Homemade Greek yogurt is similar to the classic yogurt. But, this is thicker, creamier, and of course richer. Use it for breakfast with fruit purees, granolas, parfaits, as well as an ingredient in your favorite recipes.
Table of Content
If you've never made yogurt before, then you will be surprised to know that it uses only 2 ingredients. Milk and yogurt. And, if you want to make Green yogurt you need 3 ingredients - milk, cream, and yogurt.
The interesting fact about making yogurt is that you need to have a little yogurt with (active culture) to make more yogurt. Yes, a tablespoon of yogurt has enough bacteria to reproduce a whole jar of more yogurt bacteria. BUT you do need that initial bio-culture.
Many yogurt products in the supermarket contain live active bacteria cultures like lactobacillus acidophilus, which help ferment milk; making it thicker. And, this bacteria culture also has lots of health benefits. Also, you can get yogurt with an active bacteria culture. So, even if you do not make yogurt at home, next time you buy a supermarket yogurt look for one that says bio and contains active bacteria culture.
The process of making yogurt is also very simple.
- Heat the milk to an almost boil.
- Cool the liquid to room temperature.
- Add the active bio yogurt to the milk.
- Cover and keep in a warm place for 4 to 6 hours.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Milk - I prefer to use at least 3% milk - this will make a thicker and nicer yogurt than the skimmed version.
- Heavy cream - I like to use at least 32% fat. In fact, the higher the fat the thicker your Greek yogurt will be.
- Active bio culture - I know you can find sachets on Amazon - they are called Active Yogurt Culture. And yet, I strongly recommend you go to the nearest supermarket and look in the yogurt aisle. There will be a yogurt that contains Active Bio Culture. Usually, they are labeled as BIO.
The difference is, that these sachets make yogurt much quicker - I think as little as 30 to 45 mins. While using my method with the live culture yogurt - it takes 3 ½ to 4 hours. And, I'm old-school, so I stick to the old method I know works for me every single time. - Citric-acid (without yogurt starter)- And, if you do not have active bio yogurt you can also use citric acid.
Step by step instructions
- Place milk and cream in a saucepan and heat on medium until almost comes to a boil.
- Turn the heat off and let cool to room temperature (115 F).
Tip - You do not need a thermometer. The milk should be warm like when feeding a baby or when making bread. - Pour the milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl - never use aluminum.
Tip - Never use aluminum for marination or when using yeast as it causes oxidation. - Add the yogurt to the milk and combine well with a whisk.
Tip - I like to take half a cup of milk in a bowl and add the yogurt. Use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Then add this to the rest of the milk. - Cover the milk jar with a clean kitchen cloth or paper hand towel and store in a warm place untouched for 4 to 6 hours.
Tip - Do not put the lid on tightly. The yeast in the milk needs to breathe. - After 4 to 6 hours, the yogurt should have set. Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.
Fruit yogurt
It is straightforward and easy to make fruit yogurt at home. In fact, all you need is fruit puree or fresh finely chopped fruits. I add 1 cup fruit puree to 4 cups of homemade yogurt. And, depending on the fruit you use, you may or may not need a drizzle of honey.
How to make a yogurt drink
The most delicious way to use yogurt is in smoothies and yogurt drinks. All you need is one cup yogurt, one cup ice, and a dash of honey or agave syrup. Then, give it a good whiz in the blender and voila! You have a fantastic yogurt drink. Add one cup fruit, and now you have a tremendous fruit yogurt drink.
Frequently asked questions
If stored well, refrigerated homemade yogurt will last for you to 2 weeks. It tastes best in the first four days. However, as the active culture in yogurt ages, it starts to develop a sour taste. It is still edible and delicious but best used as an ingredient in yogurt drinks, curries, and baked goods. I usually make my next batch of yogurt on the fourth day of the previous batch. And I love using aged yogurt in my chocolate cakes.
For Yogurt to set two things are Important:
Warmth - Once you add the culture to the milk - you need to keep it a warm place - no moving no shaking. I find a warm switched off oven works best for this.
In winter, my oven is often cold. So, I turn the oven on at 30 C / 70 F for five minutes. Then, I switch it off, and I place the yogurt jar in the oven overnight.
Do not disturb - Do not touch the jar while the bacteria culture is doing its job. Leave it alone. No peaking.
The yogurt bacteria needs to be added to room temperature milk no less than 115 F. If you add culture to cold milk or hot milk, the yogurt will die means the milk will remain milk even after 8 or 10 hours.
Temperature is very critical when making yogurt. You do not need any thermometer, and yet you have to be conscious of it.
What is the right temperature? Usually the same temperature you would use to feed baby milk. Or 110 F similar to making bread
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Printable Recipe
Homemade Greek Yogurt - 2 ingredients
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Ingredients
Make 4 cups
- 2 cups (500 ml) Whole milk
- 2 cups (500 ml) Fresh Cream (32 - 38%)
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) Plain bioactive yogurt
Instructions
- Place milk and cream in a saucepan and heat on medium until almost comes to a boil.
- Turn the heat off and let cool to room temperature (115 F).Tip - You do not need a thermometer. The milk should be warm like when feeding a baby or when making bread.
- Pour the milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl - never use aluminum.Tip - Never use aluminum for marination or when using yeast as it causes oxidation.
- Add the yogurt to the milk and combine well with a whisk. Tip - I like to take half a cup of milk in a bowl and add the yogurt. Use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Then add this to the rest of the milk.
- Cover the milk jar with a clean kitchen cloth or paper hand towel and store in a warm place untouched for 4 to 6 hours.Tip - Do not put the lid on tightly. The yeast in the milk needs to breathe.
- After 4 to 6 hours, the yogurt should have set. Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.
Recipe Notes
Tips for making homemade Greek yogurt
- Do not boil the milk and cream too much. You want it to come to an almost boil. If you overheat cream it can split or curdle meaning the fat can separate.
- Yogurt formation depends on the weather and climate conditions.
- In summer yogurt can be ready in as little as 4 hours while it winters it can take as long as 6 to 8 hours at room temperature.
- Fresh yogurt has a milky taste as it continues to mature it will start to get sour.Â
- Â When yogurt is ready, it's best to let it set in the fridge for a couple of hours more to let the bacteria mature. It will also taste less milky and more like yogurt.
After 3 to 4 hours in the fridge, you will see that the yogurt has a nice creamy and slightly sour texture. - The prepared yogurt now has an active live culture and can be used to make more yogurt. So essentially, you now have yogurt to make more yogurt.
How to flavor homemade yogurt?
- Honey yogurt - One tablespoon honey per one cup yogurt
- Honey vanilla - one tbsp honey, 1 tsp vanilla per one cup yogurt
- Maple Yogurt - One tablespoon maple syrup per one cup yogurt.
- Date yogurt with Silan - One tablespoon silane or date honey per one cup yogurt
- Mango yogurt - 2 tbsp mashed mango flesh per cup yogurt - add 1 tsp honey if you want it sweeter.
- Banana Yogurt - ½ mashed banana flesh per cup yogurt - add 1 tsp honey if you want it sweeter.
Fruit yogurt with jam is a perfect mid-day snack.
- Blueberry yogurt - One tablespoon blueberry jam per one cup yogurt
- Strawberry yogurt - one tbsp strawberry jam per one cup yogurt
- Mixed berry yogurt - one tbsp mixed berry jam per one cup yogurt
- Raspberry yogurt- one tbsp raspberry jam per one cup yogurt
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
myhomegrocers
Awesome article! It is in detail and well formatted that i enjoyed reading. which inturn helped me to get new information from your blog.
Sandra
I made the yogurt last night, super easy. It is a little runny but it just went into the fridge. It does taste better, sweeter that the store one. I just found your site, going thru it today. Many things that I want to make, thanks!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Sandra. The water is whey that gets separated from the fat in the yogurt. The percentage of fat will determine the amount of water. If you use full-fat milk there will be less whey/water. Low fat milk will have more whey/water. I hope that makes sense.
Sandra
I have had twice now, the cold yogurt. And I am dancing a happy dance: delicious!!! I should say that I failed at the first attempt (different recipe, I think I heated it too much), so don’t be discouraged. Veena, thank you. Today I’m going to try it with goat milk!
Veena Azmanov
Ah, I am so happy to hear that, Sandra. Thank you for the lovely feedback.
Ayo
Hi can i use powdered milk to make my yogurt?
Veena Azmanov
I have not tried it but, yes, you can make yogurt with powdered milk. Heat the milk to almost boil, then cool to room temperature, Add 2 tbsp yogurt for every one cup milk. It should take 8 to 10 hours. Let me know how it was