Description
This Homemade Greek Yogurt recipe guides you through turning simple milk and a bit of plain yogurt into thick, creamy Greek yogurt with live active cultures. By heating, incubating, and straining the yogurt at home, you achieve a tangy, delicious yogurt that’s creamy and perfect for breakfast, cooking, or snacking.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 8 cups 2% or whole milk (preferably whole for a creamier yogurt)
- ½ cup plain yogurt with live active cultures
Instructions
- Heat the Milk: Pour the milk into a large saucepan and heat it over medium heat until it reaches 185°F. Use a kitchen thermometer to monitor the temperature, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming and to ensure even heating. Once it reaches 185°F, remove the saucepan from the heat.
- Cool the Milk: Allow the milk to cool down to 110°F. To speed up cooling, place the saucepan in an ice bath, stirring gently to help temperature drop evenly.
- Mix Yogurt Starter: Take about 1 cup of the cooled milk and mix it with the ½ cup plain yogurt in a small bowl until smooth and well blended.
- Combine Mixture: Pour the yogurt and milk mixture back into the saucepan containing the rest of the milk and stir gently to combine thoroughly.
- Cover and Incubate: Transfer the milk mixture into a container or bowl. Cover it with a lid or a clean kitchen towel. Place the container in a warm environment maintaining a temperature of about 110°F such as an oven with the light on, a yogurt maker, or a warm spot in your kitchen.
- Let Yogurt Set: Allow the mixture to incubate for 6 to 12 hours depending on your preferred tanginess; the longer it incubates, the tangier and thicker it becomes.
- Strain the Yogurt: To make traditional Greek yogurt, strain the thickened yogurt using a cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel placed over a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl.
- Drain Excess Whey: Pour the yogurt into the strainer and let it drain for at least 2 hours until your desired thickness is achieved.
- Store: Transfer your homemade Greek yogurt to a sealed container and refrigerate. Consume within 1 to 2 weeks for best freshness and flavor.
Notes
- Using whole milk will result in creamier Greek yogurt, but 2% milk works as well.
- The incubation time affects tanginess: longer incubation yields tangier yogurt.
- Make sure the incubating environment stays consistently warm at about 110°F for best results.
- Straining can be adjusted to your preferred thickness; the longer you strain, the thicker the yogurt.
- Always use plain yogurt with live active cultures as a starter for successful fermentation.
- Save some finished yogurt as a starter for your next batch to ensure consistent results.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 hours (including incubation and straining)
- Category: Dairy
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: Greek
Keywords: homemade Greek yogurt, Greek yogurt recipe, yogurt from scratch, homemade yogurt, straining yogurt, creamy yogurt, probiotic yogurt
