Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Yogurt
on Sep 17, 2017, Updated Feb 24, 2022
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Slow cooker yogurt is an easy, healthy and inexpensive way to make homemade yogurt without a yogurt maker. Prepare it in five minutes, go to bed, and wake up to a freshly made breakfast!
I have a few more yogurt recipes that you will enjoy. 4 Ingredient Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yogurt (5 minute recipe!), Homemade Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt Cups and 5 Easy Healthy Yogurt Bowl Ideas are all winners.
How to Make Slow Cooker Yogurt
Yogurt can be expensive and often times it has a long list of artificial colors, flavors, and who knows what else. So here is a super easy recipe to make your own slow cooker yogurt. It is plain yogurt, but you can add honey, jams, fresh fruit, and just about anything else you like. I also use it in place of sour cream in most recipes. This is a great way to to get organic yogurt on the cheap. You can buy a carton of organic milk and turn it into yogurt for about half the price of organic yogurt.
The recipe is so easy that it practically makes itself. You just have to commit a little time to the process! You essentially just use your slow cooker to scald the milk and then the heavy warm crock radiates heat all night long to help culture your new batch of yogurt. The hands-on time is about 5 minutes, though the waiting time is about 15 hours. I like to start this in the afternoon so that it’s ready to sit for its long 8-12 hour warm resting period overnight. We then wake up to fresh yogurt and I’ll serve it with fresh fruit and some homemade granola.
I really recommend straining this yogurt through 3-4 layers of cheese cloth for a few hours too. This helps it to thicken up to a more “Greek yogurt” consistency which my kids prefer (and it’s easier to eat). I explained more of how I do that in the tips and tricks section. Before you know it, you’ll know how to make homemade yogurt with your eyes closed.
Tips and Tricks for making Slow Cooker Yogurt
- I’d highly recommend getting a little instant-read thermometer to make homemade yogurt – it’s all about the temperature! I use this $10 thermometer all the time.
- The goal is to scald the milk which takes place around 180 degrees. So you could check it with a thermometer the first time to see if the “warm” setting is warm enough or if maybe an hour and 45 minutes would work on low. Once you figure it out, I don’t think you would have to use the thermometer every time.
- After the milk is scalded, the waiting time is meant to bring the milk down to around 115-110 degrees so that it’s still warm but won’t kill your yogurt culture!
- You don’t have to buy commercial plain yogurt every time. Just save 1/2 cup of your own yogurt for the starter for the next batch.
- I really recommend straining this yogurt through 3-4 layers of cheese cloth for a few hours, too. This helps it to thicken up to a more “Greek yogurt” consistency which my kids prefer (and it’s easier to eat). I simply set a large colander in a bowl, line it with cheese cloth, and then pour my yogurt in from the slow cooker. I cover it with a clean dish towel and let it sit for a few hours until it’s the consistency that I like. Do note that the yogurt will also thicken some when refrigerated. Play around with it until you figure out how thick or how thin you prefer your yogurt and make notes. That’s the perk of cooking from scratch – you get a product that is truly customized to your preferences.
How long does homemade yogurt last?
Homemade yogurt is generally good for eating for up to 2 weeks when properly stored in the refrigerator.
Do I have to buy store bought yogurt every time in order to make homemade yogurt?
You don’t have to buy commercial plain yogurt every time. Just save 1/2 cup of your own yogurt for the starter for the next batch.
How can I make homemade yogurt thicker:
There’s a few ways to make your yogurt thicker!
- Use whole milk instead of 2% or skim. The higher milk fat lends to a thicker yogurt.
- Stick it in the fridge. Your yogurt with thicken up some as it gets cold.
- Strain your yogurt. By removing some of the whey, you are left with a thicker Greek style yogurt.
- I strain my yogurt 2 ways, one is by straining the yogurt through 3-4 layers of cheese cloth for a few hours, too. Simply set a large colander in a bowl, line it with cheese cloth, and then pour yogurt in from the slow cooker. Cover it with a clean dish towel and let it sit for a few hours until it’s the consistency that you like. Do note that the yogurt will also thicken some when refrigerated. Play around with it until you figure out how thick or how thin you prefer your yogurt and make notes. That’s the perk of cooking from scratch – you get a product that is truly customized to your preferences.
- The second way I strain my yogurt is new to me, but I’m loving it. I just got a stainless steel yogurt strainer and it’s awesome. I just stick the tube in my yogurt after the incubation time and let it rest about 2 hours. Then the middle fills with the whey and you ladle it out. I normally do this a in three spots down the middle of the slow cooker (over the course of the morning or so) before placing it in the fridge and it works so great. The tube I just rinse off or you can stick it in the dishwasher. It’s a cool thing that if you make yogurt a lot, it’s great to have (it works in the 6 and 8 quart Instant Pots too!).
Slow Cooker Yogurt
- Total Time: 12 hrs 5min
- Yield: Makes 8 Cups 1x
Description
Slow cooker yogurt is an easy, healthy and inexpensive way to make homemade yogurt without a yogurt maker. Prepare in five minutes, go to bed, and wake up to a freshly made breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon (8 cups) whole milk (you’ll get a thinner product with a lower fat content milk)
- 1/2 cup commercial plain yogurt that says “Live and Active Cultures” on the tub (I have great success with Mountain High yogurt for my culture)
Instructions
- In a large crock pot, add the milk. Add the lid.Turn it on low for around 2 1/2 hours*.
- After that time has passed, unplug the crock pot and let it sit for 3 hours. I always set a timer for these or I don’t remember.
- After the 3 hours has passed, stir in the 1/2 cup of yogurt. Replace the lid of the crock pot and cover with 2 big towels or a blanket. Let rest for 8 to 12 hours (overnight works well). In the morning you’ll have yogurt!
- Place it in a 1/2 gallon mason jar and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. It will thicken up in the fridge. Keep a 1/2 cup of this yogurt for your next batch and say goodbye to buying yogurt!
- You can also let the yogurt strain in cheese cloth in the fridge for a few hours and you’ll get a thicker Greek yogurt!
Notes
- *The goal is to scald the milk which takes place around 180 degrees. So you could check it with a thermometer the first time to see if the “warm” setting is warm enough or if maybe an hour and 45 minutes would work on low. Once you figure it out, I don’t think you would have to use the thermometer every time.
- After the milk is scalded the waiting time is menat to bring the milk down to around 115-110 degrees so that it’s still warm but won’t kill your yogurt culture!
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 12 hrs
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Yogurt recipes that are worth a try:
- Soft and Puffy Greek Yogurt Sugar Cookies
- 5 Easy Healthy Yogurt Bowl Ideas
- 4 Ingredient Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yogurt (5 minute recipe!)
- Homemade Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt Cups
I used this recipe with lactose free whole milk, and it came out perfectly. Note that the lactase added to this milk (the enzyme which breaks down lactose) coverts milk sugar (Lactose) into two natural types of glucose, so there is sugar in the milk which the culture uses.
Ohhh thank you for letting us know that it worked! That’s so helpful!
Wow. This totally worked! I decided to make my own yogurt cause I go through a lot of it and wanted a way to have it in larger quantities than I can get at the store. To be fair – I had no idea what I was getting myself into. So. I found this site, followed the directions, threw some towels around my crockpot and hoped for the best overnight. In the morning…still totally liquid. I realized the temp had dropped below 100 so I turned the crockpot on for a few minutes to let it get back up around 110, turned it off and wrapped the crockpot in towels better than before. Went shopping and figured it was a lost cause. Got home and voila, yogurt! I’m amazed! Total incubation time for me was around 15 hours but that’s cause the temp dropped a bit too low. It’s draining now. Yay! Thank you for posting this recipe!!
I just tried this for my first time making yogurt. It was so much easier than I expected! I started it at noon and didn’t want to get up to finish it at midnight, I just waited to finish it until I woke up in the morning. My total time was closer to 18-20 hours instead of 12. It was very close to greek yogurt after that amount of time. I’m really happy with how it turned out!
Ohhhh I love that, thank you for taking the time to come back and let us know what work. So helpful!
So leave the yogurt out over night nor refrigerated and refrigerate the next morning?
Yep, it needs time while it’s warm/at room temperature for the yogurt culture to grow and “inoculate” the milk, aka turn it into yogurt!
Hi,
Can you half the recipe?
Amy
Yep! If you do that you’ll want to go with the temperatures the milk needs to be and not the cooking time, less milk will get to scalding faster! The resting time (around over night) will be the same though.
I am amazed at how simple it is to make yogurt! Thank you for the recipe, as well as the one for homemade granola they make a delicious combination. I strained the yogurt and it made a big difference. It turned out so creamy and smooth!
YAY!!! And you are the FIRST PERSON to EVER upload a picture to my site, it’s a new function and I’m so glad you are using it!
I just found your site over the weekend and I cant stay away. There are so many good recipes, my husband and 4 kids have been enjoying the results ? Thank you for sharing, We had the corn chowder with corn bread tonight, soooooo good!
Yay! You’re making all my favorites! Thank you for leaving such a kind comments. Might I suggest my chocolate chip cookies, chunky chicken noodle soup, and my mom’s dinner roll recipe for tonight 🙂 ENJOY!
Is it possible to double this recipe and everything will turn out the same?
I think it’ll be fine if that much fits in your slow cooker and if you go by the temperatures I’ve listed instead of times.
I’m looking to try making yoghurt but both my son and I are lactose free. Do you think it’d still work if I used lactose free milk and yoghurt?
In my mind it works because you are just adding the culture to milk, but I did a little googling and most people do not have luck making homemade yogurt with lactose free milk. I wonder if there is something that you could add to help it work… I’ll keep researching this!
I think in the process of making yogurt the lactose is destroyed or lessened to a great degree. I could eat yogurt but, not consume milk because of stomach distress.
Ohhhh that’s very interesting, but that does make sense to me. Thank you for the tip.
Yes, my mother is lactose intolerant, but she can eat whole milk yogurt no problem. I think you are right about the lactose.
I want to try this recipe but would like to know how can I make it vanilla flavored. What do I need to add or do differently? Thank you in advance.
I haven’t had any luck flavoring while making, we just flavor it in small batches after it’s made. You can add honey and vanilla after it’s already set. When you do mix it though it tends to make it thinner, so I normally just use jam or honey to flavor it right when we are making it UNLESS you are straining it for a thicker greek yogurt, then I flavor the whole batch and stick it in the fridge. Does that help?
You can add sweetened condensed milk or dairy coffee creamer before the incubation period.
I know people have added things but I generally don’t. I find that sometimes the live cultures have a hard time competing with sugar so the yogurt doesn’t always turn out the same when I start adding other things first, we just add it once it’s made and strained.
Can I use powdered milk?
I have no idea! I’ve never heard of any one trying it.
I know people who have used dry milk – try to get it with some fat in it if you can or add a tiny bit of cream.
I saw on another recipe that used powdered milk to thicken it.
That would be fun to play with!