This post contains affiliate links.
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. Thank you for this recipe. Can I use live yogurt cultures instead of plain yogurt instead in the ‘Temper’ stage i.e. Number 3 of the ‘Instructions’
Yep, that should work well! 😀
Very good, informative contents. We in India use curd and curd diluted in water which we call in different names in Indian languages. Anyway good information about Greek yogurt. Now I will make my curd as Greek yogurt. Thank you for the informative article.
I found this recipe last week when I was inspired by my sister to try making my own yoghurt. It worked brilliantly and is so simple! I often make your tzatziki recipe which also works like a charm every time 🙂
I should add to my previous comment that I started to make yogurt in the first place because I hated the #5 plastic containers the store bought come in. They aren’t recyclable, and if you eat many a week, that’s a lot of plastic waste. So, recipes like this are great.
Good point but the plastic tubs are nice to use as storage containers for the newly made yogurt! Hubby and I keep the #5s until they break and use them to store leftovers.
Can this homemade yogurt be frozen?
Yes! The texture may become a little grittier upon thawing though.
Awesome! Thank you. Please is there any aiternative to oven? Can microwave serve?
If you can somehow just put the microwave light on (not the actual microwave cooking function), then that might be warm enough to help it ferment faster! Otherwise, just find a warm spot in your house 😀
I am very interested in making Greek yogurt, however I generally buy the nonfat variety. Is it possible to make this recipe with nonfat(skim) milk?
Hi Annemarie! This recipe isn’t suited for making low fat yogurt, but it’s possible! You’ll just need to use milk powder – this recipe may be useful for you!
Hello, Sarah. Thanks for this great recipe! I’ve tried it twice and it yields a delicious and creamy yogurt. I just have one issue: my homemade yogurt is not as sour as the store bought “starter” yogurt. Is there something I can modify? Thanks in advance!
Hi Fabian! You could let it ferment a little longer. I would start by adding an hour, then go up in time from there!
I absolutely love yogurt with berries in the morning! What would you suggest in an altered approach by using “heavy cream” to better comply with my diet.
Would you alter your general instructions and simply substitute cream for the milk?
Thanks and God bless.
Kevin
I’m honestly not sure if this would work with heavy cream! I think the fat content would be too high. You could always pour the cream over it right before serving!
Wonderful recipe . I have made this at least 6 times using several litres of milk all of different brands including mixes of whatever brands were on special in the local supermarkets including surplus milk from my freezer defrosted in fridge . Each batch has been successful using frozen yogurt from the previous batch defrosted to add the culture / starter . Never have had to buy yogurt since first batch was made over 12 months ago as frozen in ziplock bags at least 3 months fine . have made yogurt with breakfast muesli a daily part of my diet now since making this recipe whereas before I was not a great fan to tell the truth . Thank you very much Sarah !!