Homemade Yogurt – Just 2 ingredients (Greek Yogurt & Fruit Yogurt)
Making yogurt at home requires only two ingredients. While store-bought yogurt may be convenient, you can’t beat the rich, creamy and wholesome goodness of homemade yogurt. It is simple and easy to make, and much healthier because it contains an active bio-culture. Homemade Greek yogurt is made the same way as yogurt. Add fresh fruits to make homemade fruit yogurts. Or try pure honey and homemade granola with yogurt for a quick breakfast parfait.
Today I share with you a recipe that my mom and grandmom have been using for years. If you are from India, then your mom and grandmothers probably have been making yogurt in this way as well.
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. Back in those days, people used simple methods on a regular basis.
I distinctly remember my mom’s routine:
- The milkman would bring milk at 7 pm every day.
- Mom would take it to the stove and bring it to a boil, and leave it to cool.
- Then, she’d divide the milk into three portions, and she had specially designated milk pots – one was primarily for yogurt.
- She’d use yesterday’s leftover yogurt to make fresh yogurt at night before she went to bed and left it by the stovetop.
- In the morning she’d wake up at 6 am to make our lunch boxes, and she’d put the prepared yogurt in the fridge so it would be cold for breakfast.
How do you make yogurt at home?
I explain in detail below with progress pictures, and yet here is the process at a glance. You will see that it is easier than you imagined.
- 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.
Do I need any special equipment to make yogurt?
A neighbor recently decided she wanted to start eating healthy and bought this special Yogurt Maker.. She went and purchased a thermometer, a double boiler and some sachets of yogurt bacteria culture online. And yet, you don’t need any special equipment to make yogurt at home (you may choose to buy these, but you don’t need them) I make mine in simple mason jars.
I do not have a thermometer. Can I still make yogurt without a thermometer?
You don’t need a thermometer to make homemade yogurt. Similar to activating yeast all you need is to understand the temperature of the milk. When we say 115 F or room temperature it means lukewarm milk. If you stick your clean small finger in the milk and can keep it there comfortably for more than 30 secs – the milk is warm enough.
This is what my mom taught me – if you were to give baby milk? You would not give the baby cold or hot milk, right? Ask yourself is this milk temperature good for a baby? If the answer is yes, then the liquid is good for making yogurt (as well as for activating the yeast).
Let’s talk ingredients and substitute (save/pin)
- Milk – I prefer to use at least 3% milk – this will make a thicker and nicer yogurt than the skimmed version. I find that with the 1% there is not enough milk fat for the bacteria to work.
- Active bio culture – I know you can find these sachets on Amazon – they are calledActive Yogurt Culture. And yet, I strongly suggest 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 1/2 to 4 hours. I’m old-school, so I stick to the old method I know works for me every single time. - Heavy cream for Green-yogurt- If you plan to make Greek-style yogurt then, of course, you will need half milk and half heavy cream. I like to use at least 32% fat.
- Citric-acid (without yogurt starter)- If you do not have active bio yogurt you can also use citric acid.
Useful Tips and Tools
- Use a heavy bottom Sauce Pan to boil the milk that way the bottom won’t burn easily.
- You will need a small Bowl to mix the live bio yogurt first.
- A Whisk works better to ensure that the yogurt is well combined.
- I love to use Glass Jar or mason jars to make yogurt. You can also use stainless steel bowls with a lid so it’s easier for storage. The advantage of stainless storage containers is the yogurt says cool longer when outside.
How to Make Homemade Yogurt – with yogurt starter No-fail method (Save/Pin)
Ingredients can be found below in the recipe card with unit conversions
Method
- Place milk 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).
- Take half cup milk into a small separate bowl to help mix the yogurt properly.
- Pour remaining milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl – never use aluminum.
- Add your live bio yogurt to the half cup milk.
- Use a whisk to ensure it is correctly mixed thru.
- Combine the active bio milk to the remaining liquid in the jar.
- Again use a whisk and mix the milk well to ensure it’s all mixed well.
- Cover the jar with a lid and store in a warm place (like an oven) untouched for 4 to 6 hours.
- After 4 to 6 hours, the yogurt should have set.
- Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.
- Enjoy!
How do you make homemade Greek-yogurt?
Greek yogurt is made exactly the same way as homemade yogurt.
The only difference is that Greek-yogurt is thicker and has a higher fat percentage because we use half milk and half cream. The detailed recipe is in the recipe card below.
How to make homemade yogurt without a yogurt starter?
You can make yogurt without yogurt as well. Instead, we use citric acid.
I don’t use this method often because I always have active bio-yogurt on hand. So, I don’t have any progress pictures for you yet.
The recipe and methods are in the recipe card below.
How do you make homemade fruit yogurt?
It is straightforward and easy to make fruit yogurt at home. 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 do you make low-fat yogurt?
Low-fat yogurt is made exactly the same way as homemade yogurt.
The only difference is that low-fat yogurt is thinner and has a lower fat percentage because we use low-fat milk. The liquid content is higher and the texture is very runny. The detailed recipe is in the recipe card below.
Tips to help with homemade yogurt making
- Yogurt formation depends on the weather and climate conditions.
- In summer yogurt can be ready in as little as 4 hours while in winters it can take longer.
- Fresh yogurt has a milky taste. And 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 allow the bacteria to mature. It also tastes less like milk and more like yogurt. After 3 to 4 hours in the refrigerator, you will see that the yogurt has a sweet creamy and a slightly sour texture.
- This yogurt now has active live culture and can be used to make more yogurt. So mostly, you now have yogurt to make more yogurt.
Troubleshooting and Tips
My yogurt won’t set. Why?
For Yogurt to set two things are Important:
- Warmth – You have to keep the jar in a warm place.
Once you add the culture to the milk – you need to keep it a warm place – no moving no shaking. I find a warm oven switched off works best for this.
So, what I usually do is I turn the oven on at 30 C / 70 F for five minutes, so I know it’s warm. Then, I switch it off, and I place the yogurt jar in the oven (switched off) overnight. - Do not disturb – Do not touch the jar while the bacteria culture is doing its job. Leave it alone.
The milk is still milk after 8 hours in a warm place?
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
Tip – 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. 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.
My personal favorite is a fruit yogurt parfait with homemade granola and chopped fruits with a drizzle of honey
Growing up in India we always associated yogurt as being good for you, with lots of health benefits.
I remember my mom and grandmom always used it as a solution to several minor problems. If you eat a heavy meal? My mom would say, eat a little yogurt; it will help your stomach settle. Have an upset stomach? Eat a bowl of plain yogurt; the active culture will make it better.
Besides, have you have ever read what it says on your yogurt containers? Here’s an example:
Nonfat yogurt (cultured grade A non fat milk, modified food starch, fructose, kosher gelatin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3), water, blueberry puree, fructose, contains less than 1% of modified corn starch, natural flavor, blue 1, red 40, aspartame, potassium sorbate (to maintain freshness), acesulfame potassium, sucralose, malic acid, sodium citrate. (look at the fine print on your yogurt container)
Honestly, I started paying more attention to these labels ever since I have kids. I won’t lie – I often make yogurt at home, And yet we still do buy store bought yogurt often.
Temperature is very critical when making yogurt. You do not need any thermometer, and yet you have to be conscious of it.
Before you add the milk, the culture has to be slightly warm – almost like yeast! If it’s not warm, the culture won’t stay active.
What is the right temperature? Usually the same temperature you would use to feed baby milk. If you stick a clean finger in – it should feel warm, not hot / not cold.
Below you will see that I bring the milk to a boil then cool it to the temperature of just warm. Don’t ask me why, and yet this is a fool-proof method that works every single time. I notice when I boil the milk and then cool it – the yogurt never fails. Trust me
If stored well, refrigerated homemade yogurt will last for you to 2 weeks. It tastes best on 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.
As I said above, I grew up eating yogurt and never questioned this until I had kids and weight became an issue. But apparently, it’s better to eat yogurt made at home with active bio than store-bought with lots of additives. Right?
How to flavor yogurt at home?
- 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 silan 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 – 1/2 mashed banana flesh per cup yogurt – add 1 tsp honey if you want it sweeter.
My favorite snack during the day is Fruit yogurt using my homemade jam recipes.
- 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
Ways to add yogurt to your diet
- Fruit yogurt – To every cup of yogurt add two tablespoons of fruit puree.
For example – 2 tbsp strawberry puree to one cup plain yogurt makes strawberry yogurt. - Honey granola – Add plain yogurt to your granola and add a tbsp of honey. See my yogurt parfait here
- Cooking – You can also use it in any recipe that calls for plain yogurt.
- Make yogurt drinks – Similar to my Mango Lassi or Strawberry Yogurt Popsicle.
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. 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.
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Homemade Yogurt from Scratch Just 2 ingredients
Print Pin RateDescription
Equipment /Tools
Ingredients
Make 4 cups
For the yogurt
- 1 liter Whole milk
- 1/4 cup Plain bioactive yogurt
For Greek yogurt
- 500 ml Whole milk
- 500 ml Fresh Cream (32 – 38%)
- 1/4 cup Plain bioactive yogurt
Low-fat yogurt
- 500 ml low-fat milk
- 1/2 cup plain bioactive yogurt
Fruit Yogurt
- 4 cup homemade yogurt
- 1 cup Fruit puree
Homemade Yogurt without yogurt starter
- 500 ml Whole milk
- 1/4 tsp Citric Acid
Conversions – Switch between Metric & US for other measurement options
Instructions
Homemade Yogurt or Greek-yogurt
- 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).
- Take half cup milk into a small separate bowl to help mix the yogurt properly.
- Pour remaining milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl – never use aluminum.
- Add your active bio yogurt to the half cup milk.
- Use a whisk to ensure it is properly mixed thru.
- Combine the active bio milk to the remaining milk in the jar.
- Again use a whisk and mix the milk well to ensure it’s all mixed well.
- Cover the jar with a lid and store in a warm place (like the oven) untouched for 4 to 6 hours.
- After 4 to 6 hours, the yogurt should have set.
- Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.
- Enjoy!
Homemade yogurt without yogurt starter
- Place milk 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).
- Take half cup milk into a small separate bowl to help mix the yogurt properly.
- Pour remaining milk in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl – never use aluminum.
- Add the citric acid to the half cup milk and stir well – the milk will look curdled.
- Add this to the remaining milk in the jar.
- Again use a whisk and mix the milk well to ensure it's all mixed well.
- Cover the jar with a lid and store in a warm place (like the oven) untouched for 10 to 12 hours. Preferably overnight.
- After 10 to 12 hours, the yogurt should have set.
- Place it in the fridge and let chill for a couple of hours.
- Enjoy!
Homemade Greek-yogurt
- Combine fruit puree to the prepared yogurt and give it a good mix.
- Add honey or sugar if you need it sweeter.
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 longer
- 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 also tasteless milk and more like yogurt. After 3 to 4 hours in the fridge, you will see that the yogurt has a nice creamy and a slightly sour texture.
- This yogurt now has active live culture and can be used to make more yogurt. So essentially, you now have yogurt to make more yogurt.
About Videos – most recipes has two videos – a quick version in the post & longer detailed version on this recipe card. Sometimes a similar recipe video may be used. Please do subscribe to my channel if you like my videos
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
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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.
Traci
Yay…love yogurt and eat it everyday! Thanks for sharing this easy recipe 🙂
Veena Azmanov
Us too Traci. We have it every single day.
Tisha
OH MY GOSH!!! I love this, its so simple and only 2 ingredients is perfect! Plus you can customize it to how you want it!
Veena Azmanov
Yes, it is only two ingredients Tisha.
Lisa Bryan
Homemade yogurt is my fave! I love how I can control the ingredients and not have nasties like preservatives or added sugar. Thanks for the recipe!
Veena Azmanov
Absolutely Lisa. Especially when it’s as simple as yogurt.
Rose
Hi Veena,
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’ve been wanting to make yogurt forever and had been put off before by the overly complex yogurt kits. I remember when I was young my Persian friend’s mom used to make yogurt like this and it was delicious! I’d love to give it a try! I just have a couple questions I’m unclear about if you could help me out!
1. When you put the jar in the oven, you mentioned that you “cover” it. Are you covering it with the air tight seal that comes with the jar or are you just loosely covering it with a cloth or something?
2. You mentioned that you know the yogurt is done when it is “caked”. Are you frequently checking? Do you want to take it out as soon as it’s solid? Or do you want to leave it a bit longer after it’s just become solid? I guess I’m not sure how firm or solid is “done”.
3. How long can you keep this yogurt in the fridge for? Can you make a batch for the week or should it be fresh every couple days?
Thanks so much Veena! I’ve never made yogurt before so I would appreciate your help!
Veena Azmanov
Hey Rose,
1 No not an airtight container. you want it to breathe. I just place the jar partially.
2. As I explained in the post. You don’t want to leave it undisturbed for a few hours. Min 3.5 hours but sometimes it takes longer. In winter it takes 7 hours here. I usually make it at night before bed so it has the whole night undisturbed.
3. Yogurt it the fridge has a long shelf life… I’ve had mine for more than a week.. the bacteria continue to mature so it gets sourer over time.
Hope that helps.
Vidhi
Hi Veena,
Can we use epigania yogurt to make homemade yogurt? They have mentioned: ” active live cultures: S. Thermophilus, L. Bacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bugaricus”
Veena Azmanov
Hey Vidhi. If it says active live culture it should work. I highly recommend you try a small batch and see how it goes. Thanks
Jayla
My mom made yogurt using this method for years. Old school but so organic. Thanks for sharing Veena
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Jayla. happy to hear the recipe worked out well for you. Thanks for coming back to write this feedback. Love to hear from people who try my recipes. Have a nice day. Thanks
Shaun
I did not know it was so easy to make homemade yogurt!! Was so intrigued I tried it last week.!! OMG!! Thank you ! It worked.. There is nothing like fresh yogurt and I tasted it for the first time. Thank you for sharing all amazing recipes on your blog in such details.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Shaun – So happy to hear that you had great success with this recipe. Homemade is always the best of course. Glad you like my blog – thanks !
John
I stumbled upon your post while pinning your yogurt to one of our boards on Pinterest. Thank you for sharing this information. I had no idea you could make yogurt at home. I know it sounds silly, but where I grew up in the U.S. making homemade yogurt is not common knowledge. My wife and I will start making yogurt at home very soon. We will be sure to use the links (affiliate) in this post when we buy the products. Thanks again for sharing this excellent process!!
Veena Azmanov
You are very welcome John. I do make this at least once a week if not more. I love that it has the natural of active culture which is actually very good for your stomach and for loosing weight too. The homemade is of course not sweet like the super market brands so I add a bit of honey and my kids love it. Let me know who yours turns out. Just make sure to keep in a warm place untouched preferably over night.
mirembe prossy
Hello veena
Can you tell me the ingredients that i should ask wen i go to buy them
Veena Azmanov
Mirembe.. you just need to look for a yogurt that says it has active bio culture in it. Thanks
fab
thank you, i’ll try
greetins from México
Veena Azmanov
Thank you !
Arlene Mobley
Veena
I love making homemade yogurt but I haven’t made it in a long time. I am going to have to make some very soon. I have made it both ways. Using a store bought yogurt with live cultures and by buying the live yogurt cultures online. I have had better luck making homemade yogurt with store bought yogurt than with a live culture packet. And the yogurt turns out so much thicker with the store bought yogurt as the starter.
Veena Azmanov
I have always made yogurt with the store bought never with the started. So wondered how the started worked.. Now I know. I think I’ll stick to what I know works foolproof for me.
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
What an interesting read. I am into “homemade”, but will admit I have never tried making yogurt. We eat it all the time, so perhaps I should give it a try. I used to say the same thing about cranberry sauce….what’s the deal with homemade. Once I started making it….I NEVER went back to the bought stuff again.
Veena Azmanov
It’s really addictive Gloria.. I got it from my mom and my kids love it too.
Sarah @ The Fit Cookie
I’ve made some non-dairy yogurt in the past and I’ve had mixed results. Homemade dairy yogurt definitely is easier to make than non-dairy! But I need to try making some again since it is so good for my digestive health
Veena Azmanov
You must try again Sarah
Julia
Great idea to use live yogurt instead of sachets, I never even thought of that. Thank you!
Veena Azmanov
Absolutely Julia.. has always worked for me.
Fatima Mohammed
Hello veena.Can one use powder milk.
Celeste
fATIMA, You can but it doesn’t work as well. It’s better to use “real” milk and add in powdered milk if you want to have a higher protein (but really, there’s plenty of protein already.) Also, if you are using skim or 1% milk, it is recommended to add in powdered milk as well (not made up! just the powder added to the skim milk). But tastewise, I don’t think you can beat making it with fresh, whole milk. Good luck!
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Celeste
Manu Radha Anand Ramachandran
Hi Veena, amazing how something we all take for granted as part of our daily routine. .setting curd for the next day' meal is considered a skill. Must start this again …living in the Gulf have stopped setying yoghurt at home. TThank you
Adrian
I never thought this was possible… making homemade yogurt. But I have made it four times very successfully. The yogurt is so fresh. You can actully feel the taste is unique… thank you so much.. Nice blog.. I will come back for more..
Adriane
Anonymous
Very touching, no woman can read this and not understand her feelings…. I am glad you have recovered your self worth again Zoya. You are special, unique and a mother. You are valuable to your children, and I know they surely love you although they might not have been brought up to say so. Above all, God loves you and I pray He reveals His GREAT love for you. Keep being a great supportive wife and mother. God bless you.
Anonymous
Hello Veena,
My name is Zoya. My English not very good. I am first of three wives to my husband. I marry 24 years ago when I was only 15 years age and I don’t know to cook. My kids all big now. So I feel very lonely at home. My daughter show me some nice things some time on the internet, and one day I find your blog with all cakes and recipes. I like very much, so I try my first cake. It was very good, everybody enjoy. My husband and kids praise me so I do more cakes. For my daughter birthday I make a simpe barbie cake with buttercream, not as nice like you but everybody like it very much. My husband business not doing well last year so I make some cake to sell, people like my cake taste so I get more oder from friend and far away family. Because I help with money my husband also come close to me and appreciate me.
Now you start new blog and I try almost all recipe – now a days kids more modern so they like modern food. My kids enjoy your quiche, bread and rice I make. I also make the ice cream and they like very much.
Veena I want to say thank you to you so much. You bring lite to my life. I only 39 of age but my husbadn was busy with new wife/ my kids all big so I feel my lie all over and no one want me. you show me a way to be happy again. you bring my husband and kids close to me again. I read about you and your family and I am happy you have loving husband and beautiful kdis. Your daughter very lucky to be born to you. You show her self respect.
I pray every day to Al-lah for you. I know that some day you become very successful. You share with open heart and don’t ask any in return. I see people write mean comment and breaks my heart. I want you to shae this on your facebook so people can see that what you do make a difference to peopel life.
Love to you from my family. Thank you for helping me support my husband.
Zoya
Veena Azmanov
Than you Zoya. I replied to you privately already so will not repeat here. Thank you so much for this comment. Really means a lot to me.
Swarna
Hi Veena,
I think you mean 4 cups milk in the ingredients, not 4 cups yogurt. Ya, I think making yogurt everyday is common in most Indian homes.
Swarna.
Veena Azmanov
That’s true..Thanks Swarna.