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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?
What You Will Love About this Homemade Yogurt
- 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
Yogurt 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!
How to Make Greek Yogurt (overview)
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!
Top Yogurt 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.
Yogurt variations
Once you’ve got a batch of homemade yogurt, it’s easy to make it your own.
Add fruit. Stir in fresh or frozen berries, sliced peaches, or a spoonful of jam once the yogurt is strained and chilled. Adding fruit before fermentation isn’t recommended, the sugars can interfere with the culturing process.
Add a sweetener. Honey, maple syrup, or a sprinkle of sugar all work well stirred in after straining. Start with a small amount and adjust, since homemade yogurt is naturally tangier than store-bought and a little sweetener goes a long way.
Add vanilla. A splash of vanilla extract stirred in after straining gives the yogurt a more rounded, dessert-like flavor without any added sugar.
Adjust the thickness. Strain longer for a thicker, more spreadable Greek yogurt, or strain less for a looser, drinkable consistency closer to traditional yogurt.
How to Serve Homemade Yogurt
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 at Home (Just 2 Ingredients)
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 is calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist, and should be taken as an estimate. For the most accurate nutritional information, calculate it using the actual ingredients in your recipe.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
I have tried and tried to make yogurt. This recipe FINALLY did it for me. It was the simplest recipe to follow, and the results were perfect!
Thank you!!!
I’m so happy to hear that this recipe worked well for you, Yasmin. Happy eating!
My Greek yogurt is delicious! I put it in my dehydrator, set between 110 and 115, and left it longer than intended, about 12 hours, then drained it overnight. Despite the extra time in the dehydrator, the texture and taste are excellent. I’m at the bottom of my container, so I just started another one. Thank you for sharing this!
Such a great idea, Carla! I’m thrilled to hear the recipe worked well for you. Happy eating!
You didn’t inform what you can do with the liquid (whey) if you strain the yoghurt
I like putting the leftover liquid whey in smoothies!
The best yogurt. Store bought never this good. I prefer to strain mine for Greek however it’s delicious just as regular yogurt
Thanks for making it and sharing Helen!
The recipe is easy to follow; however the thermometer I used failed to register accurately. So, I began by overheating the milk but followed the recipe as published. Could overheating contribute to a lack of creaminess and flavor?
Yes it definitely could! The temperature is crucial for the correct texture.
We have a great breakfast recipe for Greek style yoghurt. You can either add Chia seeds and Greek Honey, or Chia seeds and cooked Blueberries, or Chia seeds and Prunes. All are great for gut health, and relieve constipation.
It’s best to add the Chia seeds to the Yoghurt or fruit the night before to allow them to soften… and you won’t even taste them.
Can this be fermented in an esky full of tepid water?
While I haven’t tried that, I think it could work!
Hej. How tl make greek yogurt vegan?
Does it work with oatmilk and vegan yogurt?
Or do I have to use probiotics capsules?
You would need to use probiotic capsules, but I haven’t tested that with this recipe! I would recommend following a recipe that’s specifically for vegan yogurt.
I’m stumped how this can have more sugar than carbohydrate.
Oops! That was a mistake. We’ve just fixed the nutrition information. Thanks for putting it out, John!
Hi there. I am new to this process and very excited to get started. A friend gave me some keifer grains, so I I’ll start there. I am wondering if I game use the homemade kefir or the grains to make this yogurt recipe?
Thank you!!
Hi Teresa! The bacteria and yeast for making kefir are different from yogurt, so I don’t think you could translate it into yogurt. But I haven’t tried, so I really can’t say for sure!
Great recipe I will never buy yogurt again thank you so much for sharing!!!!
So glad the recipe was such a success, thanks Donna!