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Yogurt is a favorite food of many Americans. It is loaded with probiotics and much easier to digest than plain milk even for those with no milk tolerance issues. As a result, when folks are making the transition to fresh, unpasteurized milk from the farm for the very first time, raw yogurt is a food that most readily wish to try.
After all, if raw milk was truly as dangerous and pathogen ridden as the government would have us believe, it wouldn’t culture into yogurt so easily, would it? Consequently, folks in the process of making the mental paradigm shift to fresh dairy usually feel extremely comfortable with raw yogurt even if raw milk is still a bit too out of the box for them for the time being.
I am fortunate to have a local farm that makes absolutely fabulous raw milk yogurt. However, I find that I spend quite a bit of time explaining pasteurized vs raw milk yogurt to newcomers.
As a result, I thought I would spend a few minutes explaining raw vs pasteurized yogurt differences. If you’re wondering is Greek yogurt better than regular yogurt, the link provided details an explanation. However, the video below applies to that type of yogurt too.
By the way, if you wish to try your hand at making raw milk yogurt yourself as you do not have a local source available, this raw milk yogurt tutorial can assist you with the steps required.
Store Yogurt Not Cultured for the Proper Length of Time
One thing to be aware of is that large scale food manufacturers only ferment commercial pasteurized yogurt for an hour or even less! Properly made yogurt is cultured for a full 24 hours like raw milk kefir. This is a huge distinction and affects the quality and benefits of the yogurt tremendously. Incidentally, only 24 hour fermented yogurt is permitted on the gut healing GAPS diet.
If you choose to buy yogurt from the store, look for small brands. Usually, small producers ferment their yogurt for the appropriate amount of time. Avoid large brands from corporate multi-nationals like Dannon.
Another positive about small brands of pasteurized yogurt is that the milk is vat pasteurized instead of flash pasteurized. This means that the milk is subjected to a lower heat which potentially means less damage to the milk proteins.
All around, however, the best option for yogurt whether pasteurized or raw is to just make your own!
Raw vs Pasteurized Yogurt (VIDEO)
In the video below, I demonstrate the differences between pasteurized and raw yogurt. Because raw yogurt is unheated, the probiotics in the raw milk compete somewhat with the yogurt culture. The end result is a thinner, more drinkable style yogurt with a wider range of beneficial microbes than heated yogurt.
Note that yogurt heated to 117 F/ 47 C is still considered raw. Damage and destruction of enzymes and probiotics starts at 118 F / 48 C and higher (wet heat). Enzymes and probiotics withstand dry heat to a higher temperature of about 150 F / 66 C. This is why dehydrating soaked raw nuts and other foods in a warm oven maintains rawness.
You can definitely see the differences!
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
More Information
Sarah, I made the switch to goat milk yogurt based on the recommendation of a nutritionist. Does yogurt from raw milk have the same benefits? I understand that goat’s milk is closer to human’s milk. Also, can I make whey from raw goat’s milk?
two members of my local WPF chapter said that if you add sweetener (ie maple syrup or honey) to yogurt it cancels out the benefit of the probiotics in the yogurt? Do you agree and if so would adding your cold breakfast cereal (which my whole family loves, thank you!) be the same issue?
I am a little confused on the digestability of pasturized raw milk yogurt. I’ve been making yogurt the GAPS way for many years now…first because we were doing GAPS, then continued because we loved the texture & taste (GAPS way you do heat milk to simmer stage, then add culture and incubate for 24 hrs for 100-110 degrees). If this heating so denatures the proteins, that would make it harder to digest. Yet this is what GAPS calls for – so why would they do this when the people following the diet have digestion issues to begin with? I know that the GAPS way digests all the lactose, but seems to me they would want a product that was easy to digest. I’ve tried going back and making raw milk yogurt and my family does not like it. Can you comment on the digestability of the GAPS yogurt?
I have my own grass feed jersey cow. I make my own raw yogurt by warming her mlk to 112 degress adding my culture. and incubating in a yogo therm for about 12hrs. then I refrigerate for another 12hrs. or overnight. I then strain the yogurt through butter cloth for about an hr. (stirring/folding from time to time). I end up with that nice thick greek yogurt thickness. 1/2 Gal of milk leaves me with 1qt. yogurt and 1qt. whey (that I give to a friend for her baby formula). I also like making a Quark by warming the milk only to 87degrees and adding buttermilk culture and 1 drop of liquid rennet per gal. The whey I’m unable to use for formula but makes a great energy drink mixed with other things. Great for summer days working hard outside. Blessings, Mary
I have 2 questions. Is puffed rice cereal as bad as the other cereals? Is it extruded?
When making whey, can it be done in the frig. or does it have to be left at room temp? What does it taste like? Sour?
Home-made yogurt is superior to store-bought yogurt. Pasteurized yogurt is not fermented very long and often has… http://t.co/u2KL6seT
We have no access to raw milk in this country that I am aware of, so no raw milk yogurt 🙁
My family and I are doing the GAPS diet, and until now we have been eating a commercial yogurt. as well as draining it for our source of whey for lacto fermented veggies.
Now that I realize that commercial yogurt is not GAPS legal, I plan to make my yogurt from milk–pasteurized and homogenized, forage fed milk. What can I say, we do the best we can with what we have available to us…
How long with raw yogurt last in the refrigerator? I have an opportunity to buy some close to date milk and I was going to make yogurt with it if it will last for several weeks.
thanks!
Several weeks if not a month or two. I’ve never had mine go bad even after 3 months. Raw yogurt is much longer lasting than pasteurized yogurt.
I thought the older the yogurt became, the less live active cultures. I’ve read you should make it weekly in smaller batches to ensure you are getting the most of these LAC. No?
You can get thick yogurt from raw milk. The GAPS book tells you how (though I don’t think it is raw milk specific.) Anyway, here is what I do – gently heat the milk to 110, I use my digital meat thermometer, add yogurt from the last batch (about 1/4 cup per quart.) I use mason jars. Then it goes in the oven for about 12 hours at 95, my kitchen aid oven has a “hidden” bread rise feature. (You press and hold 2 buttons at the same time.) I bet many newer ovens with an electronic control panel have something like this. Then I leave it on the counter for 12-24 hours. I’ve been making yogurt this way for about a year without a hitch and it comes out as thick as store bought yogurt without any thickeners!! My only complaint is I get almost no whey!!
Yes, you are right. You need to make a “pure” villi culture about every week or so.
When you get the culture from Cultures for Health, they explain it very well. It really isn’t hard to do at all.
Shari