• My kids love yogurt. They would eat it with every meal if they could. Sadly for me, the cost of yogurt sure adds up. Especially if you’re trying to buy good quality yogurt for a big family. Did you know, that it is possible for you to make your own yogurt at home, using your crock pot? Well, it totally is, and I am going to tell you how.

    You will need:

    A crock pot
    A candy thermometer
    1 cup of plain yogurt with live cultures (once you have made this once, you can use your yogurt as the starter for the next batch. I prefer to use Stoneyfield plain whole milk yogurt.)
    1 gallon of whole milk

    That is it!

    Here is my method:

    Place all of the milk into the crock pot and heat until it reaches 180 degrees. Mine takes about four hours on high to get there.
    Turn the crock pot back off and cool until 110 degrees. Another four or so hours here.
    When your milk is 110 degrees you can mix in the cup of yogurt starter.
    Cover the crock pot, and wrap the whole thing in a big towel. Let it sit overnight (up to about 12 hours). When you wake up you will have a big batch of fresh homemade plain yogurt.

    I know, awesome right? At this stage I like to flavor and sweeten our yogurt. The best part about this is you can use any Sweetener you choose. Stevia, honey, regular sugar. Whatever. You can make this fit into your health needs. Plus you will know exactly what your kids are eating!

    For vanilla yogurt I add vanilla extract and sugar to taste.

    If you prefer it thicker, you can strain your yogurt using a sieve and a coffee filter.

    If you like fruit in your yogurt you can make a batch with some fresh jam.

    Get creative, and get making some yogurt!