This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full Disclosure Policy for details.
You won’t ever need to buy yogurt again after trying this Crockpot Express Yogurt! You control the consistency, the sweetness and fat content. Best of all-no thermometer or stirring required!
I have a love/hate relationship with yogurt. It’s a good source of protein in the morning but often full of sugar. Kids’ yogurt is the worst. I wouldn’t categorize myself as health conscious normally, but if I can easily make something at home that’s cheaper, better for you and still tastes great-I’m going to do that. Crockpot Express Yogurt is the answer to that problem!
I’ve never made homemade yogurt before. Honestly, it never occurred to me that it was even possible. The whole “culturing” thing freaked me out a little bit. But with the Crockpot Express it’s just so easy! I don’t have a good reason not do do it. I’m adding this to my collection of Crockpot Express Recipes for sure.
The Crockpot Express Multi-Cooker <—(click there to shop for one on Amazon) has a Yogurt setting. It’s not slow cooking or pressure cooking. It’s a low controlled temperature that allows the milk to cook and ferment for several hours. It’s like magic: milk goes in and yogurt comes out!
What is the Boil Start Method?
There are two methods for making yogurt in the Crockpot Express. The first is often called the “boil start” method. The Boil Start is great because you can use any kind of milk. However it does require a few extra steps.
It’s a bit of a misnomer, because you don’t actually boil the milk. Well, you’re not really supposed to, anyway. It can scald the milk. Instead, using the Yogurt HIGH setting, you slowly bring the milk up to 180 degrees, whisking frequently. This takes about 30 minutes in my experience.
After it reaches 180, you then cool it to 95-105 degrees. After that, you add your starter and then let the Yogurt LOW cycle begin.
What is the Cold Start Method?
The second method for making yogurt is called the Cold Start Method. The Cold Start Method is what I use, simply because it’s faster and easier. It does require a special kind of milk, though.
If you aren’t going to cook the milk first, you have to use Ultra-pasteurized (or ultra-filtered) milk. The most commonly found brand is Fairlife Milk, but there are others. Just check the label to be sure.
For Cold Start yogurt, you simply add the milk to the pot, stir in your starter and then hit the Yogurt button. Done!
How long should you cook Crockpot Express Yogurt?
The longer you cook, the more tart and tangy the yogurt will be. The minimum time is 8 hours of incubation. I like mine at 9 hours.
You can set the timer for 12 hours and then open and taste it after 8 hours to see if you want to continue or not. Once you find the flavor you prefer, you can just use that as your setting every time.
If you are lactose intolerant, you can still enjoy yogurt! Most yogurt is actually OK for people who are sensitive to lactose. The live cultures help to break down the lactose.
But if you’re still concerned, make the yogurt belly-friendly by allowing it to incubate (culture) for a full 24 hours. That means you’ll have to restart the cycle after it ends and set it for another 12 hours.
What is a starter?
To make yogurt, you need active live cultures. But don’t worry, you don’t need to go order some fancy powder from an online store. Any old yogurt cup will do, as long as it’s labeled as having active live cultures.
I chose a plain, full fat Greek yogurt to make my first batch of Crockpot Express Yogurt. After that, I just saved a couple scoops from each batch as starter for my next one!
You can even freeze your starter, but be sure to thaw it before stirring it into the milk, and don’t keep it for more than a couple months. I prefer working with a fresh start from my previous batch. You can always go grab another cup of yogurt from the store if you need to. 🙂
The other option would be to use a few capsules of probiotic powder. That’s really only necessary if you’re trying to make dairy-free yogurt, though.
How do you flavor Crockpot Express Yogurt?
This recipe is for basic, plain yogurt. What you choose to do with it after that is totally up to you! You can add a little vanilla extract to the milk before cooking or use sweetened condensed milk, but any other flavoring should be added after it’s done. I like to sweeten mine with a little honey or real maple syrup and enjoy it with fresh fruit. My kids will even eat it this way!
I have made a berry sauce that I mixed into the finished yogurt, as well as a few other “mix-ins.” I’m sharing that recipe, along with more great tips in my eBook: Crockpot Express Yogurt: a complete guide to making yogurt in the CPE. (On sale now!)
I store my yogurt in pint sized canning jars with plastic storage lids. They are awesome for food storage! I like that the jars are clear so I can easily see how much I have left and when it’s time to start another batch of Crockpot Express Yogurt.
- Canning jars (these come with the rings and lids)
- Storage lids for refrigerating
Crockpot Express Yogurt
Ingredients
- 8 cups ultra-pasteurized milk I use whole milk (Fairlife brand sells 1.5 liter bottles rather than half gallons)
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
For sweetened yogurt
- 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
Instructions
- Using a silicone whisk, stir together the yogurt and milk until smooth.
- Close and lock the lid, leaving the steam release valve OPEN. Press YOGURT and leave it on low temperature. Set time for anything between 8-12 hours. The longer you cook the more tart the flavor will be. I like mine to cook for 9 hours.
- Once the yogurt has reached the desired taste (or the cooking cycle has ended) press START/STOP. Remove the inner pot, cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Yogurt will thicken slightly as it cools.
- If you want thicker, Greek-style yogurt, simply strain it through some cheesecloth until the desired consistency is reached.
Nutrition
- Chocolate Orange Cookies - November 2, 2024
- Nutella Banana Bread - October 14, 2024
- Bacon Onion Dip - September 13, 2024
Kristen says
Turned out GREAT! Thick and creamy. No need to strain. I used Fairlife whole milk, and Stonyfield Farms whole milk Probiotic yogurt for starter (no sweetened condensed milk). Cold start method for 9 hours. Perfection!
Nicole Burkholder says
Thanks for sharing what you used! That’s helpful to others. I’ve never needed to strain my yogurt, either. Whole milk really makes a difference, so I try to cut the calories and fat elsewhere (like skipping the condensed milk) 🙂
Jean says
I just popped my first batch in. If it doesn’t set, can it be used as kefir, or is that something altogether different?
Nicole Burkholder says
Kefir is actually made with bacteria (live cultures from a starter) AND yeast, so it’s a different makeup. As long as you’ve followed the directions, there really shouldn’t be any reason why your yogurt won’t set. If something does go wrong, you can run it through another cycle and add fresh starter for a second try.
Miranda says
Great recipe, easy to make and tastes delicious.
Yagmur says
Hi Nicole,
Since I live in Sweden I can’t find the brands you are mentioning here.
So I choose a random HP milk and a random yogurt with cultures, and used the Cold start method cause I couldn’t be bothered 🙂
It turned out great also I am Turkish and good yogurt is a matter of pride for us.
I will strain it tough.
Thank you for sharing this.
Nicole Burkholder says
I’m glad you were able to find the right products for you! Yes, any brand HP milk will work, as will any yogurt for starter (as long as it has live cultures.) I just made some the other day with regular milk, so I had to do the heat method and bring it up to 180 degrees first. It takes SOOOO much longer! It’s easy, but cold start is much faster. Enjoy your yogurt!
Yagmur Saritas says
Thank you so much, 2nd attempt turned out awesome again.
I think I will never buy yogurt again.
Jimmy Weg says
I usually use Fairlife, but Organic Valley ultra-filtered worked for me as well. I’ve been using Cultures for Health Traditional and Bulgarian. The traditional can be spotty, as some yogurts turn out a tad to thin or thick. The Bulgarian works well, and produces a yogurt a little thinner than traditional Greek. However, the Bulgarian is about twice the price, though it can be used to culture future yogurts. I usually leave it in the Instant Pot for 8-9 hours.
Debbie Young says
Love,love, love this recipe for homemade yogurt. I have made it three times now. I have a question. Recipes I have looked at on-line for homemade yogurt state that you have to use ultra FILTERED milk. Your recipe states ultra pasteurized. Does it really matter? TIA
Nicole Burkholder says
The term gets used interchangeably sometimes. Ultra pasteurized is what you need for cold start yogurt, but most ultra filtered milk IS ultra pasteurized. You can read more about it here https://www.eatbydate.com/ultra-filtered-milk
Debbie Young says
Thanks Nicole…….
Anjie Chapman says
Is it OK to use 2% Fairlife Milk in this recipe? I would rather not use full fat if possible.
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes, you can use any kind of milk. Whole milk yields the thickest and creamiest yogurt, but I’ve made it with nonfat milk as well.
Jimmy Weg says
You need ultra-pasteurized, like Fairlife or Darigold Fit. Ultra-filtered, itself, will not work.
Debbie Young says
I used an ultra filtered milk from our local HEB (Mootopia) and it worked great. I made a batch last night and it turned out perfect and so yummy! So ultra filtered milk will work. I think it depends on the brand, because I bought Organic Valley Ultra filtered and it didn’t turn out as good. It was okay though. With the next batch I will try Ultra Pasteurized to compare. Thanks for the feed back.
Jimmy says
I believe that it’s the extra protein that allows cold start, and I think its the filtration that raises the protein. But you’re right, in that many ultra-filterds also are ultra-pasteurized, so the point may be moot. I’ve seen a couple of ultra-pasteurized only milks, but haven’t compared protein levels or tried any.
Robbin says
I made this overnight and it was ready for the fridge when I got up. Did a quick taste test and was shocked…it worked! It wasn’t as tart as I thought it would be, but that didn’t matter and it was a great consistency. After the four hours, I put it in containers and had one. Added a little sweetener and some sliced almonds and it was so good. Will add fruit and other things as I eat them. I’m so excited for this. We eat yogurt all the time. My husband has been getting into healthier cooking and I’m doing more cooking because of our crockpot express. Thanks for this. It was perfect for us.
Nicole Burkholder says
Don’t you love it when something actually WORKS?!? 🙂 Enjoy your yogurt!
Julie Wolfe says
Okay Nicole, This is my first time. I bought Fairlife whole milk and AE yogurt with live cultures. I followed your directions and just pushed the yogurt button. It should be ready to check taste at 6am tomorrow morning. Then to the fridge for atleast 4 hours. I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thinking about adding a peach puree when it’s all done.
Nicole Burkholder says
Sounds good! Just be sure not to stir it around when you’re doing the taste test! Peach purée sounds delicious!
JimmyW says
Just note that you need ultra-filtered milk, like Fairlife, Organic Valley Ultra, and Darigold Fit. Ultra-pasteurized alone is not acceptable. Some milks are labeled as both. All ultra-filtered milks should be lactose-free. Also, you should be able to culture the yogurt in individual jars, which can be handy. I use Cultures For Life starters.
I’ve been using an Instant Pot Duo, but have already had two that were defective. I can fit 7 small mason jars insided. So, do you like your Crockpot brand? I’m considering a change.
Nicole Burkholder says
I do love my Crockpot brand pressure cooker! It’s been a workhorse for well over two years now, and I have two others in my collection. 🙂 The non-stick pot is AMAZING for easy cleanup!
Julie Wolfe says
The yogurt was absolutely perfect!! So easy. I’ve never made yogurt before. Thank you for your recipe.
Jessie says
Hi! I would like to ask when should I place the yogurt into the storage jars I want to use? The recipe says to cover the crockpot insert with foil and place in fridge. Should I transfer the fresh yogurt into my glass jars first or wait until while batch has chilled?
Nicole Burkholder says
Wait until the yogurt has chilled. You don’t want to stir/mess with it until then, or it will separate and get runny. Another option is to incubate it directly in jars. So stir together the milk, starter and condensed milk (if you’re using it) in a bowl and pour into jars. Then place the jars in the pot and cook like normal.
Aimee says
I’m so sad I tried this recipe from cold start with ultra-pasturized whole milk and a generic Greek yogurt with live cultures after 8 hours it tasted fine but was a thick milk consistently not yougurt like. I let it cook another hour then put it in the fridge overnight and still didn’t thicken. What did I do wrong 😟
Nicole Burkholder says
It sounds like you did everything right. Occasionally I’ll get a dud, too. The most likely culprit is your starter. The live active cultures didn’t do their job. I get the best results with a fresh container (unopened) of Zoi brand full fat plain yogurt.
Aimee says
Okay thanks. Will be trying again this weekend 😊
Tom Cruce says
I have tried to make yogurt twice using different milk and different starter yogurts. Both times I ended up with yogurt flavored milk. Very disappointing. I even added powdered milk and pudding mix, but no go. I will try once again, and then I will just assume this is all a ruse.
Nicole Burkholder says
It would have to be a pretty elaborate ruse with thousands of us in on the joke 😆 Get Fairlife brand whole milk and use a FRESH carton of whole fat Greek yogurt. That has always yielded the thickest, most reliable yogurt for me. It is also possible that you have a faulty pot with a yogurt setting that doesn’t work properly (temp is too high/low) Good Luck!
Monica says
I have the 6 qt. Crock-Pot Express and don’t use the Brown/Saute setting for the boil method. I follow the instructions in the manufacturer’s recipe book, using the Yogurt setting which has its own timed cycle. You have to remove the lid and stir it once in a while and when the alarm sounds that the cycle has ended, I check it to make sure it’s to temp.
https://www.crock-pot.com/slowcooker-recipe?rid=4398#
Because my husband eats the majority and was used to eating Greek Gods Honey Vanilla, I veer from the recipe book by making a full cream version using whole milk, a cup of starter from my previous batch (first time was a new, small carton of Fage) and stir in a cup of heavy whipping cream with the starter. This nets me just under 6 pints of thick yogurt without the need to strain. 2 of them are left plain for cooking and a new starter, the other 4 are flavored with a bit of vanilla (just under 1/2 t.) and about 1/2 or so T. of honey.
JANET B says
WHOOPS first time using my pot.
decided to try the yogurt , boil the milk method. Everything went ok , kept checking but it stuck to the bottom on non-stick pot yikes, I used a plastic coated whisk to stir and instantly felt it on the bottom…right after it boiled , so I quickly put it thru a seive and just saved it. REALLY I thought you stuck to a non-stick pot – you little devil….go figure
Nicole Burkholder says
That takes some work to stick to the nonstick pot 😀 Glad you saved it!
Kathy says
Just wanted to Thank freidalovesbread.com for coming up with this wonderful yogurt recipe and SimpleandSeasonal.com for sharing it. I made my first batch in CPE this week. It came out perfect. I will need new milk source since Fair Lifes animal cruelty video. I didnt see the video but here’s an article.
Nicole Burkholder says
There have been several updates since that story broke (changes had already been made when the video went viral) and I’m satisfied with their new procedures and safeguards set in place. I still use Fairlife, but there are other UHT milks available that will work as well. Or there’s the other option of doing the heated start as outlined in the post as well. 🙂 Congrats on your yummy yogurt!
Amanda says
I followed the recipe but it came out grainy. Do you have any suggestions on why this may have happened?
Nicole Burkholder says
Wow, that’s odd. There’s not really anything in the recipe that should do that. It’s just milk and yogurt. Did you make the sweetened kind with condensed milk, or the plain yogurt with just the milk and starter?
Typically, the only time there’s a problem with making yogurt is when the starter doesn’t do its job and it fails to thicken and set. I did have one batch once that came out a bit lumpy. It tasted fine, but the texture was all wrong. I still don’t know what happened there. I think it was the starter I used, though. I get the best results with a good quality Greek yogurt like Fage.
Pam Cockley says
Hi thanks for recipe I tried the cold start method but it turned out very runny have strained it but hasn’t helped any suggestions?
Nicole Burkholder says
Sounds like your active cultures weren’t active enough 🙂 What kind of starter did you use? Was it fresh, or had it been open/in the fridge for a while? Typically when there’s a problem with the yogurt not setting, it’s due to the starter. I get the best results with my homemade yogurt as a starter, but store-bought will certainly work just fine!
Michele says
The yogurt came out terrific! It was too sweet for me. Can I leave out the condensed milk and add sweetener substitute after it is refrigerated? The taste and thickness was perfect, just too swwet for me.
Thank you
Nicole Burkholder says
Certainly. It won’t be as thick, though. Another option is let it incubate for a few more hours. The longer it goes, the more tart it is, as the cultures feed on the sugars.
Amy says
Have you tried this with almond milk?
Nicole Burkholder says
I have not. The process seems to be about the same, though. Here’s a post I read about doing it in a regular slow cooker, but you could use the yogurt button and convert it to the CPE, I think. https://www.currygirlskitchen.com/homemade-almond-milk-yogurt/
Denise says
Would the canning jars and plastic lids be ok to store homemade broth in to refrigerate for a couple of days before using?
And thank you for all your recipes and tips!
Nicole Burkholder says
Sure! I do that all the time. If you don’t use it up in a couple days, just pour it into a bag and freeze for later. 🙂
Kathy says
No need to use bags. Canning jars are freezable. Just leave air space as the liquid expands as it freezes.
Frieda says
Hi! Thank you for sharing my Cold Start yogurt method using the Crock Pot Express. I would love it if you could attribute this method by sharing and linking to the original source of this method, as it took research and testing to ensure which milks could be used. I also am thur one who came up with the name and can help answer many questions about this method. Thanks!
Frieda
Creator of the Cold Start Yogurt method
http://www.friedalovesbread.com/2017/06/easy-cold-start-yogurt-no-boil-method.html
Becca says
Do you have a printable recipe for the hot start version?
Nicole Burkholder says
I don’t, but there’s one in the recipe booklet that comes with the CPE. Do you have that still?
Irene Taylor says
Why doesn’t one use regular milk for the Cokd Start method? Why does it have to be uktra-pastuerized?
Nicole Burkholder says
Ultra pasteurized milk results in a thicker yogurt and eliminates any danger of unhealthy bacteria.
Laura says
Can you add anything to the yogurt before you start the process like fruit?
Nicole Burkholder says
Adding things to milk can mess with the incubation process, so it’s best to wait to sweeten it with things until after it’s done. That way you get a nice, thick and smooth yogurt and then after it’s been refrigerated you can stir in fruit purees, honey, maple syrup, etc. I usually just sweeten it right as I eat it, but I have made a large batch of berry yogurt by stirring in a fruit puree to the whole patch. It was a pretty pink color 🙂
Amy says
Is your nutrition information based on using whole milk? I want to use the ultra pasteurized 2%.
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes, it’s based on what’s included in the recipe card, so it will be lower in fat and calories using 2%
Autumn Farrell says
Could 1 percent be used in this recipe?
Nicole Burkholder says
Yes, any kind of milk can be used, but if you are using regular (not ultra-pasteurized) milk, you need to do the boil/hot start method. Cold Start is only for ultra filtered milk.