DIY Greek Yogurt

If you're like me and LOVE Greek yogurt, seriously there are so many things you can do with Greek yogurt and it's great because is high in protein and makes a great quick snack for post workouts. Add fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey and sprinkle on cinnamon... mmmmmm delicious! So I was excited when I found out you can make your own Greek yogurt at home with a slow cooker. I found a video on YouTube. All you need is whole milk, 2% or skim, crock pot, 1/2 c yogurt (your starter), cheese cloth, strainer, towel and a large mixing bowl. I poured 4 cups of whole milk into my slow cooker and it's gonna cook for 2 1/2 hours. Then take the temp of the milk should be no more than 175 degrees. Unplug the cooker and let the milk sit for 3 hours until it reaches 110-115 degrees then put your starter yogurt and mix. Wrap a towel around the cooker and let it sit on your counter for 8 hours. After 8 hours, set up your large mixing bowl with spaghetti strainer on top and then cheese cloth. Pour your yogurt into the cheese cloth and let the whey strain. Put this whole set up in your frig overnight and when you wake up you will have creamy Greek yogurt. It more tastier then store bought. I'll post pics of my process, I'm still on step !. Hope you guys try this. It will save you lots of $$$ and it's better because it's homemade!!! And that's always a plus.

OK so I just unwrapped the slow cooker and........ I HAVE YOGURT!!!!!

At this time it's just regular yogurt. It's time to strain the whey to make Greek yogurt. This is my set up, mixing bowl, spaghetti strainer, linen hanky (cheese cloth, etc, google it), yogurt and into the frig for at least 6 hours or overnight. I did this in the morning so I will check on it tonight. And take more pics. (Please ignore the coffee stains it was a busy morning lol.)

This is what my yogurt looked like after 6 1/2 hours. The longer it sits the more thicker it gets. Next time I will let it sit for 8 hours but I could not wait any longer lol.

Lots on whey was drained out. If you put it a mason jar in stays good in your frig for up to 6 months. I did some research and found that there are a few cools things you can do with this stuff. Check out The Prairie Homestead web site because they have a lot of cool info about it.

I poured the Greek yogurt into a large mixing bowl and whisked until smooth and poured it into an empty yogurt container. You can put the yogurt in a glass mason jar. Label and date it. It's very important to date your yogurt. I placed platic wrap over the top and closed the lid on top and store it in the back of my frig. The yogurt is good for a month.

SO HOW DOES IT TASTE? Wow what a difference from store bought Greek Yogurt. It is so creamy and does not have that sour taste and it doesn't need sweetener at all. I hope you guys try this.