After I posted my homemade yogurt recipe, I got enough questions to warrant a Q&A post devoted entirely to yogurt.
Several of you wondered if you HAVE to use Mason jars to make yogurt. The answer is a resounding “no!”. Any glass jar with a lid that seals can be used.
On Saturday, in fact, I put some of my yogurt in a pickle jar.
I like this jar because it has a nice wide opening. However, you should know that pickle jar lids need to be thoroughly washed and left in the sun for a while to get rid of the pickle smell. Of course, if you don’t mind pickle-infused yogurt, you don’t have to worry about that.
The pickle jar should smell fine after a thorough wash, although if yours still smells, you could always leave it out in the sun to take care of any remaining odor.
You can even use plastic containers, as long as they have a good seal on them. Without a water-tight seal, the warm water in the cooler will seep into your yogurt containers.
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I also had a few readers that wanted to know if they could re-use the Mason jar lids. I’m happy to say that yes, you can do that. When you are doing honest-to-goodness canning, you need to use new lids each time so that a proper seal will form. When you make yogurt, though, you aren’t trying to get a shelf-stable seal, so an old lid works just fine.
As you can see, my lids and bands are banged up…
and the outsides are even a bit rusty.
But my yogurt turns out fine and dandy each time, despite the decrepit appearance of my lids.
(I hope it goes without saying that if a part of the lid that touches the yogurt is rusted, you should throw it out and use a new one. Outside rust is fine, inside rust is not).
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I am fascinated by making yogurt. How much time does it take? How much counter space do you need (an odd question, true, but my counter space is at a premium)? Am I insane for considering this when I work fulltime, have a toddler and am 6 weeks away from giving birth? Thank you for your help.
Kristin
Yogurt is one of those things that takes a while from start to finish, but requires very little hands-on time (kind of like bread!). I’d say the whole process, including the three hours of incubation, takes me about 4 hours. Honestly, though, only about 15 minutes of that four hours requires me to actually do something.
I don’t need a lot of counter space to make yogurt. The milk heats on the stove, cools in the sink, and incubates in a cooler on my kitchen floor. I only use the counter when I’m filling my jars with the heated milk. So, I’d say you need enough counter space for four Mason jars, and most kitchens are sufficiently equipped to handle that.
Since you work full-time, it would be pretty difficult to make yogurt during the week. It might be a good weekend project, though, and since it requires so little in the way of hands-on time, you could make it while you tackle other projects.
I know I’ve said this before, but if any of you are about to make yogurt for the first time, do give this a couple of tries before you decide whether or not it’s worth it. I thought it was really time-consuming the first time I did it, but after I got the hang of it, it seemed so much easier. Making yogurt saves me at least $572/year, so I’m really glad that I didn’t give up after that first try.
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If you’ve got more questions about yogurt, ask away!
And in case you’re still not tired of reading about yogurt, here are a few more yogurt-related posts for your browsing pleasure.
Why I Make My Own Yogurt
Cost Comparison of Yoplait and Homemade Yogurt
How to Make Homemade Yogurt
{ 58 comments… read them below or add one }
I was making my own yogurt a lot, before my husband left. I found it to be fun and very easy! I really should start making my own, since I get milk for FREE from WIC. For now, what I’ve been doing is to use coupons to buy some yogurt as a treat. I get these great $1 coupons that make a 4 pack of yoplait only cost me $.59 total. It’s really taking me longer than I’d hoped to get back in the swing of things, but I’m hoping that soon…Things will have gotten easier.
Liz, I think you have every excuse in the world for not making your yogurt! Don’t beat yourself up, ok? If my husband had left me, I don’t think I’d be making yogurt either.
Another person’s experience: I work fulltime and actually find it *easier* to make yogurt during the week. My method is a little different than Kristen’s. I incubate my milk in the oven with the light on, leaving it therefor 8-12 hrs. So I make the milk after dinner, leave it overnight, and put the pot in the fridge in the am, and decant th yogurt at my leisure. It took me a time or two to get the process down; now it’s 10min of my time, spread over 8-12 hrs.
And Liz, what Kristen said! Making yogurt has to be way far down on your priority list.
You know, we put pickle/mayo/whatever glass jars in the dishwasher and that gets rid of the smell.
What stinks is so many companies going to plastic containers when the glass worked so much better. At least pickles won’t stay fresh in plastic so we can expect them for a while.
i have a question, but it’s not about yogurt. I save jars and lids all the time but its so difficult to get rid of the pasta/pickle/hummus, etc. smell. I’ve soaked them in Dawn detergent, used baking soda and vinegar. I’ve had lids on my window sill for a week and they still smell of the previous contents of the jar. What else could I try?
Battra, I should clarify that. It’s the lid that’s the problem. lol
Laura, can you set the lids outside in direct sunlight? That helps to get rid of the smell.
I feel very foolish for asking this, but what does it mean when people say “leave the oven light on”? I’ve read this a few times, both in your yogurt post and also for giving bread a good place to rise. I have an electric stove (apartment rental – when I buy a house I’m definately going to try to get a gas stove!). Does oven light refer to the pilot light in a gas stove, meaning this is not an option for me?
I really want to make my own yogurt, but my boyfriend is completely opposed to the idea. He said he definately won’t eat it, because it seems unnatural (to which I completely disagreed!). I think he might just be messing with me at this point though
Just waiting to acquire enough jars!
Erika, I think it must be a reference to a gas pilot light. I have an electric oven, and the only way to keep the light on is to leave the door open.
If I want to make my oven warm for bread rising purposes, I turn it on for one minute and then turn it off. Or, I sometimes put a bowl of steaming water on the floor of the oven.
I think that’s hilarious that your boyfriend thinks homemade yogurt is unnatural! Because, you know, orange creme savers yogurt from Breyers is SO natural. lol
I say make it and eat it yourself. It keeps for weeks on end, and you could always just make a half gallon at a time.
I have been wanting to try this and have kept putting it off because I don’t have the jars. I am so glad someone else asked, because now I realized I can use the jars from my husband favorite salsa!! Only 1 more jar to go, which should be easy!
So what do you do with all the yogurt you’ve made? Do you mix fruit with it, use it in recipes, put granola in it? How about sweetening it? I find that I really don’t like plain yogurt on its own so I’m curious what you do to make it palatable?
@Erika
Sorry for my lack of clarity; I know I’m guilty of that multiple times. When I say “oven light on” I mean the lightbulb. Some ovens let you turn on the lighbulb manually, others require that the door be open. (I think those are designed by people who don’t bake.)
If you have an oven without a pilot light (ie, electric oven or gas-with-automatic-ignition), it’s a good idea to warm up the oven by doing as Kristen says. Or if you’re really into planning ahead, make yogurt after you bake something, using the residual heat from the baking to keep your oven warm. Just be sure the oven cools down to 150F or so or you’ll kill your yogurt-beasties.
Maybe you should gently suggest to your boyfriend that he learn a little about the history of yogurt. It originally came from Asian nomadic tribes who carried milk in animal bags that, owing to their nature, contained yogurt critters, which turned the milk into yogurt. (FYI, this is the description that avoids the “icky” parts.)
You can’t put the lids in the dishwasher? Hmmm … I’ll have to double check but I’m pretty sure we do. Oh well, no matter.
I’ve really got to get around to trying this sometime when I have a weekend to myself.
Battra, mine still are kind of stinky after a trip through the dishwasher.
Also, after a lot of trips through the dishwasher, lids like that can start to rust, so I usually hand wash mine (same with my Mason jar lids).
When I’ve canned anything, I always hand wash and boil the lids and rings. The jars go through the dishwasher, though.
WilliamB – Thanks for the clarification! I do have a light in my oven, but I wasn’t aware that it put off any heat (I just use it to spy on my food while it’s cooking!). There is a switch on the top of the oven that turns it on. That’s really good to know!
Also, I had no idea how yogurt was created so maybe I should do some history research myself, just out of curiousity! Honestly, yogurt grossed me out a lot more before I read the article on how to make it homemade (the texture weirded me out). Somehow it seems a lot better once you know exactly what’s going into it!
Hi, I enjoy your blog. have you ever tried making crockpot yogurt. I’ve made it with great success, and it is very easy.
Kristen~
Thanks for your great tips and for taking the unknown out of something as nummy and useful as yogurt. My family loves it. Oh! We have also started making bread regularly and the other day I went out and bought it since I ran out of flour. I felt so weird buying it again, so I know how you felt when you were buying up some for your vacation.
I just made yogurt for the **first** time a couple days ago and after much panic and worry realized that it was soo easy! I then had to make some homemade granola, which makes the best power breakfast
I work outside the home more than full time and have two school-aged kids. It’s a busy life. But I’ve been streamlining my homemade yogurt making more and more, and it’s SUPER easy.
Here’s my latest unvention (unvention is not a typo, knitters will recognize it): I now heat the milk in the microwave in the mason jar I intend to use for incubation. If you do this you MUST have a good set of oven mits or heat resistant rubber gloves so you don’t burn yourself on the hot jar of milk!!!!!!!
Fill the jar no more than 2/3 full–this is somewhat less than a quart, but milk expands when it heats. I took about 6 minutes on full power in my microwave to bring the milk to 180 degrees. I started with 5 minutes and then checked after every 30 seconds until the desired temperature was reached. Now I know exactly how long it takes every time.
I let my jar of milk cool to 120 degrees on the counter, no more ice bath (I’m afraid an ice bath might cause thermal shock and bust the jar). It takes about 20 minutes.
When 120 degrees is reached, I stir in the old yogurt, cover it, and put the jar in an insulated container over night. My jar fits in a pre-heated (with hot water) insulated “lunch jar” I got for about $8 at Target (it had three plastic bowls with lids that fit inside for taking a hot or cold lunch to work). I put the whole thing (insulated thermal carrier with Jar of innoculated milk inside) into a thermal lunch bag and set it in a place free from drafts overnight. Frugal Girl’s use of the cooler and hot water is still the best idea I’ve seen for making multiple jars at a time. But our family eats less than a quart a week, so the single jar insulation method works for us.
This makes great yogurt and it’s easy as pie. Very little time or cleanup is involved. It’s totally doable for this mom who works outside the house.
Just tried my second batch and this time I’ve added fruit. I used frozen peaches and cherries. I micro-cooked them with a good amount of sugar, drained off some of the extra liquid, then used my stick blender to mash them into a pulp. I made sure to cool the fruit to 120 degrees, then I added it to batches of the warm milk/yogurt starter liquid and poured it into pint size jars. The result was 3 pints of cherry yogurt, 3 pints of peach yogurt and 4 pints of vanilla. I’m so excited! Thanks for giving me the courage to try something new! I have allergies to many of the additives in commercial yogurt. Now I can make my own! Aloha! *;)
So since it’s just going to be me and Her Majesty for a while, I know there’s no way we’d eat that much yogurt. If I made it using half a gallon, would I still add the whole cup of starter yogurt or should I only do half a cup?
@Ben I mostly make the vanilla yogurt version (it’s included in the yogurt recipe, down at the bottom, I think). We eat that with granola on top for breakfast and lunch, and sometimes we mix in jam or fresh fruit. I also use it to make yogurt smoothies, which we drink with our lunch about 75% of the time.
Try the vanilla version and use whole milk….I think you’ll be surprised at how tasty it is. The whole milk helps to keep it creamy and not as sour as some yogurt.
Jen, I’m so glad to hear that yogurt and bread-making are no longer scary! That’s awesome.
Jan, that’s a great method for making smaller quantities. If I did that, though, I’d have to make yogurt almost every day. lol I’ll have to keep your recipe in mind for my empty nest days, maybe.
Karelin, how did it turn out? I still need to experiment with that, because my husband likes cherry yogurt.
Sabrina, I think you’d just need a half cup of starter, although adding a cup wouldn’t hurt anything.
But if we want to give it a flavor, say, key lime, how would we do that?
Instead of using a seal and ring, would it be possible to use the plastic lids that are now made for mason jars?
Has anyone tried making yogurt in the crockpot? I found a recipe for it and thought it sounded really easy! I have a gallon of whole milk and am going to try it in the next week or so.
@A. M. Turnmire Yep, that’d be fine. I made some of mine in small plastic containers with plastic lids this week. As long as the lid will keep out water, it will work.
Linda, a lot of my readers have mentioned doing it that way. I prefer to incubate mine in the jars so I can easily refrigerate it without disturbing it post-incubation, but if you think the crock pot will work well for your lifestyle, go for it!
I’ve been using a yoghurt maker, which requires 10 hours to get the job done before putting the yoghurt in the fridge for three hours. My problem is that I start it in the late morning after my three kids are settled, 2 at school and our baby down for a nap. 10 hours later is usually after all their bedtimes, and I’m exhausted. I’m finding myself waking up at 4am remembering that the yoghurt is still in the yoghurt maker on the counter because I forgot to put it in the fridge. It’s such a waste and breaking my own yoghurt-making frugal heart. How long can the yoghurt sit in the machine on the counter (which automatically turns off after the time it has been set for) before putting it in the fridge and still be considered safe to eat?
Hi, I’m addicted to Greek Gods honey yogurt and it is SO expensive, I’d like to try and make my own. Your recipe for vanilla sounds great, but do you know if I could subsitute honey for the sugar? If so, how much approximately?
I would imagine that you could substitute honey…it just might make your yogurt a little thinner.
Hi! Has anyone tried using soymilk and soy yogurt to make yogurt at home? If so, are there any tips for working with soy that I should know? I prefer the vegan option. Thanks.
P.S.: Enjoyed your story on CBN!
Hey Kristen,
I was so excited to try the yogurt! I don’t know if you are getting these comments anymore, because the post is from October, but I had a question.
I made the yogurt last night and this morning it’s thick in the center, but there is a thin layer of liquid on the outside. Is this normal?
That has happened to me once or twice and I don’t know why! The liquid is safe…it’s just whey, but ideally it should not be separated.
Did you use a name-brand starter, like Yoplait or Dannon?
Hi – it looks like you are still answering questions about homemade yogurt, so I have a couple of questions as I fall into the category of a person who is still trying to master it (I got it once but haven’t been able to replicate)
So..I just made some and I thought it was going to be great, but when I tasted it, it wasn’t very tangy or “yogurty” tasting – it is just bland. Do you have any thoughts on this? Also, I made mine thicker by straining it, it is thick, but it also got a little chunky. I ended up putting it in the food processor and its creamy now – but do you have any thoughts on why it got “chunky”??
Thanks so much!!!
Christina
Hmmm…what starter did you use? I highly recommend using Dannon or Yoplait.
If you want your yogurt to be tangier, you can leave it in the cooler for more hours…the longer you leave it, the tangier it will be, I think.
I have no idea why it got chunky. That’s really odd. I’m sorry I’m not more help! lol
I just made your yogurt today. How long does it take to thicken up?
Thanks.
shelly
Hi!
I too have a yogurt question. I used about 3/4 gallon of whole milk (because my hubby drank some before I could stop him) and a whole container of Yoplait. I followed the directions, but my yogurt neve “set”. It is still quite watery. Do you have any idea where I went wrong?
Any ideas how I could make Key Lime yogurt? My 3-year-old will only eat that flavor,and if anyone knows a good way to do this I would really apppreciate it!
Have you or do you know someone who has added anything like Benefiber to a batch of yogurt? I go out of my way to find a enhanced yogurt for my hubs since the rest of his diet is pretty shaky.
can I make the yogurt in 1 cup jam jars instead of the quart jars? would the incubation time be the same?
thanks!
since is the same as pickles canning why would all the jars need to be in the frig? and are you saying that once you open a jar thats when it will last a month. and the unopen jars will be fine until open and then will last for a month?
Pickles are processed in boiling water after they’re jarred, whereas yogurt is not.
An unopened jar should last for at least a month, and an opened jar would probably last for two weeks. I haven’t experimented beyond then as we go through our yogurt quickly.
I tried making yogurt last night. I used pint jars and a 1/2 gallon of milk. I used FAGE yogurt for the starter. I put the jars in the cooler and set my alarm to wake me up to put them in the fridge after 3 hours. I woke up all excited to have yogurt and strawberries for breakfast and they were liquid. They looked just like a glass of milk, not thick at all. What do you think I might have done wrong? I don’t have a heavy bottom pan. (I switched from my non-stick pans to stainless , which I love.) Would the weight of the pan matter in the thickening of the yogurt?
I just thought of another thing. When I poured the milk into the jars they were still quite warm to hot from having been sterilized. Would that have done it?
Hi Jeannie,
I have had the best luck with sterilizing and being patient – which means letting everything cool and warm to the right temperatures. Hope this is helpful. 
I am no expert, but I have had A LOT of failed yogurt attempts and your second hunch is probably more likely, and you killed the starter bacteria. Everything needs to be sterilized and cooled, I learned the hard way (which sounds similar to your experience…times by 5!).
Thanks Christina. I am a very cautious cook. I follow directions to the T. I didn’t see where it said to cool the jars. Her picture showed them in the pan so I left mine in the pan. My friend who first told me about making homemade yogurt, who’s first attempt came out perfectly, couldn’t figure out why mine didn’t come out. So next week I’ll try again. I want to use an organic starter instead of Yoplait or Dannon. Have you tried something other than those 2 for starters?
Thanks again for your encouragement and help. I feel a lot better.
Great! Yes, stick with it for sure!!
As for a starter, I have honestly had the best success with Dannon. I did not have any luck with starting with a greek yogurt starter – don’t know why – it shouldn’t matter as long as it says “live active cultures”…with that said…I would try Nancy’s – can you get that in your area? That is the next one I am going to try, I have been eating that yogurt right now and I just have a hunch it will be a good starter. Nothing more than a hunch – but I’m giving that one a try next! Good Luck – let me know how it turns out.
Nancy’s was one I was going to try but I couldn’t find the small ones on my end of town. I will let you know. Thanks again!!!
Christina!! I did it! I am eating my homemade yogurt with my homemade granola and organic strawberries right now for breakfast. I used the whole cup of starter even though I only used a 1/2 gallon of milk. I also think the first time I didn’t have enough water in the cooler. (I was so concerned about getting the temp right the first time I didn’t see I didn’t have a full gallon of water in there.) And my jars were cooled this time. Thanks again for your encouragement and your tips!!!
So I’ve tried making yogurt a few times now. After I let it sit, I strain it to get it thicker. Even if I didn’t strain it, I end up with whey to pour off. The last time I made it I started with a half gallon of milk and only ended up with 1 pint (16 oz) of yogurt. The cost ended up being the same if not more than store bought yogurt. I saw on apartment kitchn that they got 32 oz of yogurt from a half gallon. Why am I ending up with such little volume? I AM ending up with a lot of whey, but the yogurt is still not very thick (ideally I’d like to strain it to greek yogurt consistency). I’m using whole milk.
That’s so odd…when I make my yogurt, I get a gallon of yogurt from a gallon of milk. But then again, I’m not straining mine to be like Greek yogurt.
Something is going wrong if you’ve got a bunch of whey to pour off right away. Is your thermometer working properly? Did you carefully follow the temperature instructions? Did you use a good starter? (I’ve heard Greek yogurt doesn’t mix in very well, so try using Dannon or Yoplait regular yogurt).
I did use a thermometer and closely monitored the temperature. I used greek yogurt as a starter so maybe I’ll try using a thinner starter next time and see how that works out. Thanks for the tips!
Hi, In your instructions, it doesn’t give an approximation on how quickly to heat the yogurt to 185-195. I was nervous about the milk scorching, and set my stove to 3, then 4, then 5 after 4 hours of cooking! And I only ended up with 3 quarts worth – I think because I took so long to heat it up that quite a bit of it must have evaporated. I read the other comments and noticed that someone else ended up with less than what they started with as well, but they didn’t say how quickly they heated the milk. I’m definitely going to try this again, and see what happens when it is heated quickly.
Have you ever used whole raw milk to make yogurt? We’re going to get a milk cow soon, and I wondered if the process is going to be the same.
Thanks a bunch!
I usually heat mine over medium heat, and it takes around 15 minutes. And yes, you can definitely use raw milk!
I love making homemade yogurt but sometimes it ends up being too much and I hate throwing it out! Most of the time my 18 month old gobbles it up with me but sometimes some doesn’t get eaten. We just got a blender so I think I will try using the extra in smoothies but my big question is: Can you freeze yogurt? And then thaw it out later? I think maybe you could but I was wondering if you had any experience with this.
P.S. I adore your blog!!!!!
I don’t imagine yogurt would freeze very well. Is your yogurt actually going bad? I’ve kept unopened jars for up to a month and they’ve been fine. Also, you could try making a half batch (just use a half gallon of milk). And yes, smoothies are GREAT for using up yogurt!
Just curious, when your yougurt sits in the fridge awhile, does it form a liquid on top of it? If so, do you stir that into your yogurt, or pour it out of the jar? My yogurt is always real thick to start with, but then once I stir the liquid in, it gets runny and I’m not a fan of that… I didn’t know if the liquid was essential to keep in the yogurt for flavor or nutrients or anything like that?
Yep, that’s totally normal! It’s whey, and you do not have to eat it. It’s pretty nutritious, so you could save it to throw into smoothies if you wanted. Some people also use the whey when they bake.
I want to make a 1/2 batch – can I use pint jars instead a quart jars? If I use pint jars,how long should it stay in the cooler? Also, does the water come just below the lid or are the jars submerged? Thanks!!!
Yep, you can! But you won’t need as much water…just add enough to bring the water level at least 3/4 up the sides of the jars. Or, you could always just use two of the quart jars.