Homemade Greek Yogurt the Easy Way

I used to be SUPER intimidated about making homemade yogurt.  I thought it required special equipment, large coolers, thermometers, etc.  And, I thought, if I messed up even a little, I could poison and kill my whole family (hey, bacteria can be scary stuff!).

But I have found an easier way of making yogurt, and I want to share it with you.  You can convert a gallon of milk into yogurt with less than 5 minutes of hands-on time and no special equipment other than a slow cooker.  (Yes, really!)

You will need:
-1 gallon of whole or 2% milk (you may use 1/2 gallon)
-1 small container of yogurt (must contain live active cultures)
-slow cooker
-large towel

You will NOT need:
-a fancy yogurt-making machine
-a cooler
-a thermometer

If you can pour milk, you can make yogurt!

Here are the simple steps!

Homemade Yogurt the Lazy Easy Way

1. Pour a gallon of milk into your slow cooker (you can do half a gallon if you prefer).  I like to use whole or 2% (I’ve never tried it with 1% or skim).  Put the lid on your slow cooker and turn it on low for 2.5 hours.

2. After 2.5 hours, turn it OFF and set a timer for 3 hours.

3. After 3 hours, scoop out 2 cups of the milk using a large measuring cup.  Add the container of yogurt to the milk and stir to combine.  Pour this back into your slow cooker and put the lid back on.

4. Wrap your slow cooker in a large towel (for insulation) and let it sit for 8 hours (or overnight).

Your yogurt is finished!  It will be somewhat thin (homemade yogurt usually is), but you can strain it to make Greek yogurt (highly recommended – see below).

Greek Yogurt

1. Line a colander with a double layer of paper towels or a single layer of cheesecloth.  Set on top of a bowl to catch the whey.  Pour in homemade yogurt.

2. Allow yogurt to strain for an hour or so until thick.

That’s it!  Greek yogurt is delicious on its own, with honey, with granola, with fruit, or as a replacement for sour cream.

**Note:  If you save 1 cup of yogurt from your first homemade batch, you can use it as the “starter” for your next batch instead of having to buy a container of yogurt!  You can freeze it if you’re not ready to make a new batch right away.

Enjoy!

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Tatertots & Jello