Crock Pot or Slow Cooker Yogurt
on Sep 17, 2017, Updated Apr 17, 2025
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
It’s so easy to make silky smooth Slow Cooker Yogurt at home with just two ingredients and prep time of only 5 minutes! This simple recipe saves money, reduces waste, and delivers fresh yogurt without any additives or preservatives.
🥛Just 5 minutes of prep, and then slow cooker does the rest while you sleep. Such an easy way to get another option for homemade breakfast or snacks into your meal rotation!
My 2 Best Tips For Making Slow Cooker Yogurt
- Temperature Matters: The first time you make this recipe, use a thermometer to verify your slow cooker’s heating pattern. The ideal temperature for yogurt cultures is 110-115°F (43-46°C). Too hot and you’ll kill the cultures; too cool and they won’t activate properly.
- Quality Starters Make Quality Yogurt: Choose a high-quality plain yogurt with live active cultures for your beginning starter. Brands like Mountain High, Fage, or Chobani work well. Then you can start saving your own starter from each of your homemade batches. After a few batches, you may notice your yogurt becoming less thick—this is the time to introduce a fresh commercial starter.
🩷 Melissa
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.
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.
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.
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 ½ 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 ½ cup of yogurt. Replace the lid of the crock pot and cover with two 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 half-gallon mason jar and refrigerate for a few hours before serving. It will thicken up in the fridge. Keep a ½ 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
- I highly recommend getting a little instant-read thermometer to make homemade yogurt since it’s all about the temperature.
- The goal is to scald the milk which takes place around 180°F. 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 110-115°F so it’s still warm but won’t kill your yogurt culture.
- Serve with fresh fruit and granola
- Make yogurt bowls: 5 Easy Healthy Yogurt Bowl Ideas
- Homemade Fruit on the Bottom Yogurt Cups
- 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.
- Or try it in these amazing Soft and Puffy Greek Yogurt Sugar Cookies!
Nutrition
Recipe FAQs
Homemade yogurt typically stays fresh in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks when stored in an airtight container. The flavor may become more tart over time as the cultures continue to slowly develop.
Several factors can affect thickness: using ultra-pasteurized milk, milk with lower fat content, culture that wasn’t active enough, or temperature issues during incubation. For thicker yogurt, try using whole milk, ensuring proper temperatures are maintained, or strain the finished yogurt through cheesecloth.
After your yogurt is made, simply line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth, place it over a bowl, and pour in your finished yogurt. Allow it to drain in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours for a thicker Greek-style yogurt. The longer it strains, the thicker it becomes.
More Healthy Snack Recipes to Consider
Healthy Snacks
Almond Butter Protein Balls
Healthy Snacks
No-Bake Coconut Protein Balls
Healthy Snacks
No Bake Energy Bites: 25 Easy Snack Recipes
Healthy Snacks
Cherry Bliss Balls: 5-Minute Recipe For Cherry Balls
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️ review and share it on Instagram, Facebook, or Pinterest!
I’ve made this recipe twice now and haven’t had any problems! I did purchase a Euro Cuisine yogurt strainer on Amazon. The cheesecloth method was just messy for me. I also made a vanilla version. After the milk scalds, I added 1/4 cup sugar and a good splash of vanilla and whisked it in well. Tastes great and my family loves it. We can’t go back to store bought yogurt.
Incubate 3-5 hours at a constant temperature of 110-degrees F. Do not shake or disturb during incubation. After 3 hours, check to see if yogurt is set by gently tilting the container. If yogurt is set and firm, place it in refrigerator and chill for 6 hours before serving. If not, continue to incubate. Check yogurt every hour and place in refrigerator as soon as it sets. The longer the yogurt incubates the tarter the flavor will be. If your yogurt sets within 3 hours, but you’d prefer more tartness, continue the incubation process for another hour or so.
Such helpful tips, thank you!
Could I use commercial kefir as a starter instead of yogurt?
You know what, I have no idea. From my experience with keifer, I don’t think it would work. Maybe try a small batch?
Can I half this recipe?
This is the easiest recipe so far and I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for sharing.
Just wondering if you need to stir this pretty well to get it smooth? What kind of texture am I looking for?
No, the more you stir it after it sits, the more it breaks down and get thin. You should be able to get a scoop of yogurt after the overnight rest when the yogurt culture has turned the milk into yogurt. If you want it thicker then you can strain it in cheesecloth. Stirring won’t help your texture. It’ll be nice and creamy.
Nothing seemed to have happened with my attempt. What I was hoping to be yogurt was just lumpy milk with a little bit of a tangy flavor. Any ideas what went wrong?
Were you able to test your temperatures with your thermometer? Most of the time if mine doesn’t set it’s because my milk was too hot when I added my culture and I killed it.
Have you tried to double this recipe. We have 8 kids and they love it with just fresh fruit and granola, needless to say it doesn’t last long! Thank you so much for sharing this healthy and inexpensive recipe.
Yes! I make a whole gallon of milk into yogurt almost every time I make it!
Love this yogurt this is my third time making it nd everyone loves to eat it here
Oh no! I mis read your instructions and put the yogurt culture in while the milk was still hot. Will it be ruined? Is there anyway I can save this?
Just add some more yogurt after the heating time! The culture won’t be any good, but if you bought a tub of plain yogurt to start, then just add some more of the commercial yogurt.
Dairy intolerant… Can I make this with soy almond or cashew milk?