I have never, ever, ever in my life been a 'yogurt' person. I don't like most milk products, and I hate things that are sweet and I don't care for most fruits. No yogurt? No problem!
But there is one and only one kind of yogurt I do like once in a while and that is peach. I think because it's not as overly sweet as the other kinds and has a tang to it. But it has to be the kind with fruit in it. I can't stand to eat smooth yogurt.
Most yogurts are full of sugar and sweeteners - read the label. If you want to enjoy yogurt, choose 'plain' or Greek style so you aren't eating all that added sugar.
Or... make it homemade. I do! I've been making it for about 12 (?) years now. Maybe more. I don't recall!
And no I don't have a yogurt maker.
And no, you don't need a yogurt maker.
(Although you can certainly use one if you have it! Or an instant pot... but that's not what this post is about. It's about making homemade, healthy yogurt with just 2 ingredients and no yogurt maker.)
Yogurt is a food that is as old as the hills... it's believed that people were eating yogurt as early as 6,000 years before Christ. And no, they didn't use a 'yogurt maker' back then!
I've never used a yogurt maker, but I do like to use a heating pad. I've always had consistent results with a heating pad set on 'low' and even though I've made yogurt using the oven and crockpot versions, it's 'iffy', while the heating pad version has never, ever not worked. And that's in the 12+ years or so that I've been making it from scratch.
WAIT you say? What about the carbs in plain yogurt? I assumed yogurt was a "nope" but it ends up the carbs in plain yogurt don't equal the carbs in milk (12 per cup). It's because the milk sugars (lactose) break down due to the natural bacteria causing fermentation. The end result (lactic acid) is roughly 4 carbs per cup.
This makes plain yogurt, which is pretty tangy and yes.. plain. So most people add something to flavor it. This is where you want to make sure you stay on task with your sweeteners or flavors.
Since the only kind of yogurt I like is peach, that's the kind you'll see in my photos below.
I use freeze dried peaches and sugarfree flavored water 'drops' to flavor it. If you like yours even sweeter, add some natural sweetener of your choice, but I would use the liquid version so it mixes in smooth. At the very least, perhaps the confectioner's style if you must use a bulky sweetener.
Homemade Plain Yogurt
1-2 T plain yogurt, either store bought or from an earlier batch
1 quart water
1 1/2 cups - 2 cups dry milk powder
Use a 1 quart container of whatever style you wish but it's easiest if it has some sort of lid.
Fill it about half way with water, add the plain yogurt 'starter' and whisk or mix briefly, then add the powdered milk. 1 1/2 cups gives a thinner yogurt and the full 2 cups of dry milk powder will give you a thicker yogurt. Shake, whisk or blend until smooth. Fill the rest of the container up to the 1 quart line. Put the top on or cover it well, and let it set for 12 hours someplace fairly warm. I put mine on a heating pad set to 'low' and cover with a dish towel.
Around the 12 hour mark, check it. It might need a couple more hours if it wasn't quite warm enough. When it's thick and creamy, place it into the refrigerator. It's now just like store bought plain yogurt.
If you want to flavor it, use flavored water drops, lemon or vanilla extract, Torani or Davinci flavored syrups, etc. and/or a liquid drop natural sweetener or fine powdered confectioners style sweetener. You can add berries/fruit of your choice but remember whatever fruit you use will add to your carb and sugar counts.
SEE THE BOTTOM OF THE POST FOR LINKS TO SOME OF THE RELATED ITEMS IN THIS POST.
My container of choice is a 1 quart container with a lid and a blender ball inside. All I have to do is shake it to mix! It doesn't get easier than this. And you can see my super fancy dancy heating pad. Ha ha. Yeah, just a plain old cheap heating pad - set on low for my heat source.
After 12 hours it's thick and creamy and 'done'.
Now I like to add my flavor - remember, the only kind of yogurt I like is a tangy peach with pieces of fruit. I use freeze dried fruit. I love the texture once it's rehydrated in the yogurt, and it keeps my yogurt nice and thick. I don't like thin yogurt.
It's hard to find just "peach" flavored water/liquid drops but that's ok because I love mango and it's easier to find peach mango mixtures. This one is by SweetLeaf and is made with stevia.
Just flavor your yogurt to your own taste-testing. Add more of the flavor, fruit or sweeteners you wish.
Because I'm a picky yogurt eater, I won't eat it if it's a 'big' container in the fridge, but I crave it when it's ready to go in small glass jars. I don't know why... I'm weird. I know.
I use small canning jars for our yogurt. Keep in the refrigerator and eat as you like! Be sure to save out 1 or 2 tablespoons of the plain yogurt to use as a starter for your next batch!
You might be interested in some of the products related to this post:
Whiskware Batter Mixer with BlenderBall Wire Whisk
Sunbeam Heating Pad 
Carnation Instant Nonfat Dry Milk, 6 Count, 9.63 Ounce
Sweetleaf Stevia Natural Water Drops Variety Pack with Raspberry Lemonade, Lemon Lime, Peach Mango & Strawberry Kiwi (1.62 Ounce Each)
SweetLeaf Liquid Stevia Sweetener, Vanilla Creme, 2 OunceIf you enjoy visiting An American Housewife, please consider using this affiliate link if you are planning to shop for anything (seriously, anything!) at Amazon - An American Housewife at Amazon
Freeze dried fruit (watch your labels for sugar grams!)
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