Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Yogurt
on Sep 17, 2017, Updated Oct 21, 2024
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Slow cooker yogurt is an easy, healthy and inexpensive way to make homemade yogurt without a yogurt maker. Prepare it in five minutes, go to bed, and wake up to a freshly made breakfast!
Yogurt can be expensive and often times it has a long list of artificial colors, flavors, and who knows what else. Here is a super easy recipe to make your own slow cooker yogurt. It is plain yogurt, but you can add honey, jams, fresh fruit, and just about anything else you like. I also use it in place of sour cream in most recipes. This is a great way to to get organic yogurt on the cheap. You can buy a carton of organic milk and turn it into yogurt for about half the price of organic yogurt.
The recipe is so easy that it practically makes itself. You just have to commit a little time to the process! You essentially just use your slow cooker to scald the milk and then the heavy warm crock radiates heat all night long to help culture your new batch of yogurt. The hands-on time is about 5 minutes, though the waiting time is about 15 hours. I like to start this in the afternoon so that it’s ready to sit for its long 8-12 hour warm resting period overnight. We then wake up to fresh yogurt and I’ll serve it with fresh fruit and some homemade granola.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Just 5 minutes of prep, and the slow cooker does the rest while you sleep.
- Homemade yogurt has live cultures, is fresh, preservative-free, and full of probiotics.
- Making your own yogurt is far cheaper than buying store-bought varieties.
- Customizable by adjusting thickness by straining for Greek yogurt, and flavor it however you like.
Recipe Ingredients
- Whole milk – You’ll get a thinner product with a lower fat content milk)
- Commercial plain yogurt – Must say “Live and Active Cultures” on the tub, I have great success with Mountain High yogurt for my culture
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
How to Make Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Yogurt
Step #1. Pour milk into the slow cooker, cover, and heat on low for about 2 ½ hours.
Step #2. Unplug the slow cooker and let the milk sit for 3 hours to cool slightly.
Step #3. Stir in ½ cup of yogurt, cover with lid and towels, and let it rest for 8-12 hours.
Step #4. In the morning, transfer the yogurt to a jar and refrigerate or strain for thicker Greek yogurt.
Recipe FAQs
Homemade yogurt is generally good for eating for up to 2 weeks when properly stored in the refrigerator.
You don’t have to buy commercial plain yogurt every time. Just save 1/2 cup of your own yogurt for the starter for the next batch.
Use whole milk instead of 2% or skim. The higher milk fat lends to a thicker yogurt.
Stick it in the fridge. Your yogurt with thicken up some as it gets cold.
Strain your yogurt. By removing some of the whey, you are left with a thicker Greek style yogurt. Strain the yogurt through 3-4 layers of cheese cloth for a few hours, too. Simply set a large colander in a bowl, line it with cheese cloth, and then pour yogurt in from the slow cooker. Cover it with a clean dish towel and let it sit for a few hours until it’s the consistency that you like.
Expert Tips
- I’d highly recommend getting a little instant-read thermometer to make homemade yogurt – it’s all about the temperature! I use this $10 thermometer all the time.
- The goal is to scald the milk which takes place around 180 degrees. So you could check it with a thermometer the first time to see if the “warm” setting is warm enough or if maybe an hour and 45 minutes would work on low. Once you figure it out, I don’t think you would have to use the thermometer every time.
- After the milk is scalded, the waiting time is meant to bring the milk down to around 115-110 degrees so that it’s still warm but won’t kill your yogurt culture!
- You don’t have to buy commercial plain yogurt every time. Just save 1/2 cup of your own yogurt for the starter for the next batch.
- I really recommend straining this yogurt through 3-4 layers of cheese cloth for a few hours, too. This helps it to thicken up to a more “Greek yogurt” consistency which my kids prefer (and it’s easier to eat). Simply set a large colander in a bowl, line it with cheese cloth, and then pour my yogurt in from the slow cooker. Cover it with a clean dish towel and let it sit for a few hours until it’s the consistency that I like.
- Do note that the yogurt will also thicken some when refrigerated. Play around with it until you figure out how thick or how thin you prefer your yogurt and make notes.
How to Serve and Store Homemade Yogurt
Fresh fruit and granola make a wholesome breakfast, you can try my 5 Easy Healthy Yogurt Bowl Ideas, Homemade Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt Cups, or 4 Ingredient Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yogurt (5 minute recipe!). It also goes great in smoothies like my Key Lime Pie Smoothie, Strawberry Kiwi Smoothie, or Avocado Smoothie. You can bake with it in my Soft and Puffy Greek Yogurt Sugar Cookies!
Keep the yogurt in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It will continue to thicken as it chills. Homemade yogurt can be frozen for up to 2 months, but the texture may become grainy when thawed so use the frozen yogurt for smoothies or baking instead.
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Slow Cooker Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon (8 cups) whole milk (you'll get a thinner product with a lower fat content milk)
- 1/2 cup commercial plain yogurt that says “Live and Active Cultures” on the tub, I have great success with Mountain High yogurt for my culture
Instructions
- In a large crock pot, add the milk. Add the lid.Turn it on low for around 2 1/2 hours*.
- After that time has passed, unplug the crock pot and let it sit for 3 hours. I always set a timer for these or I don’t remember.
- After the 3 hours has passed, stir in the 1/2 cup of yogurt. Replace the lid of the crock pot and cover with 2 big towels or a blanket. Let rest for 8 to 12 hours (overnight works well). In the morning you’ll have yogurt!
- Place it in a 1/2 gallon mason jar and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. It will thicken up in the fridge. Keep a 1/2 cup of this yogurt for your next batch and say goodbye to buying yogurt!
- You can also let the yogurt strain in cheese cloth in the fridge for a few hours and you’ll get a thicker Greek yogurt!
Video
Notes
- *The goal is to scald the milk which takes place around 180 degrees. So you could check it with a thermometer the first time to see if the “warm” setting is warm enough or if maybe an hour and 45 minutes would work on low. Once you figure it out, I don’t think you would have to use the thermometer every time.
- After the milk is scalded the waiting time is menat to bring the milk down to around 115-110 degrees so that it’s still warm but won’t kill your yogurt culture!
Hi! Can I make half recipe? A quarter gallon and 1/4 cup yogurt?
Does it still works? Maybe if the pot is too big it wouldn’t work 🤔
Thanks!
You can make smaller amounts you are going to need to go off of temperatures and not time amount though because smaller amount of milk will heat the to temps and cool back down at different rates.
First time I tried it, without a thermometer, just following the instructions (except for 1 thing I’ll mention in a minute) it was the best Greek yogurt I’d ever had. The 2nd time I wasn’t careful and ended up with a Kefir consistency liquid I used in cooking and on granola. The 3rd time I had a borrowed thermometer but tried to use some half & half that had gone bad, not a good idea. I made Irish Soda bread and sour-milk pancakes and who knows what else until I finished it. Now, this is my 4th try. I purchased a thermometer, I’m paying attention, AND (now I’ll reveal my secret) I use powdered milk, double strength which is how I come out with a product with the perfect consistency of Greek yogurt. I hope. If I do everything right this time.
So, instead of saving and adding a bit of H/M yogurt to make the next batch, could you just save and use the whey?
It should be loaded with the same cultures for the next batch.
I have never tried it with whey only…
I’m on a keto diet and am excited to try this. Can I use half whole milk and half heavy Whipping cream to decrease the carbs and increase the fat content with the same results?
I haven’t tried it but I would love to hear if you do and how it works out! In my mind it would work fine though…
Having read your process/recipe I am now wondering about something for which you probably have the answer. Is kefir essentially yogurt that has had the whey blended in to make it more liquid and drinkable? If not, then what is the main difference between kefir and yogurt? And thank you so much – it will be your information that I will be using tomorrow to give it a whirl!
Kefir is actually a different culture of live and active bacteria! Here’s some more details on it: https://lifewaykefir.com/kefir-vs-yogurt/
do you know the times if I want to use a whole gallon of milk?
They’ll be really close to the same.
First time making this- I’m in the UK so used my canning thermometer (in C) and semi-skimmed milk with a full fat Yeo Valley as a starter. I was shocked by how much whey drained off but, after chilling, it’s proper Greek consistency! Definitely a convert… it won’t necessarily be cheaper, but my single use plastic consumption will be reduced!
It looks amazing!
CAN YOU USE ACIDOPHILUS PILLS INSTEAD OF A STARTER YOGURT?
I haven’t played with it but I bet that you could!
I am excited to try this recipe next weekend, but we need to order a thermometer first. I have one question: when straining the yogurt, should I leave it on the kitchen counter or put it in the fridge? Thanks!
You can do either one, I normally strain it at room temperature and then move it to the fridge just for space purposes.
After wanting to try yogurt-making for years, I made this yesterday and was so excited to get up this morning to see if it worked. It did! Thank you so much for this recipe! You explained everything in such a clear way that really helps for someone trying this for the first time. I’m definitely going to keep making this! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hooray! So glad it worked out for you!
Excellent recipe ! Thank you Melissa!
The yogurt comes out thick and delicious !
Just a question, why scalding the milk with store bought milk which is already pasteurized ?
I used to make yogurt on the stove top and putting the pot with the yogurt in it in the oven nicely wrapped in a blanket but your recipe is so much easier .
Thanks again !
Have a great day !
The scalding has something to do with heating and breaking down a protein in the milk which helps the yogurt to be thicker, I’m not positive on the details but it’s something along those lines.