Easy Greek Yogurt with Raw Milk
This delicious recipe creates a thick, nutritious yogurt that is easy to make.
Servings 1 gallon
Calories 82kcal
Equipment
- 1 6 Quart Stockpot
- 1 Instant Read Thermometer
- 6 Storage Containers (we like Quart Mason Jars) Or Various Sized Containers
- 1 ⅛ Measuring Spoon optional
Ingredients
- ⅛ tsp LyoPro Y+ Culture or ABY-2C Culture OR ½ C of plain yogurt from a previous batch using this recipe or a store-bought yogurt
- 1 gallon of milk whole or skimmed
- 1 cup sugar or 1 tsp powdered stevia sweetener is optional
- 2 ½ tbsp unflavored gelatin
- ½ cup cold water
Instructions
- Heat the Milk: Pour the milk into your kettle and heat over medium heat until it reaches 180°F. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching.
- Cool the Milk: Remove the kettle from the heat and allow the milk to cool to 130°F. To speed up this process, you can place the pot in a sink partially filled with cold water, stirring the milk gently to help it cool evenly.
- Prepare the Gelatin: While the milk is cooling, soak the gelatin in the cold water for about 5 minutes or until softened. This will allow the gelatin to bloom, which helps it dissolve smoothly into the warm milk.
- Combine Ingredients: Once the milk reaches 130°F, stir in the sugar or stevia (if using). Then, add the bloomed gelatin and stir thoroughly, breaking up any clumps. Make sure the gelatin is fully dissolved.
- Add the Culture: Sprinkle the freeze-dried culture evenly over the surface of the milk or add the plain yogurt. Let it sit for about 5 minutes. (This allows freeze-dried cultures to rehydrate.)
- Incubate the Yogurt: Pour the yogurt mixture into your glass jars or other storage containers, leaving about 2 inches of headspace. Place the containers in your oven with the oven light on. This is the easiest way for me to provide a gentle, consistent temperature for incubation. Let the yogurt sit overnight or for 8-10 hours. For a thicker yogurt, incubate longer. If your oven light doesn't provide enough warmth (around 100-110°F), you can also incubate the yogurt in a warm place, such as on a heating pad or in a cooler with hot water about ¾ the way up the mason jars.
- Chill and Enjoy: In the morning, transfer the yogurt containers to the refrigerator and chill for at least 4 hours to allow the yogurt to thicken further and develop its full flavor.
Notes
- Quality Ingredients: Making your own yogurt allows you to control exactly what goes into it. For the best flavor and results, consider using high-quality ingredients. Sourcing grass fed, organic milk from a local farm or an organic yogurt as a starter culture may give you additional confidence in your own homemade yogurt.
- Flavor Infusions: For a fun twist, try adding jam to your yogurt! During step #4, you can use an immersion blender to mix 1-2 cups of your favorite jam directly into the milk. For a classic vanilla yogurt, simply mix in 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract during step #4.This creates a delicious and evenly flavored yogurt.
- Raw Milk Tip: If using raw dairy, I've found that using milk that's 5-7 days old (rather than very fresh milk) yields a nice, thick raw milk yogurt. This is just a personal observation, and you can experiment to see what works best for you.