Sous Vide Yogurt Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Can you make yogurt with a sous vide? ›

Seasoned yogurt-makers will know you can make yogurt at room temp over several days; the beauty of the sous vide approach is that you can precisely control the temperature to optimize culture growth, meaning you get homemade yogurt in your mouth a whole lot sooner.

The key to making yogurt is to keep a mixture of milk and starter culture at about 110°F to 115°F for at least five hours. You can achieve this with a yogurt maker, or other containers you may already have in your kitchen.

The bacteria is most active and multiplies rapidly at 115° F. That's why the incubation temperature is kept at 115° F when making yogurt. The bacteria starts to die over 115° F. At 125° F, the bacteria is destroyed.

Temperature: Incubation temperature plays a crucial role in the fermentation process. The optimal temperature range for incubating yogurt is between 110-115°F (43-46°C). If the temperature is too low, the bacteria may not ferment the lactose in the milk effectively, resulting in a milder flavor.

Firstly, sous vide cooking can be time-consuming. In this method, the food is vacuum-sealed and then cooked in a water bath for a long time, usually several hours.

This denatures the proteins, which I've been led to believe yields to a firmer yogurt. From here, you need to cool the yogurt down to just below 120 degrees. Above 120 degrees, the bacteria that turn the milk into yogurt will die, and at temperatures cooler than 100 degrees they just won't do very much.

They said you shouldn't let your milk get hotter than 185 degrees F or cooler than 115 degrees F. That 115 degree sweet spot is also when you're supposed to incorporate the starter yogurt, which I did not realize the first time around.

—the yogurt should be below 104°F / 40°C at the point at which it sets. —the yogurt should not be cut into or jostled. —higher protein levels in the milk help prevent whey leaks.

Pasteurized milk is an excellent choice for making yogurt at home. HTST (High-Temperature Short Time) or Flash Pasteurized milk is heated to 161ºF and held there for 15 seconds. If your bottle of milk is labeled “pasteurized,” it has most likely been treated in this way.

Why is my homemade yogurt not sour? ›

Temperature: One of the most common reasons for yogurt not souring is that the temperature is not high enough for the bacteria to grow and ferment the lactose in the milk. Make sure that the temperature of the yogurt is between 110-115°F (43-46°C) during the culturing process.

Sometimes over culturing (too long or too warm) can cause the yogurt to curdle or become lumpy before it separates fully. To make a smooth consistency, simply whisk it. (Remove some of the whey if you like, or stir it back in.)

Using too much starter can cause a lumpy texture and a lot of whey, especially when combined with a long incubation period. Left: Homemade yogurt made with too much starter.

Incubated at 115°F/46°C, yogurt will coagulate within about three hours, but if left too long it can easily curdle. I prefer to ferment it a bit more slowly at a slightly lower temperature, four to eight hours at a more forgiving 110°F/43°C.

* If you find that your yoghurt is stringy or slimy rather than like thick pot-set yoghurt, chances are that wild yeasts or other bacteria have gotten in to the mixture somehow.

A: Sous Vide Cooking Process

With improper food handling, some of the most dangerous bacteria can grow, such as salmonella and botulism. Safe food handling and hygiene standards should always be maintained. Food cooked at low temperatures for extended periods of time can cause bacteria to multiply rapidly.

Whisk the room temperature plain yogurt (or starter) with the milk then seal the jar tightly. Place in the water bath and set the time for 24 hours. Keep an eye on the water level to ensure the jar remains submerged. After 24 hours, remove jar from water.

The bacteria is most active and multiplies rapidly at 115° F. That's why the incubation temperature is kept at 115° F when making yogurt. The bacteria starts to die over 115° F. At 125° F, the bacteria is destroyed.

[Sterilization is typically achieved by using a pressure cooker to heat the center of the food to 250°F (121°C) for 2.4 minutes (Snyder, 2006). To sterilize food sous vide, you'll need special retort plastic bags that can be used in a pressure cooker or an autoclave.]