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7 Best Homemade Yogurt Makers

Updated: Feb 20, 2024 4:47 PM
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Choosing the best yogurt maker could mean the difference between liquid mush and a thick, creamy, and tangy yogurt to be proud of. In determining the best homemade yogurt maker to buy, we explored electric vs. non-electric, size/capacity, preparation time, controls, safety, and auxiliary features such as automatic shutoff and chillers.

After more than 16 hours of research, the best yogurt maker goes to the Euro Cuisine YM80 Homemade Yogurt Maker. It is an absolute dynamo, featuring a 42-ounce capacity to cook a single batch or multiple flavors at once using seven 6-ounce glass containers. Simplified controls and a BPA-free construction also make it work well. Keep reading to learn more about other high-quality homemade yogurt makers available for purchase. If you need other high-quality products or gadgets, check out our guide to the best kitchen appliances.

Top 7 Best Homemade Yogurt Makers

 #1  Euro Cuisine YM80 Homemade Yogurt Maker

Award: TOP PICK

WHY WE LIKE IT: This homemade yogurt maker includes seven 6-ounce glass containers and a six to ten-hour preparation time, making it a great choice for families.

Pros
  • Intuitive dial control and timer
  • High yogurt volume (up to 42 ounces)
  • Up to seven individual servings & dishwasher safe
Cons
  • No timer for automatic shut off
  • No way to adjust the temperature

This electric homemade yogurt maker produces up to 42 ounces of yogurt, with seven 6-ounce containers producing up to seven different kinds of flavors. It is very easy to use. Simply heat milk to a boiling temperature, let it cool, mix it with plain yogurt, and apply the mixture to each glass jar for a 6-10 hour fermentation period.

Thanks to a slide indicator dial and time reminder printed on the side, users are easily reminded of cooking times. Controls consist of a single simple push-button that turns the machine on to start cooking. What is simpler than that? Kudos for being BFA-free, a common chemical plastic additive known to cause health defects. If you want fresh coffee with your yogurt, check out the best drip coffee maker.

 #2  MVPower Automatic Digital Homemade Yogurt Maker

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Award: HONORABLE MENTION

WHY WE LIKE IT: This electric homemade yogurt maker can create 48 ounces of product (six 8-ounce servings) and sets cooking time up to 48 hours, which works well for people who prefer longer incubation periods.

Pros
  • Generous capacity
  • Long fermentation time (up to 48 hours)
  • Includes an automatic shut off with a sound alert
Cons
  • Instructions could be better written
  • Steam water build-up may collect on inside lid, resulting in limited visibility

Our favorite feature with this homemade yogurt maker is an up to 48-hour fermentation time, which really thickens and enhances a yogurt’s flavor profile (tangier), as well as creating an end product that promotes faster lactose digestion. Thanks to eight 180ml glass cups, we love this homemade yogurt maker for families to prepare a single batch flavor or an assortment of flavors. Also, if your family enjoys making ice cream, you should definitely check out our review of the best ice cream maker.

This homemade yogurt maker is packed with features. Simplified digital controls and an LED screen shows temperature and time remaining. Bonus points for its EU ROHS and FDA-approved containers, which vouch for food-grade status that makes it safe to consume from. Or, you could use your best blender to mix this yogurt into a fresh smoothie.

 #3  Yogourmet 104 Electric Yogurt Maker

Award: BEST CHEESE MAKER

WHY WE LIKE IT: This electric yogurt maker consists of a kit with an outer container, inner container, thermometer, and a cotton bag. We like it for large batch yogurt making (single flavor) and cheese making.

Pros
  • Even heating using a water-based system
  • Yogurt comes out creamy with an excellent flavor profile
  • Includes thermometer
Cons
  • No timer
  • Relatively high cost
  • Cannot produce multiple flavor batches at a time

Our favorite feature with this electric yogurt maker is its water-bath system, which uses a thin layer of water to regulate temperatures as milk converts to yogurt. It is also quick, taking roughly four hours to cook. Because of this wait time, you’ll want to get this going in your kitchen several hours before you plan to eat. This homemade yogurt maker’s inner container can hold up to two quarts of yogurt, which can easily last several weeks of use once refrigerated.

For cheese lovers, this homemade yogurt maker comes with a reusable cotton bag, which helps to strain yogurt for a thicker and harder spread. This is the only homemade yogurt maker on our list to include one. Controls are also pretty intuitive, consisting of a single red indicator power light that turns on once plugged in. With a lack of LCD screen or digital controls, this container offers no frills other than a manual thermometer. We also appreciate the fact this homemade yogurt market is made of PVC and BPA-free, food-grade plastic. With so many yogurt or cheese, options, you’ll also want to pick up some of the best reusable baking cups for your next bakeoff. Or, check out our guide to the best hand mixer.

 #4  Cuisinart CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker

Award: BEST FOR FAMILIES

WHY WE LIKE IT: This yogurt maker comes with a large 50-ounce container and built-in cooling system, making it great for people who prefer chilled yogurt right out of the gate.

Pros
  • Intuitive easy to use controls
  • Auto cool-down mode after fermentation
  • Up to 24 hour fermentation time for tangier thicker yogurt
Cons
  • Somewhat brittle container
  • Can not cook multiple flavors at once
  • Instructions could be clearer on yogurt fermentation times

Thanks to a massive 50-ounce container, this yogurt maker is good for six 8-ounce servings over a one to 24-hour fermentation time, more than appropriate for large families. A built-in cooling mode automatically turns on after yogurt finishes cooking, which fares well for people in a rush to eat.

Aside from the Cuisinart name, we really enjoyed this yogurt maker’s intuitive controls, consisting of simple start/stop buttons and +/- to adjust the settings. Unlike our no-frills #3 pick Yogourmet 104 Electric Yogurt Maker, it also has processing time controls to easily meet your recipe’s needs without too much manual oversight. You may want to grab the best olive oil bottle for cooking too. Safety is also on point with a BPA-free construction, a common chemical plastic additive known to cause health defects.

 #5  Dash Bulk Yogurt Maker

Award: BEST FOR SMALL KITCHENS

WHY WE LIKE IT: This yogurt maker comes with a 32-ounce container and a small compact size (only 1.3 pounds), making it great for people with small or cluttered kitchens who wish to save space.

Pros
  • Good for 32-ounces
  • Compact size; portable and lightweight
  • Intuitive controls & BPA-free storage container and lid
Cons
  • No thermostat
  • No automatic chill mode
  • Can only produce one flavor at a time

This yogurt maker has a generous 1 quart (32-ounce capacity), which should produce enough single servings for up to a week. An 8 to 12-hour fermentation time and time allows users to leave a batch cooking overnight. Controls are super easy with a single On and Off switch, power light indicator, and a timer to tell you how much time is remaining.

Kudos for coming with a BPA free storage container and lid, as well as a recipe book. Most recipes take only 10 minutes to prep by simply adding milk, yogurt starter, and other add-ons. We love the recipe guide’s variety of yogurt options with names like Very Berry Yogurt Smoothie and Honey Nut Yogurt Parfait. These flavors would be an awesome base for a breakfast pizza made on your best pizza stone.

 #6  Proctor Silex Regular or Greek Yogurt Maker

Award: MOST VERSATILE TIMER

WHY WE LIKE IT: This yogurt maker comes with an airtight 32-ounce container used for preparing and storage, preferable for people who want to store finished yogurt using the same container.

Pros
  • Intuitive LED display and buttons
  • The same container used for culturing and storing
  • Up to 8-hour fermentation time for thicker yogurt
Cons
  • Maybe too bulky for some people
  • Somewhat hard to remove the container from the maker
  • Audible beep only sounds for a few seconds before the unit is powered off

This yogurt maker has a very generous preparation time of up to eight hours. An LED display helps indicate how much time is left to complete each batch and an audible alert sounds off when finished. This really helps prevent leaving it unattended and not eaten longer than necessary. While researching, we whipped up a fresh tangy batch of mango yogurt in six hours, complete with an awesome thick texture and even flavor profile.

Our favorite feature is its removable yogurt pot, which can be placed in the fridge for chilling. It is not as convenient as our #4 pick #4 Cuisinart CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker’s automatic chiller, but it’s the next best thing.

 #7  Maxi-Matic Freezing Self-Refrigerating Yogurt Maker

Award: BEST HARDNESS SETTINGS

WHY WE LIKE IT: This self-refrigerator yogurt maker features a built-in cooling system and the choice of hard and soft-serve settings, making it a great choice for people who want to whip up flavorful batches of ice cream.

Pros
  • Preparation in 60-minutes or less with no pre-freezing needed
  • Can make ice cream, gelato, and other yogurt derivatives
  • Cools automatically; no need to refrigerate
Cons
  • Can produce an uneven texture if you aren’t careful

Our favorite feature with this yogurt maker is its hardness setting, with the choice of ‘Soft’ or ‘Hard ‘ ice cream buttons, which can be set to create more of a creamier gelato or sorbet, in addition to traditional yogurt. There is no need to pre-freeze the bowl – simply add in your ingredients and a built-in cooling system automatically takes care of it. A transparent top cover also allows you to view its progress.

We love the fact this yogurt maker comes as a kit with all accessories needed to produce your first 1.5-pint of ice cream or frozen yogurt, including an ice cream scoop, measuring spoon, and mixing paddle. Bonus points for eliminating all of the unhealthy sugars and preservatives found in store-bought ice cream and frozen yogurt.

How We Decided

In determining the best yogurt making machines to buy, we explored electric vs. non-electric, size/capacity, preparation time, controls, safety, and auxiliary features such as automatic shutoff and chillers.

We highly recommend electric over non-electric yogurt makers, as electric ones have full controls, such as timers, hardness settings, and audible alerts to help regulate fermentation time. Built-in LCD displays should be intuitive and easy to read.

Size/capacity is very important. For large families, aim for a minimum of 32 ounces, which should be good enough to feed the entire household over several sittings. The number of containers cannot be understated. For example, our #1 pick Euro Cuisine YM80 Homemade Yogurt Maker has a 42-ounce capacity and seven glass containers, good for whipping up an assortment of flavors versus a single batch.

Preparation time should also be looked at. At a minimum, we like a four-hour fermentation time for a looser, thinner yogurt texture, and longer fermentation time (up to 24 hours) for a tangier and thicker mixture. Base preparation time on your own tasting preferences. Many of our recommended picks have built-in timers (e.g. our #5 pick Dash Bulk Yogurt Maker) which allow you to “set it and forget it.”

Safety is always a plus. BPA-free containers ensure that it is food grade and free of chemical additives found in plastics known to cause health defects.

Best Homemade Yogurt Maker Buyer’s Guide

The Most Important Features to Consider

  1. Electric Vs. Non-Electric
    Electric homemade yogurt makers present a wider variety of options over non-electric yogurt makers. Rely on built-in LED displays, timers, and hardness settings to help regulate the thickness of your yogurt concoction. Timers also allow you to “set it and forget it”, making it worth well for overnight fermentation.
  2. Size/Capacity
    Aim for a minimum of 32 ounces for larger families, which should be good for feedings over several sittings. Containers using smaller 7-ounce jars are also useful over single containers, giving users the ability to cook multiple flavors of yogurt in one sitting as opposed to rinsing and repeating.
  3. Preparation Time
    Preparing time can range anywhere from four hours to upwards of eight hours, depending on the level of consistency, thickness, and tanginess you would like your yogurt to have. At a minimum, the best homemade yogurt makers can adjust settings in hour-long increments to help you achieve the flavor you crave.
  4. Safety
    Kudos for any homemade yogurt makers that are BPA -free, a chemical plant additive known to cause serious health defects. All of the picks on our list are food-grade and ready to whip up yogurt fit for human consumption.

7 Best Homemade Yogurt Makers Questions (FAQ)

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