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Crockpot yogurt is super easy to make and delicious. Let the slow cooker do all the work and save money too.
Crockpot yogurt
Making yogurt at home is really easy and very frugal friendly… especially when you find milk on sale. You don’t need fancy equipment to make this easy crock pot yogurt recipe.
It is a bit time consuming but still very easy and requires practically no work for you. It is mainly just a waiting game, but definitely worth the wait. I think you will agree. I tis so tasty.
You will be shocked with how easy it is to make crock pot yogurt.
How do you make yogurt without a yoghurt maker?
You will need a crock pot and the entire process is very simple. With just a few ingredients, you can have amazing yogurt at home for a fraction of the price of store bought.
The main ingredient is milk and it gets cooked on low in the crockpot for a couple of hours. After that, it is really just a waiting game as you add the other ingredients and let it sit in the crockpot.
If you don’t have a crockpot, I highly recommend this one. It travels great and seals which is perfect for this crockpot yogurt recipe.
See all of our favorite Crock Pot Recipes here.
Ingredients:
- milk – whole or 2%
- yogurt -it has to have live cultures in it. Just check the label. It will not work unless you have the live cultures.
- unflavored gelatin
- bath towel
- crockpot – I used a 6 quart
How to make yogurt in the crock pot:
First, place all of the milk into the crockpot. Let this cook on low for a couple of hours.
Next, unplug your crockpot. This needs to sit for about 3 more hours with the cover on.
Just let it sit. You don’t need to do anything.
Finally, take 2 cups of the milk from the crock pot and place in a mixing bowl. Add the store bought yogurt making sure you are using a brand that has active cultures or it will not work. Whisk this together and pour back into the slow cooker.
Stir everything really good and add the gelatin.
Add the lid once again. Just remember to keep the crockpot turned off and unplugged. Get a heavy bath towel and wrap it all the way around the crockpot. This will act as insulation.
Now let it all sit for another 8 hours. It is time consuming but not much work. Just a lot of waiting. Make sure the towel stays around it.
Put in containers and add flavorings if you prefer. That is it. Now you have containers of homemade yogurt to enjoy!
We loved it. The only problem is that it is thinner than store bought yogurt, so I recommend the non-flavored gelatin. That will really help with the consistency and to thicken the yogurt.
You do need to flavor it because plain yogurt isn’t so tasty. We flavored it with blended fruit, or sugar, or honey, or vanilla. The kids loved trying different types.
It is very frugal friendly and makes a ton. Let me know if you try it out.
How can I make homemade yogurt thicker:
The gelatin will help thicken the yogurt. Homemade yogurt is not as thick as the store bought, so the gelatin will give it the store bought appearance.
How long does homemade yogurt last?
It will last about 14 days in the fridge. If you plan to make another batch, it is best to do so within 7 days from making it so that re-culturing will work when using this yogurt as a starter.
Anyone can make this slow cooker yogurt!
I told you this homemade yogurt recipe was super easy to make. Anyone can make crock pot yogurt.
I know most of you have a crock pot, so you can easily make crock pot yogurt on a day when you are hanging out all day.
It doesn’t take a lot of effort – just some time. That means anyone can do it!
Make it your own! You can use organic milk if you prefer.
I like to use yogurt in my smoothies. Here are two recipes:
Print this Crockpot Yogurt recipe:
How to Make Yogurt in the Crockpot
Ingredients
- 1/2 Gallon milk (or 8 cups – whole or 2%)
- 1/2 cup yogurt (It has to have live cultures in it. Just check the label. It will not work unless you have the live cultures.)
- 1 unflavored gelatin
- 1 bath towel
- a crockpot (I used a 6 quart)
Instructions
- Place the entire ½ gallon of milk into the crockpot. Cook on low for 2 ½ hours.
- Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours. You don’t have to do anything. Just let it sit unplugged.
- When 3 hours have passed, take 2 cups of the warmish milk from the crockpot and put it in a bowl. Whisk in ½ cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine. (you can also add in the gelatin at this time)
- Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.
- Let it sit for 8 hours with the towel around it.
- Let chill in the plastic containers and add flavorings. That is it!
- **The gelatin will help thicken the yogurt. Homemade yogurt is not as thick as the store bought, so the gelatin will give it the store bought appearance.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Facts
After scouring the net for months before I would even try making yogurt, this is the method I settled on. It is BY FAR the easiest. If someone wants to save even more, you CAN skip the gelatin and simply drain the yogurt after it sits in the fridge for a while. Let me back up; after it reaches at least 185F during the cooking stage (this take 2-3 hours depending on your crock), I shut it off. It usually take 2.5 hours to cool off enough before adding the cultures (must be no more than 110F!!). I use a confection thermometer because I already owned one. Once it is 110F, I add 1-2 tsp vanilla at that time along with the yogurt cultures and wisk it into the larger amount still in the crock.. After the 8-hour session in the towel wrap (longer has been fine for us, too), I put the crock in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours (more is fine). When I get around to it, I put a colander lined with paper towels in a bowl and pour the cold yogurt into the colander, cover with a plate of some kind just to keep out debris, and place BACK in the fridge for a few hours. This will drain off the excess whey; my family like Greek yogurt and this is a way to make it VERY thick. If it is too thick, you can always add back some of the whey. You can also save the whey in ice cube shapes and add to smoothies/other uses as you please. I add sweetener sometimes, but NOT until after it is drained. The more my family has eaten homemade yogurt, the more they like it without sugar altogether. Go figure! I have messed up this recipe several times and find it to be very forgiving. I DO think adding sugar thins it back out a bit, so I am careful about that.
I just found this recipe, and want to try it. We eat a lot of greek yogurt in our house. Is there anyway to make greek yogurt in the crockpot? Thanks.
It really is easy. All you have to do is make an extra step and that is to strain the yogurt when you are done. You can easily use a cheesecloth.
Thanks so much for your comment Kay. I agree. adding anything really does thin the yogurt down.
Thank you so much for sharing this post I am going to try it but have a small question. Do you just add the jello in without diluting it in water? Never used unflavored jello…sorry.
Yes, no dilluting it needed. You just mix it in. It really is that easy. Come back and let me know how it turns out for you. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!
I add 1/2 cup powered milk when I put the milk into the crockpot. This helps thicken the yogurt. I do not use the gelatin. I rarely have to drain, but I do if it is not thick enough.
The yogurt came out PERFECT. I heated the whole ( non-organic) milk to 180F in an electric pressure cooker with the pressure release open. Next I added 1/2 cup of powered milk ( instead og gelatin) and let everything sit covered for 3 hours. The temperature was at 110F. Then I added 1/2 cup of plain organic yogurt, mixing well. I replaced the cover and let everything sit for 10 hours (overnight). It was almost thick enough to stand a spoon at this point. Seven cups of the youurt are now draining in the fridge ( I ate one cup for breakfast). Your instructions were great. Thank you
I just recently started eating Greek yogurt and after seeing this recipe I’m curious to try. My one question is won’t milk spoil if you leave it out for 8 hrs wrapped in a towel.
Can you use skim milk for this? I have always wanted to make yogurt at home and am looking forward to trying this recipe, but would like to reduce or eliminate the fat. Thank you!
No it will not spoil, just follow the directions and it will work perfectly. 🙂
From my experience, skim doesn’t work that well. You can try it and let me know. I have used whole milk and 2% milk and it worked great.
My yogurt came out well but I think it depends on the crockpot as my daughter tried it and it did not set. She doesn’t have a heavy duty insulated yogurt. Also a friend tried and her’s was runny as she has an old ceramic pot.
Mine isn’t smooth like store bought yogurt, is that normal? I didn’t use gelatin since I didn’t have any, just strained it with a cheesecloth. Turned out really good though!
I haven’t had any problems with mine not being smooth. The gelatin usually helps thicken it so that might help with the texture as well. I’m glad it turned out good! Thanks for sharing!
The first time I made it was perfect and somewhat thick like Greek yogurt. I used flavored gelatin because that is what I had…it gave the yogurt a wonderful light strawberry flavor. The second time I made it I got runny yogurt…not sure what I did wrong as I followed the same procedure as the first batch. I have a 6 quart ceramic removable crockpot. Could it not be getting hot enough on low?
I wonder if this can be frozen. I usually just use in recipes
I haven’t tried to freeze it before, so I’m not sure. Let me know how it turns out if you try that!
Quick question: The recipe just says “one gelatin.” Does that mean one 1-oz PACKET? Or one BOX (4 1-oz packets)? (I have Knox gelatine.) Thx – looking forward to making this!
How much gelatin? It just says one, but I have a container of unflavored gelatin.
Just wondering: does adding the gelatin do anything to prevent future batches of yogurt? I use an heirloom culture and I dont want to do anything to kill it off!
The gelatin can affect the starter culture, so I recommend saving some of the starter in case the gelatin interferes with re-culturing. Thanks.
Sorry, I haven’t tried that yet. Thanks.
No need at all for the gelatin. I have been doing this for years…when your yoghurt is done (the next morning for me as I let it sit overnight) simply strain the yogurt over a bowl with a cheese cloth or cloth napkin in the strainer. I put the whole thing in the fridge. In an hour or two you have lovely Greek yoghurt.
Thanks for sharing your tips!
It works really well. Is there any way to make a half batch? Do the cooking times change?
Yes, you can make half a batch. The cooking time would stay the same.