Cuisinart Yogurt Maker: What You Need to Know
The short answer
The Cuisinart yogurt maker is the CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling. It makes one batch in a single 50-ounce container, lets you set the fermentation time from 1 to 24 hours, and then chills the yogurt on its own. You set time, not temperature. Cuisinart’s US product page now lists it as discontinued (checked October 2026).
Ultimate Gut is published by Ultimate Health Solutions, which sells a yogurt maker. We describe other machines only from what their makers publish.
What the Cuisinart yogurt maker is
Cuisinart’s CYM-100 product page describes a stainless steel base with a 50-ounce container, enough for “more than six 8-ounce servings,” a digital display that counts down the time, and a built-in cooling system that kicks in when fermentation ends. The page says it is BPA free and carries a limited 3-year warranty. It lists a replacement container lid and unit lid, but no price for the machine itself.
The details below come from that page and the CYM-100 instruction booklet Cuisinart links from it.
| Feature | What Cuisinart publishes |
|---|---|
| Model | CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling |
| Capacity | One 50-ounce (about 1.5-liter) container |
| Temperature | No temperature setting; the booklet gives no incubation temperature |
| Timer | Adjustable from 1 to 24 hours; default 8 hours |
| Cooling | Switches to cooling mode (“C”) after fermentation; yogurt reaches 43 to 52°F after 8 to 12 hours |
| Parts | Base with LED control panel, yogurt container and lid, housing lid, scoop, detachable cord |
| Cleaning | Container and both lids: warm soapy water or top rack of the dishwasher; wipe the base, never submerge it |
| Warranty | Limited 3 years |
| Price | Not listed by Cuisinart |
| Status | Listed as discontinued on Cuisinart’s US site, October 2026 |
Because it is discontinued, any unit you find now will likely be old stock or secondhand. The manual is still posted on Cuisinart’s page, which helps if you inherit one without paperwork.
How to use it, step by step
These steps follow the Cuisinart booklet.
- Heat the milk (optional, for thicker yogurt). Heat it to 180°F, or 160°F for some cultures, and hold it there for about 20 minutes if you like. Cool it to 110°F before adding culture. Cuisinart says to cut fermentation time by one to two hours when you do this.
- Add the culture. Stir in your starter, pour the mixture into the yogurt container and cover it with its lid.
- Assemble. Set the container in the base, add the housing lid and plug the unit in.
- Set the time. The default 8 hours flashes. Use + and – to change it, then press Start. The booklet suggests about 8 to 12 hours for direct-set cultures, up to 16 hours the first time with a reusable culture (then about 6 to 8 hours), and about 6 hours with store-bought yogurt as the starter.
- Let it cool. When time runs out, the display shows “C” and the unit cools the yogurt. It stays in cooling mode until you hold Stop for 3 seconds.
- Refrigerate. Turn the unit off and move the container to the fridge, or portion the yogurt with the scoop.
One caution on the cooling step: 43 to 52°F is warmer than the 40°F or lower that University of Illinois Extension recommends for storing yogurt. Treat cooling mode as a buffer for when you are away, and get the yogurt into the fridge when you can.
Cuisinart’s booklet says the yogurt is best within three days and keeps up to 8 days. Extension guides give a longer window of 10 to 21 days at 40°F or lower. Cuisinart’s figure is the more cautious one.
What it does well
- Hands-off finish. Letting yogurt sit warm after it sets makes it more acidic and can separate the whey, according to University of Alaska Fairbanks Extension. Automatic cooling helps when a batch finishes overnight or while you are out.
- Regular yogurt. The booklet describes the culture as thermophilic, meaning heat-loving. Standard yogurt cultures are what the machine is built for, and extension guides call for 108 to 115°F for 6 to 10 hours.
- One big batch. A single container suits people who strain yogurt thick. See how to make Greek yogurt with a yogurt maker.
- Easy cleaning. The container and both lids go on the top rack of the dishwasher.
What it can’t do: low-temperature and custom ferments
Different cultures like different temperatures. The FAO dairy manual says thermophilic cultures, used for yogurt, grow best at about 43°C (109°F), while mesophilic cultures grow best at about 30°C (86°F).
Lactobacillus reuteri sits lower than standard yogurt. In one lab study that fermented coconut milk at 31 to 43°C, the best conditions for L. reuteri viability were 37°C (about 99°F) for strain LR 92 and 34°C (about 93°F) for strain DSM 17938. That is one small lab study in coconut milk, not cow’s milk, but it explains why home L. reuteri recipes aim for about 99°F. Our L. reuteri guide covers the culture in more detail.
The CYM-100 gives you no way to pick 99°F. You could measure its temperature with a thermometer, but you can’t change it. If a culture runs cooler than it needs, setting takes longer and the yogurt is often thinner, as an Ask Extension expert explains. If it runs hotter, milk above 115°F can kill yogurt bacteria, according to UAF Extension. The timer also stops at 24 hours.
Room-temperature cultures are out too. The booklet says the machine uses thermophilic culture, as opposed to mesophilic culture, which is best suited to ferment at room temperature. And if you came here for frozen yogurt, Cuisinart’s frozen yogurt and ice cream makers are a different appliance; see our Cuisinart frozen yogurt recipe.
Who it suits
- Good fit: people who make regular yogurt with standard cultures, want one large batch and like the idea of automatic cooling.
- Poor fit: people who want to make L. reuteri yogurt or other low-temperature ferments, need more than 24 hours, or want individual jars.
- Worth knowing: because the model is discontinued, check that a used unit comes with both lids and a working cord. Replacement lids appear on Cuisinart’s page.
Alternatives by feature
If temperature control matters more than automatic cooling, these options cover the gap. Specs come from each maker’s own page, checked October 2026.
| Option | Temperature control | What the maker or guide says | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adjustable-temperature yogurt maker (example: Luvele Pure) | Yes | 78 to 122°F in 2°F steps, 36-hour timer, automatic switch-off, four ceramic jars totaling 1.5 liters; listed at $124.95 | L. reuteri and other low-temperature cultures, jar portions |
| Proofing box (example: Brød & Taylor Folding Proofer) | Yes | Dry proof mode 70 to 120°F; slow cook mode can go as low as 85°F for ferments over 12 hours | Yogurt plus bread proofing and other ferments |
| Multicooker yogurt setting (example: Instant Pot) | Varies by model | Electric pressure cookers can incubate yogurt if you follow the manufacturer’s instructions | People who already own one |
| Oven | Manual | Pre-warm to 200°F, turn it off, and switch it on briefly so it doesn’t drop below 100°F | Occasional batches, many jars |
| Cooler with warm water | Manual | Fill halfway with water around 120°F, set covered jars inside, close and wrap in a towel | No-machine batches |
Each of these has a fuller guide: Instant Pot yogurt, how to make yogurt in the oven and how to make yogurt without a yogurt maker. Whichever you choose, check the actual temperature with a thermometer; our yogurt temperature guide lists targets by culture.
In fairness to each: the Cuisinart chills the yogurt when time runs out, which neither the Luvele nor the Brød & Taylor information we read mentions. Both of those publish temperature ranges, which Cuisinart does not.
Related topics
- How to Incubate Yogurt: every way to keep a batch warm.
- Homemade Yogurt Machine: machine types and features compared.
- Non Electric Yogurt Maker: options that need no power.
- How Long to Incubate Yogurt: timing by culture and texture.
- How Long Does Homemade Yogurt Last: storage and when to toss it.
Sources
- Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling, CYM-100 (discontinued) (Cuisinart, product page checked October 2026)
- CYM-100 Electronic Yogurt Maker with Automatic Cooling instruction booklet (Cuisinart, linked from the CYM-100 product page)
- Making Yogurt at Home (University of Illinois Extension, 2024)
- Cascio J. Making Yogurt at Home (FNH-00062) (University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service, 2021)
- Small-Scale Dairy Farming Manual, Technology Unit 10.1: Starter cultures (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)
- Mauro CSI, Garcia S. Coconut milk beverage fermented by Lactobacillus reuteri: optimization process and stability during refrigerated storage (Journal of Food Science and Technology, 2019)
- Is 91 degrees warm enough to incubate homemade yogurt? (Ask Extension, 2018)
- Smith DK. Yogurt Made Simple (FS173E) (Washington State University Extension, 2015)
- Pure Yogurt Maker with ceramic jars, model LPYM300WUSA (Luvele, product page checked October 2026)
- Frequently Asked Questions: Folding Proofer & Slow Cooker (Brød & Taylor, checked October 2026)
