This Amish homemade vanilla yogurt is creamy, smooth, and easy to make at home. It's cheaper than store-bought, full of flavor, and perfect for breakfast or snack.
You can eat it plain, make vanilla yogurt parfaits with fruit and granola, or use it for baking.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Amish Yogurt Recipe
- Ingredients
- Homemade Yogurt Starter
- How to Make Homemade Vanilla Yogurt
- Fermentation - Making Yogurt in a Cooler
- Plain, Vanilla, or Flavored Homemade Yogurt
- What to Make With Vanilla Yogurt
- Shelf Life of Homemade Yogurt
- Raw Milk and DIY
- More Amish Recipes
- 📖 Recipe Card
Why You'll Love This Amish Yogurt Recipe
- Creamy & Smooth: Gelatin and proper fermentation give it a perfect texture every time.
- Cost-Effective: Homemade yogurt saves money compared to store-bought brands.
- Versatile: Enjoy it plain, layer it in parfaits, or use it in baking recipes.
- Customizable: Sweeten lightly, flavor with vanilla, or try your favorite fruit mix-ins.
- Authentic & Homemade: Inspired by traditional Amish methods for a wholesome, natural treat.
Ingredients
- Milk serves as a base for the yogurt. It is a source of protein, calcium, and other essential nutrients. (I recommend using whole or 2% milk.)
- Unflavored Gelatin acts as a thickening agent for the yogurt, helping to give it a creamy and smooth texture. Gelatin helps to set the yogurt and prevent it from being too runny.
- Cold Water is used to dissolve and hydrate the gelatin.
- Active Yogurt acts as a starter culture for the yogurt-making process. The active yogurt contains live bacterial cultures that ferment the milk, converting lactose into lactic acid and creating the characteristic tangy flavor and thick texture of yogurt.
- Sugar adds sweetness to the yogurt. The amount of sugar can be adjusted according to taste preferences.
- Pure Vanilla Extract adds flavor, giving the yogurt a rich and aromatic vanilla taste. Vanilla extract enhances the overall flavor profile of the yogurt, making it more enjoyable to eat.
These ingredients work together to create delicious homemade vanilla yogurt with a smooth texture, creamy consistency, tangy flavor, and sweet vanilla taste.
Homemade Yogurt Starter
You will need to buy a container of yogurt to use as a starter. Make sure to get yogurt that specifically has live cultures. I use the Activia brand.
I was always told that you are supposed to use plain yogurt as a starter. However, the other day, I couldn't find any plain Activia. So I just used vanilla and could not tell any difference. The yogurt turned out the same.
Save one small jar of your homemade yogurt to use as a starter the next time you want to make it. But after using your starter for about four or five batches, you need to buy another container again to use as a fresh starter.
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How to Make Homemade Vanilla Yogurt
This recipe to make vanilla yogurt with gelatin is so yummy and easy to make. I don't think you'll only make it once.
Pour two quarts of milk into a heavy-bottom saucepan. It's fine if you don't have a heavy-bottom saucepan, you will just need to heat the milk on low to avoid having it burn, or stir it often.
Heat the milk to 180 degrees. I've never tried to make it without a thermometer. If you want to risk just guessing the temperature, it is close to boiling. But I would recommend investing in a thermometer.
Remove the milk from the heat and let it cool to 130 degrees. Meanwhile, soak the gelatin in cold water and let it sit for a few minutes. Mix the sugar and yogurt starter. Add gelatin, vanilla, and the sugar/yogurt mixture to 130-degree milk. Stir until it is dissolved and smooth.
Fermentation - Making Yogurt in a Cooler
Pour the yogurt mixture into sterile pint or quart-sized jars and lay a flat lid on top, do not tighten. Place it in a warm area for 8-12 hours.
If you have a gas oven with a pilot light, you can set it in the oven to keep it warm. I have an electric stove, so what I have found to be the easiest is setting it in my cooler with hot water.
I have a medium-sized drink cooler that I set my jars in with hot tap water almost to the top of the jars. This works great. Just close the lid to trap in the warmth from the water and let the yogurt sit for 8 - 12 hours.
Some people just wrap theirs in heavy towels and place them in the warmest spot in the house. It doesn't matter exactly how you do it, but it does need to stay a little warmer than room temperature.
Do not disturb it for at least eight hours as it goes through the fermentation process. After eight to twelve hours, place your jars in the refrigerator and let the yogurt cool before stirring.
Plain, Vanilla, or Flavored Homemade Yogurt
If you want a plain and healthier yogurt, use whole milk and do not add any sugar or vanilla.
I like homemade yogurt a little sweetened. Typically, I don't add a lot of sugar, but I enjoy homemade vanilla yogurt more than the plain, so I add a bit of sugar and vanilla to mine. Then to give it more flavor, I add some berries when I'm ready to enjoy it.
You can also flavor your yogurt with pie filling. After the fermentation process, you want to chill your yogurt before stirring it to avoid a watery yogurt. But after it is chilled you can stir in some pie filling to taste.
What to Make With Vanilla Yogurt
There are lots of cakes or scones, etc., recipes that ask for yogurt. And anytime a recipe asks for plain yogurt you can substitute the recipe with homemade vanilla yogurt.
I love yogurt parfaits! If you've never had one, it's simply granola, berries, and yogurt layered in a dish. It's so good for breakfast or a snack anytime. Here is my homemade granola recipe.
I also love to eat yogurt mixed with fruit. Any kind of berries is great! Yogurt is great with chopped apples and topped with toasted pecans too.
I pack a lunch for my husband almost every day, and I try to keep it at least a little interesting by not putting the same stuff in every day. So whenever I have lots of homemade yogurt, I mix some with fruit to put in his lunch.
Shelf Life of Homemade Yogurt
How long does homemade yogurt last? Homemade vanilla yogurt will last for at least two weeks stored in the refrigerator. Mine always gets eaten before two weeks are up, so I have never tried to keep it longer than that. But it may last even longer.
Raw Milk and DIY
Having grown up on a dairy farm, we always had plenty of fresh milk. So we often made our own butter, ice cream, homemade pudding, and yogurt with raw milk.
There are so many things you can make at home, and they are not that difficult to make. Many of us just think it's easier to buy it at the store. But you will find that it is cheaper to make your own food, and it is usually healthier.
This is the best homemade vanilla yogurt recipe that I have ever tried, and I hope you get to make some. If you try it, I'd love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
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📖 Recipe Card
Amish Homemade Vanilla Yogurt Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 qt. milk
- 1 Tbs. unflavored gelatin
- ⅓ c. cold water
- ¼ c. active yogurt
- ½ - 1 c. sugar
- 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat milk on medium-low temperature in a heavy-bottom pan to 180°. (If you don't have a heavy-bottom pan, heat over low temperature to avoid burning your milk. You can turn it higher, just make sure to stir occasionally.)2 qt. milk
- Remove from heat and let it cool to 130°.
- Meanwhile, soak the gelatin in cold water let it sit for a few minutes. Then add it to the 130° milk.1 Tbs. unflavored gelatin, ⅓ c. cold water
- Mix yogurt starter and sugar, and add to milk.¼ c. active yogurt, ½ - 1 c. sugar
- Add vanilla. Stir until it is smooth.1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
- Pour the warm mixture into sterile pint or quart-sized jars. Place lids on top, but do not tighten.
- Place in a warm area, undisturbed, for 8 - 12 hours.
- Screw on the lids and chill before stirring.
- To begin the process again, save a small jar of yogurt for your next starter. However, after using your starter for about four or five batches, you need to buy another container again to use as a fresh starter.
sharonk
Thank u I made the yogurt yesterday it turned out so nice.
I made a few others wasn't happy with the texture.
This 1 is thick enough silky taste good with 1/2c of sugar.
I'll use mine mainly for smoothies but I'll b making some granola because this looks like it b so good in a parfait.
Thank u
coffeelady68@outlook.com
Anna
So glad you are happy with it!
Anna
Easy and delicious!
Brianne D.
Do you have a good granola recipe to go along with the yogurt? When I was younger and traveling from wisconsin to Iowa, I would go through Harmony, MN where there was a little Amish roadside stand with the best homemade granola I have ever tasted. I have tried to find a good Amish granola recipe. I have come close on my own but would love a suggested recipe to try! Thank you for sharing all your recipes and stories. I thoroughly enjoy your blog.
Anna
Thank you! I do have a recipe that I love, I will try to post for you soon.
Anna
I will be posting my granola recipe today.