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Thick, Homemade Yogurt (with Dairy-Free Option)

For many years my homemade yogurt just wasn't as thick as store-bought yogurt. Then I tried this one little trick and it worked perfectly!

I enjoy making homemade yogurt, but for years my version wasn’t as thick as the store-bought variety. So I experimented and found that adding a bit of grass-fed gelatin to the warm milk makes the yogurt thick and creamy.

I tested this recipe with coconut milk and fresh unpasteurized milk; both methods worked perfectly. While I don’t like having lots of gadgets in my kitchen, I do love using a yogurt maker. The one I use creates nice single portions of yogurt to put in the fridge. If you don’t have a yogurt maker, check out this oven method. 

For many years my homemade yogurt just wasn't as thick as store-bought yogurt. Then I tried this one little trick and it worked perfectly!

Makes about 4 cups

Thick, Homemade Yogurt (with Dairy-Free Options)

If you're hesitant to use gelatin, this post about the many health benefits of grass-fed gelatin might answer some questions for you.

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Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Pour milk into a medium saucepan. Heat to 115ºF (this is the thermometer I use). Remove from heat. While whisking, slowly pour in gelatin and continue to whisk until dissolved. Cool mixture to 110ºF. Whisk in yogurt. Pour mixture into your glass yogurt cups if using a yogurt maker , or follow these directions to make in the oven. Incubate at 110ºF for 6 hours. Chill completely. Serve.
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84 Comments

  12. Jenni

    My yoghurt was a complete flop...:-( put into electric yoghurt maker for 6 hours and still liquid... No sign of becoming a solid. I used the carton coconut milk and ordinary gelatin I used 3 tablespoons of coconut yoghurt as a starter and followed the instructions to the letter...I noticed that when I added the yoghurt it curdled the milk a bit? Is that meant to happen? Have left for another 2 hours in case it is not long enough... Not hopeful though Any advice? Many thanks Jenni
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    • Deliciously Organic

      I suspect it's the preservatives in the carton coconut milk that might have made this not work. I only tested this with canned coconut milk (I use this because it contains little to zero preservatives) and unprocessed whole milk. Did you bring the yogurt up to 115 and then down to 110? Maybe your candy thermometer isn't calibrated correctly? I've never seen the mixture curdle. What brand of coconut yogurt did you use? Sorry for all of the questions, but the more I know the easier it will be to figure out what went wrong.
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  18. Trisha

    I add chia seeds after the culturing process - after 12 hours, there's barely a crunch to the seeds so there's no difference in taste. You can strain the yogurt but I don't have the energy to use the whey all the time and I hate to think of wasting so much good, organic milk. This was my way of doing it since I have a hard time stomaching the smell of gelatin - many say it's odourless but I find it vile and hard to get out of my nostrils! Yay to everyone trying this at home - homemade stuff is incomparable to the store stuff.
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  25. Jasmine

    How long does it take for the gelatin to thicken the yogurt? I used coconut yogurt and bought the gelatin recommended. I actually made it twice. The first time, I grew some uninvited bacteria on top! Yuck! However, the consistency of that batch was beautiful, like custard. So, I tried again and made sure to sanitize all my utensils carefully with boiling water. But, this time, there was a hard layer on the top that I think is just separating fat? And underneath, it is still pretty runny. It isn't like water, it's more like a thick milk or runny pudding. It's been in the fridge for four hours and is cool...does it just need more time? Thanks!
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  26. Jenni

    Have you used pectin as the thickening agent for non dairy yoghurt? Gelatin is such a horrible product I am keen to use a non animal product... I have also read that milks such as rice milk need to have some additional sugars to feed the culture... The 2 batches of coconut yoghurt I made with gelatin set well but were like blanc mange rather than a creamy yoghurt...is this how it is supposed to be? Thanks Jenni
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  31. Amy

    Hi! I was wondering how much culture to add to the coconut milk if I'm just beginning and don't have the 3 tablespoons from a previous batch? I have Culture starter packets from Body Ecology but I have no idea how much to add. I also have grass fed beef gelatin... Do you think if I added some it would help make my yogurt even thicker? I also was thinking that I could use the two full cans of coconut milk and not have to separate the cream if I used gelatin to make it thicker? Sorry for all the questions!!! I have never done this before can you tell? Thanks for listening! Amy
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  38. Kimberly

    I'm a nut for homemade yogurt. I'm also a newbie. I have a yogurt maker that holds a litre of milk and a little starter. I turn it on and in about 8 hours, I have yogurt. I usually strain it to get Greek yogurt. I have a question. Okay, I have a couple. 1) using store bought milk, in my yogurt maker, when would I add the gelatin? 2) Does the gelatin change the texture of the yogurt? (How does it compare to Greek yogurt that was strained?) 3) Can I use rice milk to make yogurt? (I make my own think and creamy rice milk.)
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  40. Kathleen

    Every time I've tried to dissolve gelatin (I use the same one you link to here) in warm liquid, it clumps up. It seems to dissolve much better in cold liquids. Maybe it's just me? I'd love to start making our own yogurt again, but am nervous to waste expensive milk. Also, do you think it makes a difference that our milk is lightly pasteurized? (it's grass-fed and nonhomogenized; they have to pasteurize it lightly in order to sell it legally in VA)
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