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
Jane says
I don’t have a slow cooker. Can I use a regular pot?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Absolutely, Jane. It’s quicker that way, too – heats up faster. You’ll just need to keep a close watch, stirring frequently as it heats up so it doesn’t burn.
Vanessa Rivera says
Can you explain the straining process? Do I just let it pour it in once and let it sit there until I get the consistency or when the liquid is done I re pour to strain again?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Vanessa, yes, just pour it in all at once and let it sit and strain until it reaches the consistency that you want.
Dana says
I really wanted to like yogurt, but the only kind I ever liked was from Elenons – which is a specialty yogurt shop in pike’s place market in Seattle – and they don’t ship. So when I found this article I was cautiously optimistic. I tried it and it worked perfectly! I can’t believe how good it is. If you have not yet made this yogurt in a key lime or lemon flavor you are really missing out, also sweetening it with sugar is just not doing it justice – use honey.
I used 2 cups of yogurt, 2 ounces of fresh key lime juice, 2 ounces of honey and six drops of lime essential oil, and the zest of the limes.
(same ratios for lemon juice, zest, and oil)
Thank you for this.
Anonymous says
How did you add the lime/lemon juice without curdling the milk?
Ellen says
Hi Kimberly:
Can I use your recipe to make coconut yogurt? What would I do?
Gina says
I just wanted to say that this IS the best yogurt recipe I’ve found. I actually took a step further and added some light or whipping cream for extra richness..it’s AMAZING. I then added Torani sugar free vanilla flavored, it was sooooooooo good. I have also used blueberry sugar free, as well as a batch I made where I added cooked strawberries & rhubarb. YUM! I cant seem to make enough to even last a week!!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Gina, I’m thrilled to hear that – thanks so much for the feedback!
Joy says
Hi Kimberly! I’m so excited to try this. I’ve been wanting to make more of the food I eat regularly rather than buying commercially made products for a few of reasons. First, I am in control of what goes in it and, second, so far my endeavors have let me to discovering how much BETTER homemade anything is (I make my own peanut butter, ricotta and sauerkraut…OMG so good), and third, I’m buying a lot less food items stored in plastic containers. Anyway (sorry, I ramble), I wanted to thank you for posting this. I’ve found a lot of recipes, and most of them wanted me to either buy their starter (which I know is unnecessary), or use a yogurt maker, which I really don’t want to buy, because I don’t have the room for yet another appliance in my small space. This is straight forward, simple, and I’m eager to try it!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s wonderful, Joy, I agree with and can relate to all of your reasons. Please let us know what you think once you’ve tried this!
Joy says
I have my towel wrapped slow cooker sitting in my kitchen, and I feel like an over-excited kid on Christmas morning. I can’t wait to unwrap it in 2 hours. The smells coming out of there (I have a hyperactive sense of smell) are just amazing. I’m positively giddy.
Joy says
I’m all done. I let it drain in the fridge for several hours, because I’m a huge fan of Greek yogurt. Let me just say how beautiful this is. My mom (who happens to be the best roommate ever) and I eat a lot of yogurt, and this is going to be an amazing recipe to have on hand. This is simply the creamiest, most beautiful yogurt I’ve ever had the pleasure of eating, so thank you so much. We’re already planning all the delicious things we’re going to put together. Yogurt cake, parfaits, breakfast in the morning with blueberries and maybe a drizzle of fresh honey (I’m fortunate to have access to fresh honey.
Did I say thank you? Yes? Well thank you again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Joy, thank you so much for letting us know how it turned out! Yes, the possibilities are deliciously endless. Something else I like to do on occasion is continue to strain the yogurt until it’s really thick, like cream cheese, and make my own seasoned spreadable cheese – it’s terrific on crackers. Thanks again for the feedback and I hope you and your mom enjoy your cooking adventures!
Brenda Bates says
Even though I have an Instant Pot that has a yogurt feature and I’ve successfully made it, I saw this version and wanted to try it. I LOVE this recipe and mine came out perfect. The only differences in mine is it took almost 4 hours to get to 180, which I realize is probably just the difference in slow cookers, and after it reached 180 (actually it was 181 or 182), I took the crock out of the liner and set it in the sink of tap water to bring the temp down faster – it took less than an hour. This is a tip when using the Instant Pot so I felt it would work and it did. I then wrapped it in a towel and set it on top of my washing machine, which is in a small laundry room and we’d just dried clothes so it was nice and warm. Got up Sunday morning and had perfect yogurt, which I then strained all day in the fridge and now have breakfast for each day this week. Mine is so good (I used whole milk) I don’t even add sweetener – just some strawberries. Many thanks for this great recipe.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad it was a success, Brenda, thanks for the feedback!
Brenda Bates says
One more comment – a co-worker loves Chick-Fil-A’s parfait, which is really yogurt with strawberries and granola. They are in our building twice a week and she always buys two. They haven’t been bringing them because they told her she was the only one buying them (not very good customer service but whatever). I had brought enough for the week and had them here at the office, so I gave her one that had strawberries on the bottom and told her she might just need to add a little sweetener because I hadn’t added any. I got an email from her 10 minutes later saying “OMG this yogurt is delicious!” She said she just added a little sugar and had some granola and added it and it’s as good as what she’d been buying and now wants to make her own, so again, thank you! I told her she could make enough for two weeks for less than she was spending on one. Win win!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s so awesome, Brenda, thanks for sharing! I know, it’s WAY cheaper than anything you can buy and so much better!
Anna Maria Medvid says
This is such an easy recipe that I have made twice now. I don’t think I would ever buy Greek yogurt again. Thanks for sharing recipe. The ease of making this and the nutritional benefits make it a no-brainer to make versus buy. This time I purchased these little 4 ounce containers I have pictured so the family could eat individual servings without having to scoop out of a larger tub. This is a little thing but goes a long way as everyone just wants to go to the refrigerator and grab a yogurt versus getting out a larger tub and serving themselves an individual bowl. Each time I have made it I have flavored the yogurt after the cultured process. First time I made key lime and lemon. This time I made banana and strawberry. All are yummy. Don’t be afraid to make this as the hands on time is so minimal. I am a busy person and find the time. You can too. I save the whey by-product and use in our morning smoothies. Fantastic!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
That’s fantastic, Anna, thanks so much for the feedback!
Lindsey Huston says
I’ve made yogurt successfully in my little yogurt machine but it only made enough for one breakfast for my yogurt monster children. I’m hoping this recipe will last a bit longer.
My question is, if I accidentally strain too long, can I simply pour some of the whey back in until I get it to our preferred consistency, or is it a done deal once the whey is out?
Thanks!
Ms Lyndsay says
I’ve tried this (just started staining) and it seems to have worked, it tastes like yogurt but my texture is different from yours. It’s more gloopy when I scoop out and I don’t see much whey. Maybe because I left it overnight so maybe ten hours? The texture isn’t too gloopy, more like flow-y yogurt. Interesting. Curious how much will strain out as it seems thick already.
Also, how big are slow cookers and colanders in America???
Mine did half a gallon perfectly.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Lyndsay, slow cookers come in a variety of sizes but most in the U.S. are at least 6 quarts (1 1/2 gallons). How much to strain just comes down to personal preference. The more you strain it, the thicker it will get, even to the point where you end up with a spreadable cheese consistency.
Angela G Podgornoff says
Used this recipe and wonderful yogurt!! But I have a question. When straining, why a GLASS bowl for the whey?
Shannon Land says
I am so excited about making this recipe… probably more excited than one should be about making yoghurt. Thank you for sharing! A couple of questions: 1) Does the yogurt HAVE to be plain? No, say, honey or what have you…? Will that mess with culture growth?
2)Will a candy thermometer work, or does it need to be instant-read?
Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Shannon, you can add any flavors you like – just add them in at the very end after the yogurt is done, not while the yogurt is setting. Yes, you can use a candy thermometer. Happy yogurt-making!
Kathleen T Elliott-Birdsall says
Trying this for the first time. I’ll leave for work just as I set it to strain. And won’t get home for 8 hours. Is that too long?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Kathleen, that may be a little long but if it’s too dry when you get back, you can simply stir some of the whey back in.
Anonymous says
3rd round on this recipe, perfect and delicious each time! Thank you!
LISA CHRISTOPHER says
CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME IF THIS CAN BE MADE WITH FAT FREE MILK. I AM ON WW AND WOULD LOVE TO MAKE MY OWN 0PT YOGURT.