I've been making homemade yogurt for 4+ years, off and on, usually in the summer when I could count on 90-degree days to keep the yogurt warm during its incubation period. In 2021 I got an air fryer for Christmas that has a dehydrator feature. Light bulk moment - I could make yogurt any time with this!
I've made this every week for 3-4 months with consistent results.
I like to start with Whole Milk Greek Yogurt as my starter, reserve 1/2 cup and let it sit out while milk heats up. Side note to any experienced yogurt makers - I've tried reusing my homemade yogurt as a starter, but results are runnier than I'd prefer so I continue to use Chobani as my starter.
My plan is to finish with 64 ounces of yogurt, so I start by filling 4-pint size jars with whole milk and heat the milk in a pot with pour spout to 180 degrees. I use a candy thermometer that hangs on the side of the pot. This process takes up to 20-30 minutes, I don't like to go too fast, or it will make the milk skim. Stirring frequently helps deter milk skin.
Once the pot has reached 180 degrees, remove from heat and wait for it to reduce down to 120 degrees. This takes about 20-25 minutes. Once the temperature is 110, stir in the 1/2 cup of yogurt, mix well, then pour mixture into the four pint size jars. I use this size because it fits nicely into my air fryer.
Set the air fryer to 110 degrees and 6 hours, with no lids.
Once finished, let it cool for about 30 minutes, remove the skin at top, then put on lids, and put into fridge. Cool overnight, by the next day it should be nice and solid. It won't be exactly like Greek yogurt, to do this you'd need to take an extra step to strain it. I personally prefer regular yogurt so I stop at this point.
I also like to consider the environmental factor that every time I make homemade yogurt, I save on buying another plastic container.
