options are whole non-homogenized milk and there are sources around for that but it is more expensive than regular store-bought whole milk. Therefore, we are going to use regular whole milk for our recipes. If you buy non-homogenized, so much the better, the recipe is the same. I don’t personally recognize skim milk yogurt as edible. I’m old school, what can I say?
Ingredients for Yogurt
Whole milk (the least pasteurized and homogenized the better)
Yogurt containing live culture (it’ll say so on the carton)
Keep Reading! Click for Page Two – Steps to Make Yogurt in the Crock Pot!
I love the crock pot idea. I’m always amazed at how many uses people can find for a crock pot! My crock pot isn’t so hot. I do it the way my mom did… place in glass jars, set them on a heating pad on low, cover with a large towel, and let sit 8-12 hours. Then refrigerate.
My son is lactose intolerant andd LOVES yogurt. Sadly, it makes him very sick! He loves drinking lactose-free milk, I am thinking of making this recipe for him with lactose-free milk. Do you know how crock-pot yogurt comes out with lactose-free milk instead of regular, lactose milk?
Kristen,
I don’t know but think it should work out just like regular milk as I don’t think the lactose has anything to do with the yogurt-making process, but I could be wrong. We would love to hear how the yogurt comes out so please let us know!
Interesting fact. People that are lactose intolerant can drink raw milk without being bothered at all because the bacteria they need to digest it has not been killed off my processing. That being said if you use raw milk to make yogurt do not let it heat to 180 you only heat to 105-110 that way the things you want alive stay alive. Other than that the process is the same. I have not made the yogurt yet, but have researched it a lot and my mother in law has made it many many times.
Yes, I have seen this. My daughter (who is nursing) couldn’t handle me drinking Pasteurized organic milk. She would scream and scream all day. I stopped drinking it and she was happy and I started feeling sane again! We drive 2 hours away to get raw milk and she has no problem with me drinking that. She’s as happy as can be and now I’m getting my calcium for sure!
Here here to raw milk! I was going to suggest that myself. Another option is goats milk,
make sure you get a raw source though. More information at westonaprice.org
Kristen, use RAW whole milk. There is no better milk then RAW. Many lactose intolerant people feel great drinking raw milk. If I don’t have time to make homemade yogurt, I but yogurt made from raw milk ONLY, as well as we drink raw milk, and none of this cooked processed milk that barely has any valuable nutrients left.
I grew up on raw milk, my son grew up drinking STRICTLY raw milk, all cheese/yogurt/kefir is raw only in my house. We are never sick, no allergies, my son had cold only ONE time in kindergarten. We eat RAW honey, not the liquid, heated supermarket kind without any vitmanis in it, as well as other products I buy all organic food and as raw as possible.
What’s your recipe for cheese?
When you cook the yogurt for 24 hours or more, at a steady temperature of 100-110 degrees, the bacteria “eat” all of the lactose, making the yogurt lactose free. Using lactose-free milk to make yogurt won’t come out right. Also, letting the yogurt ferment longer gives it more probiotics! I agree with the commenters above, use raw whole milk for the best results!
After the milk has cooled to 115 and you mix in the live cultured yogurt………….. Then what?
Refrigerate? Let it cool down more before refrigerating? Does it help any to add powdered milk to the whole milk? Does it matter if the cultured yogurt is flavored? I used flavored Activia light. Thank you for responses!
Hi, Betsy! Click for page two to get the rest of the article – once you’ve mixed in the live yogurt, put the lid of your crockpot back on, and swaddle the whole thing in towels to keep it at a stable temp as the yogurt cultures. :) Don’t refrigerate until it’s all done – adding powdered milk isn’t necessary, some people put in a little (soaked and dissolved) gelatin to make the finished product firmer, but I like it just as it is naturally. I’m sure the flavored Active will be just fine. :)
Sorry if this is a silly question, but would the “keep warm” setting on the crock pot be too hot do you think?
You mean for the bundled-up let-the-yogurt-culture phase? I think so – Keep warm’s hot enough to cook stuff so I think it’d be too much for the bacteria..
Do you think it would be possible to just open up a probiotic capsule and pour it into the mixture instead of using the active yogurt culture? Would that basically be the same thing as those yogurt starters are made of? Thanks.