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How to Make Greek Yogurt (with Regular Yogurt as Starter)

On February 16, 2024

Have you ever wanted to make your own Greek yogurt? I’ve made this recipe countless times, and you can, too. Just follow the easy directions and enjoy thick, creamy homemade Greek yogurt any time you like.

I first published this recipe on March 6, 2011. Hundreds of readers added comments and questions over the years, so now I’ve updated the post with new photos and more information.

Back in 2011 a blog was often like an online diary, but these days most readers want the information presented quickly and concisely. “We don’t want to read your life story!” they say, so I’ve removed my original scintillating intro about tasting FAGE Greek yogurt for the first time at my aunt’s home.

There’s even a “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post now, so you can skip the step by step tutorial if you wish and go straight to the printable recipe card. What a time to be alive!

Shall we make some delicious homemade Greek yogurt?

A ceramic bowl of Greek yogurt topped with a strawberry.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Amazing Flavor and Texture: Thick, creamy Greek yogurt compares to regular yogurt like a home-grown tomato compares to a February grocery store tomato; it tastes a kazillion times better!

Economical: If you eat a lot of Greek yogurt like I do (almost every morning), the cost can add up. Making your own yogurt from scratch is easy and saves money!

All Natural: You’ll have total control over the ingredients, so you can avoid the additives in store-bought yogurt and make a very pure product.

Ingredients Notes

You only need two simple ingredients to make 48 ounces of your own fantastic, creamy, thickened yogurt:

A small bowl of plain yogurt and a half gallon carton of milk.

1/2 gallon milk – fat content of your choice. I generally use organic whole milk or 2% milk. The higher the fat content in the milk you use, the creamier your yogurt will be.

Note: I prefer to prepare this recipe with organic milk, which is produced without any synthetic chemicals, hormones or antibiotics. (Antibiotics may interfere with the yogurt-making process.)

Make sure you use regular pasteurized milk instead of ultra-pasteurized. Why? Ultra-pasteurized milk is briefly heated at a high temperature that can kill the live cultures in the milk.

2 to 3 tablespoons plain prepared yogurt (make sure it contains live, active cultures)

Note: After making your first batch, you can simply save a couple tablespoons of your homemade yogurt to start the next batch. I love that this process becomes indefinitely sustainable!

Money Saving Tip

If your grocery story has a bargain section in the dairy case, check for organic milk that is nearing its expiration date.

This milk is perfect for yogurt making, and is often sold at a discount.

Cooking Equipment

Here’s what you’ll need to prepare this homemade Greek yogurt recipe:

Cooking thermometer – either a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer work best
Large mesh strainer
Mixing bowl that the strainer fits inside, so the yogurt can drain
Cheesecloth to fit 4 layers when draped over the strainer

Step by Step Directions

To make regular yogurt without a yogurt maker, I’ve always followed the basic recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook.

The finished yogurt is then strained through cheesecloth for a few hours to release extra whey and liquids and transform into creamy Greek yogurt. Here’s the process:

STEP ONE: To begin, pour 2 tablespoons of the milk in a small bowl and reserve.

STEP TWO: Pour the rest of the milk into a double boiler or heavy-bottomed pan and turn the heat to medium. If using a double boiler, cover the milk. If the pot is directly on the burner, stir it and watch it very, very carefully so you don’t burn the bottom.

STEP THREE: Heat the milk to 180 degrees F. It helps to clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan so you can carefully watch the temperature as it rises. Or you can check frequently with an instant read thermometer.

Milk in a saucepan with a candy thermometer.

Instant read thermometer being placed in a saucepan of hot milk.

STEP FOUR: As soon as the temperature reaches 180 degrees, F, immediately remove the pot from the stove. Pour the milk through a wire mesh strainer into a 3 quart baking dish and leave it uncovered.

Put the dish on a cooling rack at room temperature, and let the milk cool to between 105 and 110 degrees F. Stir it a few times during the cooling process to prevent a “skin” from forming on top of the milk.

In our kitchen, this took about 50 minutes. (Note: remember to leave the dish completely uncovered at this stage, so the good bacteria from the air can start working their magic!)

A dish of hot milk resting on a cooling rack.

STEP FIVE: While you’re waiting for the milk to cool, turn on your oven to the “warm” or “proof” setting. If your oven doesn’t have that setting, turn it to 150 degrees F.

STEP SIX: Combine the 2 tablespoons of milk you saved with 2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yogurt in a small bowl and reserve.

combining milk and yogurt in a small bowl.

PRO TIP: Resist the temptation to add more than 3 tablespoons yogurt. According to the Joy of Cooking, “you may wonder why so little starter is used and think that a little more will give a better result. It won’t. The bacillus, if crowded, gives a sour, watery product.”

STEP SEVEN: Once the milk has cooled to between 105 and 110 degrees, add the yogurt-milk mixture and stir well to combine. (Don’t forget this important step.) Put the lid on the casserole dish and cover it with a dishtowel to help insulate it from temperature fluctuations.

Yogurt mixture in a white casserole dish with lid.

The casserole dish wrapped in a red dish towel.

STEP EIGHT: Turn your oven off, but now turn the oven light on. Just the light from the oven should keep the dish warm enough to enable the yogurt-making process.

Put the towel-covered dish in the oven, making sure that the towel isn’t touching the oven lightbulb, and leave the oven light on.

Note: If your oven light doesn’t emit any heat, you can alternately put the towel-covered dish on a heating pad set on “low,” or put it in a cooler with a snug-fitting lid and several sealed jars of hot water to maintain the heat.

Leave the yogurt undisturbed for 7 or 8 hours, or overnight.

STEP NINE: In the morning, carefully take the dish out, unwrap it and remove the lid, and check to see whether the milk has turned to yogurt. After ten hours, this is how our yogurt looked:

A spoon inserted in a dish of fresh homemade yogurt. — The milk miraculously turned to yogurt overnight!

If your batch isn’t quite thickened, return it to the oven and check on it again in an hour. Once the yogurt is sufficiently thickened, you can stop at this stage if you want regular yogurt. Just stir the mixture and refrigerate it; you may need to pour off a little of the watery liquid. Don’t forget to turn off the light in your oven!

STEP TEN: For creamy Greek yogurt, refrigerate the yogurt in the covered dish for at least three hours to allow it to completely cool and thicken.

Meanwhile, line a large strainer with four layers of damp cheesecloth and find a bowl that the strainer will fit inside:

A blue bowl and a strainer lined with cheesecloth.

STEP ELEVEN: Put the strainer inside the large bowl, and spoon in all the yogurt to start the straining process.

Refrigerate for one hour. Pour out the liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the bowl. This is the whey—that’s right, the very same delicacy Little Miss Muffet ate while she was sitting on her tuffet.

Adding yogurt to a cheesecloth lined strainer.

You can save the whey and use it for cooking or baking (like this yummy Whey Sourdough Bread).

Return the bowl to the refrigerator for one more hour, and strain the liquid again. Our batch drained off about two cups of whey, but you may have more or less and that’s fine.

The yogurt should now look thick and creamy:

Greek yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth. — Fresh Greek yogurt

STEP TWELVE: It’s ready to serve! Transfer it to a bowl and stir it for a minute or two to smooth the thick yogurt before serving. Or spoon it into a container and refrigerate it, tightly covered, for up to a week. Makes about 6 cups, or 8 6-ounce servings.

Finished Greek yogurt in a serving bowl with a spoon.

Serving Suggestions

You can enjoy the Greek yoghurt as is, or top it with:

Fresh berries
Your favorite fruits
Honey or maple syrup
Jam or preserves
Granola

Remember to save a couple of tablespoons of your homemade yogurt so you can use it as starter for the next batch!

Other Ways to Use Greek Yogurt

Use it in place of sour cream in your favorite dip recipe.
Make Tzatziki Sauce, the sauce/dip that’s popular with gyros and in Mediterranean cuisine.
Spoon it over a baked potato.
Blend it into a breakfast smoothie.
Make yogurt popsicles!

Troubleshooting: If Your Homemade Greek Yogurt Doesn’t Thicken

After many successful batches of homemade yogurt, I recently had a big FAIL. The only thing I’d done differently was to use our smaller, upper oven to incubate the yogurt instead of the lower oven I usually use.

When I pulled the yogurt out the next morning it hadn’t thickened at all; it was simply a big bowl of warm milk. I was so disappointed! At first I suspected the milk, because I’d used the big-name brand of organic milk that is known to be ultra-pasteurized. But when I measured the temperature of the milk, it was 130 degrees – too hot.

I decided to experiment with the failed batch, and let the milk cool back to 110 degrees. Then I added 2 more tablespoons of yogurt mixed with 1 tablespoon of milk. (My thinking was that the too-high temperature had killed the live cultures from the previously-added yogurt.)

I wrapped the bowl in a towel, put it in the lower oven with the oven light on, and let it rest for 8 hours.

When I opened the lid, I was amazed to see that the batch was thick and creamy. In fact, it was one of the thickest batches I’ve ever made. The consistency was slightly sticky, but after I strained the yogurt it was fine.

So if you ever have a batch that fails, you may want to try again and try to find the right spot where you can keep the yogurt at that ideal temperature of about 110 degrees F.

Printable Recipe Card

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A ceramic bowl filled with Greek yogurt and garnished with a fresh strawberry.

Homemade Greek Yogurt

Eliza Cross

Make your own Greek yogurt with this easy recipe. Enjoy rich, creamy, mild Greek yogurt following our step by step directions.

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Cooling time and incubation period 8 55

Total Time 9 25

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Servings

Calories 170 kcal

Equipment

Candy thermometer
Large mesh strainer
Large mixing bowl
Cheesecloth
3-quart casserole dish
cooling rack
Large dishtowel

Ingredients

1/2 gallon whole organic milk
2 1/2 tablespoons plain yogurt with active cultures

Instructions

Pour 2 tablespoons of the milk in a small bowl and reserve.
Pour the rest of the milk into a double boiler or heavy-bottomed pan and turn the heat to medium. If using a double boiler, cover the milk. If the pot is directly on the burner, stir it and watch it very, very carefully so you don’t burn the bottom.
Heat the milk to 180 degrees F. It helps to clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan so you can carefully watch the temperature as it rises. Or you can check frequently with an instant read thermometer.
As soon as the temperature reaches 180 degrees, F, immediately remove the pot from the stove. Pour the milk through a wire mesh strainer into a 3 quart baking dish and leave it uncovered. Let the milk cool to between 105 and 110 degrees F, stirring a few times during the cooling process to prevent a “skin” from forming on top of the milk.
Turn on your oven to the “warm” or “proof” setting. If your oven doesn’t have that setting, turn it to 150 degrees F.
Combine the 2 tablespoons of milk you saved with 2 1/2 tablespoons prepared yogurt in a small bowl and reserve.
Once the milk has cooled to between 105 and 110 degrees, add the yogurt-milk mixture and stir well to combine. Put the lid on the casserole dish and cover it with a dishtowel to help insulate it from temperature fluctuations.
Turn your oven off, but now turn the oven light on. Just the light from the oven should keep the dish warm enough to enable the yogurt-making process. Put the towel-covered dish in the oven, making sure that the towel isn’t near the oven lightbulb, and leave the oven light on. Leave the yogurt undisturbed for 7 or 8 hours, or overnight.
After 8 hours or the next morning, carefully take the dish out, unwrap it and remove the lid, and check to see whether the milk has turned to yogurt. If your batch isn’t quite thickened, return it to the oven and check on it again in an hour.
Once the yogurt is sufficiently thickened, place the dish in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Cut 4 pieces of cheesecloth to fit inside a large wire mesh strainer. Run the cheesecloth under water and squeeze out as much water as you can.
Line the strainer with the cheesecloth and place it inside a large mixing bowl. Spoon all of the yogurt into the strainer. Refrigerate for 1 hour and pour the liquid that has accumulated into a large measuring cup. Return the bowl to the refrigerator for one more hour, and strain the liquid again.
Your delicious Greek yogurt is ready to enjoy! Stir it for a minute or two to smooth the mixture before serving. Or spoon it into a container and refrigerate it, tightly covered, for up to a week. Makes about 6 cups, or 8 6-ounce servings.

Notes

Storage directions: Store the Greek yogurt in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 6ouncesCalories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 15gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 60mgPotassium: 233mgSugar: 6gCalcium: 170mgIron: 0.2mg

Keyword fermented, foods from scratch, milk

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A bowl of Greek yogurt with a fresh strawberry on top.