I've had success with a heating pad and an heat resistant (eg pyrex) container. Just set the heating pad so its barely warmer than skin temp. Not sure if you'd want to make yogurt this way frequently, but it's certainly a cheap way to check if the problem is temp control. Then you can follow up with the Donvier company - I believe it's a 1yr warranty against defects.

I've been using the donvier yogurt maker, and I have the exact same problem - the yogurt always come out runny, like thick milk.

I'm at sea level though, and I live in Chile - the only milk I can get here is UHT. My husband's dad (a nutritionist) thinks our yogurt is runny because of the type of milk we use. Apparently the proteins necessary to make the yogurt thick are broken down too much when the milk is Ultra-High-Temp pasteurized. I don't know if this is true, though.

The only success I've had is with using a particular culture multiple times. I've found that the 2nd or 3rd time usually gives the thickest yogurt.

One tip I've seen in recipes is adding nonfat dry milk for a thicker consistency. (Some recipes call for a few tablespoons, some for as much as a half cup for a quart of milk. If you've already been using some nonfat dry milk, try upping the amount.)

Also, my understanding is that higher fat milks produce thicker yogurts. I'm guessing you want to stick with lower fat dairy products since you've been using nonfat and 2%, but you may try whole milk to see if that does the trick.

The other thing you can do is strain your yogurt. Line a strainer with cheese cloth and set over a bowl. Add the yogurt and put it in the refrigerator (cover with plastic wrap if you're concerned about it picking up odd flavors) a let it sit for a few hours or over night. This is a common technique for getting American style yogurt closer to the consistency of Greek yogurt.

Personally, I have had trouble culturing yogurt when the milk is Ultra-Pasteurized. It took me a few very runny batches with everything from skim to whole milk to realize this. Now when making yogurt or fresh cheese, I am sure to use milk that has been minimally pasteurized.

I make my own soy yogurt at home and had the same issue. After a little research on the subject I found that adding a little tapioca starch and agar powder thickened it up nicely!

You can always put it in a colander lined with cheesecloth to lose some of the whey to get a thicker yogurt. Leave it too long and you'll get yogurt cheese, which, while delicious, is probably not what you're going for.

And for newton9, one of the biggest lessons I learned from cheesemaking is not to use ultra-pasteurized milk for cheese/yogurt. The high temp kills the cultures you need to make yogurt, hence your runny batches.

Ditto on the dry milk powder. I've found that definitely helps. Just be careful to stir until it is fully dissolved so that you don't get lumps.

when i lived in edmonton, alberta, canada (high elevation, crazy long winters), my cousin's wife made yogurt simply on the counter. no machine required (i didn't even know there was a machine). the yogurt was a little bit runnier than store bought, but that was the whole point - all the healthy yumminess without agar, gelatin or god knows what other kind of crap. strain in cheesecloth, but skip the additives.

p.s. @anning,
why would you call your methods "questionable" when that, presumably, is the way yogurt had been made for thousands of years?

we need to let go of our mistaken notion that anything that takes place outside of a refrigerator will kill us, cause that's just silly.

I had that same issue when I started making yogurt and after some extensive research and experimentation, I found it has to do with 3 main variables:
1) The temperature the milk is heated to before incubation. Most recipes indicate that the milk should be heated to ~180 degrees, then cooled to ~110 before adding the live cultures. This heating alters some of the proteins and kills off all the competing bacteria, helping the added cultures prosper and thicken the yogurt. This is particularly true when starting with raw milk, which, if just heated to 110 and inoculated, will almost always come out gloopy (but will preserve the beneficial enzymes and nutrients of the raw milk). As for ultra-pasturized and UHT, I have made nice thick yogurt with both and also with powdered milk. Even though they are 'pre-cooked,' I would recommend heating them to 180 because this gradual heating produces different effects than the rapid pasturization procedure.
2) The temperature of incubation. As the editor noted, the main culprit may be the temperature of the incubator. Amidst the numerous cultures munching away on the lactose, each contributes a different texture and flavor. As a general rule, those which thicken the yogurt the most also thrive at higher temperatures. Try this experiment: inoculate a single batch, divide into three jars and incubate them at 90, 100 and 110 degrees and it is incredible how much thicker the 110 will be than the 90 and even the 100.
3) The cultures used. Jen mentioned using a bunch of different cultures and that may have some impact on the different textures of the yogurt. I almost always use a dollop of Stonyfield plain yogurt to inoculate my yogurt and I have noticed that using other types of yogurt with live cultures will produce variable results, but the Stonyfield seems to work fairly consistently.
Finally, I have heard rumors that the amount of starter added will affect the final texture (with less starter meaning thicker yogurt), but I have not observed this myself in my yogurt making endeavors.
Hope this helps!

I've had some similar yogurt-making failures recently - using a machine and a technique that I've had success with in the past. I blame the milk; I never use "ultra-pasteurized" milk (as I've read it won't work), but I have a hunch that there's some other issue with the store-brand milk I've been using...

After lots of runny batches I learned that my biggest issue was that the milk wasn't being kept warm enough for the 8-10 hours. Learned that placing the milk (after warming 1o 180 degrees and cooling to the point where you can dip your fingers and not burn them) in a plastic container with a lid, wrapping in a towel, and placed in a preheated oven (180 degrees then turned off). Seems that the residual heat after the oven is turned off keeps the milk at the perfect temperature and has resulted in a perfect consistency.

Also, make sure you are fully mixing in your culture into the milk so it is evenly distributed.

Are you boiling the milk on the stove? The one time I attempted to microwave the milk prior to incubation it came out really runny. Otherwise, boiling it first has resulted in quite firm 2% yogurt in my Euro Cuisine maker. I started it w/whole milk Fage Greek yogurt and have just been using my own yogurt as a starter since.

I used the Donvier yogurt maker for five years until it recently broke and had the same problem. The instructions on my new yogurt maker say that I should heat the warm up much higher than Donvier did. This has consistently produced a thicker yogurt for me so you should try it. Use a real thermometer instead of the one that comes with the Donvier yogurt and take it off of the stove when it gets to about 180. Good luck!

I use my meat thermometer out of laziness and it works just fine. You can keep it in the milk once you have taken the pot off of the stove and check it every 5-10 minutes. It typically takes about 30 minutes to drop down to 114 which is when you add the starter.

tranglutaminase

I got fairly runny batches for a while, too...definitely thicker than thick milk, but I'd just strain it for a bit and it would be perfect. I eventually tried turning up my warm oven just a smidge. That batch was perfect right out of the oven (I just put it on a warm setting, and used a thermometer in a dish of water to find the temperature the first time). So I think the heat might be the key.

you can read about it here: http://moorethanfine.blogspot.com/2010/02/yogurt-you-can-make-it-yourself.html

anning - I use a very simple candy thermometer, I think it was $8 at Bed, Bath and Beyond. But, at least from what I've read, as long as the milk is allowed to froth and foam, the heat is high enough to have killed all the bacteria present, which is the point of the initial heating.

one thing not mentioned here is the factor TIME. The instructions on my yogurt maker (Petra) recommend 8-12 hours. but I once forgot and left it on for 24 hours - and the result was a yogurt just how I like it: tangy and nearly solid

@nikki moore, The initial heating has something to do with breaking down milk protein, at least that's what Alton Brown tells me.

How thick and sour does your yogurt come out if you let it sit for 8-12 hours?

I've been heating til ~180F, cooling and adding the starter at ~115F and then wrapping in bathtowels for 4 hours. That's been foolproof no matter the milk, outside temp, or the Dannon vanilla yogurt starter I used once b/c I couldn't find any plain yogurt in the whole store.

I second (or I guess third) the above tip, I use whole milk and add a few tablespoons of non-fat dry milk and it turns out perfect everytime with my yogurt maker!

Question writer here. Thanks to everyone for their tips, and I can't wait for the Kitchn tutorial. I'm kind of sad, actually that we're stuck with not one, but two Donvier yogurt makers. I ordered one for my mom, and the online store accidentally charged me for, and sent two. We kept one for ourselves, and gave the other to her. She ended up giving it back to us because of the runny yogurt problem! I'm going to work through the tips provided in the comments, and we may even try making yogurt without the maker. Thanks again, everyone!

I've been making yogurt without a machine for a few months now. The book I read on it before I started was called Milk, by Anne Mendelson. According to her you can boil your milk prior to adding the culture, and even reduce it. So long as you cool it down to about 115 before adding the culture. I've gotten the best results with whole milk and dannon plain (then some leftover of the previous batch for the next couple batches - I tend to forget at least once a month and have to go back to the dannon) - I use the 6 ounce container to just shy of a gallon of milk. I incubate it in a coleman gallon jug on top of my refrigerator. The yogurt is definitely as thick as commercial before I strain it, and quite thicker after straining. I owed a yogurt machine for years and rarely bothered with it. I've found this method to be significantly better.

Have you tried whole milk? I use a similar method* as my parents but mine is firmer.

*(I scald to 190, cool to 115, mix in a couple of tbsp from the previous batch and incubate in a covered pyrex overnight, using an electric heating pad set to warm and swaddled in teatowels).

I am finding that my culture changes over time and eventually gets very harsh and sour, and I have to start over again. Any ideas on how to prevent this?

One more thing to add... I actually made a batch last night and totally forgot to turn the incubator off this morning. It went for 16 hours in total which freaked me out because I was worried it was going to be too tangy. I just had some with fresh raspberries and it was the thickest yogurt I've made yet! So make sure you experiment with the time in addition to the temperature and type of milk and starter. Good luck!

I don't use a machine -- I use a glass dish and my oven (overnight)....and it works like a charm! Here's how I do it: http://yardtofork.wordpress.com/2009/10/18/homemade-yogurt/

I've also found using Greek yogurt as a starter gives me the thickest yogurt in the end. 2% milk and 2% yogurt is what I use. Good luck!

Less is more, for both consistency and flavor. Use only 1-2 tablespoons of culture per quart of milk, and you will find the result thicker and less acidic than you would if using a heavier hand. (It's the overproduction of acid in the early stages that produces a watery yogurt.) It will take a little longer to culture, but it will have the texture and flavor you want.

And you don't need to heat the culture after scalding the milk. Just place your pot inside a tight cooler or beneath thick layer of blankets, and the residual heat and the heat of fermentation will keep it at the ideal temperature.

/aj

try at least 10 hours in the machine, add a tablespoon of pectin to the milk, and some powdered dry milk.... works for me... custard-like with no gelatin

I've been eyeing up a yogurt maker for a couple of years now, but I hesitate to buy another gadget that might end up collecting dust and taking up valuable space. I'm super intrigued by the idea of a no-machine yogurt technique. Bring it on!

i grew up with homemade yogurt at home ( and no yougurt maker unless you counted mom!)....The milk is brought to boiling - then cooled to blood temp- (warm but not hot)-mix in a little bit of the culture and then blend really well- wrap in heavy kitchen towel and leave in a warm part of the kitchen. In summer it sets a lot quicker than in winter....and in winter you may need to move it into the oven overnight. Should be set in the morning - as a routine it would then go into the fridge ready for cooling.

i've only done it once but i followed the instructions in a previous Kitchn post and was surprised at how perfectly thick it came out. I didn't like the taste particularly because it tasted as if I had burned the milk a little. I always forget things are on the stove! Scalded too hot, I guess. Basically the method is that you scald the milk, wait for it to cool, add in a mini yogurt container (I added in 1 cup of Straus whole milk plain to 1 gallon Trader Joes whole milk). Then you pour it into glass dishes, bowls, whatever you have, then put it in the oven with the light on. I could not believe how thick it was! It didn't even start to weep liquid like store bought yogurt even after a few days. I'll try again ... I recently bought a thermometer for this very reason but just haven't gotten around to it. I never spend more than $3 on a quart of yogurt, but for a gallon at $2.69 - you get a a great deal and don't need any extra clutter.

There's a really great super thick Icelandic-style yogurt they sell here in NYC (and maybe other parts of the Northeast?). It's called Siggi's, not too sweet at all and it's the thickest yogurt I've ever had. I don't know much about yogurt making, but maybe you could use something like that as a starter for your own?

For me, the temperature during incubation is the biggest factor. I add the starter at around 115 or 120 rather than 110, and place the jar and a VERY hot water bottle inside a wool blanket, which is then put inside a cooler.

Simple ways to get thicker yogurt; add one tablespoon of dried skim milk powder to the mixture you have heated before you place it into the yogurt maker, or add a teaspoon of yogurt from a previous firm batch into the heated milk.

Does your method involve powdered milk? If not, I would highly suggest it in addition to some of the other suggestions given. It really helps thicken it up a bit.

@anning I live in San Diego now. I am wondering how you made yogurt. Did you just mix yogurt with milk and leave it on the counter overnight?

yogurt can be tempermental depending in what kind of climate you are making it in. i have heard that powdered milk can sometimes help with thickness.

one trick that my grandmother taught me is to take one spoon of the yogurt starter and rub it along the sides of the dish.

We actually made some yogurt in my college microbiology class this year...we pasteurized our own milk and then used plain store-bought yogurt as our starter culture, it actually turned out pretty well. I don't know about a machine, but we used a water bath to keep it at temp. I could probably post waaaaay more details, but I know using unpasteurized milk was key for us, which you can't really buy in the US.

We have had a Waring Pro Yogurt Maker for 3 months now and have made over 10 gallons of yogurt with it with few problems. Here are some key items which might help you:
- add a cup of dry, powdered milk per quart of liquid milk you are using. And we add a teaspoon of a sugar/Splenda mix (50-50) for each quart. We also add just a pinch of salt to the batch.
- make sure your temperature gets to 190F before cooling the milk. We use a crock pot to do this - you can heat it overnight on WARM (not low and not high) and then boost the setting to HIGH for an hour should do it.
- use a thermometer. You must get the temperature to 190F and it must be cooled down to 110F before adding the culture.
- we just take a cup of yogurt from a previous batch out of the fridge and use a blender with some of the warmed milk. About 5 - 10 seconds works great - but whose counting? Using a blender is very important as the culture contains trillions of bacteria which must be evenly distributed in the warm milk. Pour the blended milk into the remaining warm milk, if any, and whisk it in well with a wire whisk. And then pour into the containers through a fine strainer to make sure you have no big pieces which will cause grainy yogurt.
- our favorite culture, believe it or not. is vanilla Activia. It sets up in under 3 hours and comes out perfectly - nice and firm and creamy.

If you still have problems, then check our website: http://mryogurt.info/

Good luck,

Bill

An update to our previous post...
Now we are approaching nearly 100 gallons of yogurt made, we have some more suggestions...
- you need only 1/2 cup of dry, powdered non-fat milk per quart of milk to thicken the yogurt;
- try a mono-culture like Activia instead of some of the cultures which have many strains of bacteria in them. Those take some serious, serial temperature control to first ferment things at high temperatures like 120F for an hour or more to convert lactose to lactic acid, then a lower temperature for the remaining time to complete the yogurt. All yogurt must have more than one bacteria strain in it per USDA regs, but Activia acts like a mono-culture.

Actually, we have been straining all of our yogurt for quite a while... use a metal coffee filter in a quart plastic container - it holds about a pint of yogurt and takes 8 hours or so to strain off most of the whey. Then we plop (technical term) the yogurt into another quart container to hold it in the fridge until we use it.

Why do we stain our yogurt now? The result is more like Greek yogurt and works much better in shakes, parfaits, smoothies and so forth than plain yogurt - and you don't have to worry whether the result of making the yogurt turned out thin - which was your problem

Good luck!

Bill

I'd like to put an end to the myth that you can't make yogurt from UHT milk - I have been making good, thick yogurt from a carton of UHT milk (all that's available here) and Activa as my starter for a long time now, and it comes out just as thick and yogurty as the starter. My method is to heat it on the stove, cool it (by putting the pan of milk on top of some icecubes in the sink for a few minutes, pour the milk in a large sterilized milk bottle, pour in the Activa and mix it, cover in aluminum foil, wrap it in a heating pad on 'low' and let sit for 10 hours. I pour the small amount of whey off the top once its done, and voila. UHT Yogurt. Yum.