Making yogurt prepared in an electric yogurt maker is not only quick and simple to make, but it is also healthier for you and the environment. You may customize the ingredients, milk type, and tastes to fit your preferences.
While store-bought yogurt has certain nutritional benefits, it also has a surprising amount of sugar in it. Because you control what goes into the recipe, homemade yogurt will have considerably less sugar than commercial yogurt. You’ll also be helping the environment by making yogurt in the reusable jars that many electric yogurt makers come with, which are far superior to all of those plastic yogurt tubs.
Most automatic yogurt makers with individual glass or plastic containers should work with these instructions, but make sure to read your machine’s instruction booklet for particular instructions. Looking for the best yogurt maker? We have a list you can check!
What You Need for Making Yogurt
A liquid measuring cup, saucier or saucepan, instant-read thermometer, mixing bowl whisk or wooden spoon, and a ladle are required in addition to the electric yogurt maker.
You’ll need 42 ounces (5 1/4 cups) of whole or 2 percent milk and 6 ounces of plain yogurt with live active cultures to produce yogurt in a machine with seven 6-ounce containers. It’s critical to use fresh, plain, unflavored yogurt as well as the freshest, highest-quality milk available. The quality of the components you start with will determine the quality of your yogurt.
Making Yogurt Step #1 Heat the Milk
Heating the milk is the first stage in making homemade yogurt. Pour the milk into a saucier or a saucepan over medium heat to begin. Heat the milk until it foams around the pan’s edges, but don’t let it boil. It should be around 180 degrees Fahrenheit at this point. Turn off the heat in the pan.
Making Yogurt Step # 2 Cool the Milk
Cool the milk until it reaches a temperature of about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill a big container or your sink with ice to speed up the procedure. Place a bowl large enough to hold the warm milk in the ice and pour the milk into the bowl when it reaches the desired temperature. The milk should cool down in about 5 minutes, rather than taking considerably longer if left on the counter in the saucepan. While the milk cools, scoop 6 ounces of yogurt into a medium-sized mixing dish.
Making Yogurt Step # 3 Temper the Milk and the Yogurt
You’ll need to temper the mixture a little before adding the warm milk to the chilled yogurt. Tempering is the process of progressively mixing a warm substance with a cooler ingredient so that the latter does not cook. Add about 1/2 cup of the cooled milk to the yogurt at a time, stirring with a whisk or a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth, using a ladle.
Pour the milk-yogurt combination back into the bowl or pan with the remaining milk after you’ve added around 1 1/2 to 2 cups of milk to the yogurt and stir until the mixture is fully smooth and creamy.
Making Yogurt Step # 4 Adding Flavors
Now is the moment to add items like jam, vanilla extract, or cooked fruit to the yogurt-milk mixture if you want to produce flavored yogurt. For fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt, you can also add the flavorings directly to each container.
Before attempting flavored variants, consider making a batch or two of plain yogurt to familiarize yourself with the machine and the procedure. If you don’t like plain yogurt, add fruit, jam, or other flavorings to the completed product before eating it.
Making Yogurt Step #5 Fill the Yogurt Containers
It’s time to start filling the containers. Fill the yogurt containers evenly with the yogurt-milk mixture using a ladle. Remove any drips from the exterior of each container before placing it in the yogurt maker without the lids. Cover the yogurt maker with the cover.
Pour the milk-yogurt mixture directly into the large container of a yogurt maker with one large container, such as the Dash Greek Yogurt Maker, place the container in the yogurt maker, and cover.
Making Yogurt Step #6 Program the Yogurt Maker
Turn on the yogurt maker and set the timer for the period of time you want it to incubate. Whole-milk yogurt takes roughly 7 hours to make, 2% yogurt takes 9 hours, and skim milk yogurt takes 10 hours. It’s important not to bump, move, or otherwise disturb the yogurt maker while it’s incubation, as this could disrupt the process.
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