The simple step-by-step directions for creating nutritious Greek yogurt at home with only two ingredients. Milk contains two proteins: casein and whey. Casein is the protein that causes milk to curdle and is utilized in the production of cheese and yogurt, whereas whey is the watery liquid that remains after the milk has curdled.
What is Greek yogurt, exactly? It’s similar to conventional yogurt except for one critical step: straining! The yogurt is strained to remove any excess watery whey, yielding a thicker, more protein-dense product. In the United States, this form of yogurt is known as “Greek yogurt,” but it’s also known as “strained yogurt” in other parts of the world.
How to Make Greek Yogurt?
In a large saucepan, boil milk over medium-high heat, constantly stirring, until it is steaming, just bubbling, and an instant-read or candy thermometer reads 180 degrees F.
(Do not leave unattended; it will quickly boil over.) Fill a clean, heat-safe 5- to 8-cup container halfway with milk. Allow cooling to 110 degrees F while stirring constantly.
In a small bowl, combine the yogurt and 1/2 cup of the 110°F milk, then swirl the mixture back into the warm milk. To keep the container warm, cover it with a clean kitchen towel. Spot in a very warm place (see Tip) and leave undisturbed for at least 8 hours and 12 hours until thickened and tangy.
Refrigerate for 2 hours or until completely cool. In the refrigerator, the yogurt will thicken a little more. Place a large fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and line it with two layers of cheesecloth. Fill the cheesecloth with the cooled yogurt, cover, and chill for 8 to 24 hours, depending on how thick you want it.
Yogurt is a fermentation (like kefir, kombucha, and kimchi), which means it’s made by combining bacteria (yogurt) with a sugary material (milk) and allowing the bacteria to consume the sugar.
Refrigerate for up to 1 week if making ahead. Cheesecloth, thermometer, huge fine-mesh filter, 5- to 8-cup container with lid. There are a few techniques to make yogurt in a very warm (about 110°F) climate.
Method using the oven: Preheat the oven to 200°F for about 5 minutes, then turn it off. Turn on the oven light if you have one, and add the towel-wrapped yogurt container.
Cooler method: In a small cooler, place a hot water bottle (or other small containers) filled with very hot water next to the towel-wrapped container. Wrap a heating pad wrapped in a towel around the towel-covered container and set it to High.
So you only need two items to create yogurt at home: Yogurt: Make sure you’re using a high-quality yogurt with “active” or “living” cultures. Milk: The ideal texture for homemade yogurt is full-fat milk. Fermentation always produces acid, gas, or alcohol, and milk fermentation produces acid, which gives yogurt its unique tart flavor!
Return the milk to a lukewarm temperature (approximately 110°F/43°C), then stir 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the yogurt. (Make sure the milk is chilled before adding it to the yogurt to avoid killing the live cultures.) Whisk together the yogurt and half of the milk, add the remaining milk and stir thoroughly.
Ingredients
- 960 mL/4 cup whole milk
- 14 cup plain store-bought yogurt (check to see if it says “live” on the carton) or
- 60 g “active” cultures
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a medium pot to 185-200°F (85-93°C), stirring regularly to avoid the formation of the skin.
Cool in an ice bath (I filled my sink with ice and water) to get the milk temperature to 100-110°F (37-43°C). - Twelve cups of warm milk are poured into a separate clean jar or basin to temper. Stir in plain yogurt until it is thoroughly combined. Mix with the remaining milk thoroughly.
- Allow it to sit: Cover the jar or bowl with a lid, cover it in a moist, warm cloth to keep the heat in, and put it in the oven. Allow the bacteria to do its yogurt-making magic for 4 to 8 hours, with the oven light on to keep it warm (or overnight). *
- Strain the yogurt: You can consume it plain or strain it to produce Greek yogurt. Pour yogurt into a mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth (or paper towels, coffee filters, etc.) to strain. Place over a big bowl and strain for a few hours (or overnight) until it reaches the desired consistency.
Is it Possible to Make Greek Yoghurt from Normal Yogurt?
Strain plain yogurt overnight (10-12 hours) to 48 hours to make Greek yogurt. Check consistency after 12 hours, and cease straining once you’ve achieved the desired consistency. Allow plain yogurt to strain for 48-72 hours to make creamy, thick labneh cheese* (yogurt cheese).Yogurt in its natural state. The texture of plain yogurt is looser than that of Greek yogurt. If you’re replacing Greek yogurt in baking or pancakes, plain yogurt can be used as a 1:1 substitution.
Here’s a tip for thickening dips or other recipes that call for Greek yogurt: create your own. This is a straightforward recipe: a few tablespoons of pre-made yogurt provide the foundation, while the milk provides the rest of the yogurt. I used whole milk as a starting point, but you can use nonfat, low-fat, (unsweetened) soy milk, and so on, and the formula will still work.
What’s the Difference Between Plain Yogurt and Greek Yogurt?
The components in regular and Greek yogurt are the same, but the nutrients are different. Greek yogurt offers more protein, less sugar, and a thicker consistency than conventional yogurt, with fewer calories and more calcium. Both varieties contain probiotics, which aid digestion, weight loss, and cardiovascular health. Greek yogurt is just as delicious as normal yogurt for baking, dips, and sauces. Greek yogurt, like sour cream, can be substituted for normal yogurt 1:1. Furthermore, there are numerous advantages to eating Greek yogurt. St Helen’s Farm Low Fat Goats Milk Yogurt is the healthiest overall.
It offers the second-lowest calorie count of all the yogurts we tested and the lowest sugar level (by only two calories). It also performs well in terms of fat and saturated fat, even though it contains negligible amounts. Greek yogurt is created by straining normal yogurt to remove the excess whey, and it produces a thicker, creamier, and tangier yogurt than ordinary yogurt. Greek yogurt is lower in sugar and higher in protein than standard yogurt. On the other hand, regular yogurt contains twice as much bone-strengthening calcium.
Is it Possible to Create Greek Yoghurt with Store-Bought Yogurt?
You only need one ingredient to create Greek yogurt at home: yogurt. It doesn’t matter if the yogurt is plain, store-bought, conventional, organic, or homemade. You combine a tiny bit of store-bought yogurt with milk type (dairy, soy, etc.). Then you leave it to ferment overnight, and presto: yogurt made from scratch. You have two options for your starter: use a few spoonfuls of your favorite shop-bought yogurt or get a powdered starter from the store (or online).
I like to use a few spoonfuls of plain yogurt, although the strain weakens as you use it in more batches. Greek yogurt is made by placing conventional yogurt in a fine mesh cloth and allowing part of the liquid in its whey, precise to gently drain out, resulting in a thicker, lower-moisture yogurt. Before chilling the yogurt, thickening agents such as corn starch, rice flour, tapioca flour, gelatin, or carrageenan can be added.
What Kind of Milk is Used to Make Greek Yoghurt?
Old-fashioned Greek yogurt is made using goat’s milk, whereas American yogurt and many “Greek-style” versions made in the United States are made with cow’s milk. (Thickening additives like condensed milk or gelatin may be used in “Greek-style” yogurts.) Every batch of yogurt starts with milk and living cultures. The most common milk used for culturing is cow milk, and heating the milk causes the proteins to thicken, resulting in thicker yogurt than raw or unheated milk. For culturing, goat milk is becoming increasingly popular.
The main difference between full-fat Greek yogurt and nonfat Greek yogurt is the milk used in the manufacturing process. Whole milk is used in the full-fat form, whereas skim milk is used in the nonfat or fat-free version. Greek yogurt is whey-free yogurt that has been strained to remove the whey, resulting in a thicker consistency than unstrained yogurt while retaining the sour flavor.
Is Greek Yogurt Better for you than Plain Yoghurt?
Greek yogurt offers more protein, less sugar, and a thicker consistency than conventional yogurt, with fewer calories and more calcium. Probiotics are present in both forms, which aid digestion, weight loss, and heart health. Because bones and bugs can be used to make Greek yogurt, some Greek yogurts contain gelatin, which is created by boiling animals’ skin, tendons, ligaments, or bones. Many people use carmine to make yogurt look like it contains more fruit than it.
Greek yogurt is a good source of calcium, which is good for your bones, and it also contains probiotics, which help maintain a healthy gut-bacterial balance. Greek yogurt consumption has been linked to lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes. Greek yogurt is whey-free yogurt that has been strained to remove the whey, giving it a thicker consistency than unstrained yogurt while retaining the sour flavor.
Conclusion
This easy homemade Greek yogurt recipe makes it straightforward to learn how to make Greek yogurt at home. Begin by boiling milk, blending it with a little amount of already-cultured yogurt, and allowing it to sit in a warm place until the milk transforms into yogurt. Making Greek yogurt high in protein requires one more step: straining the yogurt to thicken it. The leftover liquid, also known as whey, can be added to smoothies or substituted for buttermilk in baking.
