This is how to make yogurt or Greek yogurt at home with just 2 ingredients. It makes a rich, creamy, healthier, and wholesome. Use it with granola, parfaits, cakes, and as well as other cooking or baking recipes.

Table of Content
Today, I share with you a recipe that my mom and grandmom have been using for years. In fact, my mom made yogurt almost every day of her life. To her, it was a part of her daily routine. Also, she did not use any special equipment or thermometers. I distinctly remember my mom's routine
- The milkman would bring milk at 7 pm every day.
- Then, she would take it to the stove and bring it to a boil. Leave it to cool.
- Once cooled, she'd divide the milk into three portions.
- She'd use leftover yogurt to make a fresh batch at night before she went to bed and left it by the stovetop.
- And, in the morning, she'd wake up at 6 am to make our lunch boxes, and she'd put the it in the fridge so it would be cold for breakfast.
Why make homemade yogurt?
- It needs only two ingredients!
- No special equipment is needed - yes, all you need is a bowl and whisk.
- It is so much more affordable to make at home rather than buy it at the store.
- Homemade yogurt is more healthier and nutrioius with active bio which is very good for your body.
- While the process takes time it really is fairly simple and easy.
- Scale the milk - 5 mins
- Cool to room temperature - 1 hour
- Add the active bio culture - 2 mins
- Keep in a warm place - 4 to 6 hours
- Store in the fridge - up to a week.

Ingredients and substitutes
- Milk -we prefer to use whole milk in our home for all things but you can use 1% or 2%. The difference is that whole milk will be a wonderfull thick luscious like you see in the picutres but skimmed milk will have more whey obviously because it lacks milk fat.
- Active bio culture - You can find freeze dried yogurt sachets on Amazon called Active Yogurt Culture. And yet, I strongly suggest you go to the nearest supermarket and look in the dairy aisle. There will be one that contains Active Bio Culture. Usually, they are labeled as BIO.
- Citric-acid - If you do not have active bio yogurt you can also use citric acid or freeze dried active culture.

Homemade yogurt (with yogurt starter)
- Scald - pour milk in a saucepan and heat on medium until it almost comes to a boil. (180°F or 82°C)
- Cool - Cool the milk to room temperature (110°F or 43°C). Pour the milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl but do not use aluminum.
Pro tip - You do not need a thermometer. Just leave it until it is barely warm similar to milk used for making bread. - Culture - Add the active yogurt to the milk and combine well with a whisk.
Pro 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. - Rest - 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.
Pro tip - Do not put the lid on tightly. The yeast in the milk needs to breathe. - Chill - After 4 to 6 hours, it should have been set. Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.
Pro tip - at this point the culture is set but leaving it in the fridge will help it mature better without becoming too sour.

Homemade yogurt without yogurt starter
- Scald - pour milk in a saucepan and heat on medium until it almost comes to a boil. (180°F or 82°C)
- Cool - Cool the milk to room temperature (110°F or 43°C). Pour the milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl but do not use aluminum.
Pro tip - You do not need a thermometer. Just leave it until it is barely warm similar to milk used for making bread. - Culture - Add the citric acid or freeze dried culture starter to the milk and combine well with a whisk.
Pro tip - Adding citric acid to hot milk will cause it to curdle so make sure the milk is at room temperature. - Rest - 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.
Pro tip - Do not put the lid on tightly. The yeast in the milk needs to breathe. - Chill - After 4 to 6 hours, it should have been set. Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.
Pro tip - at this point the culture is set but leaving it in the fridge will help it mature better without becoming too sour.

How to make Greek yogurt
- Scald - pour milk and cream in a saucepan and heat on medium until it almost comes to a boil. (180°F or 82°C)
- Cool - Cool the milk to room temperature (110°F or 43°C). Pour the milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl but do not use aluminum.
Pro tip - You do not need a thermometer. Just leave it until it is barely warm similar to milk used for making bread. - Culture - Add the active yogurt (or freeze dried active culture) to the milk and combine well with a whisk.
Pro 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. - Rest - 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.
Pro tip - Do not put the lid on tightly. The yeast in the milk needs to breathe. - Chill - After 4 to 6 hours, it should have been set. Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.
Pro tip - at this point the culture is set but leaving it in the fridge will help it mature better without becoming too sour.

How to make
- Low-fat yogurt is made exactly the same way as above using low-fat milk. (1% or 2%). Due to the lack of sufficient milk fat
- It may take longer for the culter to develop so instead of 4 to 6 it may take up to 8 or more hours
- The appearance of low-fat is that it can be thinner because it has more whey and less milk fat.
- Commercial low-fat-yogurts are thickened. You can thicken the low fat milk using no-fat milk powder or with a tiny amount of unflavored gelatin. Add to the milk while still cold then continue with the recipe as below.
- 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.
- Add 2 tablespoon fruit puree to 1 cup of homemade yogurt (or 1 cup puree to 4 cups yogurt)
- And, depending on the fruit you use, you may or may not need a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for sweetness.
- Yogurt drink - The most delicious way to use yogurt is in smoothies and yogurt drinks. Blend the following in a blender until smooth.
- 1 cup yogurt, (regular or Greek)
- 1 cup ice
- and 1 tablespoon honey, maple, or agave syrup.
- Add 1 cup chopped fruits to make an amazing fruit yogurt drink.
See all my milkshakes, smoothies and drinks

Frequently asked questions
Refrigerated homemade yogurt will last for you to 2 weeks. It tastes best in the first 4 to 5 days. However, as the active culture in yogurt ages, it starts to develop a sour taste. It is still edible and delicious and perfect to use in yogurt drinks, curries, and baked goods. Of course, you can use it to make more yogurt. Of course, yogurt is a great substitute for sour cream and perfect to make 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, it can take longer. Also, if my oven is cold in winter 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. Perfect temperature for making yogurt.
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 110 F. If you add culture to cold milk it may take longer to activate. In hot milk, the yogurt can actually expire which 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? Lukewarm almost room temperature. Usually the same temperature you would use to feed baby milk. Or 110 F similar to making bread.
Yes, you can. You can use all milk and follow the same process as above. Once the yogurt is ready and chilled strain the yogurt through a cheesecloth to remove the whey. The thick yogurt left in the cheesecloth is your Greek yogurt. By using cream increase the fat percentage which makes a thick yogurt that does not need to be strained.
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Printable Recipe
How to Make Yogurt or Greek Yogurt
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Ingredients
Make 4 cups
Yogurt with yogurt starter
- 4 cups (1 liter) Milk (whole, 1% or 2%)
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoon) Plain bioactive yogurt ((or 1 tablespoon freeze-dried starter) )
Homemade Yogurt without yogurt starter
- 2 cups (470 ml) Whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon Citric Acid
Greek Yogurt
- 2 cups (470 ml) Whole milk (3% (not skimmed) )
- 1 cup (240 ml) Whipping cream (28% to 39% )
- ¼ cup (4 tablespoon) Plain bioactive yogurt
Instructions
Homemade Yogurt with yogurt starter
- Scald - pour milk in a saucepan and heat on medium until it almost comes to a boil. (180°F or 82°C)
- Cool - Cool the milk to room temperature (110°F or 43°C). Pour the milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl but do not use aluminum.Pro tip - You do not need a thermometer. Just leave it until it is barely warm similar to milk used for making bread.
- Culture - Add the active yogurt to the milk and combine well with a whisk. Pro 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.
- Rest - 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.Pro tip - Do not put the lid on tightly. The yeast in the milk needs to breathe.
- Chill - After 4 to 6 hours, the yogurt should have been set. Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.Pro tip - at this point the culture is set but leaving it in the fridge will help it mature better without becoming too sour.
Homemade yogurt without yogurt starter
- Scald - pour milk in a saucepan and heat on medium until it almost comes to a boil. (180°F or 82°C)
- Cool - Cool the milk to room temperature (110°F or 43°C). Pour the milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl but do not use aluminum.Pro tip - You do not need a thermometer. Just leave it until it is barely warm similar to milk used for making bread.
- Culture - Add the citric acid or freeze-dried culture to the milk and combine well with a whisk. Pro tip - Adding citric acid to hot milk will cause it to curdle so make sure the milk is at room temperature.
- Rest - 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.Pro tip - Do not put the lid on tightly. The yeast in the milk needs to breathe.
- Chill - After 4 to 6 hours, the yogurt should have been set. Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.Pro tip - at this point the culture is set but leaving it in the fridge will help it mature better without becoming too sour.
Greek yogurt
- Scald - pour milk and cream in a saucepan and heat on medium until it almost comes to a boil. (180°F or 82°C)
- Cool - Cool the milk to room temperature (110°F or 43°C). Pour the milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl but do not use aluminum.Pro tip - You do not need a thermometer. Just leave it until it is barely warm similar to milk used for making bread.
- Culture - Add the active yogurt (or freeze-dried culture) to the milk and combine well with a whisk. Pro 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.
- Rest - 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.Pro tip - Do not put the lid on tightly. The yeast in the milk needs to breathe.
- Chill - After 4 to 6 hours, the yogurt should have been set. Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.Pro tip - at this point the culture is set but leaving it in the fridge will help it mature better without becoming too sour.
Recipe Notes
Tips for making homemade yogurt
- 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.
- 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 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon 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 tablespoon mashed mango flesh per cup yogurt - add 1 teaspoon honey if you want it sweeter.
- Banana Yogurt - ½ mashed banana flesh per cup yogurt - add 1 teaspoon 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 tablespoon strawberry jam per one cup yogurt
- Mixed berry yogurt - one tablespoon mixed berry jam per one cup yogurt
- Raspberry yogurt- one tablespoon 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
R.l
If your following the yogurt starter recipe how do you make it more sour? I'm trying to make a sour yogurt , do you Judy leave it out longer outside of the fridge ?
Veena Azmanov
Usually, you just leave it out longer to ferment. The longer it stays out the more mature (sour) it gets.
Ginger
Hello...can you use lemon juice instead of citric acid?
Veena Azmanov
I have not tried it with lemon juice, Ginger. So, can't say it will work.
Krista
The milk curdled as soon as I added the citric acid to a little bit of it as you said to. What did I do wrong?
Veena Azmanov
Krista. Sorry to hear that. Make sure the milk is not hot it will split with citric acid. The best and most flavorful yogurt is to make it with plain bio yogurt. Thanks
Krin
You mentioned that your mom would seperate the milk out into 3 batches. One batch for yogurt making. What were the other two batches used for?
Veena Azmanov
Yes, she made one batch for yogurt. One for general purposes like coffee and tea and the other was for use to drink. She'd make us golden milk with almond meal and turmeric powder
c
No this really does look easy! I have to try this! I've been wanting to try my hand at making yogurt but haven't tried it yet!
Veena Azmanov
Most people are surprised at how simple and easy it is to make homemade yogurt.
Celia Coleman
Hi Veena, can you tell me how much milk you use and how much yogurt. Starter batch..
Veena Azmanov
Celia. The recipe card below shows 4 cups milk with 1/4 cup bio yogurt. Thanks