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Easy Homemade Yogurt

Yogurt topped with strawberries and granola
Photo Credit
Getty Images
Catherine Boeckmann
Yield
4 cups
Category
Meatless
Course
Breakfast & Brunches
Desserts
Special Considerations
Meatless
Preparation Method
Simmer
Credit
The Old Farmer's Almanac for Kids
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Yes, it’s worthwhile to make your own yogurt—and ridiculously easy! Homemade yogurt tastes better and is healthier and more cost-effective, too. Here is a simple recipe for DIY yogurt that requires only two ingredients.

To make yogurt, you need milk and a few tablespoons of plain cultured yogurt. 

  • For milk, you may use whole milk or 2% milk (we prefer 2%; whole makes a thicker yogurt). You can also use non-fat dairy, soy, or whatever kind of milk you like. Just avoid “ultra-pasteurized” milk.
  • For the yogurt, you need 1/4 cup of plain organic yogurt with live active cultures to start out; you’ll see the list of cultures in the ingredients. 

Why buy yogurt to make more yogurt? We are basically making a “starter” which ferments overnight to magically turns into much more yogurt! The taste is tangy, rich, and more natural without extra sugars or preservatives; it’s fermented and healthy for your gut; you can customize it to your type of milk and control the ingredients. It’s a fraction of the cost of store-bought. Plus, it’s satisfying! Show kids how a small amount of yogurt can transform into more yogurt.

Then, top your homemade yogurt with natural fruit or granola. If you want to sweeten it, stir a little bit of honey or maple syrup into individual servings. Another option is to strain your yogurt for a thicker, creamier Greek-style yogurt. 

You can also use this yogurt as an ingredient in other dishes, from a Tzatziki dip to a Yogurt-Blueberry Parfait dessert. See more recipes using yogurt. 

Once you have made your first batch, you only need a few spoonfuls of yogurt from this batch to start new batches. When you see the yogurt get too runny, it’s time to start again with a new yogurt starter. If you get really into making your own yogurt, you can also buy live yogurt cultures online.

Ingredients
1⁄4 cup plain yogurt containing active cultures
1 quart whole milk (or any milk you'd like)
Instructions

Kitchen Tools Needed

Before you get started, have your kitchen pots and equipment gathered.

  • large pot with a lid 
  • wooden spoon 
  • ladle 
  • bowl 
  • whisk 
  • kitchen towels 
  • sterilized jar/container with lid 
  • optional: food-grade thermometer 

Instructions

  1. Pour the milk into the large pot (with a heavy bottom) and put on the stove over medium heat. Hold the thermometer in the milk and heat to 180 to 200°F, stirring gently with a wooden spoon to keep the milk from burning or boiling. (This is when it helps to have a food thermometer.)
  2. Remove the pot from the heat and let the milk cool to 115°F. Stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming on top.  
  3. Ladle in the yogurt with live cultures and mix well.
  4. Cover the pot with its lid, wrap it in a couple of towels, and place it in the oven, but do not turn the oven on. Close the oven door. 
  5. Leave for 4 hours to overnight so that the curd can form.
  6. After 4 hours (or overnight), taste-test the yogurt. Do this tasting every 15 minutes until it has a flavor and consistency you like. (For thicker yogurt, pour through a wire-mesh colander over a bowl until the yogurt stops dripping through.)
  7. Remove the pot from the oven and whisk the yogurt once more. 
  8. Transfer the yogurt to a clean jar or container with a lid and refrigerate. It will stay fresh for about 2 weeks. 
About The Author

Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann loves nature, stargazing, and gardening so it’s not surprising that she and The Old Farmer’s Almanac found each other. She leads digital content for the Almanac website, and is also a certified master gardener in the state of Indiana. Read More from Catherine Boeckmann
 

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Comments

SD (not verified)

5 months 1 week ago

Good heavens, let's keep simple things simple!

We use non-homogenized whole milk only.....no, the fat/cholesterol does not kill you if you use it correctly. Bring the whole milk to a boil and let it cool down completely and then repeat the cycle one more time. This separates the fat from the milk and whole milk that is pretty much low/no fat but without the loss of richness and taste.

Now to making the yogurt. No tools required other than a container to hold the milk. And a tiny amount of yogurt with active cultures. Heat the twice boiled milk to slightly warm....how warm - just enough that if you dip your pinky, it does not sting. Take a pinch of the yogurt and drop it into the milk container. Now cover the milk container and put it in dark cool (not cold) place. Do this before you go to bed and you will wake up to the milk fully converted into yogurt. That's it!

A few tips:
Yogurt made today serves as the starter for tomorrow's batch
If milk is too warm when you add the pinch of yogurt, you will have sour yogurt in the morning
If milk is not warm enough, it will take more time to convert into yogurt or not at all
Single boil of milk will leave more fat in the milk and the yogurt will be more richer and thicker.
If your pinch of yogurt is too much, you will have sour yogurt. Just use a little less and all is good.
If your pinch of yogurt is too little, it will take more time to convert into yogurt or not at all.
Leave the cream that floated to the top of the milk when making the yogurt. After converting to yogurt, this cream can be churned to make fresh butter.

My grandma, aunt, mother, wife, sisters, daughters all make yogurt this way. It works and it is that simple.

Carol (not verified)

5 months 1 week ago

I know it's that easy, I used to make it myself decades ago with this very same recipe.
But I wish you had explained more about this two ingredients, because now, for some reasons, I can't get yogurt with this same recipe. Please explain what especifically should we consider when choosing these two ingredients at the grocery store.