Have you just discovered your yogurt project still looks like milk? So now you’re asking, “What Can I Do with Failed Homemade Yogurt?”
Oh, the disappointment and anguish over wasting money on milk, not to mention your time.
I can’t count how many times I get desperate emails seeking to recover and make good yogurt from the same batch of milk or recycle the non-yogurt-milk into something entirely different.
The answer to these questions can go in several ways. If you know why your yogurt failed, you have a good chance at success if you try again with the same batch.
Was your incubation temperature too high or too low? Was your starter too old or dead? Check out my yogurt trouble-shooting post if you aren’t sure.
But what if you don’t know what you did wrong, and do everything the same way again? As the old saying goes, you can probably expect the same poor results.
Here are some suggestions based on my own experience:
4 Steps to Possible Yogurt Recovery
#1
Does the milk smell bad?
If so, throw it out — no need to ask any more questions.
If the milk still smells OK and you aren’t feeding it to anybody who is immunocompromised such as the very young, the very old, or very ill, then proceed to the next step.
Related Post: Five Things You Should Not Do When Making Homemade Yogurt
#2
Reheat milk to 100 degrees.
We are assuming you heated the milk to 175 degrees F the first time around, and then, let it cool back to 100-110 degrees F.
To reheat, I put mine back in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. However, the
#3
Add more starter.
If you suspect the original starter was the cause of your fail, try a different starter. Make sure the new starter is fresh and contains no additives.
#4
Re-incubate per my original instructions as seen here.
Just for fun: Here’s the way I make yogurt. There are many ways to skin this cat, but some are better than others.
Possible Issues With Failed Yogurt
#1
Did you remember to add the starter?
I’ve had several failures through the years, mostly due to my forgetfulness.
For example, I heated three batches of milk (2 quarts each) last night. As usual, I set them on the counter to cool down to approximately 110 degrees.
Later in the evening, I went to bed without thinking about the milk again until I awoke at 6:00 this morning. As I lay in bed, it hit me that I forgot to add the
Throwing out all that milk was unthinkable. It didn’t smell bad, so I heated the milk to 100 degrees, added a little more starter, and incubated as usual. Five hours later, I had perfect yogurt.
#2
Did you set up your incubation system to the correct temperature?
Another scenario I often hear about is forgetting to turn on the heat for your incubation “system.” Again, if the milk still smells OK, reheat milk mixture to 100 degrees F. Turn on your heat source for incubation and give the milk a few more hours to make yogurt.
#3
Is your yogurt too thin?
Perhaps your “fail” could be better described as drinkable yogurt. As long as it smells good, you could try again.
Nevertheless, my recommendation is to use it as it is even if it’s not what you originally planned. Try it in smoothies or substitute it for buttermilk in baked goods such as these cinnamon biscuits.
As one of my readers once told me, “The yogurt gods can be fickle.” Whenever you’re dealing with a live organism, the results can be unpredictable.
But don’t be discouraged. The more experience you have, the fewer failures you will experience.
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Bryanah Whitney
Hi There! I think I need to toss my batch out. I used the heating pad method and went to bed last night around midnight. The yogurt was at 103 degrees. Nervous the temperature would continue to drop overnight I later a towel over it. Well, I woke up at 6:45 and the yogurt read 120*. Should I toss? Anything else I can do with it? Thank you!
Paula
I hope you get this in time. If the milk still smells good, try one more time. Let the temperature cool down to below 110 and add more starter.
Bryanah Whitney
Great! It’s not too late. I couldn’t bring myself to dump it. I made a double batch this time around. The heating pad method is so finicky! Add more starter, then let it sit for 24 more hours?
Bryanah Whitney
not too late! I didn’t have the heart to toss it yet. This was a double batch, too! The heating pad is tricky! I add more yogurt and let it sit for another 24 hours?
Paula
24 hours? Wow! That’s a long time. Do you prefer very tart yogurt? Your yogurt should start to set up after 4-5 hours but will be mild. That’s what I do. 8-10 hours is an average time for many people to incubate their yogurt. Perhaps you have a special reason for incubating that long?
Bryanah Whitney
Yes! It’s the SCD 24 hour yogurt. It’s essentially lactose free from the bacteria 🙂 It’s tart and tangy and thick like plain Greek yogurt. So maybe this won’t be any good sitting out an additional 24 hours. I guess I will continue with the experiment anyway and go by taste/texture/smell?
Paula
I’m guessing it will turn out just fine.
Suzanne
I’ve been making yogurt for a few years now and I had what I thought was my first fail last week. I used the Y3 cultures from New England Cheesemaking Supply (been using them for almost as long as making my yogurt) , heated up the 2% milk to 185, cooled to 120-118 like I usually do before I add the Y3. I kept it in the Yogotherm for 7 hrs like usual, but when I opened it to check it before putting in the refrigerator, it was very watery. Almost like nothing happened. YIKERS!!! What to do??
I heated up some water, put the plastic container in it till the milk got very warm, into the Yogotherm for about 2 hrs then into the refrigerator. The next day I had THE BEST, creamiest yogurt ever!!! Very little water in it. Like sour cream thick.
Was this really yogurt? If not, what was it? It didn’t taste like sour cream. It was sooooo delicious!!
Paula
Hi Suzanne,
Is it possible the Yogotherm is not heating correctly?
Neila Bala
I put my 2 tbsp yogurt in as a starter but when my pot was still 180 degrees.. I forgot. Is it ruined or do i add more starter once temperature drops to 110
Paula
Neila,
The latter. When milk cools down, add more starter. No harm done.
Karen
Hello.
My result was “runny yogurt” and I thought, well, i’ll just add some blueberries and it will be drinkable. It wasn’t until after that I realized that I hadn’t added my starter. Can I try again, even though it has blended blueberries throughout?
Paula
If it still smells OK, it’s worth a try. I have never tried it with fruit already in it, but I’ve read that some people do.
Regina
So we just made 2 quarts of yogurt. Uh, I mean milk. I reviewed the steps and one of two possible reasons that it didn’t thicken. (1) too much starter, or (2) the environment wasn’t warm enough. I was to try again – I’ve read your blog and have a question. If I reheat the mix to 100 degrees, do I add more started or just incubate the milk with the original starter that is already in the mix? Just wasn’t clear on whether I should reuse the yogurt milk as milk – or just reheat it as is and re-incubate? Thanks!
Paula
Hi Regina,
You should add a new starter. It’s possible that your starter is still good if the environment wasn’t warm enough. But if it was too hot at any point, the original starter would have been killed. Temperature problems are the most common cause of failure. It’s doubtful that the problem was too much starter. That can lead to poor quality but shouldn’t cause a fail. The problem could have been the starter itself. You might try a different brand of yogurt but make sure it is fresh and has no additives. Good luck. Let me know if you have more questions.
Regina
Thanks so much for the speedy reply! I’ll report back 🙂
Jade
we already repeat the process because our yogurt didn’t set as expected, it is still liquid and taste milk after culturing for 12 hours and put it in a refrigerator for an hour, that’s why we reheat it to 110degrees and add the starter again, then we store it again to remain 110degrees for 5hours but my bf put it in the refrigerator even though it’s still not set as a yogurt, the milk still in a good smell, what should we do? can we still make it as a yogurt?
Jade
It smells good, but still liquid. can we reheat it for the 3rd time and reculture again? because there’s some little creamy or thick portion like dots.
Paula
As long as it still smells good, I would try again. But I would recommend you do something different. Try a different starter. Check to make sure your temperatures are within the correct range during each step. Try a different method of incubation, perhaps. See this post.
forever
I tried making yoghurt the first time ever with raw milk, warmed it and added a powdered starter, kept the milk in a mason jar inside a cooler, I left it for 12 hours found a small layer of creamy thick substance at the top and below ha lot aof liquid milk smell and taste good. Can I restart the process
Paula
If the milk still smells OK, yes. Try again.
Did you heat the milk to 170 degrees F and let it cool back to 110 degrees F? That rearranges the proteins so they will coagulate into a thicker yogurt. Also, I suspect your cooler did not quite keep the yogurt warm enough. Did you check the heat with a thermometer? Just some ideas…
Rose
If I heated then cooled the milk and forgot it and someonr else stuck it in the refrigerator, can I just reheat it to 100 or should I reheat to 185 and then cool to 100 again?
Paula
Reheating to 100 degrees is sufficient. Hope it turns out for you. Usually works.
Ali
Last night I forgot to put starter in my milk. And when I woke up it was already thickened and its texture was like yogurt but it doesn’t taste like yogurt. Should I just add my starter in it or what?
Paula
Ali,
I have not experienced this. However, if you are sure you didn’t add starter, I would throw it out. Sounds spoiled to me. Paula
Purple unicorn
No this is clobbered milk! It’s not bad!
Anonymus
My batch looked like milk but was really thick and liquidy and smelled like yogurt what can i do
Paula
You didn’t give me any details about your process. Are you sure all your temperatures were right? Did you follow my directions? What did you use for a starter? Regarding your current batch, you could chill it and use it in smoothies.
Kwunset
Exact same scenario just happened to us, woke up realizing we hadn’t added the starter at all last night. The successful routine has been to heat it in a crock pot, then cool to 110, add starter, wrap in a towel overnight while it cools the rest of the way…
The milk smells ok to us, so we’re a going to try again, but Question is, you write about microwaving to get it back to 100– do you think it’s fine for us to just reheat the batch in the crock pot it’s still in, which just takes more time…?
Thanks,
ben
I’ve had good success with the progurt incubator. Perhaps my previous yogurt maker was less forgiving, but with the progurt I rarely get a bad batch. Of course the downside (other than the price) is that it makes a single big serving instead of small individual batches.
What do you think of yogurt makers in general?
Also do you know if it’s possible to make a kefir / yogurt concoction? In the morning, I usually drink a few ounces of store bought Kefir (Lifeway) mixed with a few tablespoons of my homemade yogurt. But I would love to somehow make Kefir together with the yogurt… unless the different types of bugs don’t play well together.
Paula
Ben, Since you asked, yogurt makers,to me, are like training wheels for newbie yogurt makers. They usually work fine and success is pretty much assured if you follow the directions. My objections? Number 1,they aren’t nearly large enough for me as I use a gallon to a gallon and a half of milk every time I make yogurt. Number 2, the individual servings (if you’re using that kind) are worthless for making Greek yogurt, and that’s my thing. You would have to remove the yogurt from each container to strain it and then I guess you could pour it back into the cute little containers, but what a hassle. Number 3, you have to store it, and I don’t want to use my precious kitchen storage for that. Number 4, cleaning can be more complicated. Nothing easier than throwing my Pyrex pitchers in the dishwasher–and I use 2-3 each time I make yogurt. Number 5 is the cost, of course. If you have issues with keeping your temperatures regulated for incubation, I would be prone to buy an incubator (also good for proofing bread) instead of a yogurt maker.
I have tried making kefir. Not my thing. Have never attempted what you suggest so can’t offer an opinion on that. Good luck. Thanks for writing.