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This is your foolproof guide to making healthy homemade Greek yogurt. With just two simple ingredients and basic kitchen tools, you can enjoy homemade Greek yogurt that is healthier and more flavorful than store-bought versions.
save this recipe!Milk is made up of casein and whey. While whey is the watery substance left when the milk curdles, casein is what curdles and is used to make cheese and yogurt! And the best part? This process is incredibly easy to do at home!
Hundreds of people have used this recipe to successfully make yogurt in their kitchens—yours next?
- Control the ingredients: No thickeners or added sugars—just milk and live cultures (aka yogurt).
- Budget-friendly: A quart of homemade yogurt costs a fraction of the store-bought stuff.
- Double-duty: You also get whey (the leftover liquid), which you can use in smoothies, bread, or cooking grains.
Reader rating
“I just gave it my first go and it turned out perfect! Never dreamed making yogurt was so easy!” —Nicole
Just 2 Ingredients
Yogurt is a fermentation (just like kefir, kombucha, and kimchi), meaning it’s created by adding some bacteria (yogurt) to a sugar-containing substance (milk) and letting the bacteria eat up the sugar. So to make yogurt at home, you’ll just need 2 ingredients:
- Yogurt: Use a good-quality yogurt with live or active cultures listed on the label. (After this first batch, all future batches can use what you made as the yogurt starter. You’ll never need to buy it again!)
- Milk: Whole-fat milk produces the best texture for homemade yogurt.
This is just an overview; jump to the recipe card for measurements!
The process is simple
This is just an overview; jump to the recipe card for full printable instructions and step-by-step photos!
- Heat the milk: Warm milk to 185–200°F. This changes its proteins so the yogurt thickens properly.
- Cool it down: Quickly cool to 100–110°F. This is the ideal temp for activating the yogurt cultures.
- Add the starter: Whisk in live culture yogurt to introduce the bacteria that make yogurt.
- Ferment: Cover and let sit in a warm spot (like the oven with the light on) for 4–8 hours to thicken and develop tang.
- Strain (optional): For Greek yogurt, strain in the fridge until it reaches your preferred consistency.
- Store and enjoy: Chill and use as you would store-bought yogurt—sweet or savory!
Tips For Success
Keep it warm: The oven light should be enough, but if your kitchen’s cold, turn the oven on for one minute every few hours to gently rewarm.
Tanginess depends on time: A 4-hour ferment makes mild yogurt. Closer to 8 hours = tangier.
Save some as a starter: You can use a few tablespoons of your homemade batch as a starter for the next one.
More than just for breakfast
Use your freshly made Greek yogurt to whip up Spinach Artichoke Dip or Healthy French Onion Dip. And my favorite way to use Greek yogurt? In this quick and easy tzatziki sauce!
How to Make Greek Yogurt (No Special Equipment)
Equipment
- Medium pot with lid, aim for the heaviest/thickest pot you have
- Kitchen thermometer
- Quart-sized jar or bowl
- Mesh sieve
- Cheesecloth or thin dishcloth, coffee filters, paper towels etc. placed inside a mesh strainer
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole milk, 960 mL
- ¼ cup plain store-bought yogurt, ensure the container says “live” or “active” cultures, 60 g
Instructions
- Heat Milk: Place 4 cups whole milk in a medium pot and heat to 185-200°F (85-93°C), stirring frequently to preventing a skin from forming.
- Cool Bath: Transfer the pot with milk to an ice bath (I filled my sink with ice and water), to cool milk to 100-110°F (37-43°C).
- Mix: Add ¼ cup plain store-bought yogurt to the cooled milk and whisk well to combine.
- Ferment: Cover jar or bowl with a lid, wrap in a moist, warm towel to keep in heat, and place in oven. Turn on oven light to keep warm, and let the bacteria do its yogurt making magic for 4 to 8 hours (or overnight).*
- Strain: You can eat the yogurt like this, or strain it to make Greek yogurt. To strain, line a mesh sieve with cheesecloth (or paper towels, coffee filters etc), and pour yogurt in. Place over a large bowl and let strain in the fridge for a few hours (or overnight), until it’s reach a consistency you like.
- Serve chilled with your favorite yogurt toppings, or use it in a recipe as you would store-bought yogurt!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Hi! The first time I made this recipe, it worked perfectly! Nice and thick greek yogurt. However, I’ve done it twice since then and both times the yogurt hasn’t thickened- some of the liquid has strained out, but not nearly as much and it is still a typical yogurt-like consistently rather than greek-style. Any tips?
Did you change the yogurt you used as starter at all? And is it becoming tart (like, tasting like yogurt)? I’m wondering if the fermentation is happening at all.
HI
Going to make the yogurt for first time looks simple enough.
Hope will be as good as the picture looks.
Not have a Sive however do have a strainer so will place paper towels in it and set over a bowl with a coffee cup under the strainer to strain if want the Greek yogurt.
That should work! Enjoy! 🙂
Hi, Mary here i did make the easy yogurt for the first time. as the directions said to do . I didn’t strain it as wanted to see the consistency this morning. To my surprise it turned-out perfect. I had a meat thermometer used it for first time and the temp was off just a bit however still came out perfect 😉
Took some frozen fruit put in the blender let sit out to thaw and then mixed in was tasty. Even i can make this and that says a lot thank you 🙂
I’m so happy to hear it was a success, Mary! Happy eating! 😀
Never buying commercial again! Strain a bit longer than you’d imagine for best consistency.
Yay! So happy to hear it, Errol 😀
Hello when making this yogurt how much if want to make a double batcch woul di use of the plain yogurt? 1/2 cup?
want to be sure have right ingredients and measurements.
I have made this and is perfect however straining made it perfect in consistency.
Yep, you would use 8 cups of milk and 1/2 cup of yogurt to make a double batch 🙂
I left it overnight, in the morning my yogurt not yet form (still watery) but the smell of yogurt is there. Should I wait a little longer to ferment or should I toss it away? Thanks
If it smells like yogurt then I think the fermentation is happening. Is it being fermented somewhere warmish?
Can whole lactose free milk be used?
I don’t think it would work properly with this recipe because the bacteria really need lactose to “eat”, which powers the fermentation.
Excellent
Heya!
When nearly finushed this homemade yoghurt, can you use it at a starter for the next batch ?
Thank you 🙂
Yes! The yogurt you make becomes starter for future batches 🙂
I’m so sad that it didn’t turn out at all for me. Just tossed everything out. Will try again in a few days. Not sure what went wrong. Followed it all to a T. Something didn’t obviously work for me.