Homemade Greek Yogurt
This is a simple homemade Greek yogurt recipe with an easy-to-follow step-by-step guide. High in protein and rich in probiotics, this nutrient powerhouse supports a healthy gut and overall wellness. Homemade Greek yogurt is budget-friendly, fresh, and customizable to suit personal taste and texture preferences. From parfaits to baking, its versatility in recipes makes Greek yogurt a household staple.
If you’re anything like me and my family, you love Greek yogurt. High in protein and extremely versatile, Greek yogurt is a nutrient powerhouse that helps you maintain a healthy gut microbiome. A bonus, when you make it at home, it’s even better in my opinion with only a couple of simple steps. Believe me when I say once you make it at home, store-bought yogurt just won't cut it anymore.
Why Make Greek Yogurt at Home?
If you’re wondering why you should go through the perceived trouble of making Greek yogurt when it can easily be bought at the store, here are some compelling reasons why I made the switch.
Freshness, Flavor, and Texture: When you make Greek yogurt at home, you’re in full control of the entire process and what is added. Like in the store, you can find whole milk yogurt to non-fat, and in a similar vein, you can choose the type and quality of the milk, the cultures, and the fermentation time. This makes it easy to create a yogurt that’s tailored to your specific preferences for taste and texture. And quite frankly, nothing beats the fresh flavor of homemade yogurt.
Cost-Effective: Making Greek yogurt at home is surprisingly cost-effective. A gallon of milk can yield approximately 8 cups of Greek yogurt, depending on how much whey you strain out (yielding to thickness). Leading brands can cost anywhere from $4.99 to $8+ for just 4 cups of Greek yogurt. Compare that to the cost of buying just 1 gallon of milk which yields about 8 cups of yogurt, you'll see significant savings over time.
Eco-Friendly: Like making many things at home, making your own Greek yogurt can reduce your carbon footprint by reducing plastic waste. Those single servings of 32 oz containers add up, and by going homemade, you're doing a small part to help the environment.
Recipe Versatility: Greek yogurt isn't just for parfaits. Its thick yet creamy texture makes it a versatile ingredient to be of great use in various recipes. Use it as a base for smoothies, in salad dressings, as a substitute for sour cream, or even in baking.
Customizable: Making Greek yogurt at home allows you to control the variables to a greater degree and experiment with various flavors and textures. Whether you like a thick and creamy texture or more loose you have full control.
What is Greek Yogurt Anyways?
Greek yogurt has a thick texture, a higher protein content, and fewer carbohydrates and sugars than regular yogurt. This type of yogurt goes through an additional step - straining. Once the yogurt has fermented for the desired time, the yogurt is strained (at home) with a cheesecloth until the desired texture is achieved. Greek yogurt has a tangy flavor.
On the other hand, regular yogurt has a loose yet smooth consistency and depending on the product bought can be in drinkable form. Many brands may add additional ingredients such as fruit and sugars to control taste.
Let's Talk Nutrition
Greek yogurt is a powerhouse when it comes to nutrition. It's packed with protein, probiotics, and essential nutrients, contributing to overall health and wellness. Due to the nature of this recipe compared to my others, there is only one ingredient in question below you will find the nutrient aspects of Greek yogurt as a whole.
Importance of protein and probiotics
High-Protein Content: Greek yogurt has a high protein content when compared to other yogurts. Protein is an essential macronutrient for muscle repair, growth, and overall body function and contains all 9 essential amino acids. 1 cup of Greek yogurt can contain up to 20 grams of protein, making it a great option for a post-workout snack or a satisfying breakfast. The high protein content may help with satiation when paired with healthy fats and complex carbohydrates for a balanced meal or snack.
Probiotics: Greek yogurt is a great source of probiotics as it’s made with live cultures, which are beneficial bacteria that support gut health. Greek yogurt, and other probiotic-rich foods in the diet can help maintain a balanced gut microbiome.
Vitamins and Minerals: Greek yogurt is a great source of B12, B2, Selenium, and calcium; which are essential for strong bones and teeth. These vitamins and minerals support the immune system, red blood cell formation, and bone health.
How to Make: Ingredients and Steps
Ingredients -
Milk: Whole milk, 2%, 1%, or fat-free milk can be used for this recipe and is personal preference. Whole milk will yield a richer taste and texture.
Plain Yogurt: This is used as the starter to add live cultures to the milk to produce yogurt.
Steps -
1. Pour the milk into a large pot and heat it over low heat until it reaches 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir occasionally to keep the milk from burning on the bottom. Patience is key here as you don’t want to heat the milk too fast as this will impact the texture in the end. This step helps denature the proteins, giving a thicker yogurt.
2. Move the pot off the heat and allow the milk to cool to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Adding the starter before the milk has cooled will kill the (good) bacteria.
3. As the milk cools, it forms a skin at the top, simply remove and discard. Ladle about 1 cup of milk into a bowl and add the yogurt starter, mixing to combine. Next, add the yogurt starter mixture to the milk once it has cooled and whisk until fully integrated.
4. Cover the pot with a lid and place it in a warm environment, like the oven with the light on. Allow the milk to incubate for 6 to 12 hours, or overnight.
5. Once the milk has sat for the allotted time, it will have set but will have a soft and loose consistency. To get Greek yogurt, the whey needs to be strained out. Line a mesh strainer, or metal colander with a clean cheesecloth, and place a pot or bowl underneath to catch the whey. Add the yogurt, this may have to be done in batches, allowing the whey to strain out. The longer you allow the yogurt to strain, the thicker the yogurt will be. This is a personal preference, adjust time accordingly.
The yogurt after sitting overnight. The liquid sitting on the top is the whey.
The strained whey. Depending on desired thickness of the Greek yogurt, make sure you have a big enough vessel underneath the strainer, or empty as needed .
6. Store the Greek yogurt in an airtight jar or container and refrigerate. Enjoy with your favorite toppings or in your favorite recipes!
Simple Homemade Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 Gallon Milk
- 150g Plain Yogurt Starter, I use a single-serve Greek yogurt container
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a large pot and heat it over low heat until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir occasionally to keep the milk from burning on the bottom. Patience is key here as you don’t want to heat the milk too fast as this will impact the texture in the end. This step helps to denature the proteins, which will give a thicker yogurt.
- Move the pot off of the heat and allow the milk to cool to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Adding the starter before the milk has cooled will kill the (good) bacteria.
- As the milk cools, it forms a skin at the top, simply remove and discard. Add the starter yogurt to the milk once it has cooled and whisk until fully integrated.
- Cover the pot with a lid and place it in a warm environment, like the oven with the light on. Allow the milk to incubate for 6 to 12 hours, or overnight.
- Once the milk has sat for the allotted time, it will have set but will have a soft and loose consistency. To get Greek yogurt, the whey needs to be strained out. Line a mesh strainer, or metal colander with a clean cheesecloth, and place a pot or bowl underneath to catch the whey. Add the yogurt, this may have to be done in batches, allowing the whey to strain out. The longer you allow the yogurt to strain, the thicker the yogurt will be. This is a personal preference, adjust time accordingly.
- Store the Greek yogurt in an airtight jar or container and refrigerate. Enjoy with your favorite toppings or in your favorite recipes!
The nutritional content provided is just an estimate. Nutritional content may vary based on substitutions and additions you may have made or by brand.
