Homemade Yogurt

With just two ingredients and five minutes of hands-on time, you can have creamy yogurt, made just the way you like it.

Yogurt Vocabulary

Live or Active Cultures: These are good bacteria that turn milk into yogurt and give it its texture and tangy flavor. You’ll need live cultures, or yogurt starter, for the first batch. Any plain, unflavored store-bought yogurt with live yogurt cultures will do. After that, you can use your homemade yogurt as the starter. Science!

Culturing: This is the amount of time it takes for milk and starter to turn into yogurt, anywhere from 8–24 hours. The longer it cooks, the tangier it gets. At 16 hours or longer, the tanginess will be similar to store-bought yogurt. When adding sugar before culturing, we recommend culturing no longer than 16 hours.

Milk Protein Skin: As milk heats up, a skin can form on the surface, so stir regularly. There’s nothing wrong with the skin other than it leaves hard bits in the otherwise smooth yogurt. Just skim off when done cooking.

Need to Know

Before Culturing

• When adding the starter, the milk must be 105–115°F (41–46°C). If it’s too hot it won’t properly culture (like yeast when making bread). • Before adding the yogurt starter to the milk, whisk a small amount of the heated milk into the starter in a separate bowl. This way, the starter will be smooth and evenly distribute.

Thick Yogurt

• Place a strainer such as a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth, coffee filters, or high-quality paper towels over a large bowl to catch liquid. Then add the yogurt, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until desired consistency, about six hours for Greek-style yogurt. • The liquid that drains off after straining (whey) can be used in protein drinks, smoothies, soup, marinades, as a starter to make more yogurt, or as a substitute for buttermilk.

Storing

• Gently spoon into individual portions or storage containers without stirring. • You might notice some separation. This is normal, especially with longer culturing. • Will stay fresh in your refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Next Batches

• You can use yogurt starter from your homemade yogurt for up to a week. • If your yogurt is not culturing as quickly as earlier batches, the starter may be too weak. Use store-bought yogurt in your next batch.

Homemade Yogurt

Makes 8 cups (2 L) 8 cups (2 L) 2% milk ½ cup (125 mL) plain unsweetened yogurt with active cultures

Homemade Vanilla Yogurt

Makes 8 cups (2 L) 8 cups (2 L) 2% milk ½ cup (125 mL) plain unsweetened yogurt with active cultures ½ cup (125 mL) sugar 2 tbsp (30 mL) vanilla extract 1. Add the milk to the inner pot. Select on Low and heat the milk until it reaches to 180–185°F (82–85°C), 20–25 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming. Press . 2. Let the milk cool to 105–115°F (41–46°C), about 1 hour at room temperature. Stir as needed to keep skin from forming.

If any forms, skim it off. 3. In a small bowl, whisk ½ cup (125 mL) of the warm milk into the starter yogurt. Pour the mixture in the inner pot and stir well to blend. For vanilla yogurt, add the sugar and vanilla. 4. Cover and select on Med. Set the timer to 8 hours or up to 12 hours for tangier yogurt; press and hold . 5. Once the timer is up, press . Gently spoon into storage containers without stirring. Chill before eating. Serve with fresh fruit, if you’d like.

Cook’s Tips

The thickness and creaminess of the yogurt depends on the milk you use. If you use skim milk, the yogurt will be a little thinner. Don’t add anything other than sugar and vanilla before culturing. Anything acidic, like fresh fruit, can be added right before serving. → Visit our blog to see how to make yogurt with nut milks and freeze-dried cultures.