How to Make Homemade Greek Yogurt

How to make Homemade Greek Yogurt in a Crock Pot or Slow Cooker. It’s easy, better for the environment, and you only need two ingredients! A naturally gluten-free recipe.

Pat and I made a mutual New Year’s resolution to cut down on the plastic we buy, especially pertaining to food. The impact is twofold. One, who knows what chemicals end up in your food because of plastic packaging. The other is lessening the amount of plastic that’s made. Sadly, tons of plastic ends up in the ocean. In fact, every great sea now has a garbage “gyre” or a rotating ring laden with plastics. It’s sickening. Cutting down on our plastic use saves energy, reduces greenhouse gas production and prevents pollution.

An easy first step was to stop buying store-bought yogurt. We eat multiple containers of single serve yogurt on a daily basis and our recycling bin is full to the brim by the end of the week. This method of making Greek yogurt in a slow cooker allows us to make enough yogurt to last us at least a week.

The trick to delicious homemade yogurt is starting out with great ingredients. You only need two things – milk and a yogurt starter. I use organic whole milk to ensure I am making a high-quality product. Whole milk makes the yogurt thicker and so much more decadent, but you can also use low-fat milk. You should choose a yogurt that tastes good to you, as it will determine how your final product will taste. Make sure your yogurt has live active cultures and is unsweetened.

For me, the trickiest thing about making homemade yogurt is that I have to be home for at least five hours to control the temperature! Luckily, yogurt is very forgiving. To keep the mixture at the required 110-115 degrees, I put it in a crockpot with the lid off on the “warm” setting and perch a thermometer on the edge. When it starts to get too hot, I just turn the crockpot off. It’s important to not move or stir the yogurt while it is incubating, as this can interrupt the process.

Because I usually start when I get home from work, I leave the mixture in the slow cooker overnight and then put it in the fridge when I wake up in the morning. Because the yogurt lasts for two weeks in the fridge, I usually make a larger batch using a gallon of milk. There isn’t a ton of hands-on work, but you do need to make sure you’re home. After I figured out a workflow to keep the temperature within the right range, I was able to just set it and forget it.

Greek yogurt is special because it is strained to remove the whey. This makes it thicker and creamier. There are many ways to strain the yogurt without having to buy special equipment. You strain it through cheesecloth, use a fine mesh strainer, or buy a designated Greek yogurt strainer.

You can add just about anything to your yogurt to suit your preferences. For me, a drizzle of honey with some almonds and berries is the perfect finish. You could also try adding a few spoonfuls of your favorite jam.

How to Make Homemade Greek Yogurt in a Slow Cooker

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If you’re looking for a fun way to enjoy all of your new Greek yogurts, try turning it into an easy yogurt brulee:

P.S. – This post is a makeover from a post I originally shared in September 2013. There’s been a huge improvement in my photography and food styling, right? I remember being really proud of these photos when I originally took them.