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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!
Thank you so much for this. The steps making it more easier for me to get my plain and greek yogurt.
So happy to hear it! Enjoy! 😀
How do i get a low fat milk
You may need to use some milk powder to help with the texture when using low fat milk. Here’s a guide you might like.
I’ve been making Greek yogurt, on the stove, for about 2 years. For fun value I weighed the gallon of 1% milk I used, less the plastic bottle, it was 8.8 pounds. I also weighed the Whey that dripped out, it was about 3.1 pounds. So I get over 5 pounds of yogurt from a gallon of milk; I’m guessing that’s about 3 quarts of strained yougurt. Around here, a quart of strained yogurt costs between $4 – $7 depending on brand, 3 quarts x $5 each = $15, vs. under $4 for a gallon of milk.
BTW – I found no need for ice when cooling it down, a sink half-full of cold water does the job in about 10 minutes.
This is awesome! Thanks so much for dropping in to let us know, this will be extra useful for other people considering making their own yogurt! 😀
So excited to try make this on the weekend! I was wondering though, should the starter yogurt be cold or room temp when we mix it with the milk? Thanks for the great recipe!
Either should be fine! 😀
Fantastic recipe, it worked first time too! Question : If I keep some of the yogurt I made, can I use it to make the next batch? Thank you!
Yep, the yogurt you made can be used as starter for the next batch 😀 Enjoy!
Thank you so much for the step-by-step photos and instructions.
It is so easy to follow and I successfully made my own yogurt for the first time.
Really appreciated it !!
So happy to hear it! Enjoy! 😀
How beautifully explained! Loved how you broke down the process into its basic principles that can be applied elsewhere too.
Happy to hear it, Jatin! Happy yogurt making! 😀
Such an easy recipe to follow, and made yogurt even better than the store!
Hi ! LOVE LOVE LOVE how simple is that recipe. i am a big greek yogurt eater and after making this recipe I am left with one question: why didn’t I think to make it myself earlier ???!!!
Ok, a real question for you: I am following quite precisely my calorie intake. How did you figure out the nutrition part ? Because I am just wondering what type of nutrients gets out through the whey…
Thank you for coming back to me !!
And huge thank you to share that recipe !!
I typically use the nutrition info from a similar store bought yogurt (2%, full fat etc). Enjoy! 😀
Thank you so much for the explanation I ll try it at home too