I stumbled upon this really fast, easy way to make yogurt, and I’m excited to share it. Here is my secret method to making 24 hour raw milk yogurt without heating.
24 hour raw milk yogurt recipe without heating
Homemade yogurt is definitely a real food staple. It’s nourishing, delicious, and versatile. Who doesn’t love yogurt? You can top it with all sorts of yummy things for breakfast, make smoothies, popsicles, frozen yogurt treats, dips, sauces, dressings, yogurt cheese, and more!
Another really great thing about homemade yogurt is that it is full of beneficial bacteria. This is especially important when you’re trying to restore healthy gut flora, like when you’re on the GAPS diet.
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Why this 24 hour raw milk yogurt recipe without heating recipe is so good
When you’re healing your gut, you want to make sure that all of the lactose in the milk is converted, and that none is left over. That way, you’ll have the easiest time digesting the yogurt. 24 hours is the length of time needed to do that, and this recipe is designed to culture yogurt in that amount of time.
This particular recipe is also ideal for making raw milk yogurt. Raw dairy is better for anyone, but it’s an especially good choice for anyone who is trying to heal their gut. I talk all about the benefits of raw milk in this post here.
Another good thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t require heating the yogurt at all. That way all the beneficial bacteria and delicate proteins stay intact. It also means that this is a super fast, easy recipe to make!
24 hour raw milk yogurt equipment
There are a variety of yogurt making devices out there. The yogurt maker I’ve used for many years is this Yogourmet yogurt maker. It’s a simple appliance that keeps the yogurt at just the right temperature during the culturing time. An insert goes inside the main container, and is surrounded by water. That provides even, gentle heat. This yogurt maker plugs in and sits on the counter while the yogurt cultures. Once the yogurt is done culturing, you just remove the insert and store it in the refrigerator.
I like using a glass insert, like this one, for the container to hold the yogurt. It’s important to me to use glass and avoid plastic whenever possible, especially around food.
Starters to get you going
My method which I’ll explain here uses some already made yogurt as the starter culture. You can also start yogurt with a powdered culture, like this one. A lot of people have good success with those. But for now I’m sticking with what’s worked for me.
When looking for a yogurt to use as a starter culture, it’s important to look for one with no additives. This is especially important for anyone following the GAPS diet. You want to use plain yogurt that is made with only milk (preferably from organic, grass fed cows) and the live active bacteria. Nothing else. No stabilizers or thickeners or anything. Health food stores are often a good place to look, and you can also order some online.
My secret 24 Hour Raw Milk Yogurt Recipe without Heating recipe
So here it is: my magic method to making 24 hour raw milk yogurt without heating. It’s really simple and easy! I’ve been making yogurt over and over in this same container for years now. I began with an 8 oz. container of plain, grass fed yogurt with no additives from a local health food store for my start culture. I simply put the entire container of yogurt into the yogurt maker insert, added enough raw milk (cold from the fridge!) to fill the insert, and let it culture in the yogurt maker for 24 hours. Voila! A fresh batch of yogurt was made.
Now here’s the crucial part: from that point on, I didn’t wash the yogurt maker insert. Not ever. I just made sure to keep at least a quarter to half a cup of yogurt in the yogurt maker insert to start a new batch, and then did the same thing I did in the beginning: added cold, fresh raw milk, mixed well, and let it culture for 24 hours again. This has been reliably producing yogurt ever since!
I think another important factor is that I am so very careful to keep the inside of the yogurt maker insert extremely clean. I don’t allow any hands or unclean utensils or anything else inside that jar. I’ve never had a batch fail on me! If for some reason I did, I know I can always wash the insert, buy another 8 oz. of plain yogurt for a starter, and make a new batch.
Consistency success
I’ve been really happy with the yogurt that this method makes. It’s thick and stable, not runny or thin at all. I think the secret to keeping the starter strong is to keep using the same container without washing it. Less dishes to wash? I’ll take it!
There are other ways to make yogurt, like in an Instant Pot or crockpot. However, those appliances are also used to make other food, which means you will have to wash the insert frequently. Because of the frequent washing, I don’t know if this 24 hour raw milk yogurt recipe without heating would work with those appliances or not. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
If you use the yogurt warm, right out of the yogurt maker, it will be softer. I don’t love eating warm yogurt, so I always put it in the refrigerator to chill after it’s done culturing. Then, when it has cooled, I pull it out to eat it and make things with it.
You will notice that some liquid whew will separate out from the yogurt. This is a good thing! In the beginning stages of the GAPS diet, this whey is what you use to add live, probiotic cultures to your food. Later on in the introduction diet stages you eat the actual solid part of the yogurt.
If you want, you can also drain the whey out of the yogurt completely, which leaves behind a thicker yogurt cheese. This is delicious mixed with herbs for a cracker topping or vegetable dip!
You can also use yogurt culture to make sour cream. Use your homemade sour cream to make delicious creamy dips and dressings, like this lemon garlic dill dressing. For all my tips on traveling on the GAPS diet, check out this post here.
GAPS intro diet for toddlers
Yogurt is one of my favorite, gut healthy foods for kids and toddlers.
If you’re helping a child start the GAPS diet, you’ll definitely want to check out my guide on the GAPS intro diet for toddlers. I share all of my tips on getting toddlers to eat GAPS foods, enjoy meat stock, and more.
24 hour raw milk yogurt recipe without heating directions
Ingredients:
- 1/2 gallon raw milk from pasture raised cows
- 8 oz. container of plain yogurt with no additives
Instructions:
- Put milk and full container or yogurt into yogurt maker insert.
- Mix well with a clean spoon.
- Close lid and put insert into yogurt maker.
- Add water to shoulder of insert jar.
- Close yogurt maker, plug it in, and leave it on kitchen counter for 24 hours.
- Remove insert and store yogurt in the refrigerator.
- For best results, don’t wash yogurt maker insert, but always reserve about 1/2 cup yogurt to culture each new batch. Keep inside of insert extremely clean by no contaminating it with dirty utensils or hands.
24 hour raw milk yogurt recipe without heating video
More nourishing recipes
Have you made homemade yogurt?
What methods and equipment have you used? Do you have any tips to share? Tell me about your experience in the comments!
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I stumbled upon this really fast, easy way to make yogurt, and I'm excited to share it. Here is my secret method to making 24 hour raw milk yogurt without heating.24 Hour Raw Milk Yogurt without Heating
Ingredients
Instructions
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8
Serving Size:
1 Servings
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 140Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 135mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 0gSugar: 14gProtein: 10g
Is there are way to make this with no yogurt maker???
I cannot find the yogurt maker you’ve recommended except on eBay. I’m nervous to buy it preowned. Could you recommend another that will preserve the “raw-ness” of the milk while making yogurt? Or would you recommend just getting it on eBay?
Hi there!
I made this yesterday, and it turned out much better then I was expecting. However, the consistency of the yogurt is a little sticky, almost glue like. I noticed the starter yogurt I used had a similar texture, so is it safe to assume that’s why? Im wondering if I should start over with a different brand of yogurt, or if over time there’s a chance it will change textures? Also, I don’t own a yogurt maker, so instead I used the oven! I preheated it to 115, and once preheated turned it off. I put my yogurt mix into 2 quart sized mason jars, wrapped them in a tea towel, and simply sat them in the oven with the oven light on for 24 hours! Besides the stickiness, the consistency was decently thick and the taste is good!
What is raw milk and where can I find it? Is there any specific brands you recommend?
hi crystal — pasteurized milk has undergone a heating process which sterilizes it. raw milk doesn’t undergo this process; it’s straight from the cow. many people (including myself) consume raw milk because the enzymes and other good things are active, rather than being killed by heating. in my experience, one usually needs to deal with farms directly to find raw milk. i live in illinois (chicago area) and in michigan, and in both places i’ve found farms to deal with directly. it’s easier than you think, and satisfying too. (retail sale of raw milk is actually still illegal in michigan, and pretty persecuted, even! but in those states we have something called a herdshare. this effectively is like having a milk subscription, but legally can be considered owning part of a cow, bypassing the retail sale thing.) there’s a directory at http://www.realmilk.com to find farms in your area. they also have more information about raw milk. good luck 😀
marisa, thank you for this tutorial. i don’t have a yogurt maker but i think i will try long slow culturing for my yogurt. i haven’t been making it since i started getting exclusively rahi crystal — pasteurized milk has undergone a heating process which sterilizes it. raw milk doesn’t undergo this process; it’s straight from the cow. many people (including myself) consume raw milk because the enzymes and other good things are active, rather than being killed by heating. in my experience, one usually needs to deal with farms directly to find raw milk. i live in illinois (chicago area) and in michigan, and in both places i’ve found farms to deal with directly. it’s easier than you think, and satisfying too. (retail sale of raw milk is actually still illegal in michigan, and pretty persecuted, even! but in those states we have something called a herdshare. this effectively is like having a milk subscription, but legally can be considered owning part of a cow, bypassing the retail sale thing.) there’s a directory at http://www.realmilk.com (or is it .org?) to help you find farms in your area. good luck 😀
marisa, thank you for this tutorial! i don’t have a yogurt maker but i think i will experiment with a warm slow culturing.
I have a few questions.
Raw milk and yogurt. Was it warm temp before you start it?
I have the Excalibur dehydrator with a yogurt button. It is set for 115 degrees for yogurt.
The lowest temp I have is 105 degrees. Can I use this for the no heating method?
I don’t heat the raw milk before culturing 🙂 Yes! You want the temp to be around 108-110ºF, so I would set it at 110ºF if you can 🙂
How do you prevent the insert from getting moldy if you don’t wash the insert? Do you just wash it really well with water?
Great question! I find that when the culture is strong enough and I never let it get contaminated, it doesn’t mold. (If it were to get contaminated and mold I would wash it thoroughly.) Hope that helps!
Hi, the link to Amazon did not work for me so I could not check which yogurt you use as a starter. Is the one you use a pasteurized yogurt? I have been researching a lot about making raw milk yogurt and I even bought heirloom cultures but they also say you have to make a mother culture from pasteuried milk to use as a starter for your raw milk. I have avoided all dairy for many years and I am new to raw dairy.
Thanks for the heads up! I’ll go fix that link. Here is a link to a good yogurt to use: https://amzn.to/3nzcDD5 It might not be available where you are, but can be an example for a similar one to look for. Back when I started mine, I used an all natural, additive free, organic grass fed plain yogurt that was pasteurized but not homogenized. Hope that helps!
Hello Marisa,
Does the temperature of the water matter when you add it to the yogurt maker?
Thanks,
Lisa
I just add room temperature water 🙂
Hi Marissa, I am a little confused. you said that this is made without heat but then say to put in a yogurt maker and turn on?!
what temperature are we supposed to use for this no heat yogurt? Did i miss something?
it might just be me but could you explain please,
thank you xx
I’m referring to the fact that you don’t heat the raw milk up prior to making yogurt, as almost all other recipes have you do, which would defeat the purpose of sourcing raw milk 🙂
Thank you for asking that I had the same exact question 🙂 probably
I used your recipe for making yogurt. I used a 6 quart instapot. It fits 4 pint jars nicely. My first 2 tries turned out great. I kept my jars in fridge when I was done with that container. The 3rd batch I sterilized the lids of the jars only. It set up well but tasted off. I did not eat it.
Do you ever clean the lid of the jars or wipe the rim of your jars?
I don’t usually clean the lid or jars, I just am very careful to not contaminate them with anything else. I hope that helps!
Thanks for your reply. I’m going to make this fabulous yogurt again today. If you do drip yogurt on the rim of the jar. What do you do? I feel I will contaminate the jar wiping with a paper towel. That is why i sanitized the lids. No mater how hard I try there is always that drip LOL. I’m using Peanut butter jars this time they have a wider opening. I will update in several weeks. Thanks for this awesome site. ~ Sharon
You’re very welcome! If I ever have to wipe the lid area, I use a very clean kitchen cloth that hasn’t been used for anything else, and wash it afterwards 🙂
I started from the beginning again. I washed and boiled my jars, lids whisks everything for 10 min. Then let cool. I followed your instructions. First batch was awesome. The taste and consistency was great. I kept everything clean. No drips. 2nd batch tasted a little off. 3rd batch tasted sour like it was spoiled. I could not eat it. The consistency of all 3 batches of yogurt was great. Is the yogurt spoiling? Is it just sour? The cream part at the top is dryer looking when tested. Not sure what is going on.
Hello!
I made some of this using my sous vide machine to create a water bath for a mason jar. I did it for 24 hours temp set at 108 (when I researched it said between 108-112. I see now that yours is at 104 and I will try that next time). Mine turned out very liquidy – what I imagine clabber to be like (no clear liquid, milky liquid with soft curds). I have it chilling now and I imagine it will get thicker like when I made your sour cream recipe did but it started out thicker and smoother. I was wondering if you have any suggestions? I know yours is from a base that you keep reusing so I wasn’t sure if over time as I keep making it if the batches will get thicker. I am actually enjoying drinking it (it’s like a lumpy kefir). I would love any input please. Thank you 😀
I’m happy to help! It sounds like it just need some more time to culture more, and it will thicken up. Once the starter is more robust, it will thicken more quickly. Hope that helps!
OK! Great! Thank you! I will do that with my next batch!!!
Can we use an insta pot to make low heat yogurt? Can is do 24 hour?
Yes you can! Yes, Dr. Natasha recommends 24 hours to make sure all the lactose and casein are predigested 🙂
Hi, Do you know what temperature your yogurt maker stays at for the 24 hours? I am waiting for mine to arrive in the mail and it has heat settings of 97, 100 and 104 degrees F, which temperature do you think would be best for this 24 hour recipe?
That’s a great feature to let you adjust the temperature! I think mine stays at around 104ºF. I would probably start with that, and if it seems to get too fermented (starting to separate into whey) you could lower the temp. Hope that helps!
I’ve been searching for the yogurt maker you used, but all links and sites are out of stock (for months now so I’m assuming they’re no longer making/selling 😢)
I’ve found several other water bath based yogurt makers, but wanted to pick one comparable to yours so I don’t overheat. Euro Cuisine and Luvele make one but just curious what your suggestions would be if you’d have to replace yours with a different one.
Thanks so much for your knowledge and information you share!! ❤️
I’m happy to try and help! That’s sad, I sure hope they didn’t discontinue it! I have an instant pot, so I think if I needed another way to make yogurt I’d make it inside a jar with a water bath in the instant pot with the yogurt setting. Otherwise, I did find this one that looked like a nice option: (affiliate link) https://amzn.to/3qXLeLU I hope that helps!
Quick question on this yogurt maker…says it’s done in 8 hrs and it doesn’t plug in…will that be enough time for this yogurt recipe if it says it needs 24hrs? I’d like to get this one as it’s not electric, but if the 8 hrs won’t be enough…just thought I’d see if you have had anyone try this one and get good results! 🙂
That’s a great question! I think it would be okay, but maybe to be safe it would be a good idea to “start over” with adding the warm water after each 8 hour period.
Hi Marisa! If you have a quick moment to answer a question I would so appreciate it!
-Any different tips for making no heat raw milk yogurt in the instapot?-
They don’t sell the yogurt maker you have anymore unfortunately!
Thank you very much in advance!
-Jessica
Hello!
Was wondering if I use an instant pot would I just fill up the instant pot with water and insert a quart jar with 1/2 cup yogurt, the rest raw milk and click the yogurt function?
Thanks!
Yes, I think that’s exactly what you’d do 🙂
I love your post, as always! I have a question. Can I use whey (from straining raw milk) as a starter for making raw milk yogurt?
Thank you so much! In order to make yogurt, you’ll want to use yogurt culture. The whey from straining raw milk has some bacteria in it, but it won’t be exactly the same as a yogurt culture. Hope that helps!
Made this last night. Super easy. Worked like a charm
Wonderful! I’m so glad. Thanks for letting me know!
Hi, Marisa—
I’m slightly confused. When you say you make your yogurt without heat, how can that be when the yogurt is sitting in the Yogourmet maker for 24 hours? I bought that brand of maker as well as the glass insert recommended and tried it out with the Maple Hill yogurt you linked to (although I was a bit surprised at how runny this brand of yogurt is). I did exactly as the instructions said (24 hours plugged in with raw whole milk) and when I took it out, it was really quite hot. I stuck a thermometer in the yogurt and it read 113 degrees. And the milk/yogurt mixture was very inconsistent—tons of whey, not much actual yogurt and what yogurt was at the bottom was like a kind of rubbery ricotta cheese.
This is trickier than I thought it was going to be! Ha. Do you have any tips for me or would you maybe have a guess at what I’m possibly doing wrong?
Thank you!
Sarah
Hello, the “without heating” refers to not needing to heat the milk up beforehand as most yogurt recipes call for. The very gentle heat provided by the yogurt maker does not destroy any bacteria or enzymes as the higher heating before adding culture would. I’m happy to try and help! Some cultures of yogurt are thicker or thinner than others. It sounds like the yogurt maker you received might be heating a bit too much. When the whey is separated out like that, with the thicker places, it means it has cultured too long/too much. I would contact Yogourmet and see if perhaps your yogurt maker is defective and heating too hot. I hope that helps!
Thank you for the suggestions and helpful info!
~Sarah
Hello. Between batches of yogurt, do you refrigerate the starter left in the jar or do you have a continuous batch going all the time?
Thanks,
Robin
I refrigerate the jar in between making batches 🙂
Hi Marisa,
Thanks for your great videos!
I just started on GAPS and it helps me a lot in my research.
So if I understand correctly, you have 1 yoghurt, that is your starter for a couple of years?
That sounds great! The things I have been reading up til now all require starters after 10 liters (= 2 1/2 gallon I believe…).
Do you know how this works?
I would love to do it your way…
Thanks a lot in advance!
Kind regards,
Tom from Amsterdam (the Netherlands)
Hello! You’re welcome, I’m so glad you’ve found it helpful! Yes, my starter has lasted that long! I think it’s because I never completely empty the jar 🙂 I’d love to find out if this method works for anyone else. Try it out, and let me know how it goes!
Great post! I love raw milk and yogurt and I can’t wait to try your method!!
Thank you! Let me know how yours turns out 😊
I so wish I could get my hands on raw milk in Canada–it’s illegal! You literally need to have your own goat or cow (or have a really good relationship with someone) if you want that luxury. Farmers have been fined thousands of dollars for selling unpasteurized milk, it’s ridiculous. I’ve made yogurt before, but I heated the milk! I added the culture and then I popped everything into the oven with the light on to sit overnight. It sounds easier with a yogurt maker, lol.
Oh that’s tough! We have to do a cow share program in Colorado, since it is also illegal here. The yogurt maker does make it easy 😊