Make Your Own Yogurt and Cream Cheese
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You CAN make your own yogurt and cream cheese, and it is NOT hard! You don’t have to have any fancy equipment (and when you see my pictures, you’ll believe it!).
Not only will this save you money, you’ll have yogurt and cream cheese that is VERY good for you!
(Okay, here’s my quick soap box: The yogurt you buy from the store is bragged about as being soooo good for you, but most of it is filled with artificial flavors, food coloring and high fructose corn syrup. And those things are soooo not good for you.)
Try making this yogurt, then add your own fruit, sweetener (I recommend stevia or real grade b maple syrup) and a touch of vanilla. YUM!
Here’s what you need to do to make yogurt:
1-2 quarts of whole milk (I use unpasturized milk from a farming friend)
3/4 cup plain yogurt
Pour the yogurt into a quart jar (using a glass container is important). Heat the milk on the stove in a saucepan until it is just under 100 degrees.
Pour the milk over the yogurt in the jar and shake.
Place the jar into a cooler of hot water, cover and leave in the cooler for seven hours.
There, you just made yogurt!
Now, you can eat the yogurt as I mentioned before, or you can take your yogurt and make cream cheese (and impress the socks off of someone!).
So, to make cream cheese, line a strainer with a tea towel. Pour the yogurt into the tea towel.
You need to secure the tea towel full of yogurt and hang it for 7-10 hours (I usually do this overnight) so that the whey can drip off. I’m sure there must be a more impressive way to hang your yogurt, but what we’ve come up with works just fine!
Here are the secrets to my effective cream cheese-hanging-whey-dripping process (I know, you’re on the edge of your chair!):
I fold over the top of the tea towel and hold it closed with a couple of rubber bands. Then, I use several more rubber bands to attach a long wooden spoon to the wadded up tea towel. Then, I use a rope to dangle the tea towel from a cabinet door. And, of course I leave a bowl under the whole contraption so that whey doesn’t drip all over the floor (because then, my process would not be nearly as cute).
Then, after you can tell that the whey has all separated from the cream cheese (you can tell it’s finished if it isn’t dripping any more), then you pull the whole thing down and scrape the cream cheese into a jar. And that’s it. It is so simple.
Sure, you can tell people that it took you hours and hours to make yogurt and cream cheese (because technically it DID take hours to make), but the part you actually played in it took about 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
you always have the greatest ideas!! I’ve been wanting to try and make yogurt…by following your directions, I may try it! You’ve made it sound so easy!!! If I try it, I’ll let you know how it turns out…if I can make it…anyone can :)
Have a blessed day!!!!
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I may just have to try this! I still have some plain yogurt left over from making pizza crust the other night! Does the cream cheese taste similar to the store-bought stuff???
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The cream cheese tastes similar, but not exactly like store bought. I personally think it tastes better!
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Laura, what wonderful tips… I am always anxious to try my hand at making something at home that I usually buy at the store… I can’t wait to give the yogurt and cream cheese a try!
~Kristy
Homemaker’s Cottage
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I am totally impressed. Where do you find your glass jars with plastic lids?
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I order my 1/2 gallon jars through my health food co-op: Azure Standard. I also order my lids from them but I have also found them at Wal-mart.
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That’s awesome! I have never thought of using a cooler filled with hot water, I have always used the oven with the light left on.
We buy Miller’s Northern Light raw honey from our local health food grocery just for the jars. They are glass jars with plastic lids and stay closed so well my hero can even take them in his bag to work.
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You totally make it look easy. So, do you use store bought plain yogurt to start the process? And what’s the best way to add sweetner and/or fruit to the yogurt? How long does it all last? (I know, I’m a dolt, but if I buy something from the store, it has a date on it. What’s the basic rule of thumb for how long yogurt keeps?) Sorry for all the questions – maybe you just need to do a follow-up post just for Char?? :-)
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I have done both – it is easy. I only made cream cheese once though, because I needed the whey for sauerkraut. I really should do it again because the cream cheese made the most outstading spread EVER. I mixed in a variety of fresh herbs from my friend’s organic garden, along with some minced fresh garlic and seasonings. Talk about delish! We had it over baguette slices.
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Thanks for stopping by my blog. I hope you enjoy the recipes….I had no idea that you could make yogurt so easily! I’ve got to try that. Thanks for the tips!
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I used to make yogurt all the time, but the cost really didn’t come out any less expensive for me than buying a big container of plain yogurt at the store. Maybe because I was using organic milk and yogurt, but avoiding all of the additives was the reason I was making yogurt in the first place…
I don’t have a local source of milk like you do, do you really think it’s a cost savings if you have to purchase everything commercially?
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Melissa – Great question! Overall, it probably doesn’t save tons, but when I make it myself, I know EXACTLY what’s in it and where it came from. And so for me, whether or not it saves lots of money or not, it saves peace of mind.
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Laura, do you think it is possible to make this with soy or rice milk due to allergy?
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I’ve never read anything about rice or soy milk…so I don’t know. I doubt it. Hmmmm
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Laura,
I see one idea here, but what else can be done with the whey?!?!?!
-Donna-
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Whey can be used as a preservative in fermenting vegetables (like sauerkraut), put into soups for added nutrition, or poured onto a garden to nourish the soil.
You can also heat it to 200 degrees and “pull” ricotta cheese out of it.
There are other uses…those are the ones that I know of off hand and have used myself!
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Please tell me more about the pulling ricotta…..that would be a great blessing as it is an “extra” on most budgets, but wonderful in lasagna!!!!
This is very exciting…… what fun!
-Donna-
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Laura,
Do you make buttermilk? and if you do, can U tell me what’s going on with mine….its getting too thick? Its almost gooey!
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I love ricotta! Please explain how you do that. When you make your yogurt, can you save some of the homemade yogurt to make the next batch?
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Laura,
How thick is your yogurt?? I have tried a couple of different ways to make it, but it always seems SO runny! It does, however, still make great cream cheese and whey. I use the whey to soak all my beans, rice, and oats! Please help me…I’m just wondering what I am doing wrong! Thanks!!
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Have you ever tried adding flavors to your cream cheese? Like strawberry or blueberry? If so, what form of the fruit do you use, and what do you use to mix it?
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How is that you made yogurt with milk and yogurt?Did I miss some?
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Hi Laura,
Thanks for all the wonderful recipes! I have a question though. When you make the yogurt do you use raw milk and also have you ever tried the method in Nourishing Traditions? Okay, I guess that was two questions. ; )
Thanks!
Danielle
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Does it have to be raw milk? Can you do this with pasteurized?
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no it does not have to be raw milk- it can be regular milk strait from the regular grocery store.
i would recommend trying it first with a milk with a high fat content- that way you have a more sure-fire way that it will thicken-
and then, if you are successful, move on to the lower fat milks if you wish
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LAURA… I think you should link THIS posting to the NEW milk / motz cheese/ Ric. that you have been posting.. that way people know what else you can do with all that milk!!!!
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that’s a great idea wow!! thank you!! :D
anyway for anyone who got their cream cheese overbeated or whatever you can just heat it in the microwave under 20 seconds
:D just giving some ideas ;)
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Hello, I love this posting. I learned how to make my own mozzarella cheese not long ago, and I have been wanting to do more.
My question about this, is the temperatures and how safe it is. Will the cream cheese work if hung in the refrigerator? I have no problem with following old fashioned ways of making food and ignoring the temperature cautions sometimes, but my husband is not, and I don’t want to make him sick…
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I used unpasturized goats milk and made yogurt. It is really good. (due to allergies) It’s runny but still good. I thought about adding cornstarch to thicken but haven’t done that.
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Bought a Jersey cow, milked her, and then tried your yogurt recipe. First time, worked like a charm!
Now I just have to figure out what to do with 1/2 a gallon of yogurt!
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Making your yogurt thicker is easy, just add in dry milk. I find its easier to add in the dry milk powder if you add a little milk to the powder first (kinda like cornstarch) and gradually add milk to the powder until you have a smooth slurry.
As for flavoring, extracts, with their alcohol content will kill off the good bacteria in your yogurt. Flavoring your yogurt with a syrup will accomplish the same thing and leave all the good bacteria there (for your body as well as your next batch of yogurt). Making a flavored syrup is easy, just add the extract to a classic syrup recipe. Cup of sugar, 2 cups of water, a little heat, add the extract, voile, banana flavored syrup (or vanilla, which is what I’ve been using lately).
http://www.thethriftymama.com/2008/08/thursday-thriftiness-make-your-own-syrup.html
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Cool. This is the simplest cream cheese recipe.
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Seems so simple. I tried it yesterday but it came out so runny…. basically just milk mixed with the yogurt I put in. I wonder if I did something wrong. Is there a specific yogurt you use to start it with?
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Laura Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 7:51 am
My guess without looking at it is that it just wasn’t finished yet. Maybe? Yogurt, buttermilk, any cultured product tends to thicken right about the end of the process, which is how I always know it’s done. My yogurt is almost always finished in about seven hours, but maybe where you live it will take longer? If I ever pull mine out and see that it’s still that runny, I stick it back in for another hour or two (too long won’t hurt).
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Kathy Reply:
March 5th, 2010 at 11:17 am
It was in the cooler with warm water about 13 hours. :(
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lisa Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Hi Laura, you don’t say how hot the water is in the cooler?
When I’ve made raw milk yogurt, I’ve heated to 110 (in a canning jar
sitting in a pot of water) and left in oven with the light on
(keeps it at about 95-100). I have not had great luck- the taste is
not good. I’ve left it in for 24 hrs- trying to get it right & it
doesn’t get thick. One time I used 1 t. yogurt per cup milk another
time 2 T per pint (people have told me “less is more” with the
starter?). I’m wondering if your water in the cooler is very hot &
that’s how you get the fast set?
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Laura Reply:
March 7th, 2010 at 8:09 pm
My hot water is just hot tap water. I’ve never checked the temp (although I’ll try to remember to do that next time) but my tap water is pretty steamy.
So you need plain yogart to make yogart?
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Laura Reply:
March 25th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
Yep, that’s all it takes!
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For the 3/4 cup of starter yogurt, would it be okay to use non-fat (as long as I use the whole milk)?
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Laura Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 10:28 am
Yes, that will work!
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I made yogurt with the Yogourmet starter and used my dehydrator as an incubator (works great, btw). I have not liked yogurt in the past. And I still don’t like it plain, but I love it in my smoothies. A little juice, lots of berries and the yogurt. Yummy!
I’m curious — I’ve read varying opinions about how high you should really heat the milk. WAP recommended going to 180 so you don’t have competing bacterial strains. I went to 167 because I didn’t want to kill everything, but I also didn’t want it to fail. I’d prefer to keep it to 110 though so I can keep it raw but I don’t know if that’ll work. Does it for you?
I also can’t wait to try the cream cheese, I want to mix whipped cream, cream cheese, and a little sugar to make some fruit dip!
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Laura Reply:
April 13th, 2010 at 6:28 am
Yes, in fact I think I only take mine to about 99 and it works every time!
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so… i made the yogurt and took a peek in this morning and found nothing but curtled milk. so sad. can someone tell please me where i went wrong? i would love to try this again without wasting a half gallon of milk. thanks!!
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Laura Reply:
April 19th, 2010 at 10:29 am
Aw, that’s a big bummer! I have no idea why it would have done that! (helpful, aren’t I?) :)
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I’ve just been looking through your old posts (since I am a new reader) and thought I would point out that you recommend agave nectar here and I *think* you said something about pointing it out in old posts if it was seen =). If that wasn’t the case, I’m sorry for being mixed up! I’m enjoying learning some new things from you as we try to change our diets a lot. I’ve known what healthy really is to some extent for quite some time, but it’s hard to make the change when you feel overwhelmed by all that needs to be done…
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Laura Reply:
April 18th, 2010 at 6:57 am
YES! I did ask readers to point this out to me because there’s NO way I could find them all! Thank you so much! It’s all fixed now :)
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I’ve been making my own yogurt too. Its so easy and you know exactly whats in it!
I noticed some of you saying your yogurt isn’t turning out thick enough. One thing that I do to make my yogurt almost custard like is I add about a 1/2 cup of dry milk powder. (I add this BEFORE heating the milk) You can also add 1 tbsp of plain kosher gelatin too. Also when you first take the yogurt out it may be a little runny but once it sits and cools in the fridge it usually thickens up. You can always use a cheesecloth to strain it and make greek yogurt too :)
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How much cream cheese do you get out of 1 qt. of yogurt?
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Laura Reply:
May 19th, 2010 at 6:48 am
I would say something like 4-6 ounces…a half to three-fourths of a cup.
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i’m so thankful for you blog! it’s given me the confidence to finally try all these fun things! right now, my 2 quarts of raw milk and plain yogurt are in a cooler surrounded by hot water. i can’t wait to taste the final product tomorrow! ~liz
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Is it 1/2 quart of milk or 1 to 2 quarts?
Thanks!
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Laura Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
One to two quarts. :)
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Laura,
I am so blessed by your website! I look forward to putting the kids to bed so I can sit down and read all this wonderful information! I am going to try making my own yogurt and I am wondering how long it will stay good in the fridge? And after the yogurt is done can I just add strawberries pureed in the food processer to make strawberry yogurt, etc? Thanks for your help!
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Laura Reply:
June 13th, 2010 at 1:39 pm
I’ve had it last as long as one month before. Yes, you can add pureed fruit…I also add a little vanilla and a little stevia or maple syrup!
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For those looking for a non-dairly option for homemade yogurt, here is a an idea:
http://vegetariancuisine.suite101.com/article.cfm/how_to_make_vegan_yoghurt_at_home
I tried it with oat milk(partially homemade, with store bought oat milk added in) last night and it came out good! Just needs some flavoring. Speaking of flavoring, I added vanilla extract and then read Laura’s comment about not putting extracts with alcohol in them that will kill the bacteria….oops!
I have a question. If you make yogurt with cow’s milk or goat milk, how is it that it doesn’t spoil when left out? Is it the probiotics in the yogurt starter?
Linda
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Laura Reply:
July 7th, 2010 at 9:31 am
Well, it sort of DOES “spoil”…or rather is “sours” as it cultures. But it isn’t an icky sour…it’s just cultured, meaning that healthy bacterias work their way through making it super good for you!
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I have made my own yogurt, ricotta and buttermilk. Love the results. Will have to try the cream cheese and sour cream next. In response to queries about using up the whey, I have been able to get a second, smaller batch of ricotta, and then I store the whey in a covered jar in the fridge to use as the liquid in breads and other baked goods. I also use some of the yogurt as a substitute for buttermilk or sour cream in baking. I don’t endorse fat-free cooking or baking, but have used the guidelines for (fat-free) dairy substitutions from a no fat cookbook. I use the recommended proportions, happily subbing my full fat homemade dairy, especially to replace most oils.
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Several questions deal with people trying this and having the results not thicken. Make sure you are using a yogurt for started that has ACTIVE ingredients. Many (most?) of the yogurt in the dairy case no longer has active ingredients. Sometimes yogurt lists as many as five active ingredients. This is good. Other times the specific bacteria isn’t listed because one of them ends in “botuli” or something of the sort and scares people because they think that it has botulism in it. I have had the best results with the plain Dannon and especially with plain Greek yogurt. (Incidentally, the hint about using some dry milk really works.)
Also, if you use raw (or unhomoginized) milk, you get this great thin layer of yogurt cream on top
If the water in the cooler isn’t working, try puting a Pyrex pan covered with Saran Wrap on a hot pad.
Finally, you have obviously had good luck by just heating the milk to about 100 degrees, but most makers recommend heating to about 185 and then letting it cool to about 105 before adding the yogurt starter. This seems to result in killing any existing bacteria in the milk, but then it is cooled enough not to kill the active ingredients in the starter yogurt.
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Wonderful all this back and forth on yogurt and cream cheese, very interesting and quite the bit intriguing…but me just wondering here after reading all these lovely post…the “spoiling” so to speak is a good thing ie. “cultures” to create the yogurt, correct? But why is all this dairy product being warm for extended periods of time not going to make you sick? Merely the “culture” thing and yeah that’s all good and it’s okay? Really? Is the initial boiling of the milk really all thats supposedly keeping this project and final product the yogurt safe? Sorry but after 15+ years in commercial kitchens and food prep I wonder about this from a food safety element? It’s rather contrary to the whole conventional wisdom of refrigerating your perishables so to speak. I would love to give this a go and it does hearten me to see that so many folks here have tried this and lived to tell the tale….
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Laura Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 4:21 pm
I know…you’re not alone in your worry!
But really…it doesn’t spoil the milk and make it nasty…it just cultures it. You don’t leave it out forever, just long enough to culture it. I have done it over and over, and yes, like you said, I am still alive to tell about it!!
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Tracey Reply:
August 29th, 2010 at 9:51 pm
Thank you for the quick response. I was out of town and missed how very fast you did answer this
question. Another question for you. I have a memory some forty years old of making “cheese” in school.
There was no cooking or boiling of the milk involved. We waited for the contents of a pint container of
milk to spoil and then dumped it into cheese cloth. We hung it rather like your set up and several days
later cheese. Is this anything you are at all familiar with? Or is this merely a faulty incomplete memory??
I do intend to give the yogurt a go, you do make it sound most do able.
By the way have you seen a movie called “Food Inc”?? After viewing it myself, your site and suggestions
make a lot of practical and healthy sense. I cook and bake from scratch almost everything we eat. A
dying art in my neighborhood. There are so few women locally that cook dinner each night. Even fewer
know where or how to begin to bake. I have offered to teach many of my friends. Some have dietary
restrictions and really would benefit from cooking and baking from scratch. I intend to refer them to
your site. You have done a lovely job with it!
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