How to Make Yogurt Without a Yogurt Maker

Want to learn how to make yogurt? Here is how to make thick, creamy homemade yogurt, without any of the additives (guar gum, pectin, gelatin, etc.) that are used to thicken store-bought yogurts. You don’t even need a yogurt maker!

A few reasons why you should make yogurt

• It’s delicious!
• You can make it without any special ingredients or kitchen tools.
• It can be used to make all sorts of other cultured foods.
• Yogurt is a great way to get a dose of probiotics. Calcium helps lactic bacteria survive digestion!
• Almost everyone likes it. There are even vegan options for anyone who doesn’t eat dairy.
• It is so much cheaper than store-bought. Nothing is wasted, so a gallon of homemade yogurt is literally the cost of a gallon of milk. (Perfect for people who eat a lot!)

You don’t need a yogurt maker

You don’t have to own a yogurt maker. In fact, those fiddling little cups can be pretty annoying if you want to make a larger batch.

All that is required is to keep the milk warm for at least 2 hours (and up to 24 hours depending on how sour you want it).

Here are 5 options:

• I use a folding fermentation box so that I can make a large volume at once. I also use it to proof bread, make cheese, and tempeh! So a worthwhile investment if you get into fermented foods.
• Before I had my fermentation box I wrapped jars of yogurt in warm sweaters and left them on the shelf above my hot water heater. It took a little longer to set, but it always worked!
• Stash jars in the oven with the oven light left on.
• Place jars in an insulated cooler to keep them warm. You can even add a few extra jars filled with boiling water to help hold the heat for longer.
• Use a slow cooker or Instant Pot. Put a few jars of yogurt into your slow cooker with 2-inches of water to create a warm water bath, then use the keep warm setting.

Choosing and maintaining a good starter

The best starters are purchased cultures. You can find a number of different options at Cultures For Health. Alternatively, you can also just use store-bought yogurt for culture. It’s a great way to test how probiotic (or not) a particular brand is.

A vigorous grocery store culture should be able to make thick yogurt within 4 hours without the use of additives.

Here are a few things to look for when using store-bought yogurt:

• Only use plain yogurt. You don’t need the added sugar and flavor.
• Smaller, local brands are usually better than national brands.
• Look at the date. You want the culture to be fresh, so choose a long date over a short one.
• I’ve had great success with plain Greek Gods and Astro BioBest. (These are honest recommendations, and neither of these are an affiliate link).

Maintaining culture

Fresh is best when it comes to maintaining a vigorous culture. If you find that your yogurt starts to have issues, it’s probably because you are not culturing it often enough. Like all living things, dairy cultures need to be fed regularly in order to be healthy.

Here are a few suggestions for maintaining a vigorous culture.

1. If you are keeping the culture in the fridge, it needs to be re-cultured every 7 days. Obviously, that’s quite a bit of work! So unless you’re very into making yogurt, I recommend freezing culture.
2. Dairy culture freezes very well, and it will last in the freezer for at least 4 weeks (often longer). Whenever I make a batch of yogurt, I always freeze enough culture to make the next batch. You can freeze it in a plastic container, zip-top bag, or straight-sized mason jar.
3. Defrost the frozen culture for 24 hours in the fridge before using it.

Troubleshooting Problems

If you don’t have thick yogurt after 8 hours then it’s likely due to one of the following common problems:

• The starter didn’t have enough live bacteria in it. A definite possibility with supermarket cultures.
• It was an heirloom culture that doesn’t naturally thicken.
• You added the starter before the milk cooled to 110F (40C) and accidentally killed the bacteria.
• It wasn’t warm enough during the culturing. Though this is really rare, and unlikely if you made any effort to keep it warm.