The second that the new NINJA FOODI DELUXE came out, I immediately bought it! I'm not exaggerating! I signed up for email notifications for the minute that it was available on the Ninja website. I ordered it the day that it came out and was so incredibly excited to get it in the mail 2 days later! Why was I excited? Well, there's the updated look of the unit, but there's also the fact that it has a YOGURT button!!!! What? Yes!!!!!!
So, I don't eat a lot of yogurt, but my family does so I figured this was a pretty good excuse to get a new NINJA FOODI!! 🙂
I was so excited to get to work on my very first homemade yogurt that I didn't do a lot of research........and I paid deeply for that mistake! But, lucky for you, I'm sharing all of my mistakes with you so that you don't make the same ones!
Take 1: My first attempt at making yogurt!!
- I was so excited to make yogurt that I didn't spend enough time looking through the user manual of my new NINJA FOODI DELUXE!! OOOOPS! So, I ended up slow cooking milk for roughly 12 hours. I don't recommend this to anyone. The final result was a liquid brown smelly goo. I did not have any yogurt!!!
- I made the mistake of stopping on the function that says slow cook/yogurt. I didn't realize that I needed to go one more notch to actually get to the yogurt function. Instead, I ended up waiting for the milk to boil for roughly 5 hours before going to bed for the night. The cookbook that comes with the Ninja Foodi said that it could take several hours for the milk to boil. Yes, 5 hours seemed like a long time. I spent some time online looking to see how long it should take and I came up with nothing. So, I let it keep going......for hours and hours.
- When I woke up in the morning, the screen still had not changed. So, I opened up the lid...and there it was......my boiled milk. Gross. I poured it down the drain and decided to start again.
Take 2: Do Over!!
- Thank goodness I bought an entire gallon of milk for try number one. I had only used half of the gallon so I didn't need to go to the grocery store for more supplies. This round, I actually pushed the turned the dial until it said "yogurt!!" I know- it seems so easy! I don't know how I missed this the first time.
- I used the same milk, yogurt starter, vanilla and honey. I followed the same exact steps. The only difference is that the screen actually changed to show "boil, ""add and stir," and "incubate!" We are making progress!! The boiling portion did not take 5 hours this time. To my amazement, it boiled in less than an hour! Yippeee!!! We are going to have real yogurt this time!!! Finally, the beep went off and it was time to see my beautiful, thick, yogurt. And then it happened! I opened the lid and I had yogurt soup! What the heck!!!???
- Ok, so- lesson learned. DO NOT ADD HONEY while the yogurt is cooking! Why you ask? Apparently honey has something in it that reacts with the active yogurt cultures that prevents the yogurt from fully forming. Once again- I should have researched this before making it. Lucky for you, I made this mistake so that you don't have to.
- To try and get the yogurt a little thicker, I put it in the refrigerator overnight. It did get a little thicker but was still more like drinkable yogurt and less like regular yogurt. Once we got past the consistency (similar to white glue lol), the flavor was actually pretty good. We were moving in the right direction!!
Take 3: Third time's a charm!!
- Ok, so I ran out of milk and yogurt starter so I needed to go to the store to get more supplies. I bought different milk and yogurt. I figured at this point it couldn't hurt. I bought the highest fat % yogurt that I could find. 5%! That's got to do something right!?!
- At this point, I was determined to make actual yogurt! I used the actual yogurt function and skipped the honey and vanilla. Needless to say, my family had lost faith in my yogurt making abilities but I was determined to get it right! To my amazement, it worked!!! I ended up with thick, beautiful yogurt!!! Directions and recipe below to accomplish Take 3 yogurt....I'll spare you all of the details on Take 1 and Take 2!
Tips for this recipe:
- Do not add honey to the yogurt until you have completed the incubation period and have refrigerated the yogurt for a couple of hours.
- Be sure that you are actually using the "yogurt" function and not the "slow cook" option.
- Be patient! If the yogurt does not set up quite as much as you would like, continue to incubate it longer. You can continue to incubate before you reach the refrigeration step.
How to make Vanilla Yogurt in the Ninja Foodi:
- Turn the Ninja Foodi Deluxe "on."
- Choose the "yogurt" function. (Be sure that the screen says yogurt and not "hi.")
- Pour in ½ gallon of milk. Do not add in yogurt, flavors or sweeteners. Only the milk should be added in this step.
- Close the "pressure cooker" lid and move valve to "vent."
- Push the start button. The screen should say "yogurt" and be set to a time of 8:00.
- Milk will boil in the pot during the initial cooking time. Once the milk has reached a boil, the Ninja Foodi Deluxe will beep and the screen will say "boil" on it. This step should take about an hour.
- After the milk has boiled, it will need to cool. The Ninja Foodi Deluxe will automatically change to the "cool" mode. The milk will cool for about an hour or so. Don't panic if it does take longer.
- Once the milk has cooled, the Ninja Foodi Deluxe will beep and the screen will say "add and stir." When this happens, open the "pressure cooker" lid.
- Add in 2 tablespoons of yogurt (the yogurt must have active yogurt cultures).
- Whisk the milk and yogurt together with a plastic or silicone whisk. Do not use a metal whisk as this will scrape the pot.
- Replace the "pressure cooker" lid and make sure valve is set to "vent" position.
- Push start button again to get the Ninja Foodi Deluxe going again.
- The screen should now say "incubate" and be set to 8 hours.
- Let the yogurt incubate. When the timer beeps, remove the lid and check to make sure that the yogurt has set up. You can do so by stick a spoon in the middle of the yogurt. The spoon should stand up on it's own.
- Refrigerate yogurt for at least 4 hours.
- Add in honey and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Stir until well combined.
- Place into mason jars or whatever food storage containers you prefer.
Ingredients for Vanilla Yogurt in the Ninja Foodi:
- ½ Gallon of whole milk- Ultra-pasteurized worked best for me
- 2 Tablespoons of yogurt- it must have active yogurt cultures
- 1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ½ Cup of honey
Vanilla Yogurt- Ninja Foodi Recipe
Rate this Recipe Print Recipe Pin RecipeServings: 8 Cups
Calories: 216kcal
Join our Facebook GroupCheck out The Ninja Foodi Community!
Submit Your Recipe!Do you have your own great recipe that you would like to see on The Tasty Travelers? Submit Your Recipe!!
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ gallon Milk (Ultra Pasteurized)
- 2 tablespoon Yogurt (Plain with active yogurt cultures- Any brand will do but the Fage 5% plain Greek yogurt worked for me!)
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract (I used vanilla bean paste! :))
- ½ cup Honey
Instructions
- Turn the Ninja Foodi Deluxe "on."Choose the "yogurt" function. (Be sure that the screen says yogurt and not "hi.")
- Pour in ½ gallon of milk. Do not add in yogurt, flavors or sweeteners. Only the milk should be added in this step.
- Close the "pressure cooker" lid and move valve to "vent."
- Push the start button. The screen should say "yogurt" and be set to a time of 8:00.
- Milk will boil in the pot during the initial cooking time. Once the milk has reached a boil, the Ninja Foodi Deluxe will beep and the screen will say "boil" on it. This step should take about an hour.
- After the milk has boiled, it will need to cool. The Ninja Foodi Deluxe will automatically change to the "cool" mode. The milk will cool for about an hour or so. Don't panic if it does take longer.
- Once the milk has cooled, the Ninja Foodi Deluxe will beep and the screen will say "add and stir." When this happens, open the "pressure cooker" lid.Add in 2 tablespoons of yogurt (the yogurt must have active yogurt cultures).
- Replace the "pressure cooker" lid and make sure valve is set to "vent" position.
- Push start button again to get the Ninja Foodi Deluxe going again.
- The screen should now say "incubate" and be set to 8 hours.Let the yogurt incubate. When the timer beeps, remove the lid and check to make sure that the yogurt has set up. You can do so by stick a spoon in the middle of the yogurt. The spoon should stand up on it's own.
- Refrigerate yogurt for at least 4 hours.
- Add in honey and vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. Stir until well combined.
- Place into mason jars or whatever food storage containers you prefer.
Notes
- Do not add honey to the yogurt until you have completed the incubation period and have refrigerated the yogurt for a couple of hours.
- Be sure that you are actually using the "yogurt" function and not the "slow cook" option.
- Be patient! If the yogurt does not set up quite as much as you would like, continue to incubate it longer. You can continue to incubate before you reach the refrigeration step.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cup | Calories: 216kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 331mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 383IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 275mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only.
Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it turned out in a comment below!
Valeria
Hi, I just finished the fermenting process and the yogurt consistency looks wonderful. I am currently draining it to make it thicker. My concern is the following: the color looks a bit off. It’s not a pure white like you would expect, but instead it’s the color of condensed milk. Did something go wrong? I waited for the foodie to cool on its own but it took about 5 hours. By then the temp was just below 100 degrees. Could this be the reason? Consistency looks good and there are no offensive odors. Should I still eat it? (I a pot honey or vanilla yet, and probably might skip that step)
Valeria
I meant to say that the color is that of evaporated milk, not condensed milk- sorry!
Lauren Cardona
Hi Valeria- When making yogurt, it should be white in color and not brown. It's possible that the milk cooked too long and burned. When you selected the function, did you make sure that the function was on yogurt and not slow cook? I ask because I made this mistake and ended up slow cooking the milk for several hours. Take a look at "Take 1" in the post and see if that's possible. The results of my first attempt resulted in light brown colored "yogurt."
Sg
Psst. I thought I would share- The cultures for health website mentioned above- says this about ultra pasteurized milk-Ultra-pasteurized Milk (UP) or ultra-high temperature treatment (UHT), is heated to 275°F or higher for about one second. UHT milk is actually cooked, and is therefore unsuitable for culturing.
They suggest just pasteurized not ultra pasteurized.
Sg
Thanks so much for your recipe. It was so so helpful. I’m so happy I read it before starting the first time. I also wished I had read all the comments lol. My ninja took forever to cool- 3-4 hours. Eventually I heard the beep and it switched. Ninja should make the alarm continuous because you could miss it! I will definitely open the pot next time to help it cool.
No one has asked this -how long does this recipe keep in fridge in Tupperware or mason jar?
Lauren Cardona
Yogurt will stay good in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about 2 weeks.
Allen Hyduck
I'm making this recipe as I sent this note. I've made yogurt before in another machine. I have a Ninja XL 8 qt with Air Fry. I'm using 1/2 gallon of 2% milk. I poured in the milk, set it to Yogurt, and hit start. After it boiled, it started to cool. I don't like to wait, so I took out the pot, and put it in my sink with cool running water. It cooled it down to about 115 in about 5 minutes. Then, I dried off the pot, put it back in, and it still said cooling. So, not wanting to wait, I hit start. Nothing happened. So, I hit end! I thought I had a disaster because when I hit start again, it went to boiling. I turned it off again and did some research that will help lots of you. I learned that when I turned it on again, and hit Yogurt, I could then hit the Temp button, up or down, and it says, "Ferm". I hit start and it started on 8 hours. I probably could have just hit the temperature button to start with and it would have gone to Ferment, and then hit start, but ending the program, and starting it again on Yogurt in the Ferment mode worked. Now I'll see if I have yogurt in the morning.
Sarah
Your research about being able to hit the temp button to bring the cycle from boil to ferment helped me greatly and I just had to say thank you, I’m making my yogurt while awake today rather than sleeping while it ferments (next time I think I’ll do it that way though) and didn’t want to wait and did the ice bath cool as well, then panicked that I couldn’t get the yogurt setting back to where I left it off. Now hopefully my first batch goes successfully.
Kyra Peacock
Thank you so much for your comment, I too started to panic haha.
Giselle
You saved me! I did the exact same thing. And then I called Ninja to ask them what to do and they said not to ferment in the cooker! I was panicking. This totally worked. Thank you!
Lauren Cardona
Glad you figured it out! It's so tricky and can make for a disastrous batch of yogurt! At least next time it will be easier! 🙂
Koty
I have the 8qt foodi. Do you know if I can use a full gallon of milk in it to make yogurt?
I've made yogurt many times in my slow cooker, and i always use a full gallon to get lots of yogurt.
Wondering if this would work as well before I try...I dont want to waste a full gallon!
TheTastyTravelers
Yes you can make a full gallon. I have done it before. Keep in mind that the more liquid you have in the pot, the longer it will take for it to change temps and stages of the yogurt making process. Just be patient if it’s taking longer than expected.
Lucie
I make yogurt with honey all the time. Add 1/3 cup of yogurt (Fage) as starter, with 1/3 c honey in your cooled milk. I also add a sweetener, 1/3 c sugar equivalent. I add 2 T vanilla, too, but I have found real vanilla kills the cultures. Dr Watkins clear vanilla is amazing. If you like thicker yogurt, add 1/3 c instant dried milk to the milk before heating.
Jackie
I'm new to the Foodi. How does it know when the milk has cooled? Does it take the temperature or does it go just by time?
TheTastyTravelers
I believe it goes by temperature as the time varies based on how much liquid you have in the pot.
Myriam
Thank you soooo much
ANA
Something on my Ninja Foodie instructions did not seem right so I decided to google before starting up. Thank you for posting this! I was puzzled between HI and L until I found out is neither! I just started the process, and after exactly 30 min it beeped to COOL. Not sure if this is too soon but that is what the machine did. I'll wait a bit over an hour to see if it cools down and if not I'll open the lid to make it cool faster as I read some of the comments that this has helped people.
I am nervous because my daughter was super excited of me making homemade yogurt, but so far it looks I am on the right track. Thanks again for sharing your experience! 🙂
TheTastyTravelers
You are so welcome! I'm so glad this post was helpful and my mistakes could make your experience better. 🙂
Kat
How do you incubate the yogurt longer if it is not the right consistency when it is done? Can you use heavy cream instead of whole milk?
TheTastyTravelers
Hi Kat- I have not tried making yogurt with heavy cream yet so I can't advise one way or the other. To incubate the yogurt outside of the yogurt setting, you can use the dehydrate function set to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Sarah
This was helpful because my yogurt was not that thick though I followed directions. I will use dehydrate setting next time or strain as suggested by someone else. Also my Ninja Foodie never said incubate or ferment. It is not a deluxe though it does have a yogurt setting. It just had the 8:00 setting after the add and stir setting.
How long does yogurt keep in fridge in mason jar?
Lauren Cardona
Yogurt will stay good in the refrigerator in a sealed container for about 2 weeks.
Gayle
Draining the finished yogurt results in thicker yogurt. I haven't seen it mentioned. I line a colander with coffee filters and set over a deep bowl. Fill with finished yogurt and let drain. I cover the colander with foil to keep out refrigerator odors. I drain for a couple of hours. Place drained yogurt in storage container. Add whey (water left from yogurt) and whisk until you have the consistency you want. Remaining water may be used for bread making.
TheTastyTravelers
Hi Gayle! You are absolutely right! I have drained some and not others based on how much whey has been produced. They even sell awesome greek yogurt strainers now too! Thanks for adding in this helpful tip! 🙂
Lori
After the yogurt has incubated, if it needs longer than the 8 hours, how do you continue incubating if it needs longer? My foodie went to a warm stage. It didn't set up as much as I wanted after it changed to warming. Thank you
TheTastyTravelers
Hi Lori- If the yogurt is not quite thick enough, try straining it with either a yogurt strainer or cheesecloth. Usually removing most of the whey helps to thicken it up nicely.
Kayte Anderson
Thanks to another comment, you can get back into the fermenting stage by pressing slow Cook yogurt twice, then pressing the temp button!
Miranda
Thank you so much for posting this. Tried making yoghurt for the first time yesterday and couldn't work out what I had done wrong till I read your post....I had basically slow cooked milk for 8 hours 😂. Didn't realise that Yoghurt and Slow Cook were actually two different functions as they share the same stop.
John
How do you bypass the “boil”/“Hi” mode. I would much rather sauté my milk on medium to 181’ then cook quickly in the sink in some cold water to 110’ then put it back in the foodie and ferment for 7-8hours. Unfortunately, my foodie won’t let me bypass the boil(Hi) mode and go straight to ferment. So I am covering the pot w foil after; heating, cooling and adding live cultures. Then putting regular lid down and putting things on dehydrate at 180’ for 7.5 hours. We’ll see how it turns out. Taking several hours to boil then cool is a complete waste of time if you have a thermometer.
TheTastyTravelers
Hi John- I have not tried to bypass the boil cycle in the yogurt function so I can't offer any advice here. How did it turn out?
James
You can get to the ferment stage by pressing the 'temp' button when you first get to the yoghurt setting. Found this out because my Foodi sat on 'cool' for nearly 4 hours, so I had to go through the process manually.
Jennifer
Life saver info James! Thank you!
Chris
Thank you for the info James!! I opened my Ninja to help cool the milk down. I used a thermometer and the Ninja didn’t stop at 110’. I never would have known how to bypass boil!
Cindy Hepper
Hello! My Foodi has been on "cool" mode for quite awhile now. Does it flash "Add and Stir" until you actually add in your starter yogurt, honey and vanilla or is it a quick flash and if you're not standing right in front of it- you could miss it?? Thanks for the help!
Lisa
I noticed a Ferment mode when I toggled past Yogurt, hope that helps!
Pam
I just take the rubber gasket out when making yogurt, to prevent the problem of absorbing odors from other foods cooked in the pot. It's worked fine for me that way so far. Seems like a good idea though to invest in another gasket for neutral foods.
Harvey Miller
First time yogurt maker using Ninja Food 8-qt cooker and Cultures for Health Greek Yogurt Starter Culture (heirloom). Details to follow, but important question first: At the end of the process, I added ¼ cup honey and a tsp of cinnamon. Oops, I thought I would save some yogurt for the next batch before adding honey and cinnamon, but I forgot. Can I use my sweetened and spiced yogurt as the active ingredient in the next batch, or do I need to start over with the starter culture.
For me, the ½ gal milk BOIL cycle took about 30 minutes or a bit less. I noticed the Ninja displayed "COOL" 30 minutes after starting, but I am not sure when it happened. The COOL cycle did not complete until 3 hours and 50 minutes after starting! WOW, did not expect it to take that long!! I chose 12 hours for the fermentation cycle with 8 hours being the minimum possible (and often recommended) setting. It was 12:27am the next day when the cycle completed. I added the set yogurt (yeah!) to my new Hatrigo 2-Quart Strainer and put it in the fridge. 8½ hours later, there was 1 qt of whey in the bottom of the strainer, and about 30 oz (by weight) of fairly thick yogurt in the strainer that I was able to recover. Any guidance about the difference between 8 hrs fermentation and 12 hrs? My understanding is more fermentation yields thicker yogurt. What is your experience?
The yogurt was quite tart with a different taste than what I have been buying at Sam's Club. the ¼C honey sweetened it slightly, perhaps enough for me when I try it for breakfast with granola and blueberries.
TheTastyTravelers
Hi Harvey- I would not use the already sweetened yogurt as a starter for your next batch. Once the honey has been added, the yogurt will not continue to set up. I had that issue when I first tried making yogurt. I'm not a honey expert, but honey has something in it that reacts with the active yogurt cultures that prevent the honey from fully forming. I'd recommend using an unsweetened starter to avoid any issues with this.
Since I have posted this recipe I have gotten all sorts of responses to the boil and cool time. It seems to vary quite drastically for everyone and I'm not sure why. For some, it's much longer for the boil cycle and less for the cool cycle and vice versa. My advice would just be to wait for the machine to tell you when it's finished.
I have not experimented too much with the extended fermentation times. But, it is my understanding that the flavor changes based on how long you let your yogurt ferment. The longer it ferments, the tangier it gets. To thicken the yogurt, do exactly what you did. I wish I had the Hatrigo strainer when I made my first yogurts! Strain the whey out to make it thicker. To make it sweeter, try adding sweetened coffee creamers instead of some of the milk or other sweeteners that have the flavor that you are looking for after the yogurt has finished straining. Honey helps to make it sweeter, but it does not get as sweet as the store-bought kinds without adding an additional sugar source. I really like to add lemon curd once it's cooked. It makes it sweet and delicious!!
Norma
different cultures make different textures and thicknesses as well. Different milks and levels of fat in the milk can change yogurts drastically. I'd recommend you read about different yogurt culture at https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/yogurt/choosing-a-yogurt-starter-culture/ Cultures for Health Greek is quite tangy/sour. I often will use a different starter or even probiotic capsules to get a desired flavor & then strain. You can strain any yogurt to give it a thicker consistency.
I suggest you try different cultures to find a flavor profile you enjoy. Just remember if you are making your yogurt in the ninja you need to use a thermophilic culture (needs to be kept warm while fermenting) & not a mesophilic (ferments at room temperature). Also, I would invest in a thermometer and make sure the milk has cooled enough before adding the starter culture. If the milk is too hot, the culture can die.
Joy
Shannon
Do you have to use the pressure lid? I would prefer not it if I don’t have to.
TheTastyTravelers
I haven’t tried it without the pressure cooker lid. I’m pretty sure you need it otherwise the machine won’t cycle through the yogurt function properly.
Shannon
Yes I need to use that lid to start it as I tested that. I guess my real question was right now I only have one seal that I can’t get the food smell out of. If I leave the seal out do you think it will still work the same ? I read online somewhere is made the yogurt taste oniony.
TheTastyTravelers
If you use the pressure cooking lid you need to use the seal. To get the smell out of your seal, put it in the freezer, or hang it outside for a day, or soak it, or put it in the dishwasher. You can also buy extra seals on Amazon so that you have one that you only use for making yogurt.
Rob
I though silicone does not absorb smells?
Denise
My first attempt at making yoghurt in my foodi has been a great success, thanks to you 😃
The only issue I had was with the cooling which took about three hours which meant the whole thing wasn’t finished until much later than planned, but, having read some more of the comments I’ll try taking the lid off to cool it quicker next time.
Thanks again 😃
Pat
The recipe that came with my foodi says 3 tablespoons of starter. Your recipe calls for 2 tablespoons. My yogurt was a little runny. Should I use 2 tablespoons instead of 3?
TheTastyTravelers
I can't speak to the recipe in the book that came with yours. But, in general, if the yogurt is runny, you might want to try to strain it with a yogurt strainer, incubate longer or refrigerate longer. I would not think that adding less starter would make it any thicker.
Sherry
I have searched and searched for a good recipe. Thank you for finally taking the mystery out of it!
Katelyn P.
So it came out good on the first try. My only issue is after i added the honey and vanilla it is looser than i was expecting. Is there anyway to fix it now?
TheTastyTravelers
You can try to drain some with the cheesecloth and put it back in the refrigerator or use a yogurt strainer if you have it. If the consistency is runnier than you would like, strain it next time to thicken it up. The amount of whey can vary each time you make it. Try to remove some of it as it separates from the yogurt.
Sarah
Hi! Thanks for this recipe! My cool phase was taking far too long once it hit 2hrs, so I opened up the pressure top, gave it a stir and checked the team - about 124 degrees F. I decided to let it cool uncovered for about 30 minutes which brought it down to 110.4 on my thermometer and presto - Foodi beeped and changed to the Add and Stir message! Next time I’m just going to take the top off as soon as it changes to the Cool stage to try to make this not an all-day event. Otherwise this is great - thanks again for the instructions!
Maribel
Have you tried using milk alternatives or lactose free milk? How do you think it will come out using lactose free whole milk? Do you think it will make a difference?
TheTastyTravelers
Hi Maribel- I haven't tried making yogurt with any milk alternatives. Unfortunately, I'm not able to offer any advice on this substitution.
Susie
Hi, so I set mine to vent and the same thing happened as a time before when I tried. The milk sprayed out of the vent!!! Is it supposed to do that???
TheTastyTravelers
Hi Susie- No, the milk should not be spraying out of the vent. But, anytime you have a lot of liquid in the pot, this can happen. Whenever I vent and liquid starts to come out, I close the vent back up and wait about 5 minutes and try again. Hopefully that will help next time.
testimo
Ah this cooling takes soooo long, I thought something went wrong so I googled it and ended up here.
And I only used 1 liter milk.
I was hoping I can go to bed early today. ):
Linda
Can you half the recipe?
TheTastyTravelers
Yes you can. Just cut the ingredients in half and follow all of the same steps. The steps might go quicker in the machine since there is less liquid.
Nicole
Thanks for this, I may attempt it again!
I followed the recipe on the ninja foodie site ..
I literally have done this and it’s come out like milk, it beeped at 08:00 and I opened it up and put into glass jars, I carried on and put it in the fridge but it’s still like milk after 6 hours. Not sure what I’ve done wrong! I started at 10am heating the milk up and then cooling down then put the yogurt button one and it finished around 6pm with milk
Amy C Houfek
What step do you add the extra stuff like fruit and or chocolate pudding mix for flavor?
TheTastyTravelers
I always add all add ins and flavors to the yogurt once it is completely finished. I haven’t tried adding in pudding mixes or fruits at an earlier stage of the process.
Cindy Hepper
Hello! My Foodi has been on "cool" mode for quite awhile now. Does it flash "Add and Stir" until you actually add in your starter yogurt, honey and vanilla or is it a quick flash and if you're not standing right in front of it- you could miss it?? Thanks for the help!
TheTastyTravelers
Hi there. It could take longer to get to the add and stir stage. It will say it on the screen. You shouldn’t be able to miss it easily.
Shannon
My milk is at 77 and the cool has been going for 4 hours this sucks. Not the recipes fault but this yogurt function doesn’t seem to work for me 🙁
Mama Bear
Amazing recipe!!! Thank you for all of your tips! Worked first try! Mine took about 35min to boil and 3.5 hours to cool. It's in the fridge now cooling. I can't wait to add flavors tomorrow 🙂 Have you ever doubled your recipe? I'm wondering how much that would affect the times for everything. Thanks so much!
Kristin Belding
I did the same thing! Thank goodness I was reading your perfect instructions at the same time and checked, because ..yep, slow cook! You saved my yogurt!
TheTastyTravelers
Oh I'm so glad to hear that your yogurt was saved! 🙂
Jean
Hi
Thank you so much for all the work you put into writing the above. All I can say is that I have just done the exact same as you a few hours ago😂🙈
Searched all sorts got no where so turned it off after 7 hours as nothing was happening except counting down the minutes and hours ☹️ So I decided to set again in case I had done something wrong. So off it went again and continued to count down still nothing happening. So gave up again and emptied all the milk down the sink and thought will try another plus ran out of milk.
So sat down and searched again and hey presto came across your site and felt instantly better not the only one who has made this mistake. Thank and I will try again in a few days.
Jackie DeMaria
Excellent instructions! Wish I would have read before my first attempt, which sounds strikingly like your own. Thank you for this very thorough step by step!
Shawn Marie Austin
Omg....so I followed your wonderful directions, but when it got to the add part, instead of pressing the yogurt button or the start/stop, I hit the power off button! Arrghhh, so now I have my yogurt in a bowl in the oven staying warm while I try to fool the Foodi back to the incubate stage. I put water in the pot and started the yogurt feature again. Wish me luck!
Ann D Tuchler
Mine came out with little solid flecks, some looking like scrapings from the bottom. These pieces did not dissolve and would stick to my tongue. Really gross. No idea what I did wrong.
TheTastyTravelers
Oh no! I'm sorry yours did not turn out like mine did. I have not had any solid flecks in mine when I've made it. What kind of milk and yogurt starter did you use?
Ann D Tuchler
I used whole milk and some plain yogurt. I’m thinking they are from the bottom so maybe I’ll try scooping it out without mixing it when it’s done.
Chris
I’m sorry but your cool time is way off. I’ve had my milk cooling for HOURS and it’s not beeped yet. I don’t know if I’ve done something wrong but it’s been at least three hours. Live and learn, I guess.
TheTastyTravelers
I'm sorry to hear that your yogurt is taking longer than expected. 🙁 Did the mode change to "cool" and show on the screen?
Ann D Tuchler
Did yours have little solid bits in it? I really want to figure out what went wrong with mine.
Amanda
I came to the comments to see if anyone else had this happen too! Mine's been in cool mode for 2 hours. I took the lid off and checked the temp, it's still about 120 so it's just taking its time, I guess.
Lisa
This is my 3rd time trying to make the yogurt. Like you, I did not realize that the slow cook/yogurt had 2 settings. Thank you!!!
Shveta
Excellent explanation. How long does it take to change from "cool mode" to "add and stir". My one is on cool mode since 3+ hours it doesn't change to add and stir. Any help would be appreciated.
TheTastyTravelers
I'm glad you found our recipe helpful. It only took about an hour for the machine to change to "cool." 3 hours seems like a long time. Did it eventually change to cool? I'm interested to hear how it turned out.
AMY WEBB
My cool cycle took 3+ hours and I was starting to get worried but then it went to ferment. I did a keto version with half and half and light cream and used probiotic capsules for my starter. When it was done it looked nice and thick. I'll taste it in the morning with some sweetener and walnuts. Thank you for your clear instructions
AMY WEBB
Mine took about 3 hours. It's still incubating right now.
Ann D Tuchler
Mine also took that long to cool and it had solid bits in it that would not dissolve.
Ann D Tuchler
I had it set to pressurize so the milk got way too hot. You might be making the same mistake.
Jamie
I’m on my second attempt. I did the same thing with my first attempt. I didn’t realize that there was a separate yogurt option. I slow cooked the milk for 8 hours. The boiling of the milk took maybe twenty minutes this time around. Waiting for it to cool.
TheTastyTravelers
I'm so glad that it's working now. That yogurt button is a little tricky! I can't wait to hear how it turns out! Good luck!
Jody
I too slow cooked milk! Thank you for your article. Googling this saved the yogurt.
TheTastyTravelers
I'm so glad that our post was helpful! Nobody wants slow cooked milk! 🙁
Dejah
Hi! I'm really excited to make my own yogurt, and am curious, can I use plain Kefir for the yogurt addition?
Lauren Cardona
Hi Dejah, I haven't tried using plain kefir to make the yogurt. You need yogurt with live cultures. Does your kefir say "live cultures" on the ingredients? I would recommend trying the recipe in a smaller amount to see if it works before committing to the entire full-sized recipe.
Lyubov
Great yogurt from first try! Thank you!
TheTastyTravelers
I'm so glad you liked it! 🙂
Amanda Arias
I found this just in time. I too slow cooked milk for about 12 hours last week. I never really understand the directions that came with my foodi. I decided to try again today. I had looked high and low for videos or a blog and never found anything helpful until now! Thank you so much! I was set up for failure today as well. I was slow cooking milk again until I saw your instructions that there is one more setting in there. That is a terrible design, by the way!! Now I am learning from your other mistakes and making sore I only add the yogurt starter!! Thank you so much for this!!!
TheTastyTravelers
I’m glad that my mistakes helped you! 😀. Once I finally got it to work it was delicious! Enjoy!
Shayna
SAME!!! All the same! I make yogurt on the stove and let it sit in a cooler to ferment, I had never thought to look for another setting! Gah! I'm glad to see that it's not just me!
K
Thanks for your tips. Too bad I didn’t find them until I made some mistakes!
Trina
YAY! I did it on the first try! I let it hang in the fridge in cheesecloth all night though, and almost made cheese!! But I added back in some whey liquid and it's quite nice!
Katelyn P.
Did you let it drain in the cheese cloth before or after you added the honey and vanilla?
TheTastyTravelers
You don’t have to let it drain using cheesecloth. If you choose too, you would do so before adding in flavorings.
Carrie Elrod
Thank you!! I just slow cooked milk for 8hrs. I knew it wasn’t right but didn’t figure it out until I read your post. The foodi recipe is not very helpful. Here’s to take #2!!
TheTastyTravelers
Oh no! Hopefully it only takes 2 tries for you instead of 3!! You can do it!! Good luck!!
Pamela Keys
My first attempt to make yogurt was identical to yours. Thank you so much for pointing me in the right direction!!!
TheTastyTravelers
I’m so glad I could help!! Sometimes sharing fails is as helpful as sharing the wins!
Louise
I have a couple of questions:
1-do the ingredients need to be at room temperature?
2-how long does this really take? Seems that the Ninja keeps going back to 8 hours.
3-to have yogurt in the day time, what time should I start it? I don't want to be up and down all night checking to see if it's time to stir in... If it goes beyond the ending time, will it go to warm and ruin the yogurt? Or will lit just stop, and the yogurt be fine in the morning, ready to chill/drain?
(Would you please edit your recipe to show more info and fix typos? 🙂
TheTastyTravelers
Hi Louise! I'm happy to answer your questions as best I can.
1- No, the ingredients do not need to be at room temperature. I use them straight out of the refrigerator.
2-I wish I had a solid answer for you on how long it takes all together. The time to boil for me was about 1 hour. The cooling time for me was about 1 hour. The incubate time is 8 hours. The cooling time in the refrigerator is at least 4 hours. That comes to a total of about 10 hours in the machine plus 4 hours for cooling. But, the reason I said that I don't have a solid answer is because the time to get it to boil and the time it takes to get it to cool seems to vary for people. Several folks have mentioned that it has taken upwards of 3 hours to boil or to cool. So, at a minimum, you are looking at 10 hours in the machine and 4 hours to cool in the refrigerator.
3-I would recommend starting the yogurt in the afternoon and allowing the yogurt to incubate for 8 hours in the night while you are sleeping. I think that would eliminate the need to be up and down throughout the night checking on it or stirring it etc. In the event that it incubated longer than the 8 hours, the yogurt will not be ruined. The longer it incubates, the more tart the yogurt will get. Some people prefer their yogurt after it has incubated for a longer period of time....some up to 12 hours. I personally have not tried this approach. Yogurt takes some tweaking to get it just right for your tastes. I would recommend trying it out and making adjustments to when you start it etc. based on how long it takes you and your machine.
I hope that helps! 🙂 Good luck!