Larder Love

The best preserving recipes plus easy cooking and baking too

  • ALL RECIPES
    • PRESERVES & LARDER
    • COOKING & BAKING
    • COLLECTIONS & CUISINES
  • TIPS & TRICKS
    • HOME HINTS
  • MY COOKBOOKS
  • ABOUT
    • CONTACT ME
    • PRIVACY
Home » Larder Basics » Super Easy Homemade Yogurt (+ video)

Super Easy Homemade Yogurt (+ video)

Author: Karon Grieve Published : March 2015

Recipe Video
homemade yogurt pin image
homemade yogurt pin image
Homemade yogurt pin image

Homemade yogurt/yoghurt has only 2 ingredients and is super easy to make.  Once you have mastered this you can make all sorts of great larder basics.

homemade yogurt in small jar with jars behind

I remember many, many years ago making jokes about hippy types who could knit their own yogurt. You know, you’d see someone in open sandals in midwinter swathed in layers of cheesecloth with a multitude of love beads.

Maybe they were even sporting a dreadlock or two and you just knew they were deeply veggie and embraced the yogurt culture in a big way.

That was then, this is now and friends I make my own homemade yogurt with not a love bead/dreadlock or sandal in sight, but I do use a bit of cheesecloth now and then.

heating milk in pan sghowing thermometer

I buy yogurt every week, always plain yogurt and most often high-quality somewhat expensive Greek yogurt. I eat it for breakfast, stir it into soups, make dips with it and toss in a few berries and have it as a quick and easy healthy pudding when I can’t be bothered getting too creative in the kitchen.

Last year I thought I’d have a go at making my own and found it to be so darn easy, it had me kicking myself for a fool to have been forking out so much for this stuff for so many years.

Now I make my own Greek style yogurt too.

2 ingredient yogurt

There are only two ingredients in this recipe, it is seriously simple.

You want to start with good quality milk, I like goat’s milk, it is easier to digest than cow’s milk and I love the taste. You’ll need 800ml (about 1 1/4 pints) of your chosen milk plus four tablespoons of plain live yogurt.

How to make your own yogurt

Pour the milk into a saucepan and gently heat it to 85c/185f which is the sterilising point. Make sure you have a good thermometer for this – I use my trusty jam thermometer.

jug with yogurt beside pot of hot milk

When the milk has reached this temperature remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool to 43c/110f by which point a skin will have formed on top.

Scoop off the skin and discard.

Now put your yogurt into a jug and pour in a little of the cooled milk and stir well to combine thoroughly. Add the rest of the milk and stir well.

jar wrapped in tea towel

Pour this mixture into a jar and pop on the lid. Wrap the jar in a tea towel and put it somewhere warm like the airing cupboard or near a heater for 7 hours or overnight. I leave mine on top of the Aga overnight.

You can achieve a firmer and more tart yogurt by leaving it for 24 hours.

finished yogurt in jar

Your yogurt is now ready to use and can be stored in the fridge. If you want a thicker consistency you can line a sieve with cheesecloth (see, told you I had a use for it here!) and allow the yogurt to drain through.

If you let it drain completely you end up with cream cheese. What I do is let it drain for about an hour. Check the resulting yogurt in the sieve and scoop it into a jar, I will then stir in a little of the liquid I drained off if I feel it has become too thick and cheese-like.

Save some of the yogurt

Now don’t go polishing it off to the last drop super tasty as it is. Make sure you hold back those all-important 4 tablespoons so that you can make your next batch of homemade yogurt and that way you only have to buy the milk.

small jar of yogurt beside large jar

How long does homemade yogurt keep

Your homemade yogurt will keep in the fridge for up to a week.  You can also freeze your yogurt for up to 2 months.

Serving suggestions

To add flavour to your yogurt just stir in a little vanilla extract, your favourite jam/jelly or fresh fruit etc.

Use homemade yogurt in curry and chilli recipes to cool things down a little if you’ve made them too spicy.

Make simple dips out of yogurt like my homemade Greek tzatziki or Indian raita dip.

So there you have it homemade yogurt and not an open-toed sandal or love bead in sight. Image intact, tummy satisfied, what more could you ask.

larder links

Looking for more super easy larder basics to make yourself? Then check these out before you go;

How to make homemade almond milk

Make your own pasta from scratch

How to make simple Labneh, yogurt cheese

The easiest foolproof homemade mayonnaise

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
homemade yogurt in small jar with jars behind

Homemade Yogurt

Karon Grieve
A super easy recipe for 2 ingredient healthy and easy to make homemade yogurt
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Course Breakfast
Cuisine British
Servings 6 servings
Calories 89 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 800 ml milk
  • 4 tbsp live yogurt
Metric – US Customary

Instructions
 

  • Heat the milk to 85c/185f then remove from heat and allow to cool to 43c/110f
  • Remove the skin that has formed and discard.
  • Mix a little of the milk in a jug with the yogurt till well combined then stir in the remaining milk.
  • Pour into a large jar and pop on the lid.
  • Wrap jar in a tea towel and leave in a warm place for 7 hours or overnight. Leave for 24 hours for a firmer tangier yogurt.
  • Store yogurt in the fridge for up to a week. Save 4 tbsp to make your next batch

Video

Notes

sugar free, gluten free, vegetarian
The homemade yogurt will keep for up to a week in the fridge but can also be frozen for up to 2 months.
Remember to save 4 tbsp of your yogurt to make the next batch!
 

Nutrition

Calories: 89kcalCarbohydrates: 7gProtein: 5gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 63mgPotassium: 197mgSugar: 7gVitamin A: 229IUCalcium: 167mgIron: 1mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

 

Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Breakfast & Brunch, Larder Basics

« Easy And Healthy Rice Porridge
Scottish Cranachan Cheesecake »

Comments

  1. Sean says

    March 9, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    Pretty much exactly as I do it, though for the culture I place my jars in a cooler with 130ºF water and leave overnight. So easy and so much cheaper than buying fancy yogurt!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 10, 2015 at 11:54 am

      Hi Sean
      Totally agree, isn’t it amazing how something so easy to make (and so cheap) tastes even better than the fancy bought stuff!
      K x

      Reply
  2. Kath says

    March 13, 2015 at 4:17 pm

    I make yogurt all the time, it’s so delicious! I am coveting your glass jars – from whence did they come? The large one is so cute!

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 15, 2015 at 10:40 am

      Hi Kath,
      The little glass jars are old French yogurt pots.
      K x

      Reply
  3. Debi Anderson says

    March 14, 2015 at 8:48 pm

    If you are starting this recipe for the first time, where do you get the live yogurt or do I use some of the yogurt you buy from the store?

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      March 15, 2015 at 10:39 am

      Hi Debi
      When you buy yogurt in the supermarket it will say on the tub if it contains live cultures.
      K x

      Reply
      • Debi Anderson says

        March 17, 2015 at 10:48 am

        Thanks Kathy. This sound interesting to start making. Once again thanks!!!

        Reply
  4. TSandy says

    May 8, 2020 at 10:15 pm

    I make yogurt weekly. I use a crockpot (designated only for yogurt making) to slowly heat my milk to the 185 degrees. I know it takes 3.5 hrs from practice. I ice bath it back to 110 degrees. Trader Joe’s has a six bug bacteria yogurt that I use for culturing. I used to cure it in my oven using the crock from the crockpot but bought an Instant Pot last December. The yogurt cycle is ideal. It makes a thicker yogurt closer to commercial yogurt without the gross additives. We like a sweeter yogurt so I only cure it for four hours. The yogurt cycle on the Instant Pot is also great for proofing dough.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      May 10, 2020 at 11:25 am

      Thank you so much for sharing

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Karon Grieve

SEARCH MY SITE

Follow Larder Love

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Trending Now

dandelion jelly with spoon
3 ingredient dried apricot jam
rich and creamy mushroom soup
homemade garlic oil
vegetarian moussaka
beetroot chutney by larderlove.com

Spring Recipes

coronation chicken
bowl of chicken biryani
wild garlic soup
3 ingredient cheese scones
lamb kofta curry
salmon miso stir fry bowl
close up of slice of carrot and walnut cake
sweet potato wedges

See more spring recipes...

BUY MY BOOKS

Karon Grieve books
my foodgawker gallery

Follow Larder Love

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Privacy Policy & Disclaimers

 

[footer_backtotop]

Copyright Karon Grieve - Larder Love © 2018. All Rights Reserved.

  • 3