Homemade Yogurt

Store-bought yogurt may be convenient but it can't compare to the mild creaminess of homemade. The good news is that making yogurt is incredibly easy—as long as you keep your tools clean and don't jiggle the mixture while it's setting, it's almost foolproof. Plus, it's a fun science project for experimenters both young and old.

Homemade yogurt requires very little special equipment. You can invest in a yogurt maker but there are many potential incubators you might already own, such as a thermos. Alternatively, you might use a covered container, set in a conventional oven (preferably with the light on), a microwave, a cooler (place jars of hot water inside to help maintain a warm environment), or a slow cooker (preheat the slow cooker but turn it off to incubate). Another option is to simply swaddle the covered container with a heating pad, blanket, or towel.

And while yogurt requires at least five hours to incubate, there's only about 30 minutes of active time. You can even make the yogurt before going to bed and let it incubate overnight.

For your first few batches, we recommend treating yourself to whole milk, because it produces a naturally thick final product. However, yogurt can be made with skim or low-fat milk—it just will probably be a bit thinner than store-bought varieties, which often contain thickeners.

For more on making yogurt at home, see Megan O. Steintrager's complete primer, How to Make Yogurt.