I wish I’d known years ago how simple, cheap, and better for you it is to make homemade yogurt. I like simple. I like cheap. And I really like better for you. This recipe is all of those things and easy clean up too. This can be made with pasteurized milk or raw milk. Raw milk is ideal because all the beneficial enzymes and nutrients that your body needs are still alive and thriving. But if you use pasteurized milk to make your own yogurt, it will still be SO much better for you than anything you buy in the store!
The power of yogurt is its live bacterial cultures. These beneficial bacteria break down lactose in the milk, making it easier for you to digest. Then they transfer to your digestive tract, becoming an army of workers that build your immune system, produce essential vitamins for you, and keep your digestive process working correctly. Our body simply cannot work correctly without a daily supply of these critical critters! Yet most store-bought yogurt contains so many added junk ingredients that it does far more damage than good. Fortunately this powerful stuff is simple (and much cheaper) to make at home.
The only essential steps in making yogurt are 1) having a good bacterial culture, or “starter,” and 2) keeping the milk at a consistently warm, but not hot temperature so those lovely, beneficial bacteria grow and multiply. That’s it! There are several ways to do that. If you have a large, square dehydrator (such as a Sedona or Excalibur), simply put the milk and starter together in a glass jar, place the jar in the dehydrator, and set the temperature to 115 degrees for 24 hours. Poof! Perfect yogurt. You can also use a crockpot or a yogurt maker to keep the temperature steady. But if you don’t have any of that equipment, that doesn’t mean you can’t make this amazingly powerful food. Today I want to share with you another option that only requires a cooler.
The basic process is the same for raw or pasteurized milk except for heating the milk. Click here for raw milk instructions. This recipe makes 2 quarts of yogurt, though you can easily double it and make a whole gallon if you have a large enough stock pot, cooler and room in your fridge.
Equipment:
2 quart jars with lids
A few 1/2 gallon or gallon jars with lids (optional)
large stock pot
a candy thermometer
a large cooler (like kind you take to a picnic)
towels
Ingredients:
1/2 gallon of milk (the more fat the thicker the yogurt, so whole milk will yield a thicker yogurt than skim)
4 tbl plain yogurt with live cultures and without any “extra” ingredients or a purchased yogurt “starter”
(Hint: Store bought yogurt often only has one or two strains of bacteria. Your body needs over 200! There are a few specific strains you need to create yogurt. Those will be in your starter. But you can add many additional strains for your health. So if you have a favorite probiotic capsule, you can add that to the yogurt and they will multiply for you for free!)
Instructions:
Fill 2 quart jars with milk. Place open jars in a large stock pot and add water to the pot until the water is a few inches from the jar tops. Place on stove on medium heat. Put a candy thermometer into one jar. 
It takes awhile (20-30 minutes) for the temperature to start to change. It needs to get to 180 degrees. It goes slowly and then once it starts moving doesn’t take too long. You can just wait it out or you can set a timer for 5-10 minutes, check temp and then reset timer until it gets close to 180 degrees.
Once milk reaches 180′, carefully remove jars from stock pot. Leave thermometer in place and allow to cool to 115′ (this usually takes 20-40 min.) I think it’s easiest to set a timer for 10 minutes and then check temp and set for 10 more. Otherwise I find I forget to check and the milk gets too cool.
When the milk has reached temperature add 2 Tbl of live culture yogurt to each jar. Stir well and then put lids on jars. Move jars to cooler.
You need to keep the yogurt warm, but not hot for the next 8-10 hours. Here are two options. 1) Put hot water directly in your cooler. Take care because overly hot water can damage your cooler. You need it very warm but nowhere near boiling. Fill the cooler with water around your yogurt jars and close. After 4 hours you need to check the water to make sure it’s still very warm. If not then replace the water. 2) (I think this method is the easiest) Bring the stock pot full of water almost to a boil. Pour it into 2 large glass jars (old pickle jars work great). Place these jars in the cooler alongside the yogurt jars. Stuff all the extra space with towels. 
Close the lid and wait 8-10 hours. I’ve never had to replace the water so I can fill it and forget it. Plus clean up is easier than dumping a cooler full of water.
After 8-10 hours move your yummy, healthy jars of yogurt to the fridge and put everything else away. Simple and easy.
Additions:
This recipe makes an unsweetened plain yogurt. For flavored yogurt, simply add a drizzle of raw honey and fruit. If you enjoy a thicker, Greek-style yogurt, simple strain the yogurt through cheesecloth. The whey you collect can be added to smoothies for a protein-packed probiotic punch. You can strain the yogurt even longer to make a spreadable, cream cheese substitute.
That’s it. Simple, cheap, less mess and good for you. My definition of a perfect recipe.
Enjoy!
~Mellonee
Raw milk yogurt is typically a more thin yogurt than pasteurized and can be a bit temperamental but I have used this method successfully for raw milk yogurt.
The process is the same for raw milk except it is even simpler, since you don’t heat the milk and have to wait for it to cool. When using raw milk heat milk to only 110-112′. This preserves the enzymes and good bacteria in the raw milk. Because the milk is only heated to 112′ you can immediately add the yogurt/starter, cover the jars, and move the milk jars to a cooler. Add the hot water and towels and wait 8-10 hours.
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