Easy Homemade Yogurt w/Pictures! {Dairy Diaries}
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Growing up, we almost never bought yogurt from the store. Every weekend, my mom made a big batch of yogurt to last us the rest of the week. We used it on everything; with fruit, on top of warm rice (my favorite!), in smoothies…I mean everything!
Not only is making homemade yogurt more cost-effective (especially if you’re using organic ingredients!), it tastes better, has less additives, and can be customized to your tastes.
The recipe I use now is a little different from my mom’s recipe. In her efforts to fatten us up as little kids (every Arab mother’s life goal, LOL), she added a good helping of half-n-half and whipping cream to her mix. Now, don’t get me wrong, those two extras make for the yummiest, creamiest yogurt you will ever taste! But we’re not getting any younger, and our bodies just will not bounce back from all of that extra fat content – well, they’ll bounce, just not in the good way. 
Mom’s yogurt has become a once-in-a-while (read whenever I visit her) indulgence, but for our weekly yogurt batch, I keep it simple and low-fat. Here’s our super-easy, fail-proof yogurt culturing method.
You’ll start out with some milk and yogurt. You only need to buy yogurt for the first batch; after that, you will reserve some of your homemade yogurt to use for the next batch. You can use any fat content for the milk and yogurt; of course, the higher the fat content, the thicker and creamier the end result will be. So I don’t skimp on this; I usually use at least 2% (if not whole) milk, and full-fat yogurt (with active cultures!) as my starter. My mom always takes out her yogurt and leaves it on the counter to warm up to room temperature, so I’ve just always done that. If you forget, I don’t think it’s a big deal. The recipe below is for a half-gallon of milk, because that’s all the yogurt Mr. Nurture and I can go through in a week, but you can simply double the ingredients if you’re doing a whole gallon.
First, you want to create a warm resting place for your yogurt, so I turn on my oven to ‘warm’ while I do the rest of the steps. If you don’t have a warm setting, just turn it on the lowest temperature for about 15 minutes to warm it up. You want the temperature to be around 115 degrees. Once it’s warmed up, turn off the oven.
Next, you’ll want to prepare your jars for storing the yogurt. Ideally, they will be sterilized glass jars. You want to stay away from plastic, especially since you’ll be pouring the hot milk/yogurt mixture into them. I just use old honey jars, jelly jars, salsa jars, etc. Place them on a tray for easier transferring to the oven later.
Then, you’ll add your milk (and cream, if using!) to a big stock pot, and bring it to just under a boil (around 185 degrees). Right when you start to see little bubbles on the top (forgot to take a picture, sorry!), remove the pot from the heat, and let it cool to around 115 degrees. If you have a thermometer, use that. If not, just do it the old-fashioned way and test with your hands: It’s ready when you can comfortably place your hand on the side of the pot (or dip your clean finger into the milk) for at least 10 seconds.
Once it’s cooled down, get ready to work quickly. Put your yogurt starter into a bowl or a 2-cup measuring cup. Then, scoop out a few ladle-fulls of the warm milk and add them to the yogurt. Whisk it to combine, then add the mixture back into the pot with the rest of the warm milk.
Stir it gently 2-3 times (no more than that!) to make sure it’s all mixed well, then pour (or ladle) the milk/yogurt mixture into your prepared jars. You can also just leave it all in the pot, but I don’t recommend that since you’ll have to transfer it to jars later anyways.
Now, carefully move the tray of jars into the oven, making sure not to agitate or jostle them too much. Turn the oven light on, and set the oven timer for 4 hours.
After 4 hours have passed, the yogurt should be nice and solid. You can taste it at this point to see if you like it. If it’s not tart enough for you, put it back in the oven, and check on it again in another hour or 2. Once it’s reached your desired taste, remove the jars from the oven, and let them rest on the counter until they’ve cooled to room temperature. Then cover the jars and store in the fridge, where they’ll keep for about a week, although I’ve kept mine for up to 10 days without issue.
The pictures below are from my yogurt batch after it’s been refrigerated. See how thick it is, just like regular yogurt? It even leaves a layer of whey at the top, just like the store-bought kind. You can either dump this out (don’t do that – it’s sooo good for you!) or you can just stir it right back in, like I do. Or if you want a thicker, creamier yogurt, you can strain out the whey. For an even more delectably creamy spread, check out my post on Labna (Arab Cream Cheese), which is just yogurt, strained overnight in the fridge.
Enjoy with your favorite mix-ins! 
VERY IMPORTANT: Don’t forget! Make sure to keep some of your batch to use as the starter for your next batch! I just keep it in a small container in the back of the fridge so nobody eats it on accident!
This is just one method for making homemade yogurt. There’s so many more variations online! Here are a few that caught my eye:
Alright, I’ve included an easy to use, and printable recipe below so you don’t have to read through all of that again. Have you made your own yogurt before? If not, would you consider it? What other dairy products do you like to make, or would you like to see featured here on Nature’s Nurture?
| Easy Homemade Yogurt |
- 1/2 gallon milk
- 1/2 cup yogurt (with active cultures)
- Clean glass jars
- Thermometer (optional)
- Warm up the oven either on ‘warm’ or the lowest setting for about 15 mins. then turn off.
- Place clean glass jars on a tray.
- Add milk to a stock pot and cook on high heat until just under a boil. When you see little bubbles on the surface, remove from the heat.
- Let milk cool to about 115 degrees (on thermometer) or until you can comfortably place your hand on the side of the pot (or dip your clean finger into the milk) for at least 10 seconds.
- Once it’s cooled down, put yogurt into a bowl. Scoop out a few ladle-fulls of warm milk and add to yogurt. Whisk to combine, then add the mixture back into pot with the rest of the milk.
- Stir gently 2-3 times (no more than that!) to make sure it’s all mixed well, then pour (or ladle) the milk/yogurt mixture into prepared jars.
- Carefully move the tray of jars into the oven, making sure not to agitate or jostle them too much. Turn oven light on (very important!), and set the timer for 4 hours.
- Remove jars from oven, and rest them on the counter until they’ve cooled to room temperature. Then, cover the jars and store in the fridge, where they’ll keep for about a week, and up to 10 days.
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I make my own yoghurt, but I use the Easy-yo system. It came with its own little thermos flask that I fill with boiling water, then set the yoghurt pot in for 8 hours.
I buy an easy-yo sachet every month as a new starter (I don’t like to let too many iterations happen, who knows what I’m growing!) but in between I use powdered milk mixed with water and last weeks reserved starter. That means I only have to sterilise the jar instead of boiling milk. So much easier
Your mum’s yoghurt sounds great!
Cool! Never heard of Easy-yo, will look into it! And LOL about not knowing what you’re growing
You’ve reminded me to edit the post to say that I usually start with a new starter every few months because if that. Thanks!
Your yogurt looks beautiful and I really like that you aren’t too stressed about being exact. It’s really not as difficult as some may think.
Our family loves yogurt and I found the easiest method ever tucked away in an old cookbook of my grandmother’s . It is virtually fail proof and is REAL yogurt. The recipe calls for powdered milk, plain yogurt (the first time as a starter) and water. It cultures in your oven and is truly no fuss. It might be a good alternative for a first time yogurt maker!
http://poppyjuice-poppy.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt-easy-and.html
Thanks again for such a helpful tutorial!
Thanks for sharing that recipe, Poppy!
My pleasure!
I make homemade yogurt once a week too, although my process is slightly different from yours. It is sooooo yummy and so good for you!
There’s so many different methods, but they all lead to the same yummy end result
I’m actually editing the post a little later to share some links to other methods I’ve found online, one of which uses a crockpot…how cool is that?! Yogurt is one of those no-brainers that I think everyone should make at home. It just doesn’t compare to store-bought!
Mrs Nurture this is fantastic. Question: does the oven need to remain at 115 for the entire 4 hours? This is a fabulous post, Im pinning and sharing on FB. Thanks!
No, once it’s warmed up, just turn it off, and the light should provide enough warmth for the 4 hours. Like I said, I don’t even measure the temp, I just turn it on for about 15 mins, then turn it off.
Thanks for sharing the post!
OK thats good to know. Awesome, thanks!
This has been on my list of things to try. I really need to do this!
You really should try it, Tammy! It’s too easy!
Oooh, I love your oven method. Sounds great and super easy! Thanks for linking to my method, too!
I eat a lot of yogurt and with the price of yogurt going up, I’ve wanted a yogurt maker. This recipe looks easy and fun to make. Let us know if you try the other methods you listed. My mom gave my sisters and me copies of Ralph Nader’s mom’s cookbook. Since his mom was Lebanese, she included a recipe for yogurt. I never made it, but now I’m going to make your version and see how it turns out. Your mom’s sounds heavenly.
Wow, this is really cool, Sarah! I love that you grew up eating it. I’ve been wanting to make my own for a while now – the store-bought kind is so full of sugar and organic is really expensive. But I’m in love with Greek yogurt – is this anything like that?
Hey Noona I made my last yogurt Bach using only vitamin D milk it turned out to be soooo yummy and Atef loved it.
Oh by the way you have to add a pinch of salt to the yogurt you’re using for labna.
Love mom.
Hi mom, that’s awesome! And yeah, in the link for the labna post, I do say to add some salt
Sarah,
Been wanting to try to make my own. Thanks so much for sharing! Looking forward to trying this with the kids.
Sharla
This was great….have you ever made it with Coconut Milk? I have to be dairy free and really miss yogurt and other yummy things! Stoppin by from the Green Moms Network
Wow, I never even thought about using coconut milk, or making any dairy-free yogurt! Hmmm, this calls for some investigating
Yum! I make yogurt too. I love how you make it in the oven. Neat!
I had the same question as Misty. I also don’t have a light that I can leave on in my oven….. so what method would you suggest for a first timer?
I love this site and all your ideas! So happy I found you!
Hi Elaine, thanks for the kind words! Glad you’re finding the site useful
If you don’t have an oven light, you would need to insulate your jars/pot in some way. The best way is to wrap it up with a really big, thick towel to make sure the heat stays in. Hope that helps!
I’m not a huge yogurt fan, but my kids LOVE it! I will definitely be trying this!
Thanks for linking up with my Super Link Party!
Thank you for linking this up at the Carnival of Home Preserving!
I’ve never heard of making yogurt in the oven – sounds really easy. Unfortunately, we don’t have a light in our oven. But I do have a yogurt machine, so I will continue to use that
Thanks for linking up to Healthy 2Day Wednesday and come back next week to see if you were featured!
What if I do not have an oven light? The apartment I rent has pretty cheap appliances and my oven does not have a light in it
Vyctoria, that’s fine! Another reader asked the same question in comments, so here’s what I told her: If you don’t have an oven light, you would need to insulate your jars/pot in some way. The best way is to wrap it up with a really big, thick towel to make sure the heat stays in.
Hope that helps!
Mine’s in the oven now!
Any suggestions for flavoring it? I love it plain, but the husband is used to the strawberry/raspberry store brand and won’t eat it with chunks of fruit! I was thinking of homemade vanilla extract? honey? and/or maybe pureeing some strawberries or raspberries? do you think fruit juice would work better? Is the best time to flavor it after it’s done setting?
<3 your blog!
Thanks for the kind words, Amanda! Yes, wait until after it’s set and has been refrigerated for a few hours before flavoring it. From there, the possibilities are endless, but from what you’ve mentioned, the best ways are with honey, or pureed fruits. I think fruit juice may turn it a bit too watery so I’d stay away from the juice idea.
Good luck and hope you like it!