So, this is much easier than you may think and even more delicious! Most people think you can’t use powdered milk from your food storage but the truth is you can! (Be sure it is REAL POWDERED MILK and not a milk drink like Morning Moo’s you are trying to use. Alternative Milk Drinks WILL NOT work.) Also, make sure you check out my short video on one of my favorite ways to use the homemade yogurt-in a delicious and healthy yogurt parfait!
How to make food storage yogurt with powdered milk:
What you’ll need for food storage yogurt with powdered milk:
- 2-quarts pasteurized milk (cream, whole, low fat, or skim) — for food storage purposes, we’ll use powdered milk. For non-instant milk you’ll need, 1 1/2 c. dry milk powder and 2 quarts water. If you’re using instant milk you’ll need, 3 c. dry milk powder and 2 quarts water (or whatever your milk’s specific instructions are for making 2 quarts of milk).
- Additional nonfat dry milk powder (for extra milk proteins) — Use 2/3-cup powder when using non-instant powdered milk (if you used a skim milk-otherwise use 1/3-cup), or use 1 1/3-cup powder when using instant powdered milk (or 2/3 if you didn’t use skim milk above). The higher the milk solids the firmer the yogurt
- Commercial, unflavored, cultured yogurt — Use 1/2-cup. Be sure the product label indicates that it contains a live culture. Also note the content of the culture. L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus are required in yogurt, but some manufacturers may in addition add L. acidophilus and/or B. bifidum. The latter two are used for slight variations in flavor, but more commonly for health reasons attributed to these organisms. All culture variations will make a successful yogurt. I like the Mountain High Yoghurt as my starter.
- (Optional) 2 to 4 tablespoons sugar or honey.
Instructions for your food storage yogurt:
- Mix your powdered milk (all of it-both the milk to make the initial 2 quarts of milk and the additional milk).
- In a 4-5 qt. slow cooker, place milk and sugar or honey, if you are using it, cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
- After the 2 1/2 hours, unplug the slow cooker and let it sit for 3 hours.
- After the 3 hours, remove 2 cups of milk (you may notice a skin of sorts on your milk in the slow cooker, go ahead and remove that with a spoon and discard) and stir in the 1/2 cup of yogurt in a separate bowl. Add the yogurt mixture to the remaining milk and stir. (If you want to check your milk temperature, you can use a candy thermometer and make sure it’s between 112 and 117 degrees F. Put the lid back on the slow cooker and wrap in a large and thick bath towel and let sit (unplugged) for an additional 8 hours.
- After the 8 hours, unwrap and uncover the slow cooker. SCOOP (DO NOT STIR) the yogurt into clean containers and refrigerate – chill before serving.
(This recipe was adapted from National Center for Home Preservation and the method of cooking the slow cooker was approved by the man who wrote that article…as long as it doesn’t curdle-if yours curdles throw it out!)
How to make a delicious and healthy yogurt parfait from your food storage yogurt:
If you want to make your own delicious granola, you can see THIS POST.
is there a way to have a live yogurt culture in your food storage so you can still make yogurt if buying at a store is not possible?
Yes, you can buy different cultures online.
Yes, you can buy different cultures online.
If you keep the culture going by making yogurt a couple of times a week, you just use your own yogurt as the starter. It’s kind of like keeping sourdough starter alive, you have to keep using it and replenishing it. You shouldn’t have to buy more commercial yogurt. However, she’s right – you can buy yogurt and cheese cultures online.
Wow! awesome!!!! i have 2 questions
1. will it not work with flavoured yogurt (ie vanilla) and
2. will it work with previously frozen yogurt?
Yes, I use vanilla but it won’t work with say….strawberry. I’m not sure if it works from previously frozen yogurt. I haven’t tried it yet. Good luck!
Crystal,
Thanks so much for the step by step! I am so excited to try this. I was reading the directions and wondering how much yogurt does this recipe make? Thanks.
It makes about 2 quarts
It makes about 2 quarts
Thank you!
Thank you!
Thank you!
If you don’t want to use a crockpot, I’ve found that it works great to incubate yogurt on top of a heating pad set on low. I do mine in small containers, and set them on top of a towel-lined cookie sheet. I put the cookie sheet on top of a heating pad with another towel on top to keep them nice and warm, and in the morning, voila!
That’s a nice alternative. I’ve also made yogurt before I got my dehydrator using a large insulated cooler. You incubate the yogurt inside a cooler with towels wrapped around the yogurt and close the cooler. The towels and the cooler keep the yogurt warm until it’s set. It also doesn’t use any electricity!
I do love using my dehydrator for yogurt now as well… I don’t have to worry about the temperature or having towels wrapping everything but I think it’s great when we can learn alternative methods for making something!
ha ha never mind on the first question i went back and actually watched the video 🙂
what would be an alternative if you don’t have electricity?
Heating your milk over a grill at 200 degrees for 30 minutes (preferably in
a double boiler) and then keeping it warm for 8 hours.
that looks fabulous … I was wondering if it would work if I doubled the recipe in the crockpot … do you know? I can’t wait to try it, thanks.
As long as you use a slow cooker big enough, it should work.
As long as you use a slow cooker big enough, it should work.
As long as you use a slow cooker big enough, it should work.
As long as you use a slow cooker big enough, it should work.
that looks fabulous … I was wondering if it would work if I doubled the recipe in the crockpot … do you know? I can’t wait to try it, thanks.
that looks fabulous … I was wondering if it would work if I doubled the recipe in the crockpot … do you know? I can’t wait to try it, thanks.
that looks fabulous … I was wondering if it would work if I doubled the recipe in the crockpot … do you know? I can’t wait to try it, thanks.
that looks fabulous … I was wondering if it would work if I doubled the recipe in the crockpot … do you know? I can’t wait to try it, thanks.
that looks fabulous … I was wondering if it would work if I doubled the recipe in the crockpot … do you know? I can’t wait to try it, thanks.
How long does this yogurt last in your fridge?
How long does this yogurt last in your fridge?
You make it seem do-able. Thank you; I am going to try this!
Thanks Crystal… I’ve been looking forward to your yogurt video!
I sometimes have my yogurt come out grainy… any thoughts on why?
Could you simply warm your milk on the stove to the correct temperature and then add it with the yogurt to the slow cooker? Just thinking about shortening the time factor.
Yes, you can heat it for 30 minutes in a double boiler to a constant 200
degrees (no hotter). If you don’t have a double boiler you have to sit
there and stir it for the 30 minutes and that is hard to do. (I tried and
had a total disaster!) That is why I liked the slow cooker because you can
start it and walk away and come back to it.
Ack! Crystal! I just finished the 2 1/2 hour section and it smelled like something burnt. I peeked under the lid and there is brown burnt milk stuff on the edges of my crock pot. Will this ruin my yogurt making? Because that just took an awful lot of powdered milk and I hate to see it go to waste. Is it possible that my low setting is too hot and would decreasing the time (to, say, 2 hours instead of 2 1/2) offset that?
Mine has a little bit of burnt milk around the edges as well and it still
works great. Good luck!
Whew! Okay. Good. I couldn’t remember you mentioning that on your video or anything so I was afraid my crock pot was going to ruin it. I hate failing on the first try!
Mine has a little bit of burnt milk around the edges as well and it still
works great. Good luck!
Mine has a little bit of burnt milk around the edges as well and it still
works great. Good luck!
Mine has a little bit of burnt milk around the edges as well and it still
works great. Good luck!
Okay – I have done it twice and both times the yogurt curdled! Why – I followed the instructions exactly.
Tell me what you’re doing. Did you check the temperature of your milk? Did
you make sure and unplug your slow cooker after the initial 2 1/2 hours?
Yup – my milk cooled to 113-115 each time and I did unplug the crock pot each time. I did not make the milk in a blender – would that make a difference?
How long did you let the yogurt and milk sit for?
First time was 7 hours and the second time was 8 hours.
What kind of milk are you using. Specific brand and type.
Non fat instant dry milk from home storage cannery in Linden
So it’s non-instant milk if it’s from the cannery. How did you put in the
yogurt?
Sorry, I did mean non-instant. I took two cups of the warm milk out and mixed in the yogurt and then put all that back into the crockpot with the other milk – stirred it up, covered it up and left it alone!! Is my powdered milk too old – it was packaged in 2003?
Did you add in any sugar? If so, when?
Nope. Is my crock pot staying hot longer after I unplug it and would that make the yogurt curdle?
How much milk are you taking out to mix with your yogurt before adding it
back to the milk?
How much milk are you taking out to mix with your yogurt before adding it
back to the milk?
How much milk are you taking out to mix with your yogurt before adding it
back to the milk?
Two cups
And you didn’t put in sugar, right?
None at all!
And you’re wrapping the slow cooker in a very thick towel and letting it sit
for 8 hours?
How much milk are you taking out to mix with your yogurt before adding it
back to the milk?
How much milk are you taking out to mix with your yogurt before adding it
back to the milk?
How much milk are you taking out to mix with your yogurt before adding it
back to the milk?
I am also wondering how long this would be good for?
I just made this overnight. I was steeling myself for some disappointment after a long run of failures from food network recipes. I was stunned and thrilled to find YOGURT in my crockpot this morning! That’s YOGURT, friends! Gosh I feel like a total rock star. I’m totally going to make naan with this yogurt and I can already tell that I’m going to feel like the Molly-est of all Mollys! “Why, yes, even the yogurt is made from scratch.” Ha! Thanks for this boost to my day.
HAHA!! Moliest of all Mollys. That is hilarious! I’m so happy it worked
for you!
HAHA!! Moliest of all Mollys. That is hilarious! I’m so happy it worked
for you!
HAHA!! Moliest of all Mollys. That is hilarious! I’m so happy it worked
for you!
HAHA!! Moliest of all Mollys. That is hilarious! I’m so happy it worked
for you!
HAHA!! Moliest of all Mollys. That is hilarious! I’m so happy it worked
for you!
HAHA!! Moliest of all Mollys. That is hilarious! I’m so happy it worked
for you!
I just made this (actually, my husband bought me a yogurt maker for our anniversary… true love!) and I was so excited that it actually worked! I will be making this all the time! Thank you for making it seem easy and for using all powdered milk (it tastes the same as regular yogurt… amazing!). This is a great use for my powdered milk since I can’t get my kids to think it’s not gross as milk, but they love yogurt! If they don’t like this, then they are cr-azy! Thanks again!
You said something about buying live cultures for making the yogurt. Does that mean that I can’t take 1/2 cup of the yogurt that I made and use it as starter next time?
Thanks! First try worked out great!
No, you can. Buying starters is just another alternative.
Where do you learn these things? Cool
Lots of research. 😉
Okay – ran out of space further down – Yes, I wrapped it in a towel and let it sit. Is it staying warm for too long – what actually makes it curdle?
Too warm.
If I am understanding your video correctly, am I supposed to use 2 cups of the non-instant milk plus an additional 3/4 cups? I am excited to do this, but want to make sure that I have the right measurements. Thanks.
It states the amounts in the instruction area. Double check there. Thanks!
I have one of those digital thermometers that has a wire connected to the temperature probe so you can constantly monitor the temperature. After I added the yogurt culture, I checked on the temp about a half hour later and it had already dropped down to 105 degrees. So then I was afraid it was getting too cold too quickly, so I turned the crock pot dial to “keep warm” for a few minutes. Well then I got a phone call and kind of forgot about it. When I checked it another 30 minutes later it was already up to 127 degrees. It looked like the yogurt had started to thicken, but I’m afraid I killed the bacteria. How long does it have to stay at 110-112-ish degrees? How hot is too hot for the yogurt bacteria?
Total failure – rats. I used instant powdered milk – the right measurements (5 2/3). Directions followed exactly. I wonder if my crock-pot’s low is too high. (No candy/dairy thermometer.) Ended up with little “burnt” edges. (I did use Chobani yogurt – had five cultures, never even tried that brand before.) I got half and half consistency warm milk. I let it sit about 9 hours, though. Any thoughts?
My yogurt handout that will be posted on Wednesday has a lot of trouble
shooting information. I think that will be helpful.
Okay, for those using Instant, I looked at the measurements and played
around with it. I’ve changed them so if you’re brave to try it again-it
should work much better!
I skip the 2 1/2 hours on low in the crockpot. I preheat the crockpot while I warm the milk in a pot on the stove to 117 degrees (I have a digital candy thermometer). Otherwise I follow the same recipe. I unplug the crockpot and wrap it up. After it has set in the crockpot for about eight hours, I drip about a quart of whey out of it so I can have Greek yogurt the next day after chilling. I also started with Stonyfield organic Greek yogurt that has five cultures from Wal-Mart, and have had excellent results.
Very easy!
How long can you store your homemade yogurt?
All of that information is on my free yogurt handout.
I’ve made this twice (ok, six times, but only two were successful) and loved the results except for one thing: the yougurt was set but kind of stringy. Yours looked more like custard. Any thoughts on this?
I’ve made this twice (ok, six times, but only two were successful) and loved the results except for one thing: the yougurt was set but kind of stringy. Yours looked more like custard. Any thoughts on this?
Mine can be stringy. It’s the milk proteins in action. If they weren’t a
little stringy it wouldn’t set like it does.
Hey there. I posted here a while ago saying I couldn’t get your yogurt to work. I’m sorry left you hanging with the yogurt not working. Life happened. But I’m back and I figured out what was wrong. My crockpot wasn’t working right. I don’t know what happened to it but I bought a new crockpot and now the yogurt turns out wonderfully. Thanks for your site!
did not see the answer to my question anywhere in the comments or the handout, do you need to add milk solids if you are making your yogurt from regular whole milk rather than powdered? If so, in what form and how much?
I have done it both ways with success. If you add extra milk powder, you are boosting the protein, but it is not necessarily required. The Everyday Food Storage Experts may want to chime in, but I think I just added about a quarter cup of dry milk to a half gallon of whole fresh milk.
What do you mean by milk solids?