Homemade Plain Greek Yogurt
Learning how to make Greek yogurt at home is simple with this easy recipe. Start by making homemade yogurt; heating milk, combining with a little bit of already-cultured yogurt and letting it sit in a warm spot until the milk turns into yogurt. Making protein-rich Greek yogurt takes one more step than making regular yogurt: straining the yogurt to thicken it. You can add the leftover liquid—also known as whey—to smoothies, or you can use it in place of buttermilk in baking.
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Recipe Summary
Nutrition Profile:
What You'll Need to Make Greek Yogurt
Making your own yogurt is easier than you might expect. For this recipe, you'll need: 4 cups of low-fat or nonfat milk and 1/4 cup low-fat or nonfat yogurt. Your homemade yogurt will take on the flavor of the plain yogurt you use in the recipe, so make sure it's one you like! You will also need a 5- to 8-cup container with a lid, a thermometer, a large fine-mesh sieve and cheesecloth.
How to Keep Your Yogurt Warm for Fermenting
In order for the live active cultures (bacteria) to multiply and transform the milk to yogurt, you will need to keep the mixture in a warm environment (about 110°F) for 8-12 hours before it hits the fridge. There are a few ways to do this:
Oven Method
Turn your oven on to 200° for about 5 minutes, then turn it off. Add the towel-wrapped container of yogurt and if you have an oven light, turn it on for added warmth.
Cooler Method
Place a hot water bottle (or other small container) filled with very hot water alongside the towel-wrapped container in a small cooler.
Heating Pad Method
Wrap a heating pad set to High around the towel-wrapped container.
How to Thicken Yogurt
Greek-style yogurt is typically thicker than regular yogurt. To get that texture, liquid (the whey) is removed by straining it out using a fine mesh sieve and cheesecloth. The less liquid there is, the thicker the yogurt becomes. It will take a minimum of 8 hours to strain enough whey out of the yogurt to get a thicker texture, but you can strain it for up to 24 hours if you like your yogurt very thick.
How Long Does Homemade Greek Yogurt Last?
Refrigerate yogurt in a covered container for up to 1 week.
Additional reporting by Hilary Meyer
