Skip to Content

Homemade Yogurt Recipe for SCD

This homemade yogurt recipe post contains affiliate links which means that if you make a purchase after clicking a link, I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you.

One of the most frequently asked questions I have been asked since sharing SCD Recipes is How do you make Homemade SCD Yogurt?

My first answer is to refer people to pick up the book Breaking the Vicious Cycle where this and a lot of other basic SCD questions are answered.

The second thing I usually say is that I will add a Homemade Yogurt Recipe for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet someday and that day has finally come.

I am finally sharing the simple process that I use to create delicious homemade yogurt with very little effort, that is the way I enjoy my SCD Recipes, easy and delicious.

The only complicated part when creating SCD Recipes and especially this SCD Yogurt, is the science behind why it works and a lot of times, how.

So I have decided to not only show you how I make the SCD Yogurt but also everything I have learned about this process along the way.

Homemade SCD Yogurt

Bacteria

According to Breaking the Vicious Cycle, the bacteria that we should have in our yogurt starters are Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Lactobacillus acidophilus.

The strain we must avoid in our SCD™ yogurt is Bifidus as it has been found to cause bacterial overgrowth in the gut.

Starters

Dannon makes a natural plain yogurt that is SCD legal to use as a start but you have to be careful to not pick up the low-fat kinds and non-fat ones are not legal as they may contain illegal ingredients.

You can also pick up a legal freeze-dried starter if you would like to avoid worrying about expirations on the refrigerated stuff.

You can check out the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle or their site to learn more about your options for SCD legal yogurt starters.

Sterilizing the Milk

It is pretty simple to sterilize milk in order to make it legal for the SCD Yogurt. You start by heating to a simmer, which kills the bacteria while also allowing the fermentation process to be started by the starter bacteria only.

I always use a yogurt maker when making SCD yogurt, as well as whole milk and the process is pretty simple. I boil the milk to 180 degrees.

I then allow it to cool to 70 degrees, using a candy thermometer like this one to monitor the process.

At this point you can decide if you want to remove the film that has formed on the top or not, I usually just leave it there, it doesn’t seem to change the taste one way or another.

Homemade SCD Yogurt

Fermentation

There are many different ways to make SCD Yogurt. You can make it in the oven using a special light bulb, in a crockpot, and you can even make your SCD Yogurt in a rice maker or pressure cooker.

You can also buy a machine that is used just for making yogurt.

Some people like to dabble in other methods as the last thing they want to do is buy yet another kitchen appliance that will just clog up space that they can’t spare.

They may also not be a big fan of yogurt so making a purchase before trying the homemade yogurt for the first time may not be the route they want to go.

Pick up this yogurt maker if you are looking for a yogurt maker with automatic cooling.

SCD Yogurt requires 24 hours for fermenting and this machine will not only do that at the touch of a button but it will not turn off before you are ready, spoiling your yogurt which is a big worry for a lot of SCD’ers.

The unit switches to the cooling mode when the processing cycle is done and maintains temperature until you turn the unit off.

This is great because when you put this much time into making yogurt the last thing you need is to start all over because you forgot to refrigerate it in time.

The cooldown process no matter the method you use to make your homemade yogurt is six hours, so be sure to account for that time when making yogurt.

Homemade SCD Yogurt

Toppings

While you are able to use your SCD yogurt in a bunch of different recipes like this Cinnamon Pumpkin Pie Dip that pairs perfectly with apple slices, or even in this Lasagna with Zucchini Layers .

It is a nice addition to smoothies or delicious with a strawberry sauce on top, I enjoy it for breakfast with fresh fruit on top.

Once you have made this homemade yogurt recipe for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, you will see how simple it really is, it just sounds intimidating.

I have found that to be true with a lot of recipes when cooking for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. At first, I was kind of stuck to a few simple to prepare meals and that got boring really quick.

I started to worry about how I would stick to such a restrictive diet but after I familiarized myself with what was legal and illegal.

I started to experiment and came up with lots of easy and delicious recipes perfect for SCD. You can see all of my recipes for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet by clicking here. 

Homemade SCD Yogurt

Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on social media so you never miss a new SCD Recipe again.

Homemade SCD Yogurt

Homemade Yogurt Recipe for SCD

Ingredients

  • 6 Cups of Whole Milk
  • 1/4 Cup of Dannon Yogurt Starter

Instructions

  1. Heat the milk in a saucepan until it reaches the 180 degrees.
  2. Allow it to cool back down to 70 degrees.
  3. Remove skin if you want or leave it, I leave it.
  4. Pour milk in yogurt maker then add in the yogurt.
  5. Whisk the two together until well combined.
  6. Set the maker to 24 hours.
  7. Once it has fermented for 24 hours, allow to cool for 6 hours.
  8. Will keep for 1-2 weeks

Nutrition Information

Serving Size

1

Amount Per Serving Calories 893Total Fat 48gSaturated Fat 27gCholesterol 146mgSodium 630mgCarbohydrates 70gSugar 70gProtein 46g

Related Recipes

Learn how to make Almond Milk Keto Friendly and learn how to make your own concord grape jelly with gelatin. Click here to see the web story showing How to Make SCD Yogurt.

About Thirty Something Super Mom

Melissa Dixon Thirty Something Super Mom
Thirty Something Super Mom | Website

My journey started after a Crohn's disease diagnosis, inspiring a commitment to well-being. This site shares my distinctive approach to healthy living with my collection of nutritious recipes that boast authentic flavors, mimicking the indulgence of traditional dishes. I love sharing guilt free recipes for low carb, keto, gluten-free, paleo, and the specific carbohydrate diet. I also share tips on natural living, including homemade cleaners and cleaning hacks. I also share my experience as a veterinary technician and pet groomer, to integrate pet health tips, homemade dog food recipes, and grooming insights to ensure your pets thrive.

Cathy Anderson

Wednesday 17th of May 2023

I made this for the first time yesterday. I put in too much yogurt. Will that negate the benefits?

Melissa

Friday 19th of May 2023

I wouldn't think so, if anything you would be getting more probiotics so unless you have an intolerance to something in the yogurt I would think you would be fine. Thanks for stopping by!

Helga

Monday 10th of January 2022

Thank you for this recipe. I need to make my own yogurt since we eat it so much.

Lina

Saturday 1st of May 2021

LOve your recipes for SCD--my 28 y/o son has UC and he's visiting a few days and I'm making 2 batches of your yogurt for his stay with me....Question pls: during cool down period do I leave it in it's saucepan (on cooling rack maybe??) until it reaches 70 or do I refrigerate it until it cools down to 70??? Thank you and loved your veggie lasagna too...great stuff you have here!

Melissa

Saturday 8th of May 2021

Hi Lina, I am so glad you enjoy the recipes and have found some that your son can enjoy as well. My yogurt maker does all of this for me but if you are using one that doesn't have this feature, I would think the fridge method would work better and it would be faster. Good luck, I hope your yogurt turned out great! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

Jill Guidone

Tuesday 13th of April 2021

Hello, I’ve enjoyed learning about making yogurt from your post and have read it several times! I have two questions- what’s a yogurt maker that you know if that does the automatic cooling? The one recommended here is NLA. Second, I know SCD yogurt must be fermented 24 hours. What about home made kefir? We have an Amish supplier nearby that make hone made kefir and it ferments for 24 hours or more. Wouldn’t that be another way of getting the positive bacteria in your body? Thanks! Jill

Herb

Sunday 29th of January 2023

@Melissa, Hi Melissa, It's well over 2 years since you wrote this post, not sure you will see this. I'm going on the SCD and really glad to read the SCD yogurt information that you provided. I am wanting to purchase an SCD yogurt maker with automatic cooldown, but your link brings me to a yogurt maker that is no longer available! Can you please recommend a similar yogurt maker that I can purchase? If you want to reply to my email it is: [email protected] Thank you so much

Melissa

Monday 26th of April 2021

Hi Jill, I am so glad you liked the post and appreciate you telling me that the yogurt maker I shared is no longer available. That is unfortunate, I really like my maker but I did find another one with automatic cooling. I linked to it above and removed the other one to make it easier to find. I am not sure about homemade kefir, I know very little about that but it sounds like a great way to get the positive bacteria in your body. Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting!

hadinda fitri Permatasari

Tuesday 9th of June 2020

Thank you for sharing! we use the leftover scd yogurt as a starter for the next batch?

MommaDuck

Wednesday 5th of August 2020

The strength of the cultures weakens. I have read that Dannon yogurt you can use one to two more times. If you buy an heirloom starter, you can continue to reuse it and keep back enough to continue to use it. Personally I just buy a new Dannon yogurt each time, but I am not making it on a regular basis anymore.

Melissa

Monday 15th of June 2020

That's a great idea, thanks for stopping by.

Skip to Recipe