Crockpot Yogurt and Greek Yogurt Recipe-- HUGE Money Saver!

Why Make Homemade Yogurt??

Simple-- it was incredibly easy, and once I figured out the price difference, I realized that I have no other option but to make my own! Here's the price break down:

Price comparison per 32 oz. carton:
Dannon All-Natural Plain = $2.87
Homemade = $0.94

Cost comparison per year (104 cartons, 2 per week):
Dannon All-Natural Plain: $298.50
Homemade: $98.60 (includes 1 organic yogurt for initial starter)

I used local milk and organic yogurt for my starter, so you can make your yogurt for much less than I did (especially if you take advantage of sales)!

So, Without Further Ado...

You won't believe how easy this is. The mixture will sit in the crockpot for a while, so I've found that starting in the afternoon is a good time for me.

You'll need:

• A crockpot, a whisk (or a spoon), and a thick towel. You may also want some containers for the yogurt- I like the Ziploc 2 cup containers. This recipe fills 2.

Ingredients: 

• 8 cups (half gallon) Milk- Whole milk works best, or you can get adventurous and use other milks (such as goat's, rice, soy, almond and coconut) You can thicken milks by adding one packet of unflavored gelatin after stirring in the yogurt.
• 1 small carton of plain yogurt (Must have active cultures!!! I would recommend one with milk only as an ingredient--ie, Dannon All-Natural Plain).

 Here's How:

•  Turn crockpot on "low". Add milk. Cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
• Turn crockpot off. Leave for 3 hours. (Keep the cover on)

•  Scoop out 2 cups of the milk and put it into a bowl. Mix in 1 small container of yogurt using a whisk (OR use yogurt from your last batch!)

•  Return to the crockpot and stir.
• Keeping it unplugged, put the lid on and wrap the entire crockpot (even underneath) with a heavy towel for insulation.

•  Leave sitting for 8 hours. (I leave it overnight)
• If it needs thickening, you can whisk in 1/4 cup tapioca starch.
• You're done! Fill containers and place in the fridge! Your yogurt should last 7-10 days. Don't forget to save 1/2 cup as starter for the next batch.

To Make Greek Yogurt:

•  Follow the same steps as above, except before placing in the fridge, you'll want to line a mesh collander with a coffee liner and let the liquid drain out into a bowl.

To Flavor Your Yogurt:

• Just prior to eating, add your flavors. Some ideas are: honey, almonds, walnuts, fruit, vanilla extract, sugar, undiluted coffee and coffee syrups.

Enjoy! Please leave a comment if you have any questions.

Thanks to Crockpot365.blogspot.com for the basic directions!