How to Make Homemade Yogurt

You can purchase a home yogurt maker from many kitchen appliance departments at different stores, such as Walmart or Walmart.com. The advantage to making your own homemade yogurt is that you can make it with wholesome ingredients like fruits, milk, nuts, granola, and without using artificial food dyes and large amounts of table sugar. Walmart.com sells a yogurt maker that costs about $18.

First you wash the yogurt cups out good with hot water and soap; dry them and set them out so that you can fill them and place them in the yogurt maker to ferment the milk into yogurt. Take four cups of whole milk, low fat milk, skimmed milk or nonfat prepared milk and bring just about to a boil to avoid contamination by outside micro-organisms. Cool the milk to room temperature, and add two tablespoons of plain, unflavored yogurt or yogurt starter that some health food stores sell, to the milk and mix gently and thoroughly. Pour this yogurt starter into the jars; place jars without lids into the yogurt maker, and then replace yogurt maker cover.

Plug in the machine and turn it on; it takes eight to ten hours to completely ferment the yogurt. It is helpful to set a kitchen timer. After fermentation is completed, be sure and cool the jars to room temperature. Replace the jar lids, and place them in refrigeraator for at least one hour prior to eating the yogurt. You can add other healthful ingredients and stir them into the yogurt, such as srawberry or other berry puree, crushed pineapple, pureed bananas with granola or a little vanilla extract for delicious flavors!

You can sweeten with maple syrup, honey or a little orange juice concentrate or apple juice concentrate. You could even add a little spice, like cinnamon to the apple. Your yogurt maker should come with a manual that will usually include some recipes too. Enjoy these homemade recipes for snacks or desserts anytime; they are very healthy! Enjoy!