How to Make Yogurt Starter
Making your own yogurt is a wonderful, healthful way to incorporate dairy into your diet. In order to make homemade yogurt, you will first need a yogurt starter. You can buy yeast cultures, but why go through the trouble when making your own starter is so easy? Here’s an easy recipe to use when you make your next batch of homemade yogurt.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Raw Cow’s Milk
- Cardamom Pods
- Thermometer
- Glass Measuring Cup
- Glass Bottle for storing starter
Step One
Heat the milk to 120 degrees. Pour milk into clean container.
Step Two
Break one large cardamom pod in half and place both halves in milk until completely submerged. If you have trouble finding pods (as I did), use 20 cardamom seeds instead.
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Step Three
Use a whisk or spoon to push the seeds or pods under milk until completely submerged. Do NOT stir the mix as this may hinder the curdling process.
Step Four
Cover with cheesecloth or towel. Keep in a warm place (on the counter is fine as long as your home is around 70 degrees. Wait for it to curdle in 10-14 hours (I usually just wait overnight).
Step Five
Check the yogurt starter to ensure it has curdled properly. The smell should not be sour or pungent, but sweet. It should have thick curdles as well.
Step Six
Once the starter has curdled properly pour the mixture into a bowl and remove the pods and/or seeds.
Step Seven
Pour the yogurt starter into a clean container with a screw-tight top. Store in a refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
That’s all, fellow homesteaders! Did you enjoy my homemade yogurt starter recipe? Let us know in the comments section below what you thought of this yogurt starter. Do you have a favorite yogurt starter recipe that’s a staple on your homestead? Share it with us and we’ll give it a shot. We love doing DIY homesteading projects and becoming more self-reliant by learning more about how everything works around the homestead. That’s why Homesteading was created. We want all folks looking to lead a self-sufficient life, either on a homestead or in an urban environment, to come together and learn from each other! Of course, we welcome your help in creating a community of homesteaders. Come and share your homesteading tips and ideas, recipes and expect the best advice on self-reliance and homesteading trials from our team of long-time homesteaders, self-reliant wilderness, and preparedness experts. Want to write for Homesteading? Shoot us an e mail and make sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest!
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So what is it about the cardamom pods that causes the culturing and curdling to occur?
It is my understanding that there is a reaction that changes the pH balance due to acids from the cardamom entering the milk.
It isn’t clear to me how much cardamom to put in the starter. You say one pod or 20 seeds: one pod doesn’t have that many seeds. Yet, the picture of the bowl with the starter has numerous pods in it. So how much does one use?
Hi Deborah! The photo shows the cardamom seeds which are normally housed in the pods. Each pod (looks like a very large brown pea pod) contains about 18-20 seeds which is what I used since I had difficulty acquiring the pods. So just use either one pod with all the seeds in it still or if you can’t find pods, just use 18-20 seeds.
How much do you use to make the yogurt?
Here is a link for the yogurt recipe that goes along with it: https://homesteading.com/homemade-yogurt-recipe/ Hope that helps!
Cool! Can’t wait to try this. Do you know if you could freeze portions of the starter?
Yes, it freezes well. Just let it thaw completely and stir before adding it to your yogurt recipe!
No.. It looks like you have used 18 pods not 18 seeds.
Don’t know if you are still taking comments on this thread, but here goes.
Do you know if Garbonza beans (chickpeas) can be used instead ?
Yes you can! Been doing it for long time. I use 3-4 cooked chickpeas/garbanzos in 1/4c warm milk (110°) to make the starter. Use this starter minus the whey on 4c boiled and warmed milk to make yogurt. Makes a sweeter milder yogurt -my kids favorite for breakfast. For other starters that give different tartness flavor I use same process as before (1/4c warm milk) but substitute 3 crushed raw garbanzos, or 4 any kind chili pepper stems, or 1/2 tamarind with hard skin, or 1 tsp brown rice, or 1 cardamon pod opened showing seeds. I rinse the starter item (pod, tamarind, etc.) dry it and use as if new in other recipes.
Cardamon is very expensive and difficult to find. There are cheaper alternatives for yogurt starters. The brown rice gives a yogurt that separates and looks like a cheese on top. I take advantage of that and use it as “cheese” for spinach lasagna rolls or cream cheese and is delicious! Eat any of the yogurts and save the whey as starter from then on. Hope this helps! 🙂
Can you use store bought milk for this instead of raw?
Hi could you use home made nut milks
Could you use an old gym sock instead of a jar
Do you know how all the different probiotic strands are obtained in starters? Trying to figure out how to make my own starter, I’ve seen using a lemon, chili pepper and now cardamom. I understand these curdle the milk but what about the live and active cultures?
I would assume the good “cultures” survive and replicate with the proper temperature and “food”. The acid/alkaline environment helps determine which strains survive as well. Time culturing too. But I am not 100% sure so…
20 pods or 20 seeds looks like pods in the picture
Yes, you are using green cardamom pods in your picture. The seeds are small and are inside the pod. The seeds inside the green pod are small and green, and the seeds inside black cardamom pods are slightly larger and black.