Hello All,

Since I started the 17 day diet I have been making my own yogurt.  This has been a great cost savings and tastes very yummy.  It is super simple!  All you need is your crock-pot, milk, and a plain 6 oz. yogurt as a starter.  See below for instructions:

1) Place 8 cups (1/2 gallon) of milk in the crock-pot (I like to use 1%, but I have heard that any will work)

2) Put the crock-pot on the low setting and let the milk “cook” for 2 1/2 hours.

3) Unplug the crock-pot at let it sit for 3 hours.

4) Take out about 2 cups of the milk mixture from the crock-pot and mix that with your 6 oz. container of yogurt (I used greek yogurt)

5) Pour your yogurt and milk mixture back into the crock-pot, mix well and return the lid.

6) Wrap the crock-pot in towels or a large blanket and leave it set overnight (unplugged).  

7) in the morning (after about 8-10hrs) you will have a somewhat runny, but thick enough yogurt in your crockpot.  

8) You now have the option to strain the yogurt (using coffee filters or cheese cloth in a strainer) to thicken or use the yogurt as is.  

9) Be sure to save 6 oz. of your homemade yogurt to use as a starter for your next batch – no store bought yogurt needed next time!  :)

I LOVE THIS YOGURT and will never go back to store bought again!  I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did!  Once completed you can sweeten as you like or use the sugar-free jelly as described in the 17 day diet book.  ENJOY!!!!

That sounds so easy and I love yogurt! So, do you use “plain” lowfat yogurt? I can hardly wait to make this….

Hey Califgal,

I did use plain lowfat yogurt…as a matter of fact it used Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt for my very first starter.  Good luck!  It is super easy and you will never go back.  :)

Thanks for that recipe, I will be trying it too. I use non fat plain yogurt for my yogurt I just add berries to it for better taste.

I had no idea it was that easy! I will try it over the weekend. I have been buying scads of yogurt since my entire family is on the 17 Day Diet!

Kempster123, what do you store it in?

Wow…this sounds great and saves money besides. I will be trying it and thanks for sharing.

blarkin,

I usually just store it in a large plastic container.  I just measure out 6oz. when ready to eat (using my kitchen scale).  I also keep a smaller plastic container set aside with 6-8oz for my next batch.  I was so glad to have found this since you do eat yogurt like crazy on this diet!!!  I have found it to be a great cost savings!  The yogurt will keep for about 10 days in the plastic container (but we all know it will be gone much faster than that).  :)

Kempster123, This sounds awesome,was going to buy one of those Yogurt makers,but now don’t have too Thanks so much for the recipe

Can you add non-fat dry milk or the whey milk to make it thicker? I made that recipe but it is a bit runny. Instead of straining it and losing about half, maybe just thicken it?

I found this on the net but have not tried it yet..what do you think?
Gelatin
This is my preferred method for thickening yogurt. I simply add a packet of Knox gelatine powder (2 teaspoons) to two quarts (8 cups) of milk, as I’m heating the milk up to 110 degrees F. (No need to “pre-soak” the gelatin in a separate container. I just sprinkle the powder on top of the milk, distributing it as evenly as possible, wait a few minutes, and then whisk it in with a fork) This method produces some very good, reasonably thick yogurt, although it doesn’t thicken up until after the finished yogurt cools in the fridge and the gelatin sets up. Note: You can also use more or less gelatin for different texture. I just made a two-quart batch using only 1 teaspoon of gelatin (half a packet) and it turned out real well – still with a thick and creamy texture, but not as firm as when I had used 2 teaspoons.

Kempster, help! I made it but it is super runny. Could it be that way because I used fat free milk?  I read a bit online about adding 1/4 c. powdered milk, maybe that would help? Switch to 1% milk for the bulk of it?

Sahudson and Blarkin,

The yogurt can be runny!  This may be due to using the fat free milk (since I use 1%), but I am not sure.  I did strain my first batch and lost about half of it to the whey loss.  Now I just stir it up and use it as is (much like a soup).  I have heard that you can use the non-fat dry milk to thicken, but have not done this myself.  The gelatin idea from jtalford (above) may also work.  I prefer mine just the way it is to keep it pure and simple.  When I strained it it was wonderfully creamy…I just didn’t like the wait time or the work, really.  Hope this helps!  

Well I guess I will give it a whirl your way and see what happens….thanks for responding!

Success! I made it again with skim milk, but this time I heated it on the stove to 185 degrees for 10min. Cooled it to 110 then added the greek yogurt. Poured it into my warmed crock-pot, then unplugged and covered with a couple of beach towels. 7 hours later it was done. You can read the details here on my blog. 

Good to know blarkin. I have not tried it yet so will go with your modified version to start with and also then see about the gelatin. If you try the gelatin let me know how it turns out. I love your blog…bookmarked and will check it daily to see how you are doing. What part of the country are you in? I am from Wisconsin. Thanks for the info.

I tried yesterday and it did not wrk? Came out not much thicker than the milk. However…I let it sit 3 11/2 hours instead of 3 before I added the yogurt. Figured it must of cooled down too much? I will try it on the stove next time…

Hi everyone, I make my own yogurt all the time, I add 1 cup of skim milk powder to the 8 cups of milk before heating it.  I heat it in the microwave because it is quicker, and cool it in a sink of cold water.  The milk should be warm, not hot and not too cold when adding the starter yogurt.  A good way to test is to put your baby finger in the milk for a few seconds, it should feel nice and warm.  My yogurt turns out really thick, and the skim milk adds makes it higher in protein.  I use a yogurt maker called Yogourmet and have always had excellent results.  It makes 2L of yogurt at a time.  Yumm.  Good luck ladies :)

Jules

Yipee…I made it on the stove and it WORKED!!! Although I need to get a candy thermometer as opposed to meat! Meat does not go down to 110 and I had to hold it while I was stirring…Speaking of which do we get to count that as 10 min of exercising??!! I’m so excited..it’s been only 2 hours since I made it and it is already thick(at least the top is—>I didn’t dig down for fear of it not being solid all the way to the bottom and did not want to disturb the culture!) I can probably put this with the “milky” one. I now know that the reason it did not work with the crockpot was I waited too long (I forgot and was watching a movie!)before adding the cultured yogurt and it was too cool. I like the stovetop version better. Even tho it is more labor intensive, once its done…its done. All you have to do is wait, and I don’t have to worry about going back to do something 2 hours later, that is VERY time sensitive…

Also, once your yogurt has thickened, put it in the fridge overnight before stirring it.  It needs to be cold all the way through before stirring.  If the milk cools down too much, you can warm it back up in the microwave until it reaches that “warm” place.

Way to go, califgal, sounds like you are getting the hang of it :)

Tried this last night and was thrilled that it actually turned out this morning!! And it was SO easy! The consistensy definitly is a little more runny than regular yogurt but it is the perfect consistency for “drinkable” yogurt which I actually prefer over regular yogurt :)  This recipe is so great because my 2 year old needs extra fat/calories in his diet so I’ve been spending almost $5 for a 64oz. container of whole milk yogurt every week (expensive!!!). This way, I can actually make his high fat yougurt and my low fat yogurt without having to break the bank! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!

Victoria..which version did you exactly use as I have yet to make it.

Victoriamgall (and others),

I am glad you like the yogurt!  I too enjoy the “drinkable” like consistency much like you do.  It makes it super easy to pour and drink.  I am so glad that all of you are creative and enjoying having fun making the yogurt.  It is really nice to share these simple ideas.  I like the idea of knowing exactly what is in my food and where it comes from!  Good luck to all!

Kempster123

Thank you soooooo much for this recipe!!! I will NEVER go back to store bought yogurt again.

I used the crockpot method and it worked perfectly! I’ve started to add my own flavorings too…like if you want vanilla flavored, add 2 packets Truvia and 1/2 tsp. of vanilla to about 3/4 cups yogurt…also you can puree fruit to add to the yogurt, and my favorite was adding some sugar-free chocolate syrup!