From scratch · Dairy
Greek-style yogurt
Homemade yogurt strained in the refrigerator until thick.
✋ 20 min hands-on
⏱ 12 hr 15 min start to finish
🍽 About 2 cups thick yogurt (and about 2 cups of whey) from 1 quart of milk.
ContainsMilk.
Ingredients
- 4 cup whole milk, pasteurized
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt (whole milk), with live active cultures
Time
Hands-on time is when you’re busy; the rest is rising, simmering, chilling or cooling, when you can do something else.
| Step | Hands-on | Waiting |
|---|---|---|
| Heat and hold the milk | 10 min | 25 min |
| Cool the milk and stir in the starter | 5 min | 30 min |
| Keep warm while it sets | – | 7 hr |
| Chill, then strain in the refrigerator | 5 min | 4 hr |
| In all | 20 min | 11 hr 55 min |
How long it keeps
- Refrigerator: 1 to 2 weeks, like plain yogurt (NDSU).
- Freezer: 1 to 2 months; it turns grainy (NDSU).
Nutrition
Straining pours off whey (water, some sugar and minerals), so the numbers are USDA’s for plain Greek yogurt.
Steps
You’ll need: heavy pot, thermometer, clean jars or bowl, strainer lined with a coffee filter or a double layer of cheesecloth.
- Make plain yogurt (heat the milk to 180°F, cool to 108 to 112°F, stir in the starter, keep warm 6 to 8 hours until set, then chill).
- Spoon the cold yogurt into the lined strainer set over a bowl, cover, and refrigerate.
- Strain 2 to 4 hours for thick yogurt, or overnight for something close to soft cheese. Spoon it into a container; the whey can replace water in bread.
⚖️ ScalingStraining halves the volume, so make twice as much plain yogurt as the thick yogurt you need.
🛡 SafetyStrain it in the refrigerator, not on the counter.
Sources
- Yogurt Made Simple (FS173E), Washington State University Extension, 2015. Accessed 2026-10-25.
- Food Storage Guide (FN579), NDSU Extension, reviewed January 2023. Accessed 2026-10-25.