Whether you’re making regular or Greek yogurt, it’s time to learn How to Make Yogurt! It’s incredibly easy, requires virtually no prep work and the outcome will amaze you: Wonderfully thick, creamy, luxuriously delicious yogurt! This homemade yogurt recipe is SO good and SO easy, you’ll NEVER need to buy store-bought again!
How long does it take you to pour a gallon of milk into a slow cooker?  That’s how much prep time is involved in making this gloriously thick, rich, creamy Easy Homemade Yogurt recipe! And you have full control over its thickness – we’ll show you how to make Greek yogurt or regular yogurt, your choice!
Why Should I Make My Own Yogurt?
There are several advantages to making your own yogurt:  It tastes better, has a better texture, is MUCH CHEAPER, and it’s MUCH HEALTHIER than store-bought because it has a MUCH HIGHER PROBIOTIC CONTENT. Really, it’s a complete win-win!
What Kind of Milk Should I Use to Make Yogurt?
For the thickest, creamiest yogurt we recommend whole milk but you can also use 2% and even skim milk.
How to Make Greek Yogurt
The difference between making regular and Greek yogurt simply comes down to how long you strain it. More on that in the recipe below.
What Do I Need to Make Yogurt?
- Milk
- Plain yogurt (as a starter culture)
- Cheesecloth
- Thermometer
- Pot or Slow Cooker
- Colander
Besides milk you’ll need some plain yogurt as a starter culture for your initial batch. Then you can use yogurt from that batch for your next batch and so on. There is no need to buy a special starter culture, all you need is plain yogurt. The plain yogurt will act as a starter culture to introduce healthy bacteria/probiotics to your homemade yogurt. It is essential that the yogurt you use has live cultures in it. Most grocery stores sell plain yogurt with live cultures but just be sure to check the label on the container confirm that it has l. bulgaricus and s. thermophilus in it.
You will also need some cheesecloth to strain the yogurt (trust me, it’s much easier than it may initially sound).  I use and recommend this cheesecloth because it’s 100% unbleached cotton, is high grade, is very durable for multiple uses, and you get a ton of it. Overall it’s the best value I have found for the quality.
You’ll also need a thermometer.  Heating the milk to right temperature and then reducing it to the right temperature are both critical to the success of your yogurt.
The other item you’ll need is either a slow cooker or a large, heavy stock pot and a colander for straining.
© Piliphoto | Dreamstime
Slow Cooker or Stovetop to Make Yogurt?
You can use either with great success and the choice is entirely up to you.
Using a Slow Cooker:
Pros: The heating process is slow and gentle so there is no risk of scorching the milk and having to throw it all out. Plus it’s hands free and the milk can heat up over the course of a few hours while you’re doing other things.
Cons:  It takes a lot longer to heat up the milk than if you’re using a pot. But that’s only a disadvantage if you’re in a hurry.
Using a Stock Pot:
Pros: It’s much quicker than using a slow cooker. The milk heats up faster and then all you have to wait for is for it to cool back down and then set.
Cons:Â It requires your constant attention and as the milk gets hotter it requires constant stirring in order to prevent the milk from burning (and it can burn very easily if you’re not paying attention).
You can see that both have their pros and cons and it purely comes down to personal preference. I use and like both methods but generally use my slow cooker/crock pot more often because of the hands-free convenience of plugging it in and going about my daily tasks. Any crock pot or slow cooker will do the job. I use and love my Hamilton Beach Stay or Go 7 Quart Slow Cooker.
Do I Have to Bring the Temp to 180 F if I’m Using Pasteurized Milk?Â
Virtually every yogurt-making recipe will tell you to heat the milk to 180 degrees F before bringing it back down to 110 degrees F to inoculate it with a starter culture. Â The question you may ask yourself is, if I’m using pasteurized milk already do I need to heat it to 180 degrees or can I just skip that step?
Here’s what I’ve learned: Â Heating it to 180 degrees isn’t for the purpose of killing unwanted bacteria as much as it is for creating a thick texture. Â The heat changes the structure of the proteins in the milk and enables it to thicken into yogurt. Â I wanted to test that for myself and heated the milk to just a little over 110 degrees, added the starter culture, and proceeded from there. Â It hardly thickened at all. Â But when I heat it to 180 degrees, then let it cool to 110 degrees before adding the starter, it thickens up beautifully.
What is Whey?
That yellowish liquid that’s left over after you strain the yogurt….that’s called whey. When making homemade yogurt, you’ll always end up with some whey as a by-product.  The longer you strain the yogurt, the thicker it will get, the more whey it will yield.  If you strain it to full capacity for an extra thick Greek yogurt, you’ll end up with about 8 cups of whey, but every batch will be different.
Whey is milk minus the fats and solids. Â It’s basically water with lactose and protein. Â And it’s the protein that’s the valuable ingredient here. Â Milk contains two types of protein, casein and whey. Â Most of the casein ends up in the yogurt and the whey is in the liquid by-product.
How to Use Leftover Whey
I’m so glad you asked! Whey is a great source of protein and is used in powdered form in protein shakes and protein bars. But how can you this leftover liquid whey? Here are a few ideas:
- Use it in place of water when you’re making broth or soup for an extra rich broth.
- Use it in place of water for baking bread or pastries.
- Add it to your smoothies of an extra protein boost.
- If you have a vegetable garden, use it lower the pH level of your soil if you’re growing things that prefer soil with a higher acidity level, like tomatoes.
Can You Freeze Whey?
Yes, it can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Can I Make a Smaller Batch of Yogurt?Â
This recipe calls for a gallon of milk because this yogurt will keep for a good 2 weeks in the fridge, giving you plenty of time to finish it off. (Note that a gallon of milk won’t yield a gallon of yogurt. It will yield about 2 quarts of yogurt depending on how long you strain it.) If however you would prefer to make less you can absolutely cut the recipe in half and use a half gallon instead. Just be sure to remember to reserve enough of the yogurt to act as the starter for your next batch.
How Much Protein and Calories Are in My Yogurt?
This is a question I get frequently. Calorie count and protein content will depend on how much whey was removed in the straining process and there really isn’t a way to measure that. Even calories are hard guess because through the straining process the end product is much more condensed that the original milk product.  The best we can do is estimate.
© Fortyforks | Dreamstime
Homemade Yogurt Troubleshooting
“My yogurt didn’t set and I have yogurt soup!”
There may be an occasion or two when your yogurt doesn’t set properly.  I’ve made probably close to 50 batches and fortunately it’s only happened to me twice but it was nevertheless disappointing. Many factors can be at play for a failed batch, anything from the first step to the last. If you’ve done everything right and have followed every step correctly from start to finish, all I can say is that the yogurt-making process involves fragile live bacteria and sometimes, well, they have a mind and will of their own. And if you’re using store-bought yogurt as your starter culture, it may claim to have live bacteria that is…no longer live. The only thing to do is try again with a new batch. But just because it failed turning into yogurt doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy it.
Don’t throw out the “soup!”
Throughout Europe and other parts of the world you can get a variety of delicious plain and flavored yogurt drinks. You can drink your yogurt milk and you’ll still be benefitting from those healthy probiotics. Add some honey or flavored syrups or blend in some berries or fruits of your choice and enjoy it in smoothie form!
Ways to Eat Yogurt
The ideas are almost endless. Here are a few:
- Add fresh berries or cut up fresh fruits to enjoy with your yogurt along with a sprinkle of cinnamon and/or a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for a healthy breakfast or snack.
- Make parfaits with fresh fruit and granola.
- Blend it with fresh or frozen fruit or with nuts, peanut/cashew/almond butter, chocolate, etc. to make smoothies.
- Add other ingredients and seasonings to use as a sandwich, toast or bagel spreads.
- As the base of a savory dip for oven-baked chips, bread or raw veggies.
- As the base of a sweet dip for fresh fruits or toasted cinnamon pita strips.
- Use it in place of mayonnaise for ranch dressing and other creamy dressings.
- Make homemade tzatziki sauce.
- Replace sour cream and buttermilk with yogurt in baked goods like cakes, muffins, pancakes or our sweet potato pie.
- Make yogurt fruit popsicles.
- Use it in place of sour cream for things like tacos, enchiladas and burritos.
- Use it in place of mayonnaise for egg, tuna, chicken salad and potato salad.
The way I most commonly enjoy my yogurt is simply stirring in a spoonful of fruit preserves with a little powdered stevia for a healthy, low-carb treat to satisfy my sweet tooth. Another favorite way is to make vanilla yogurt by stirring in some high quality vanilla bean paste.
You’re going to love how rich and creamy this yogurt is – it’s almost like eating dessert!
© Corinna Gissemann | Dreamstime
How to Make Yogurt
Let’s get started!
IF USING A STOCK POT INSTEAD OF A SLOW COOKER:  If you’re in a hurry or don’t have a slow cooker you can use a stock pot. Simply heat the milk in a large stock pot over low to medium heat. Just be sure to stir it regularly, especially as it gets hotter, to prevent the milk from scorching. Then follow the rest of the instructions as written.
Pour the milk into the slow cooker and set it to HIGH. Go about your business, it’ll take at least 2 hours (usually longer) before the temperature’s up to 180 degrees. Use a thermometer to check the temperature.
Once the temperature is up to 180 degrees, turn off the slow cooker or stove top and let the milk cool to 110 degrees F. Â Again, go about your business, this will take at least another 2 hours.
Once the temperature is 110 degrees, mix a little of the warm milk into the room temperature starter yogurt, then gently but thoroughly stir it back into the milk using up and down, left and right motions (not circular). Close the lid and turn off the slow cooker.
Wrap a large bath towel around the slow cooker and let it sit undisturbed in a draft-free, room temperature (or warmer) area for 10-12 hours or overnight. If the environment is too cool the yogurt will not set.
When you remove the lid you’ll find that the milk has thickened and the whey has separated.
Look at that fabulous thick texture! Â The transformation is almost magical. Â You’ll be so excited the first time you make this! Â I still get excited every time I lift the lid.
Line a colander with some cheesecloth.
I currently use this cheesecloth. It’s great quality and you get a lot of it for an excellent price.
Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth. Â If it doesn’t all fit (depending on the size of your colander), let the yogurt strain until there’s room enough to add the remaining yogurt, then continue to strain.
Depending on how thick you want the yogurt, this will take several hours. Â For thick Greek yogurt, you’ll end up straining it for at least 4 hours. Â That will also depend on the gauge of the cheesecloth. Â Set the colander on top of a large glass bowl. Â If leaving it to strain for several hours, you can put it in the fridge if you prefer and let it strain there.
See the liquid in the glass bowl above right?  That’s whey. See the section “How to Use Whey” for ideas.
Store the yogurt covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Â When you’re ready to make another batch, use some of the previous batch for the starter culture.
If fully strained to make Greek yogurt, you’ll end up with about 2 quarts (8 cups) of whey and 7-8 cups of Greek yogurt.
You’ll end up with less whey and more yogurt if you strain it less to make regular yogurt.
Cook with it, bake with it, eat it plain or with a variety of mix-ins, whatever your heart desires!
Enjoy!
Be sure to also check out our tutorials for how to make:
- Quark
- Mascarpone
- Sauerkraut
- Collard Kraut
How To Make Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk, 2% or skim milk (whole milk is recommended for thickest, creamiest results) (see note about using raw milk) *this method does NOT work with non-dairy alternatives
- 1 cup plain yogurt at room temperature, either from previous batch or store-bought (**The yogurt must have live cultures in it to work. Check the ingredients to make sure they include l. bulgaricus and s. thermophilus.)
- Equipment:
- Slow cooker or Pot
- Thermometer
- Cheesecloth
- Colander
Instructions
- IF USING A STOCK POT:  If you're in a hurry or don't have a slow cooker you can use a stock pot. Simply heat the milk in a large stock pot over low to medium heat. Just be sure to stir it regularly, especially as it gets hotter, to prevent the milk from scorching. Then follow the rest of the instructions as written.IF USING A SLOW COOKER: Pour the milk into a slow cooker set to HIGH and close the lid. It will take 2-3 hours before the temperature of the milk is up to 180 degrees F. Check it with an instant-read thermometer. Once it's at 180 degrees, turn off the slow cooker, close the lid, and let the milk cool to 110 degrees F. This will take another 2-3 hours. Once the temperature is between 110 and 115 degrees F, add some of the warm milk to the plain yogurt, stir to combine, and then gently but thoroughly stir the mixture back into the milk in the slow cooker using up and down, left and right motions (not circular).
- Close the lid, wrap the slow cooker or stock pot with a large bath towel, and let it sit undisturbed in a non-drafty place at room temperature (or warmer) for 10-12 hours or overnight. If the environment is too cool the yogurt will not set. During this process the milk will have thickened and the whey will have started separating from the milk.
- Line a colander with a cheesecloth and pour the yogurt into it. Set the colander over a large glass bowl and let it strain at room temperature for several hours, until you've achieved the desired thickness (length of straining time will also depend on the gauge of the cheesecloth. I use this cheesecloth - excellent quality and you get a lot of it for a great price) For thick Greek yogurt plan on at least 4 hours. You'll end up with about 8 cups of whey and 7-8 cups of Greek yogurt.
- Store the yogurt in the fridge in an airtight container, preferably a glass bowl for up to 2 weeks. When ready to make another batch of yogurt, use a cup of the previous batch as the starter culture.
Notes
**You don't have to use the slow cooker method. For a quicker method simply heat the milk in a large stock pot over low to medium heat. Just be sure to stir it regularly, especially as it gets hotter, to prevent the milk from scorching. Then follow the rest of the instructions as written.
Nutrition
First published on The Daring Gourmet June 2017
Sally Philllips says
After the cup of saved yogurt is added, I set the ceramic pot of my slow cooker on a layer or two of a bath towel. Then, I add a heating pad set on low on top of the glass lid of my slow cooker ceramic pot while the yogurt is forming. Continuing, I wrap this completely in three more bath towels. It sets up in about 8 hours before I begin the straining process.
I’ve made eight batches in the past four months and each has turned out great thanks to finding your recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Wonderful, Sally, and thanks so much for your feedback!
Lori_VT says
I used raw milk last night, and my yogurt came out super thick! It doesn’t have the usual tang of yogurt, but is smooth and creamy like greek yogurt. I didn’t have an instant read thermometer, but I managed to get by with my candy thermometer. My yogurt got very thick and dry on the bottom and sides of the cheesecloth, but the top (where it was thickest) was quite soft – more like regular yogurt. I noticed another reader had this issue too. I didn’t stir it while it was draining, but I think it was too thick for the top whey to drain through. No complaints, though – it is amazing! And I love that I could use raw milk (but I bet heating the raw milk to 180 killed off a bunch of the healthy stuff)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lori, I made a batch with raw milk last night too :) When I checked it this morning it was much runnier than the yogurt made with regular milk so I turned the slow cooker back on “warm” and let it sit for another 4 hours and it firmed up. It seemed to drain more quickly than regular yogurt and got thick and clumpy – not smooth like the yogurt made with regular milk. Correct, the original bacteria in the raw milk will be killed off through the heating process and then new bacteria is introduced when you add the yogurt culture. So from that standpoint alone there is no advantage to eating yogurt made with raw milk. However, there are still other benefits to raw milk such as easier digestion.
Anonymous says
It came out thicker than my first attempt but not like yours. Next time Ill try regular whole milk. Thanks for your help.
Lisa Malinowski says
Can I use raw milk for this recipe?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Some adjustments may need to be made, Lisa, but one reader reported success using raw milk following these instructions exactly. I’m going to try it again myself. Let us know how it worked out for you!
Anita Sheppard says
I made this yesterday and strained it this morning. It was really pretty easy. I too was so excited when I lifted the lid to find a beautiful batch of yogurt. This stuff is so yummy. I may never buy store bought again. I divided it between 3 strainers. One for yogurt that I used cheese cloth. 2 smaller ones that I used coffee filters to make lebnah or a cheese spread. Anyway turned out great. Thank you for the recipe and for sharing everyone’s questions and tips.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s awesome, Anita, thanks for sharing your experience!
Melody Canterberry says
Thank you for the post! Regarding the question of raw milk, I have made yogurt with raw milk via the stovetop method, and it works really well – heat milk to 180, cool to 110, add starter yogurt – and at this point I divide it into pint jars and cultivate in warm water on a warmer burner for 5-6 hours, though at this point you could probably do the same thing with the slow cooker. I’m not sure why it won’t work in the crock-pot, except that maybe the pasteurized milk has already been heated once? Store-bought yogurt, even the really good (meaning expensive) stuff, can’t compare to the taste of homemade.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks for the feedback, Melody. I’m heading over to our local farm this morning to get more raw milk and am going to pick up some extra to experiment further making yogurt with it. I’ll report my findings too. Thanks again!
Michelle says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I tried this with 2 year old raw milk that I had had in the freezer and it turned out amazing!! So yummy and creamy! The first batch I just let set overnight. Then I tried a larger batch and let it set in the oven for about 20 hours before I drained it and it got thicker! The second time I used store bought 2% milk. Still super yummy and amazing!! This seems hard to mess up! Now I have to figure out what to do with all the whey! Searching riccotta recipes now!!
Thabk you for super clear recipes with pictures!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Michelle! I’m going to give it a try this week with raw milk. Thanks for the feedback!
Keith says
ok, after reading so many successes posted I’m pretty bummed out. I used the YOGOURMET brand freeze dried yogurt starter and after the 12 hours with strainer and cheese cloth at the ready all i got was milk. I followed your instructions closely. I mixed in the starter with a little of the 110 milk and then mixed in. Unplugged the crock pot and that was it. Although the ambient temp in my kitchen is probably 65 to 70, maybe too cool? anyhow I will try again with a real yogurt as a starter. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Keith, I’m sorry to hear it didn’t turn out. I have no experience with Yogourmet, I’ve never used it, so I’m afraid I can’t offer any feedback there. 65-70 F for the room temp is fine, but did you keep the slow cooker wrapped in a large towel? Most of us have had a failed batch at some point, the bacteria can be a finicky bunch sometimes. Your second batch will likely be a great success. Yes, I would recommend trying the next batch with fresh yogurt, make sure it’s the kind with live bacteria.
Emma O'Connell says
Just followed your instructions and my Greek Yogurt has turned out perfect! I will never buy packet mixes from the supermarket again. I did do only a half recipe as I only have a small crockpot, however it’s just fine. Thanks from New Zealand :)
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s terrific, Emma, thanks so much and friendly greetings to New Zealand!
Dave says
I made this a few days ago and I have to say…it was so easy, I was afraid that I messed it up!
I just had a bowl of yogurt with fresh cut strawberries and some Grape Nuts…WOW! The sweet strawberries cut the last little bit of tartness and then is is so smooth and creamy. Easily could be served as a dessert. AMAAAAAZING!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic!! I agree, it’s the perfect way to satisfy a sweet craving without all the guilt. Thanks, Dave!
Jennifer says
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now. The first time I ended up with yogurt soup. I was disappointed, but I used it like kefir in smoothies so it was fine. The next 2 times it firmed up well and stained like greek yogurt. The only thing is that both times the final product was thick and creamy like yogurt but had tiny lumps or curds in it. It was like a combination of yogurt and very small cottage cheese. The first failed batch was done entirely in the crock pot, but it took forever (almost 7 hours to heat and cool). The next 2 times I used the stove top to speed the heating process. I was just wondering if you have had the small curd type lumps show up before? And what might cause this? I used organic plain greek yogurt as my starter for the last 2 times. The first time I used plain greek yogurt that wasn’t organic, so I’m thinking it wasn’t good quality cultures. I just didn’t know if I should use plain regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt? Thank you for any advice you can give.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Jennifer, I haven’t had that happen before and I’m not entirely sure. Is it possible it’s from the milk scorching a bit on the bottom of the pot? Not enough to brown the milk but to thicken it?
Jennifer says
I guess it is possible the milk could have scorched, I do remember one time the bottom of the pan was a little brown. I’m happy to report that I have made this again and it turned out perfect! I guess I’ll be more careful when heating the milk. The biggest challenge for me is that I like to be in a hurry and this is not a hurried process. Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Jennifer! I’m glad it turned out perfectly the second time. I know, it’s hard to be patient – the yogurt is just so darned good, we want it NOW!! :)
Eva Rogers says
Hi Kim! A HUGE thank you for posting this recipe. I made made first batch several madeyonths ago and have been making it sometimes twice a week since I began. I have graduated to a big programmable crock pot with a thermo probe. Yahoo! It couldn’t be easier. Your tip on the super size coffee filter in lieu of cheesecloth also made a huge difference.
FYI – I follow you instructions from the recipe and your responses to questions and have never had and failed batch.
I and very eager to try making this using goat’s milk. Can I use the same cow’s milk yogurt starter for that or do I need to use one started from goat’s milk yogurt?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Awesome, Eva, yahoooo!! I just got a programmable crock pot for the first time a few weeks ago and am looking forward to making my first batch of yogurt with it. Goat’s milk yogurt: I haven’t tried it, but from what I’ve read you can use cow milk yogurt starter. If you’ve never made goat milk yogurt before, just keep in mind that it’s generally much thinner than cow milk yogurt.
Sharon says
Is it possible to carefully heat the milk in the microwave, or would that kill off the enzymes in the milk ?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That should work, Sharon, because you’ll be inoculating the milk with the culture later on.
Alice Marie says
Wow! What a fun recipe… My poor old slow cooker took awhile to get the milk to 180 degrees, however, it did eventually. When I covered the slow cooker with a beach towel for the night I was thinking “I hope this work, I really, really hope this works…” At a few minutes after 6am, I bounded out of bed (it has been a long time since I bounded), and was surprised, thrilled, and delighted to discover I have yogurt! Awesome recipe – thank you for sharing.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
LOL, Alice, that’s awesome! I’m equally thrilled and delighted for you, yay!! :)
Michele Cabiness says
My milk was taking forever to cool back down and I fell asleep and missed 110°! Is it too late? Do I have to discard the whole gallon and start over or can I just heat the milk back up to 110°? Thanks!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
It doesn’t hurt to try, Michele. If it were me I’d probably try bringing it back up to 110 F and then adding the yogurt and proceeding from there.
Anonymous says
I did try, but the milk curdled. Oh well, lesson learned!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Bummer. Yes, milk is finicky when it comes to reheating. For next time – what I’ll do sometimes if I’m in a hurry for the milk to cool down, I’ll set it outside where it’s cold to speed up the process.