Making yoghurt at home is easier than you think and is so much cheaper than buying it. Here is my guide for how to make yoghurt at home using three simple methods!
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I've had a yoghurt maker for years and have always bought the packets of powder to make my own. It was easy, fun and definitely cheaper than buying ready made yoghurt. But then I learnt that you could make it entirely from scratch without even using the packets and I was intrigued. Just milk and yoghurt needed? Obviously I had to learn!
I looked up a few tutorials online and tried, but only had mediocre success. It was ok, but not like I thought it would be. So I asked my aunty (the one who is responsible for us having chickens, making vanilla extract and homemade granola) and she gave me her method. I was determined to make it work, and I did!
The best thing about making yoghurt at home is that once you've made it once, you can keep using the leftover yoghurt to start the next batch which means it is super cheap to make! I buy 2 litres of milk which costs around $3.50 meaning 1 litre of yoghurt costs me $1.75 to make. Not bad considering buying 1 litre of yoghurt (even plain and unsweetened) is around $5 or $6! We usually get through 1 litre of yoghurt per week, so even with my terrible maths, that means we are saving about $175 per year. I can think of plenty more things I could spend that on.
It's certainly not as simple as adding a packet to cold water, shaking and incubating but once you have the hang of it, it becomes second nature and fits into your routine easily. When I need to make more yoghurt I heat and cool the milk in the morning while we are having breakfast, then leave it incubating all day, put it in the fridge before I go to bed and it's ready to go the next morning.
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Let's break it down into simple steps so that you can make yoghurt at home!
Equipment needed:
- 1 litre milk
- ¼ cup fresh yoghurt (store bought plain unsweetened yoghurt with lots of live cultures or leftover yoghurt from the last batch you made)
- Small pot
- Thermometer that can be clipped to the side of the pot (this is the one I have and love)
- 1L capacity glass jar with screw top lid (I use a 1L Agee preserving jar)
- Yoghurt maker OR oven OR slow cooker
Step 1: Heat the milk
Pour the milk into a saucepan, clip the thermometer onto the side, turn the heat to medium and leave it for 20 minutes until it reaches 85°C/185°F. I like to set a timer so that I don't forget about it.
Step 2: Cool the milk
Take the pot off the element and leave it sitting for 45 minutes until it reaches 45°C/113°F. I also use my kitchen timer here.
Step 3: Mix in the yoghurt
Once the milk has cooled to the right temperature, add the yoghurt to the jar you will be using and pour in 1 cup of the milk. Stir it up and then add the remaining milk and stir again.
Step 4: Incubate
Now the yoghurt needs to be incubated so that it can turn into yoghurt! It usually takes around 4-5 hours to set but the longer you leave it, the thicker and tangier the yoghurt. I like leaving mine for around 8 hours, but you can play around with it! At this stage you have a few options depending on which method you want to use to incubate the yoghurt.
Method 1: Yoghurt maker - if you have a yoghurt maker, this is the easiest option. Pour boiling water into the bottom of the yoghurt maker (I pour in enough so that the water isn't touching the jar.) Leave on the bench for 6-10 hours.
Method 2: The oven - heat the oven to the lowest temperature (it's 50°C/122°F on my oven) then turn off the oven but leave the oven light on and place the yoghurt jar in the oven. Leave for 6-10 hours.
Method 3: Slow cooker - I've tried a couple of different ways with the slow cooker. The only thing to note with the slow cooker is that you may need to make your yoghurt in two smaller jars as you need to put the lid on the slow cooker. If I'm making it in the slow cooker I use 500ml Agee jars. You can half fill the slow cooker with hot tap water, place the yoghurt jar in it, wrap the whole slow cooker in a towel and leave for 6-10 hours. The other way I did it was pouring hot tap water into the slow cooker, turning it to warm and leaving the yoghurt in there for 6 hours. I didn't like this method as much as wrapping it in a towel and leaving it for longer as I felt the temperature may have got too hot.
Step 5: Refrigerate
Once the yoghurt has set, it needs to be refrigerated. Place in the fridge overnight or until cooled completely. At this stage you can also stir in any flavours you like or strain it to make thicker Greek yoghurt.
To strain the yoghurt I place a sieve/strainer lined with a piece of muslin cloth over a large mixing bowl and pour the yoghurt into this. The whey will drip through into the bowl and you will be left with thick Greek yoghurt! This usually takes a couple of hours and I just leave it in the fridge. Note that when you make Greek yoghurt, you will end up with about half the quantity of yoghurt you started with, so 1 litre of normal yoghurt will give you about 500ml of Greek yoghurt.
Yoghurt will store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and you can now use the last of this homemade yoghurt to make your next batch! I made my first batch of yoghurt in March and have been using my own yoghurt to make new batches ever since!
If I had to recommend a method to start with, if you have a yoghurt maker, this is the easiest. It's the job that it's designed for and it does the job perfectly. If you don't have a yoghurt maker and don't want to rush out and buy one, the oven is a very close second. The only disadvantage of using the oven is that your oven is then tied up for 8 hours or so but other than that, it maintains heat and makes perfect yoghurt too. Leaving it overnight is a great work around if you use your oven a lot. The slow cooker is still a good way of doing it but it is less reliable as it's a lot harder to maintain the correct temperature.
FAQ's/Troubleshooting
My yoghurt hasn't set - what did I do wrong?
If the yoghurt hasn't set there are a few things to check.
- Was your yoghurt fresh? Did you use plain unsweetened yoghurt with lots of live cultures?
- Was the milk the correct temperature when you added the yoghurt? Too hot and it will kill the bacteria, too cold and it won't work either
- Did the temperature of the yoghurt stay constant while you were incubating it?
If all of these things were right, you may need to start over with fresh milk and yoghurt and try again.
I accidentally let the milk get too hot or too cold. Will it still work?
It will! The great thing about making yoghurt is that it is actually pretty forgiving. I have lost count of the number of times I have been trapped under a baby or outside and not heard the timer go off and come back to milk that is boiling over. The good news is, let it cool to the right temperature and it will still be fine. Likewise, if you let it get too cold, I just turn the heat back on and let it get back to the cool temperature (45°C/113°F) and continue. When this happens I find that sometimes the end result can be a little grainer than usual, but just give it a good stir and it comes right. Also, the next batch of yoghurt won't be affected by this.
What milk should I use?
I use full fat (dark blue) milk. I have also made it using light blue milk successfully.
Can I use milk that has been frozen?
YES! As we live so far out of town, I buy milk in bulk (think 12L at a time!) and put it in the freezer. I thaw the milk on the bench overnight and it works perfectly to make yoghurt.
Can I use non-dairy milk to make yoghurt?
I haven't experimented with non-dairy milk but Cassie at Wholefully has a great tutorial on making coconut yoghurt on her website that you should check out.
How long can I keep my homemade yoghurt?
We usually eat ours within a week but I've definitely kept it for 2 weeks with no problems. You will be able to tell if it's no good - it will start to separate and will smell weird. If this is the case, throw it out, don't use it to make a new batch - start over.
Are there other methods to incubate yoghurt?
Yes definitely! I haven't used these methods but here are some great posts that can help you.
Do I need to use yoghurt as the starter?
No. You can buy yoghurt culture that you can use instead of fresh yoghurt. I've never tried it but imagine it would be a great place to start or a good option to have as backup in case you run out of yoghurt!
Now you are all set to make your own yoghurt at home! If you think of any other questions that I haven't answered, comment below or send me an email!
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How to Make Yoghurt
Ingredients
- 1 litre milk (I use dark blue - full fat)
- ¼ cup yoghurt (with lots of live cultures)
Instructions
- Step 1: Heat the milk. Pour the milk into a saucepan, clip the thermometer onto the side, turn the heat to medium and leave it for 20 minutes until it reaches 85°C/185°F. I like to set a timer so that I don't forget about it.
- Step 2: Cool the milk. Take the pot off the element and leave it sitting for 40 minutes until it reaches 45°C/113°F. I also use my kitchen timer here.
- Step 3: Mix in the yoghurt. Once the milk has cooled to the right temperature, add the yoghurt to the jar you will be using and pour in 1 cup of the milk. Stir it up and then add the remaining milk and stir again.
- Step 4: Incubate. Now the yoghurt needs to be incubated so that it can turn into yoghurt! It usually takes around 4-5 hours to set but the longer you leave it, the thicker and tangier the yoghurt. I like leaving mine for around 8 hours, but you can play around with it! At this stage you have a few options depending on which method you want to use to incubate the yoghurt.
Method 1: Yoghurt maker - if you have a yoghurt maker, this is the easiest option. Pour boiling water into the bottom of the yoghurt maker (I pour in enough so that the water isn't touching the jar.) Leave on the bench for 6-10 hours.
Method 2: The oven - heat the oven to the lowest temperature (it's 50°C/122°F on my oven) then turn off the oven but leave the oven light on and place the yoghurt jar in the oven. Leave for 6-10 hours.
Method 3: Slow cooker - I've tried a couple of different ways with the slow cooker. The only thing to note with the slow cooker is that you may need to make your yoghurt in two smaller jars. If I'm making it in the slow cooker I use 500ml Agee jars. You can half fill the slow cooker with warm water, place the yoghurt jar in it, wrap the whole slow cooker in a towel and leave for 6-10 hours. The other way I did it was pouring hot tap water into the slow cooker, turning it to warm and leaving the yoghurt in there for 6 hours. I didn't like this method as much as wrapping it in a towel and leaving it for longer.
- Step 5: Refrigerate. Once the yoghurt has set, it needs to be refrigerated. Place in the fridge overnight or until cooled completely. At this stage you can also stir in any flavours you like or strain it to make thicker Greek yoghurt.
- Yoghurt will store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and you can now use the last of this homemade yoghurt to make your next batch! I made my first batch of yoghurt in March and have been using my own yoghurt to make new batches ever since!
Nutrition
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If you tried and loved this recipe, please leave a comment and a rating below!
Hi - seems to be a yogurt powder shortage at the moment - I think it the international cabal of pre-school teachers and their reptile people overlords to enslave us. But I could be wrong.
Anyway - I have found putting 850-900 ml of milk into a pyrex jug and microwaving it for 7 minutes heats it to 80 deg. It is one easy trick that big yogurt doesn't want you to know.
Hi there, is the process the same for using uht milk?
Hi Sarah, I've made it with UHT milk following the exact process and it's worked great! I'm not sure that you need to heat it as it's technically already been heat processed, but I still like to follow the same method as I know it works!
If you are using a yoghurt maker do you need to use a glass jar or can you use the plastic container it comes with?
You can definitely use the plastic jar with no problems!
Hi. Do you have to use unsweetened yoghurt as the base, or can you use some store-bought flavoured yoghurt as a base? Thanks
Hi Lynaire, you need to make sure it is plain, unsweetened yoghurt to incubate the batch, otherwise the sweetener and flavour can get in the way of the cultures doing their thing! But once the yoghurt has set, you can stir through any sweetener and flavours you like!
If there anything you need to do differently if using fresh raw milk?
Hi Jasmin, I am actually not sure as I have never used raw milk, sorry! I would give it a quick google and see what you come up with - but also, I always think things are worth a try, so I would try it this way and see how it goes!
Once you have heated it, it is effectively pasteurized, so should be safe. Makes me wonder if pasteurized milk needs to be heated - is should already have been sterilized.
When you are making yogurt, you are putting the milk into an environment designed to promote the growth of microbes - the yogurt bacteria. If you are using raw milk and there is any bacteria in the milk, it will grow as well. You might get a new, unique strain of yogurt - or you might get something that makes you sick.
Thank you used to always make when we were living isolated in Australia many years ago and am going to start up making my own agai Also going to try making it with Almond milk . Wish me luck
Hi, many years ago l lived on a remote coral atoll and used to make my yoghurt in a Thermos flask. I have decided to start making it again and found your recipe. I experimented with the last batch and put half into a warm Thermos food flask and half into the Easiyo flask, l am delighted to say both were very successful.
Hi Jennifer.
Thanks for your clear instructions.
I used to make yoghurt a lot in the 80’s but my memory isn’t exactly clear on one detail. While trying to lose weight, I used skim milk, but think I added extra powdered skim milk to boost the milk solids for a richer low fat result.
Have you heard of this? I’m wondering would it matter the amount of powdered milk I add…within reason?
If you’ve never tried, or heard of this method I may just experiment and get back to you with my observations . Thank you.
Turned out fab! Will continue to make
Thank you
Making for the first time 😊
Do you take skin off the milk once heated to temp ? Thank you
Hi also, do you leave the lid on the jar when it’s in the oven? Thank you
Yes I do
Hi making for the first time, should I take the skin off the milk when it’s coming to temperature?
Hi Denise! You can either take it off or whisk it in. I prefer to take it off but it won't change the way the yoghurt sets if you leave it - there will just be bits whisked in!
Hi thank you, just one more query, the quarter of a cup of yoghurt that you use to mix with the one cup of milk. Should it be room temperature or from the fridge? Mine have been turning out good but just wondering about that? Thank you
Hi Denise, I have found that it actually doesn't matter if I use starter yoghurt from the fridge or at room temperature!
I’ve just brought a bench top oven with a fermentation setting.. can I use this to create the yoghurt?
Yes that should be fine, I've used my dehydrator successfully - as long as you can set the temperature between 40-45°C it should work beautifully!
Wow this worked perfectly and it really was easy. I was expecting thin yoghurt but it's very thick and filling after I left it about 10 hours in the yoghurt maker.
The yoghurt base I used was slightly dodgy too, there was mold on the lid and walls but I avoided that and hoped for the best.
I've quit normal milk because I'm worried about casein and I missed having yoghurt a lot so I made it from A2 milk.
Only thing to note is I checked the milk after 10 minutes and it was already 90 degrees so be careful since different elements have different "mediums"!
This is great! Such easy to follow instructions. I used light blue milk and store bought greek style yogurt with my plastic yogurt maker jar and left it on the bench about 8 hours. The result is perfect. Thanks Laura
I have added powdered milk to make a creamier mix before heating. I use a hot water bottle in a esky to incubate.
Hi Laura,
Nice to find a Kiwi food blogger! I want to try making yoghurt too, but wondered if I need to use room temp yoghurt as the starter?
Hi Angus! I haven't found any difference if it's fridge or room temp!
Easiest way to keep it warm is to put it in a vacuum flask.No mucking around with ovens etc.