How To Make Greek Yogurt | Thick and Creamy
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Make thick, creamy homemade Greek yogurt with just two ingredients. Skip the additives and enjoy healthy, traditional, high-protein, Greek-style yogurt at home.
I’ve been making my own yogurt for years and love the cost savings, but it’s never quite matched the thick, rich texture of the store-bought Greek yogurt I enjoy with berries for a light dessert. That all changed with this homemade Greek yogurt—creamy, tangy, and perfectly thick, just like the kind you’d find at the store, but without the additives.
Homemade Greek yogurt is thick, creamy, and naturally delicious. With just two ingredients—milk and yogurt—you can make your own healthy Greek yogurt at home that’s just as good (if not better) than anything store-bought.
Skip the additives, thickeners, and unnecessary sugar, and enjoy a simple, cost-effective way to make traditional Greek-style yogurt using basic kitchen tools and a bit of patience. This easy method produces rich, protein-packed yogurt that’s perfect for breakfast, snacks, or cooking.
Getting Started With Homemade Yogurt
Most people think you need to buy fancy yogurt bacterial culture powder online but all you really need is some real yogurt to get started!
Real yogurt from the store has the live bacterial cultures you need to make your own yogurt and all you need is to add those to your milk to inoculate it.
Look for yogurt with an ingredients list of only: milk and ‘live’ or ‘active’ bacterial cultures. No sweetener, no flavour, no additives or preservatives. Full-fat and organic is a bonus.
It’s been awhile since I’ve purchased yogurt to get started with homemade yogurt since I save a portion of each batch for the next batch but I believe I used a plain yogurt from a local dairy that was only milk and live bacterial cultures.
Conventional brands have yogurts that would work such as – Olympic plain yogurt, Chobani whole milk plain Greek yogurt, Two Good plain Greek yogurt, and more!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Recipe Tips
Use an Instant Pot: I like to heat the milk up in a pot on the stovetop and incubate in an Instant Pot for consistency and reliability. Incubating the milk in the oven with the light on works well, just make sure everyone in your home knows to not use the oven!
Hold the Milk at 180°F for 10–15 Minutes: Instead of just heating and cooling the milk, maintain 180°F (82°C) for 10–15 minutes. This denatures more proteins and leads to a firmer, smoother yogurt texture.
Strain Slowly for That Greek Yogurt Thickness: After incubation, strain your yogurt through a cheesecloth or nut milk bag for 3–6 hours (or overnight in the fridge). This removes excess whey and gives you that signature thick Greek-style consistency.
Freeze Portions of the Yogurt: Once you’ve made your yogurt, freeze some yogurt in the form of cubes and save to inoculate your next batch of yogurt. Read more below.
Adjust the Yogurt Consistency: If I end up straining the yogurt overnight, it often becomes very thick—almost like cream cheese. Since that’s not the texture I prefer, I simply whisk a little of the strained whey back in until it reaches the smooth, creamy consistency I like.
Frozen Yogurt Cubes For Starter Culture
Once you get the process started with store-bought yogurt and have made your first batch of homemade yogurt, you don’t need to buy store-bought yogurt again to make the next back!
Simply use a silicone muffin tray, fill the cups with your fresh yogurt, and freeze. Now you have frozen yogurt cubes that you can use as a starter culture for your next batch of yogurt! All you need is 1 cube per gallon of milk.
You can use the cubes only for starting a batch of yogurt or you can also use them for smoothies! Just make sure you always have one left for your next batch of yogurt.
What Can I Use Excess Whey For?
I personally like to give it as a treat to our doggos. I simply add a generous splash to their food for an extra probiotic boost and they love it!
If you don’t have doggos or they don’t deserve a treat, you can also use it in any kind of baking! Use in place of water in bread recipes, biscuits, or pancake batter for an extra tang.
You can use it in my yogurt-fermented yeasted bread recipe as well! It’s the closest you can get to a long-fermented sourdough without actually needing a sourdough starter! Check it out here.
You can also make fermented lemonade with yogurt whey! I have done it a couple times before and it actually gets bubbly! A sweet, tangy, refreshing beverage for the summer that supports your gut.
Ingredients
- 1/4 Cup Plain Yogurt – Yogurt with live cultures from the store or a frozen cube from your previous batch of yogurt for starter culture.
- 1-Gallon Milk – 2% or whole milk will work. Avoid ultra-pasteurized milk.
Materials
- Large Pot and/or 6-QT Instant Pot – For heating the milk and fermentation. I use a large pot for heating and then transfer to the Instant Pot for fermentation but you can do it all in the Instant Pot or large pot if you like.
- Kitchen Thermometer – For checking the temperature of the milk during heating and cooling before adding your yogurt with active bacterial cultures.
- Wooden Spoon – For stirring your milk.
- Silicone Muffin Cup Mold – For saving yogurt cubes to inoculate the next batch of milk, to preserve, or use for smoothies.
- Colander: For straining the yogurt.
- Cheesecloth: For holding the yogurt as it strains.
- Bowl Cover: For protecting the yogurt from cross-contamination as it strains. You can use a fabric one or a plate.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Heat the Milk: Pour 1 gallon of milk into a large pot over medium-high heat. Heat the milk to 85-90°C (185-194°F), stirring very often to prevent burning on the bottom.
Simmer: Once the milk reaches the target temperature, lower the heat and let it simmer for an additional 10 minutes, keep stirring. This step helps to evaporate some of the water in the milk, concentrating the fat and resulting in a creamier, thicker yogurt.
Cool the Milk: Remove the pot from the heat and let the milk cool down uncovered but protected from contamination (like other food, dust or insects) until it reaches 40-45°C (104-113°F). This is the ideal temperature for adding your yogurt starter culture.
Add the Starter Culture: Once the milk has cooled to the appropriate temperature, add a 1/4 cup of store-bought plain yogurt or a frozen yogurt puck. Mix well to ensure the yogurt is fully incorporated into the milk.
Incubate the Yogurt: Pour the inoculated milk into your Instant Pot. Cover with the lid, set the valve to venting, and press the ‘Yogurt’ button. Let the yogurt incubate for 12-24 hours, depending on how tangy you want your yogurt. The longer it ferments, the tangier it becomes.
Strain and Set: Line a colander with cheesecloth and insert into a large bowl to catch the whey. Pour your fresh yogurt into the lined colander. Cover and set in the fridge for 6-12 hours.
Whisk and Store: Once your yogurt has released the whey and set, transfer to a bowl and whisk to emulsify and making creamy and smooth. Adjust consistency as need be by adding a little extra liquid whey. Store in a glass or plastic container.
Optional Step for Future Batches: For future yogurt-making, make frozen yogurt pucks by filling silicone muffin molds with yogurt and freezing them. These yogurt pucks can be used as the starter culture for your next batch, saving you from buying store-bought yogurt every time!
Recipe FAQ
How To Store
Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Always use clean utensils and look for any signs of spoilage before eating.
How To Make Greek Yogurt | Thick and Creamy
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Real Yogurt or 1 frozen yogurt puck
- 1 Gallon Milk
Instructions
- Heat the Milk: Pour 1 gallon of milk into a large pot over medium-high heat. Heat the milk to 85-90°C (185-194°F), stirring very often to prevent burning on the bottom.
- Simmer: Once the milk reaches the target temperature, lower the heat and let it simmer for an additional 10 minutes, keep stirring. This step helps to evaporate some of the water in the milk, concentrating the fat and resulting in a creamier, thicker yogurt.
- Cool the Milk: Remove the pot from the heat and let the milk cool down uncovered but protected from contamination (like other food, dust or insects) until it reaches 40-45°C (104-113°F). This is the ideal temperature for adding your yogurt starter culture.
- Add the Starter Culture: Once the milk has cooled to the appropriate temperature, add a 1/4 cup of store-bought plain yogurt or a frozen yogurt puck. Mix well to ensure the yogurt is fully incorporated into the milk.
- Incubate the Yogurt: Pour the inoculated milk into your Instant Pot. Cover with the lid, set the valve to venting, and press the 'Yogurt' button. Let the yogurt incubate for 12-24 hours, depending on how tangy you want your yogurt. The longer it ferments, the tangier it becomes.
- Strain and Set: Line a colander with cheesecloth and insert into a large bowl to catch the whey. Pour your fresh yogurt into the lined colander. Cover and set in the fridge for 6-12 hours.
- Whisk and Store: Once your yogurt has released the whey and set, transfer to a bowl and whisk to emulsify and making creamy and smooth. Store in a glass or plastic container.
- Optional Step for Future Batches: For future yogurt-making, make frozen yogurt pucks by filling silicone muffin molds with yogurt and freezing them. These yogurt pucks can be used as the starter culture for your next batch, saving you from buying store-bought yogurt every time!