So, I tried my hand at crock pot yogurt yesterday. Somebody commented on Crystal's blog that you can make yogurt in your crock pot and I was more than curious so I did a little research. I looked into what worked for who and what ingredients worked the best. I tweaked a recipe and created my own after learning the ins and outs of yogurt making.What resulted was better than I had expected, although not quite what I had hoped for. I am more than pleased. (variations and tips are at the bottom of the post)
You will want to start this project first thing when you wake up, or late afternoon.
- 1/2 gallon whole milk (8 cups)
- 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
- 1 small package flavored Gelatin, sugar free or sugary (I used strawberry)
- Sugar or sugar substitute to taste
Step 2: Take out a few cups of milk and put it in a bowl. Mix this with the yogurt and gelatin and then pour the milk mixture back into the crock pot, stirring until combined.
Step 3: Place the lid back on the crock pot and heat on low for only about 5 minutes. Turn it off and wrap a thick bath towel over and around it for insulation. Double check that the crock pot is off and leave it alone for 8 hours.
Don't peek.
If yours turns out like mine you will have a thickish mixture when you are finished but it won't be nearly as thick as store bought yogurt. This is okay - there are many delicious uses for this mildly sweet yogurt goop. Go ahead and refrigerate the goop until it is nice and cold. I let mine refrigerate overnight.
I am not one to waste anything so here is what I did with it after I got over my disappointment that it wasn't as thick as your typical yogurt.
I mixed it again in the bowl with a spoon and then put a few cup fulls in my blender along with a couple tablespoons of sugar. This made a delicious yogurt drink that my kids loved. They adore those expensive Yoplait yogurt drinks that cost 3 or 4 bucks at the store. I never buy them but did get some for free once and they loved them.
They told me that my concoction was way better.
Then, I took what was left, blended it up well, and put it in the Gelataio Ice Cream Boy we got at a garage sale a few years ago.
This is an easy machine - just dump in your mix and turn on . It makes the ice cream, or in my case, frozen yogurt without any work on my part. However, you should be able to use any ice cream maker for this. I made sure to add in enough sugar to sweeten it up nicely and what resulted was a very smooth frozen yogurt with a yummy strawberry flavor. It made a lot, too.
The cost breakdown for this was:
$1.55 for the half gallon of whole milk
$.20 for the Gelatin (on sale)
$.25 for the Yogurt (with coupons)
To buy these treats premade at the grocery the store will cost around $15. Those yogurt drinks are expensive and your really don't get that much for your dollar.
This cost me around $2 plus the cost of the sugar I added (maybe about 1/2 cup total or less). I got about a quart of yogurt drink and a little more than that in frozen yogurt. The yogurt drink is gone but will be rationed better next time - it will last in the fridge for about a week or so. The frozen yogurt is in the freezer for dessert tonight and will provide for a yummy dessert on another night, too. You can't beat that for a family of 8!
Tips
**Blend your yogurt drink with fresh or frozen fruit to make a yummy fruit shake.
**Use unflavored gelatin and yogurt in the initial recipe and then sweeten as you desire afterwards for a healthier treat. Or skip the gelatin altogether if aren't concerned about thickening as much.
**Change up the gelatin flavor as your little heart pleases for a variety of possibilities.
**When flavoring plain yogurt try unsweetened Kool-ade. This is very cheap and will allow you to control the flavor and sweetness separately.
**If making frozen yogurt out of it try using flavored coffee creamer and/or brewed coffee for a cappuccino flavor.
I am not one to waste anything so here is what I did with it after I got over my disappointment that it wasn't as thick as your typical yogurt.
I mixed it again in the bowl with a spoon and then put a few cup fulls in my blender along with a couple tablespoons of sugar. This made a delicious yogurt drink that my kids loved. They adore those expensive Yoplait yogurt drinks that cost 3 or 4 bucks at the store. I never buy them but did get some for free once and they loved them.
They told me that my concoction was way better.
Then, I took what was left, blended it up well, and put it in the Gelataio Ice Cream Boy we got at a garage sale a few years ago.
This is an easy machine - just dump in your mix and turn on . It makes the ice cream, or in my case, frozen yogurt without any work on my part. However, you should be able to use any ice cream maker for this. I made sure to add in enough sugar to sweeten it up nicely and what resulted was a very smooth frozen yogurt with a yummy strawberry flavor. It made a lot, too.The cost breakdown for this was:
$1.55 for the half gallon of whole milk
$.20 for the Gelatin (on sale)
$.25 for the Yogurt (with coupons)
To buy these treats premade at the grocery the store will cost around $15. Those yogurt drinks are expensive and your really don't get that much for your dollar.
This cost me around $2 plus the cost of the sugar I added (maybe about 1/2 cup total or less). I got about a quart of yogurt drink and a little more than that in frozen yogurt. The yogurt drink is gone but will be rationed better next time - it will last in the fridge for about a week or so. The frozen yogurt is in the freezer for dessert tonight and will provide for a yummy dessert on another night, too. You can't beat that for a family of 8!
Tips
**Blend your yogurt drink with fresh or frozen fruit to make a yummy fruit shake.
**Use unflavored gelatin and yogurt in the initial recipe and then sweeten as you desire afterwards for a healthier treat. Or skip the gelatin altogether if aren't concerned about thickening as much.
**Change up the gelatin flavor as your little heart pleases for a variety of possibilities.
**When flavoring plain yogurt try unsweetened Kool-ade. This is very cheap and will allow you to control the flavor and sweetness separately.
**If making frozen yogurt out of it try using flavored coffee creamer and/or brewed coffee for a cappuccino flavor.
I could go on and on with the tips. There are so many possibilities here. Just play around with it.
1 comments:
Hey there - just wanted to mention that you can definitely make the yogurt thicker. I did it this past weekend using just whole milk and yogurt starter (no sugar or gelatin). When your yogurt is fully made, line a mesh strainer with a paper towel, hang over another bowl, and pour the yogurt onto the paper towel. Let it drain until the yogurt is as thick as you like.
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