Just Make Your Own Yogurt Already!
The Recipe
Ingredients
8 cups whole, full-fat milk (PS to lactose intolerant folks - you can use lactose free milk for this!!!)
2 tbsp or two big spoonfuls of yogurt with live & active cultures (I use plain Chobani), or your own yogurt from the last time you made this
1 cup heavy cream (optional, if you want a richer end game)
Optional Flavorings & Sweeteners
Honey
Maple Syrup
Vanilla Extract
Almond Extract
Method
If you DON’T have an Instant Pot…
Pour milk and optional heavy cream into a large pot (preferably a Dutch Oven) with a thicc bottom (I hate myself) to keep the milk from scalding. Over low-medium heat, heat the milk until it just starts to bubble, or when it reaches 180º when tested with a quick-read thermometer.
Remove from heat and allow to sit at room temperature, loosely covered by a clean kitchen towel, until it reads between 110º and 130º F. This could take up to 45 minutes depending on how warm or cool your kitchen is.
Once it hits that temperature, transfer about a cup of the milk into a medium bowl. Whisk in the pre-existing yogurt until well combined. If you want, now is the time to add your optional flavorings and sweetener. Add honey or maple syrup to taste (yes, taste the weird hot yogurt milk, it’s not gonna hurt you), but you will only need a small amount of extract. Like, a teaspoon of vanilla or a few drops of almond.
Add the flavored (or unflavored, I’m not the boss of you) milk back to the large pot and stir to combine. Loosely cover with the lid and let sit in the oven (door closed, light on) or a warm spot (on top of the fridge) for at least 6 hours and up to 8. The longer it sits, the tangier and richer it will get.
See the “Finishing Up” steps at the bottom!
If you DO have an Instant Pot…
Pour milk and optional cream into your Instant Pot (obviously not the cooker itself, into the little metal pot or whatever it’s called).
Press the yogurt button until it says “boiL” with the weird uppercase L. Cover with the pressure lid (with the thingy on top set to open) or the glass lid if you have it. Allow the magic InstantPot do its thing. It shouldn’t ACTUALLY boil, but it will get pretty hot. When it beeps at you, the milk should be about 180º F.
Remove the inner pot and allow it to sit at room temperature (loosely covered with a clean kitchen towel) until it reaches about 110 - 130º F. This could take up to 45 minutes depending on how warm or cool your kitchen is.
Once it hits that temperature, transfer about a cup of the milk into a medium bowl. Whisk in the pre-existing yogurt until well combined. If you want, now is the time to add your optional flavorings and sweetener. Add honey or maple syrup to taste (yes, taste the weird hot yogurt milk, it’s not gonna hurt you), but you will only need a small amount of extract. Like, a teaspoon of vanilla or a few drops of almond.
Pour the flavored (or unflavored, I’m not the boss of you) milk back into the inner pot and stir to combine. Cover with the PRESSURE lid and make sure the seal is open.
Press the yogurt button again and set the timer to anywhere between 6 and 8 hours. The longer it sits, the tangier and richer it will get.
See the steps below!
Finishing up!
Once those agonizing hours are up, you can transfer it into a large container with a lid and let it chill in the fridge overnight to enjoy for breakfast the next morning!
If you prefer a thicker Greek-style yogurt, you can line a colander with cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl before dumping the yogurt into the colander and letting it drain for a couple of hours. Once it has reached your desired thickness, carefully transfer it to a large lidded container and chill overnight.
When it is time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, any toppings that work for regular yogurt will work for this. Granola, and extra sprinkling of honey, your favorite fruit…
Speaking of fruit, if you want to copy Big Yogurt and make some fancy fruit-on-the-bottom stuff, just line the bottom of a small container with your favorite fruit (preferably frozen) and top it with the yogurt once it’s done. Top it with a lid, and BOOM fancy yogurt for you.
This yogurt will keep for about two weeks in the fridge, but if you’re anything like me you will eat it in a week!
Make sure you reserve a couple of spoonfuls to make your next batch!
The Story
As I am typing this, I am enjoying my third batch of yogurt, mixed with the mango you see here. This one is definitely the thickest I’ve made, since I accidentally let it strain overnight instead of for just a few hours. But you know what? It’s still fucking awesome.
Anyway, if you’ve gotten this far, you probably want to read about my love affair with yogurt. I’m one of those people that will eat yogurt every chance they can get. Frozen, Greek, fruit-on-the-bottom, whipped, those neat little flip things…you name it. Even though I’m super lactose intolerant, yogurt has still been a favorite breakfast or snack. I’m still working on finding a good non-dairy one. But you know what? It doesn’t even really matter anymore because I can make this stuff with Lactaid and not have gut-wrenching pains half an hour after eating it.
While I never really had the taste for plain yogurt, my view absolutely changed when I first made this yogurt a few weeks ago. You really don’t need to sweeten this stuff at all, especially if your milk is naturally sweet, unless you really want to. I’ve started making it totally plain, since I can flavor it however I want after the fact and also use what is left in other recipes. For example, I made kadhi last weekend and it absolutely changed my life. A spiced yogurt-based soup thing over a bed of basmati rice and roasted vegetables? Who knew!
I’m rambling. As you probably know from the last post, I’m a huge fan of It’s Alive with Brad Leone. Early last year, he did a yogurt video with Priya, and again it was one of those things where I just knew I had to try it one day. However, I was too nervous to do it myself (as I’m sure you are if you are reading this) until I got my Instant Pot. When I finally got the nerve to do it, it was life changing. It’s STILL life changing.
As Priya says in the video, this stuff is yogurt that tastes alive. It is rich, creamy, tangy, slightly sweet, and just an absolute joy to eat. If there is ever a single culinary risk you take, let it be making your own yogurt.
