Desserts
Homemade plain yogurt with live cultures
Make plain yogurt at home with milk and live-culture yogurt. Follow heating, incubation and chilling temperatures, with step photos and no gelatin.
Part of the collection: Everyday dairy products you can make at home
- Total time
- 12 hr 35 min
- Preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking
- 20 min
- Rest / waiting
- 12 hr
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Cuisine
- International
Ingredients
Quantities adjust to your servings. Times, temperatures and “to taste” stay the same.
Check off the ingredients you already have above.
Method
Follow the recipe one step at a time.
Heat the milk
Wash and sanitize the pot, jars and utensils. Heat milk to 85 °C, stirring to prevent scorching, and hold for 10 minutes without boiling. This helps the yogurt set with more body.
Cool and add the starter
Cool the pot in a cold-water bath to 43 °C. Blend the yogurt with a little warm milk in a bowl, return to the pot and stir gently. Do not add the starter while the milk is still hot.
Incubate at a controlled temperature
Divide between covered jars and hold at 42–43 °C for 6–8 hours without disturbing. Check the incubator with a thermometer. The yogurt should set; if measuring pH, aim for 4.6 or below. Discard a batch that fails to set in this period.
Chill and serve
Refrigerate as soon as set and chill for at least 4 hours before stirring or serving. It thickens as it cools. A little clear whey is normal and may be stirred back in.
The step photos are illustrative.
Notes
Tips and storage
Choose yogurt labelled with live cultures, not a dairy dessert heat-treated after fermentation. Keep covered and use within 5–7 days as a cautious home-storage guide. Add fruit at serving time. This recipe has not been kitchen-tested. Contains milk. Use clean, sanitized equipment and refrigerate at 4 °C or below. This is not a shelf-stable canned product.
Nutrition facts
1 of 8 servings, about 130 g
- Protein
- 4.3 g
- Carbohydrates
- 6.5 g
- Fat
- 4.4 g
Estimated per serving; yield, moisture and brands affect the values.
Reference source: Generic whole milk and plain whole-milk yogurt composition, USDA FoodData Central
For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.
About this recipe
One litre of milk makes about 1,050 g of plain yogurt. Use a thermometer and a yogurt maker or another system that holds 42–43 °C. Allow about 35 minutes for preparation and heating, 6–8 hours for incubation and at least 4 hours for chilling. Total time includes 8 hours of incubation.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use UHT milk?
It can work for yogurt; choose unflavoured whole milk. The restriction on UHT milk applies to other methods such as mozzarella.
Can I leave it on the counter?
No. Use controlled incubation followed by refrigeration; ambient warmth does not ensure the required temperature.
