DIY: Homemade Greek Yogurt
I’ve had an on-again, off-again relationship with yogurt for the past ten years or so. I eat it in spurts, and began eating it after college when I worked in an office as breakfast or an afternoon snack. It wasn’t until much later when I began learning more about sugar, aspartame and added ingredients, that I realized that my fruit-flavored yogurt wasn’t really all that good for me at all. I’ve tried plain yogurt a couple of times in the recent past, but I really didn’t care much for the taste at all. I started adding honey, but really didn’t want to add extra sweetener, as I felt it defeated the purpose of eating plain yogurt. This summer, my taste buds did a 360. I tried the plain yogurt again with fresh fruit, and voila! Somehow, I liked it and didn’t feel the need for any additional sweetener. Naturally, my next step was to make it at home.
This was my first successful homemade dairy product, and I was beyond thrilled! I’ve tried mozzarella more than a couple of times now, and have yet to achieve great results. The yogurt really could not have been easier to make. Simply heat up milk in a saucepan, let it cool down, whisk in a little bit of plain yogurt as a starter, then let it incubate and work its magic. For true Greek-style yogurt, the yogurt is strained of the whey so that it’s even thicker and creamier.
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I thought this yogurt was absolutely fantastic. Thick, creamy, tangy and the perfect flavor. You could even stir in 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract for additional flavor, if you’d like. While a few recipes that I found called for dry milk powder as an optional ingredient, I chose to leave it out. I wanted more of a pure, clean product, and was very happy with these results.
This summer, I’ve been pairing my plain yogurt with either mango or nectarine, and a handful of pistachios. I love having it for breakfast, as it keeps me full for a pretty long time. What’s your favorite way to enjoy yogurt?
One year ago: Peach Strudel and Malted Milk Chocolate Chip, Peanut & Pretzel Oatmeal Cookies
Two years ago: Honey Fig Scones and Bread and Butter Pickles
Three years ago: Lemon Bars and Artichoke Spinach Dip
Four years ago: Potato-Bacon Torte and Blueberry-Buttermilk Scones
Five years ago: Croissants
Six years ago: Ranch Pretzels
DIY: Homemade Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 4 cups (944 ml) low-fat milk, not ultra-pasteurized
- ¼ cup (50 g) plain 2% Greek yogurt
Instructions
- 1. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large glass bowl; set aside. Heat the milk over medium-low heat (do not stir while heating), until the milk reaches 185 degrees F. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 160 degrees F. Strain the milk through the prepared strainer and let cool, gently stirring occasionally, until the milk registers 110 to 112 degrees F.
- 2. In a small bowl, gently stir about ½ cup of the warm milk into the yogurt until smooth. Stir the yogurt mixture back into the milk. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and poke several holes in the plastic. Place the bowl in the oven and turn on the oven light, creating a warm environment of 100 to 110 degrees F. Let the yogurt sit undisturbed until thickened and set, 5 to 7 hours. Transfer the bowl to the refrigerator until completely chilled, at least 3 hours.
- 3. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a 4-cup or 8-cup measuring cup and line with a double layer of coffee filters or cheesecloth. Transfer the yogurt to the prepared strainer, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until about 2 cups of liquid have drained into the measuring cup, about anywhere from 4 to 8 hours (I left mine for a long time and it plateaued at about 1.5 cups).
- Transfer the strained yogurt to an airtight container or jar, discarding the strained liquid. The yogurt can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I eat a lot of Greek yogurt, almost every morning; your yogurt looks absolutely perfect! This summer, I’ve been pairing my plain yogurt with either mango or nectarine, and a handful of pistachios.
I made this about 8 years ago when I caught a recipe from a magazine and wished I had saved that recipe. I bet yours is delicious!
I tried this and it worked! So happy. Yogurt was smooth and creamy. It wasn’t as sharp tasting as the store version which was good for me. I had been trying to make a Vietnamese yogurt (made with sweetened condensed milk) for the past 6 months but it was always too runny. I was gearing up for another round to get it right when I saw your post. Bam! I got yummy yogurt. I did stir in about a 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk so I got my Vietnamese yogurt just in opposite order as my previous attempts. What a confidence booster of a recipe. Thanks again!
Topped with some good granola and a fresh peach is my favorite way lately. And save that whey — it’s a great substitute for buttermilk on pancakes. I keep a jar in the freezer and add more each time I make yogurt.
I should really make my own yogurt. We eat so much Greek Yogurt I’m still surprised I haven’t attempted to make my own. Need to change that!
I didn’t realize it was that easy. I have been eating yogurt, granola, and fruit for breakfast the past couple weeks… but before that, I really never ate yogurt.
I soooo need to try this!!
How is this making Greek yogurt if one of the ingredients is that?
I’ve been thinking of making yogurt for quite a while, and now your creamy yogurt has totally inspired me!
Does anyone know – once you’ve made your yogurt, can you use it in your next batch of yogurt to replace the 1/4 cup plain 2% Greek yogurt in the original recipe?
Yes. And you can do this batch after batch.
Hi Margee, I have seen advice go both ways for this, but I am using my own as the starter and haven’t had an issue yet!
You can skip the straining part if you add a little powdered milk to the milk as it heats up and then hold the temperature of the milk as it heats on the stove at around 180 for about 20 minutes. I also like to add a vanilla bean and seeds to the milk as it warms to give the plain yogurt a bit of a vanilla taste. My yogurt maker with a digital timer is one of my favorite kitchen gadgets. :)
I know you’re having issues with your mozzarella. I just made it last night, and it turned out well. The recipe I followed was very specific that pasturized milk often results in failed mozzarella. I’m not sure if you’ve tried unpasturized milk, but that might help.
Hi Kerry, Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find unpasteurized milk. The closest I got was a pasteurized, non-homogenized, low-processed milk, but that didn’t work out well either :-/
I used to work in a bakery that made (ie I made for them) homemade yogurt. I also would take their incubators home on the weekends and make batches of it just for me! I loved it and it was such a therapeutic activity for me. I should totally buy an incubator and start doing that again!
Don’t discard the liquid! Use the whey instead of milk or water in pancakes or bread recipes. You can freeze for future use too.
My breakfast of late has been Greek yogurt (honey or vanilla) with fresh peaches, blueberries, and bananas topped with a few chia seeds and some granola. I just had some Tzatziki at my favorite Greek restaurant and I’m pretty sure they used Greek yogurt for the base – very refreshing!
I’ve been wanting to make yogurt for a long time, and when the Greek yogurt became popular I then wanted to make that instead of the regular. One day I will get the motivation to try it!
I eat Greek yoghurt every day for lunch over whatever fresh fruit I have — bananas, melon, peaches, berries. I’m eager to try this recipe out! Looks fabulous! Thanks, Michelle!
My husband eats SO much Greek yogurt. This will come in handy!
I LOVE Greek yogurt and eat it and bake with it all the time. I’ve never made my own, and I’ll bet it tastes phenomenal. Looks delicious!
I didn’t know yogurt was something you could make at home :).
I LOVE that first picture.
I would love to try this for end end project and I keen to try the whey in baked goods! It seems to be very nutritious!
Yours looks so creamy, I would could I get the same results with other animal milk like goat?
Hi Belinda, I have never used goat milk, so unfortunately I can’t say for sure how the results would be affected.
We had 2 goats when raising our 5 kids. They drank a lot of milk but it was still more than we needed so I made yogurt by the gallon! Goat milk makes lovely yogurt. I’ve also done it with sheep milk when we had a ewe that lost her babies but we wanted to keep her from drying up on case we’d have an orphan lamb later.
Like Leia I also keep the whey and use it to bake bread instead of the buttermilk in the recipe I use. It is very high in protein and it makes for a very moist, light loaf!
Right, Indacampo, the whey is too valuable to throw out. And it DOES make for moister baked goods. All of you ladies need to try it when you make your yogurt. I even save it when making Ricotta, it has a lemon bite to it, but isn’t all that noticeable in many baked goods.
Definetely want to try this. I thought you needed a yogurt maker and starter to make yogurt. Thanks for the post.
Guess what?? Homemade yogurt is a snap, but don’t throw away the liquid-that is whey. I use it in breads in place of water and in biscuits in place of milk. It is very good for you, no need to pitch it down the drain.
Next try homemade Ricotta…also a breeze to make.
I haven’t had any luck with homemade ricotta. What’s your method?
I have had success making Anne Burrell’s recipe for ricotta from Food Network. I make it with Lactaid milk and use it to make stuffed shells, lasagna, etc for my lactose intolerant husband.
This is the recipe I use, only I double it to make more all at once. I hope Michelle doesn’t mind if I am posting from another bloggers site.
http://www.portuguesegirlcooks.com/2012/08/homemade-ricotta-cheese/
Good luck, just follow the instructions and be sure to have a thermometer.
Thank you!
Thanks for your comment, Meg!
I was going to ask what we might do with the whey other than throwing it out. I was thinking adding some to cream soups?
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it. I wonder, since there is so much protein in whey… Does Greek yogurt have less protein than regular yogurt?
We go through so much Greek yogurt around here, it would be nice to learn how to make it. I think the step by step pics are great! They are always more helpful to me when doing recipes!
Oh my gosh, you made that yourself?! Fab!
Thank you so much for posting a recipe for DIY Greek Yogurt! I love Greek yogurt but since it is more expensive, I tend to shy away from it and only buy it when it is on sale. I will definitely be trying this recipe out very shortly!
I like my plain yogurt with homemade granola. Yum!
Your yogurt looks absolutely perfect! I’ve never made yogurt, but I make kefir (vegan, with coconut milk) and kombucha and have pickled and fermented tons of things but I’ve never done yogurt. Not sure why! Needs to change!
I eat a lot of Greek yoghurt, almost every day. Mostly I eat it with blueberries, but it’s fantastic with a coulis de cassis (black currant) or in winter, just with a tablespoon of maple syrup. I’ve made my own yoghurt before, I even have a yoghurt maker – time to dig it out again…..