Homemade Vanilla Yogurt (made in a Cooler)
Making your own homemade vanilla yogurt is shockingly easy. The taste is amazing, and all you need is a handful of basic ingredients and a small cooler that holds temperature!
Making your own homemade vanilla yogurt
Denaturing the milk
The process of making your own homemade vanilla yogurt at home is shockingly simple. You only need a few basic ingredients and a chest cooler that holds temperature well.
This method for yogurt making involves heating milk to a high enough temperature that the proteins denature and begin breaking down (over 82 degrees Celsius or 180 degrees Fahrenheit). When this happens, the structure of the milk changes as the proteins begin breaking down. This process also kills off any bad bacteria giving your good bacteria a chance to thrive. It’s also this process that allows the final product to be a beautifully creamy texture. Additionally, I found that heating the milk to a sustained temperature of 180 for only 5-10 minutes produced a significantly thicker, creamier yogurt.
Adding the culture
After the milk reaches 180 for five to ten minutes, you’ll remove milk from heat. Allow the temperature to drop back down to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s at this temperature that the good bacteria in your yogurt can grow and flourish. When the milk reaches 115 degrees, a starter culture (your store-bought yogurt containing live cultures) is added to the milk along with sugar and vanilla. You’ll then prep your cooler by adding warm water (heated to between 110 and 115 degrees Fahrenheit.) Add enough water that the level reaches the “neck” of the mason jar.
Growing the culture (AKA Making Yogurt)
Once the sugar has dissolved in the milk, the milk is then transferred into the mason jars. The mason jars then go into the cooler to work their magic. The end goal is to keep the yogurt at this sustained temperature for a long enough period of time (between 8-10 hours) that the yogurt can undergo the process of fermentation. You can check the yogurt for taste at 8 or ten hours, depending on how tangy you like it. If it tastes good, it’s done! If not, let it keep going for another two hours. Transfer the yogurt to the fridge to finish “setting up.” And it’s that easy!
When choosing your store-bought starter culture, know that the finished result will be similar to the starter yogurt that you use. Some will be thicker or thinner, tangier, or smoother. So experiment with different yogurts containing live cultures to find one that you like best!
Ingredients for making homemade vanilla yogurt
One Gallon of Whole Milk
1/4 Cup Store bought organic yogurt (must say contains live cultures*)
1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
4 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Equipment that you need
A large stock pot
One chest cooler
Sterile mason jars with lids for culturing and storing yogurt
One thermometer (milk frothing thermometer works best but you can use an instant read thermometer or meat thermometer)
A whisk
step by step directions for making homemade vanilla yogurt
Step 1
Pour a gallon of milk into a large stock pot. Set the burner to medium-high heat and bring the milk to a temperature of 180 degrees F. Hold the milk at that temperature for 5-10 minutes, whisking often.
step 2
Once the milk has maintained a temperature of 180 for 5-10 minutes, remove the pot from heat and let the milk temperature come back down to 115-120 degrees. Add in the vanilla and maple and stir well to combine. While the milk is cooling, begin adding hot tap water to your cooler. The temperature should be between 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit and should not exceed 120 degrees or you risk harming your culture.
Step 3
Pour most of the sweetened milk into a large gallon mason jar, or into multiple smaller jars, leaving 1-2 cups of milk in the stock pot. Whisk your starter culture (store-bought) yogurt into the remaining milk and whisk well to thoroughly combine.
step 4
Add the milk + starter culture mixture back in to the heated milk and whisk really well to make sure it is evenly distributed throughout. Then, secure your lid so that it is airtight.
step 5
Carefully place your mason jar into the cooler filled with warm water. Make sure that the water comes at least halfway up the jar. Check the temperature to make sure it is still between 110-115 Fahrenheit and close the lid.
Step 6
Let the yogurt culture in the cooler overnight or for 8-10 hours. Be careful not to jostle the cooler.
Step 7
Carefully remove the yogurt from the cooler and transfer it to the fridge to cool and continue to “set” for 4-6 hours before eating.
step 8
Top with your favorite fruit, jam, granola, honey, or cereal and enjoy!
FAQ about homemade vanilla yogurt
What temperature will kill the yogurt culture? Any temp above 130 will cause harm to your culture.
My yogurt turned out curdled? If you culture your yogurt at too high a temperature (over 110 degrees) or allowed it to culture for too long, the curds and whey will begin to separate. You can still eat it if it is only slightly curdled… remember little Miss Muffat? (or bake with it if it is too undesirable)
My yogurt has liquid at the top. Is that normal? That’s okay! That’s just whey. You can pour it off or stir it back in. Although, it should not* have an excessive amount of whey.
Can I use my homemade yogurt as my new starter culture? Yes! You can safely use your new homemade yogurt to start a new batch 3-4 times.
Can I control how sour my yogurt is? The length of time that you allow the yogurt to culture determines how sour your yogurt is. So a yogurt cultured for 5 hours will have a more fruity, mild taste than one that is cultured for ten hours, which will be more sour.
My yogurt is too runny. If your yogurt turned out runny, it could be because your milk did not reach 180 degrees during the heating process, or because you disturbed the yogurt during culturing.
How long will this yogurt stay good? Homemade yogurt will remain good stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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Homemade Vanilla Yogurt (in a cooler)
Equipment
- A large stock pot
- One chest cooler
- Sterile mason jars with lids for culturing and storing yogurt
- One thermometer (milk frothing thermometer works best but you can use an instant read thermometer or meat thermometer)
- A whisk
Ingredients
- One Gallon of Whole Milk
- 1/4 Cup Store bought organic yogurt must say live cultures*
- 1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup
- 4 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Pour a gallon of milk into a large stock pot. Set the burner to medium-high heat and bring the milk to a temperature of 180 degrees F. Hold the milk at that temperature for 5-10 minutes, whisking often.One Gallon of Whole Milk
- Once the milk has maintained a temperature of 180 for 5-10 minutes, remove the pot from heat and let the milk temperature come back down to 115-120 degrees. Add in the vanilla and maple and stir well to combine. While the milk is cooling, begin adding hot tap water to your cooler. The temperature should be between 110-120 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature should not exceed 120 degrees or you risk harming your culture.1/4 Cup Pure Maple Syrup, 4 Tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- Pour most of the sweetened milk into a large gallon mason jar, or into multiple smaller jars, leaving 1-2 cups of milk in the stock pot. Whisk your starter culture (store-bought) yogurt into the remaining milk and whisk well to thoroughly combine.1/4 Cup Store bought organic yogurt
- Add the milk + starter culture mixture back in to the heated milk and whisk really well to make sure it is evenly distributed throughout. Then, secure your lid so that it is airtight.
- Carefully place your mason jar into the cooler filled with warm water. Make sure that the water comes at least half way up the jar. Check the temperature to make sure it is still between 110-115 Fahrenheit and close the lid.
- Let the yogurt culture in the cooler overnight or for 8-10 hours. Be careful not to jostle the cooler.
- Carefully remove the yogurt from the cooler and transfer it to the fridge to cool and continue to "set" for 4-6 hours before eating.
- Top with your favorite fruit, jam, granola, honey, or cereal and enjoy!
