How to make Greek Yogurt.
Why choose homemade Greek yogurt?
— You get the option to make different flavors
— You can make it dairy-free and sugar-free
— Just one ingredient, and no expensive equipment required
While there are many “how to make Greek yogurt” tutorials online (and please feel free to try them if you are feeling adventurous!), these recipes usually require a yogurt starter and/or a fancy machine.
The following tutorial requires neither of these things; it is easy and quick, but it’s also a really useful trick to know! Just a few steps can turn your favorite yogurt into thick and creamy Greek yogurt—especially helpful for everyone who needs a dairy-free yogurt and can’t find/dislikes the only dairy-free Greek yogurt option on the market. It’s also great if you need Greek yogurt for a recipe and don’t want to make a special trip to the store.
How To Make Greek Yogurt
- 1 container yogurt of choice (I used Wholesoy)
- pot and fine mesh strainer
- cheesecloth or coffee filters
Place the fine mesh sieve over the pot, and line with cheesecloth or coffee filters. (See photos.) Put all of the yogurt into the strainer, then refrigerate overnight. Discard the liquid at the bottom of the pot, or save it for another use, and you are left with thick “Greek-style” yogurt! (Note: I did not have success in this recipe with So Delicious; if you like that brand, I’d recommend just buying their Greek yogurt to begin with.) Eat as you would Greek yogurt, or use in your favorite recipe that calls for Greek yogurt. I’ve posted a few recipes below.
View Homemade Greek Yogurt Nutrition Facts
3 Delicious Uses For Greek Yogurt:
I will be back tomorrow, with a new recipe!
Hollie says
I never knew how easy it was honestly. I had always assumed that making Greek yogurt was a difficult process because of how expensive they are in the store!
Pamela says
FYI “Making” greek yogurt is not draining the liquid from a commercially produced yogurt!
Cassie says
Lovely and helpful recipe! It would be perfect for coconut yogurt! Yummy 😀
Love Low Fat says
Who knew it was so easy? But everybody knows how delicious it is! 🙂
Kathryn says
I’ve never heard of making your own greek yoghurt before and it looks super easy. Will have to try this out sometime as the better options in stores are usually quite expensive and the cheaper ones are usually full of sugar (but if anyone has any good options for the UK I’d love to know for convenience)
Kathryn
nimblenote.blogspot.com
Sarah says
Gorgeous pictures! And this is genius! I’ve never seen vegan Greek yogurt near me and never tried Greek yogurt. Now I can!
Dianne says
YUM! I am making this today!
Jo says
Great idea! There’s not one non-dairy Greek yogurt available here in the UK, that I know of.
Jo
http://www.helloseedling.blogspot.co.uk
Sprinkles of Sweetness says
I love this method! It works every time and I love how your directions are so easy to understand.
Lily says
You forgot one of my favorite recipes of yours – Greek Yogurt Cheesecake! https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/24/greek-yogurt-cheesecake/
Imani says
Hi Katie,
Thank you very much for ALL of the wonderful recipes on your great site. I have been able to successfully make more than a few of the recipes to my family’s and my delight. You state that any yogurt may be used to make Greek style yogurt, does that include dairy-based product? Also, will your Greek recipe be as tangy as regular Greek yogurt?
Thanks again for your culinary genius, I can hardly wait to try out this recipe as it will certainly save me money!
Peace,
Imani
alice weissman says
For all you ladies out there who would love to make Greek yogurt, I purchased a simple pan with a strainer from Amazon. you place the yogurt in the container which is a built in strainer and let the why settle to the bottom. you will have Greek yogurt overnight. I save freeze the whey and use it in soups, stews, smoothies, anything you can think of where you want extra protein!!
I even use the yogurt to mak vegetable cream cheese for bagels.
Michelle says
I forgot about this completely! I used to make homemade cream cheese this way when I ate dairy. Can’t wait to try it with Whole Soy, which happens to be my favorite brand. Thank you so much for sharing! 🙂
Nicole {VeganShowOff.com} says
I can never find the So Delicious Greek yogurt anywhere by me so this idea is pure genius!! So easy!
Hannah S says
What a great idea and looks so simple. Trying this asap 🙂
http://www.southernfolly.com
Karin says
This looks so easy! I’m assuming you’d lose some volume from liquid loss. If i’m using yogurt with dairy, any idea how much greek yogurt you’d get from this recipe? Thanks!
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship says
Since over here we don’t have any non dairy greek yogurt AT ALL- this is a very welcome post!!! Thankyou!!!
Michelle says
I’m a total noob here, but, is this going to be actual greek yogurt (more protein) or is it “greek-style” yogurt (thickness, etc)?
Christy says
In traditional dairy based yogurt greek yogurt contains more protein per serving because the liquid that is drained off the yogurt contains lactose (milk sugar=carbs). They aren’t actually putting more protein in the yogurt, it is just a happy result of the straining.
Jamie says
This is how labne is made, though it is strained longer so it is closer to a cream cheese consistency – also delicious!
Rebecca says
Question: What can I do if I CAN’T BUY vegan yogurt? I don’t live in the US, but I would LOVE to try your yogurt recipes-do you have any substitutes? Thanks!!
Amanda Cocorozis says
Delicious recipes.Thank you.
frances says
Hi thank you for these ideas and recipes. My addition to this is that I use Kefir Milk and also decant it to give me a soft cream cheese. The liquid that comes out the bottom is a clear & yellow (Whey) that can be accumulated and used for fermenting vegetables. I will be watching for your next recipe. From Sunny South Africa
Evelyn Morrissey says
For health reasons I have put onto strict vegan Diet. Can I use soya yoghurt to make the Greek yoghurt, it only comes in flavours though. South African markets are still behind was far as vegan foods are concerned
Unofficial CCK Helper says
Yes, the one she recommends is actually soy yogurt too 😉
Cathy Bodell says
So how do you make homemade non-dairy Greek yogurt now that Whole Soy has gone out of business?
Biscuit says
Katie:
Thanks again for your culinary genius. I love your recipes. Do you have all your recipes written in a book? If so, where may I get this book?
Janice says
Hello. I was wondering if you could help me. I make homemade Greek yogurt from milk and starter. I was wondering if you could help me figure out how many weight watchers points this would be
Theresa Clementi says
I bought plain yogurt when I meant to buy Greek yogurt, which I like because it has more protein. If I follow this method, does it somehow cause the yogurt to have more protein or is it “greek-style” yogurt (thickness, etc)?