Fresh, light, and a little tart, homemade raw milk yogurt is delicious. And it’s full of healthy probiotics. Any kind of homemade yogurt is great, but I buy and drink raw milk, so that’s what I like to make my yogurt out of. Read about the benefits of drinking raw milk here.
Store-bought yogurt is delicious too, but many brands have a lot of added sugar in them. Check out some varieties that have more sugar than a Twinkie. So, making yogurt at home is a great way to ensure you’re getting the healthiest product. And it’s so easy to make! I like to either leave it plain and add it to smoothies, or sweeten it with honey and fresh fruit and eat it for breakfast or a snack.
There are a lot of different ways to make yogurt and while the process is very easy, you can spend a lot of time learning about various techniques and the science behind yogurt making. To make it simple, I’m going to focus on a really easy way that I make raw milk yogurt. If you’d like to learn about different options and more about how yogurt works, I’d recommend visiting the Cultures for Health website.
There are some differences with raw milk yogurt: 1) raw milk yogurt usually has a thinner consistency than yogurt made from pasteurized milk, and 2) raw milk isn’t homogenized so the cream will rise to the top while the yogurt cultures.
It’s best to use really fresh raw milk when making yogurt. This is because raw milk has its own beneficial bacteria that will compete with the yogurt culture. If your raw milk is older or wasn’t chilled quickly, it will have a higher bacteria count. This can result in yogurt that doesn’t culture properly.
When using raw milk to make yogurt, it’s easiest to use a single-use or direct-set starter culture like this Cultures for Health Traditional Flavor Yogurt Starter. With this method, you will use a new culture every time. The advantages to this method are that 1) the culture doesn’t require maintenance, 2) you can take a break from making yogurt at any time, and 3) direct-set generally makes thicker consistency yogurt than perpetuating cultures.
I use this Euro Cuisine Yogurt Maker to incubate my yogurt. I love how easy it makes the whole process! I just pour the milk & starter culture mixture into the jars and let them incubate for 7-8 hours. The individual jars are a perfect serving size and they allow you to make different flavors of yogurt in every jar if you’d like. With this model you can set the lid to the time you want the yogurt to be done, but it doesn’t turn off automatically. Euro Cuisine also offers an automatic yogurt maker that is a little more expensive, but may be worth the price. Here’s a video tutorial on how to use their yogurt maker.
I am not a DIYer. If I can buy a product that I like, I will. But I’ve never seen raw milk yogurt for sale anywhere. Have you? And it’s so easy to make that it’s one DIY food I’ll always make myself. And the awesome part is-making raw milk yogurt with a direct-set culture is the easiest way to make yogurt out there. Treat yourself to this incredibly healthy food!
- 1-2 quarts raw milk
- 1 packet direct-set yogurt starter
- 1 automatic yogurt maker
- Pour the raw milk into a stainless steel pot.
- Heat the milk to 110 degrees F (it’s still raw at this temperature).
- Add 1 packet of your direct-set starter culture to the milk.
- Stir the milk and starter together gently until combined.
- Pour the mixture into the yogurt maker jars.
- Put the jars into the yogurt maker (without the lids).
- Turn on the yogurt maker and incubate the yogurt for about 7-8 hours until the yogurt has set.
- Remove the jars from the yogurt maker, screw on the lids, and store in the fridge.
- Yogurt is good for up to 2 weeks.
Disclosure: Raw milk for sale in retail locations in Utah is required to have this label on the container: Raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe. Keep refrigerated.
I think this is a true statement. There is a chance your raw milk is unsafe. There is also a chance your raw eggs are unsafe. And a chance that any of your food is unsafe. Maybe the chance in raw milk is higher? It’s possible. I’ve been drinking raw milk for about two years now and I’ve never been sick from it. But I’m not saying it’s not a possibility. For now I think the benefits of drinking it outweigh the risk. But if I ever get sick from it, I may change my mind. And if I ever get sick from it, I’ll let you know!
I got lazy and stopped making yogurt. I started again just this last week. It is such a lovely item to have int he home.
I grew up milking our family cow, and drinking the milk without pasteurizing it. My family and I now drink it raw from the same source you do when we are at home. When visiting my family we buy from a little farm up the road from my father’s house. I never have gotten sick from drinking it. I do make sure the farms I purchase raw milk from use good sanitation before consuming their beverages, though. About the raw milk statement, I totally agree with what you wrote. I feel like all foods should have that caveat. Doing research into the food industry for school, (on .gov websites), and seeing the things that are allowed, (like how many bugs are allowed in pre-ground coffee), has really driven this home to me. I don’t drink coffee, but if I did, I would buy the beans and grind them myself. ha ha There will never be a food item that will be 100% “safe”. The real shame to me is that we feel like it is plausible to make that guarantee. We are humans with fallible bodies. Sorry guys, people just do get sick sometimes. Having said that, I do make sure the farms I purchase raw milk from use good sanitation before consuming their beverages, though.
That’s really cool that you’ve had the experience of milking a cow. I’ve never milked anything before! And I think it’s good to know that you’ve been drinking raw milk for the majority of your life and you’ve never been sick from it. I think that might surprise a lot of people.
Do you use a yogurt maker and a purchased yogurt culture like I do? Or do you have a different system that you like?
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Bolivia says
Hi Katie
Great Article….. I am from Montana originally, but have lived in Bolivia a long time now! I have a little Rancho where we grow over 70 types of fruits, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, cloves, all spice, coffee , chocolate, macadamia nuts, cashews, almonds and hazel nuts…. all organic! Also have cows pigs chickens ducks …. from our milk we make and sell organic gourmet ice creams, yogurts and cheeses and we also make and sell organic gourmet smoked hams and sausages!
You are so gorgeous! Are you married? If not come down and visit me in Bolivia!
Yogurt guy says
Hi Bolivia, I will be traveling in Cochabamba Bolivia soon and I am a big fan of all the types of foods you are producing. What part of Bolivia is your farm in as I would love to buy some healthy produce from you when I get there? Cheers
Linda Holley says
We’ll said. I’ve been drinking raw milk, preferably goat, since 1975. My 6 children were raised on it and managed to survive, even without vaccinations. Yes they did get sick occasionally but with close monitoring and rest along with good nutrition they are all healthy, functioning adults.
Natasha says
I grew up drinking raw milk daily along with all the great fresh from the farm products, ice cream, eggs, cheese. The Alta Dena Dairy used to have all raw milk and delivery fresh in their glass bottles, everything was so fresh and delicious and we never got sick from it.
What is happening to milk now is terrible it is not just the pasterized and homogenized that would be bad enough but what the heck is with the oil soluable vitamins. They store in the liver and cause toxcicity causing brain fog among other things. The raw milk back then did not have these vitamins in it only what naturally occurs and we were healthy. What is with forcing people to consume these daily oil soluable vitamins whether they like it or not?
I am buying fresh from the farm again there is a huge difference in the milk and milk products for taste and benefits.
Loz says
Just bought a yoghurt maker and will be making my own yoghurt from our farm raw milk. I will let you know how we get on. ?
Our experience of raw milk is entirely positive. We are on an Organic Dairy farm in the UK and my husband was born into a farming family. He has drunk raw milk his whole life and he is the healthiest person I know. All my children drink raw milk, given from about 1 year and they are healthy and don’t seem to get as many of the tummy bugs and sicknesses that go around the school compared to other children.
Our neighbours give raw-milk yoghurt to their calves if they ever get upset stomachs and it settles their systems down.
Jayne says
Mine came out really runny…is there anything you can do to thicken it?
Maybe xanthan gum? It’s used for thickening sauces and dressings, but I know that it’s also used in ice creams too. You would have to experiment with that though. And a little goes a long way.
Bon VanMeter says
I used to make Yogurt Cheese by putting the yogurt in cheesecloth (a few layers) and letting it drain overnight in a strainer over a bowl. So you could do this to drain off some of the excess fluid in your yogurt quite easily!
Thank you so much for putting this site up. I have been very iffy on buying the store yogurts because of it being made with pasteurized milk and lots of added sugars and preservatives. I was trying to find a brand made from raw milk for my son as I actually make his own formula with raw cows milk which has done absolute wonders for him! I’ve been on the hunt for a brand of yogurt that is from raw cows milk for months but never even thought of making it myself. I just went and purchased the yogurt maker. I can’t believe how easy it is to make this yogurt. Thank you so much! You made my day!
I’m glad you like the yogurt maker. Making yogurt really is so easy, isn’t it!
fredrick mwiti says
Am fredrick from MERU Kenya,&have done food science&technology, av worked in many dairy processing factories and yoghurt is dhe best ever milk product one can process &consume,,,,,if you hav a company wazzup me on 0711954574,for any food processing,,dhank you
Jim says
The facts behind the Wulzen factor—an important fat-soluble nutrient found in raw milk and sugarcane juice—have been lost to modern science. Also known as the “anti-stiffness factor” because it combats arthritis and relieves pain, swelling, and stiffness, the Wulzen factor was considered an actual vitamin by a number of early nutrition investigators, but it was never accepted as such by medical or government “authorities.” To acknowledge it would have required the admission that pasteurization of dairy products is a causative factor in arthritis, and such an admission would never be made by those who so vigorously promoted and enforced pasteurization laws.
https://www.seleneriverpress.com/historical/anti-stiffness-factor/?
I will try the recipe today. Thanks
Sales and Service says
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The Greek Gods now make a chocolate cherry yogurt!!!! It is thicker so easier to pipe onto the tray and it taste amazing! And they use honey and sugar cane versus HFCS which is a huge bonus; one in which doesn’t take away from the deliciousness!