Making yogurt at home requires only two ingredients. And, while store-bought yogurt may be convenient, you can't beat the rich, creamy, and wholesome goodness of homemade yogurt. Use it with granola, parfaits, and other favorite recipes.
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. Then, leave it to cool.
- Once cooled, she'd divide the milk into three portions. In fact, she had specially designated milk pots that never got touched with any curry or spices.
- She'd use yesterday's leftover yogurt to make fresh yogurt 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 prepared yogurt in the fridge so it would be cold for breakfast.
Her process for making yogurt is very simple
- First, heat the milk to a boil (she used raw milk so boiling was important).
- Next, cool the liquid to room temperature (cooling is important for yeast activation).
- Then, add the active bio yogurt to the milk (which was yesterdays leftover yogurt).
- Cover and keep in a warm place for 4 to 6 hours (because yeast multiplies better when left alone in a warm dark place).
- And, when set, keep refrigerated (yogurt taste better when cold but cooling also prevent the yeast from maturing too fast so it does not become too sour).
Ingredients and substitutes
- Milk - I prefer to use at least 3% milk - this will make a thicker and nicer yogurt than the skimmed version. Also, 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 sachets on Amazon - they are called Active 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 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) - If you do not have active bio yogurt you can also use citric acid.
Step by step instructions (pin)
- Place milk (and cream) in a saucepan and heat on medium until almost comes to a boil.
- Then, 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. - Next, 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.
Yogurt without a yogurt starter
You can also make yogurt without yogurt as well. Instead, we use citric acid. However, I don't use this method often because I always have active bio-yogurt on hand.
- 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 citric acid 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 citric acid. 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.
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.
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 of yogurt, one cup of 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 of fruits, and now you have an amazing fruit yogurt drink. See all my milkshakes, smoothies and drinks
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
You may also like
- Homemade Greek yogurt
- Yogurt parfait
- Breakfast Granola recipes
- Breakfast pancakes and waffles
- Healthy sugar-free granola bars
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Description
Ingredients
Make 4 cups
For the yogurt
- 4 cups (1 liter) Whole milk
- ¼ cup (4 tbsp) Plain bioactive yogurt
Low-fat yogurt
- 1 cup (250 ml) low-fat milk
- ½ cup (8 tbsp) plain bioactive yogurt
Fruit Yogurt
- 4 cups (1 liter) homemade yogurt
- 1 cup (250 g) Fruit puree
Homemade Yogurt without yogurt starter
- 2 cups (500 ml) Whole milk
- ¼ tsp Citric Acid
Instructions
Homemade 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).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.
Homemade yogurt without yogurt starter
- 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 citric acid 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 citric acid. 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 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 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
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.