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You are here: Home / Recipes / Breakfast / The Lazy Way of Making Yogurt, Greek Yogurt, and a Giveaway.

The Lazy Way of Making Yogurt, Greek Yogurt, and a Giveaway.

August 7, 2014 Updated February 6, 2019 14 Comments

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Yogurt. Thick. Luscious. Tart. Tangy.

This is how I make my yogurt.

I tried culturing my own yogurt and didn’t have much luck.  I wanted a dump and walk away method.  That’s when I discovered this little gem that has added so much happiness to my life.

I know what you’re thinking.  Yogurt is so readily available, why make your own?

Answer:  Because

I just love homemade better. However, I have to admit that the Honey Greek Yogurt by Greek Gods is just sinfully delicious. It’s like eating cheesecake.

This is how I make my yogurt.  There are many different techniques and recipes. This works for me.

4 cups whole milk (yes WHOLE milk)
1 package Yogourmet cultures OR 1/2 – 3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt

Pour milk into a saucepan.

Heat milk to 180 degrees F (82C)

Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Once the milk has cooled add one package of a freeze-dried yogurt starter.

Yes, you can use yogurt as a starter.  I add 3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt.

Sprinkle it over the milk.

Stir well making sure there are no lumps and the culture has dissolved.

Pour into the yogurt maker bowl.

Cover.

Set timer.  If the milk has been heated and cooled again, the yogurt should be ready is 4 – 4 1/2 hour.  I check to see if it’s thick.  You may want to adjust the timing.  Most of the time I set it for 8 hours then go to bed.

Let me tell you why this yogurt maker is so wonderful.  It will automatically turn off and COOL the yogurt. The yogurt won’t be cold, but it will be cool.  What a great feature.  It’s pretty much a no brain way to making yogurt.

This has cultured for 8 hours.  It’s pretty thick and tart.  Notice that it seems to be a bit grainy or lumpy.  No problem.  I just whisk through it and it’s silky and nice, but will thin down the yogurt a bit.

I like to store my yogurt in a glass jar in the refrigerator.

I read many reviews on the Cuisinart Yogurt maker before my purchase.  Many reviews stated that the yogurt wasn’t thick enough.  I have found that leaving the yogurt in the machine longer only makes it more tart not thicker.  The reason the yogurt was thin was because of the whey in the milk.

Remedy?  Drain the whey!

For Greek yogurt simply drain of the whey.  This is so simple.  So, so simple.

You will need:

Well chilled yogurt, a strainer and a coffee filter.

1) Place the strainer over a bowl.
2) Line the strainer with the coffee filter.
3) Pour in chilled yogurt.

I should buy larger coffee filters so I can make a larger batch.  As you can see I have filled the coffee filter pretty much to the top.

4) Cover and refrigerate until the yogurt reaches your desired thickness.  The longer it is drained the thicker it will become.

As you can see the yogurt has reduced considerable.  Almost by half.

I drained this batch just overnight.  Look how thick it has become.

This is the whey that drained off the yogurt.

DO NOT throw this away.  I use it to make Crusty Bread.  The whey gives the bread a sour dough flavor.

I lift the thickened yogurt and turn it over into a bowl.

Leave the coffee filter in place.  Press it firmly to the top of the yogurt.  This will help the yogurt store longer by keeping a tight seal against the top of the yogurt. Cover bowl and store in the refrigerator.

When ready to use just peel off the coffee filter.

Greek yogurt…it only looks like whipped cream.

5 from 2 votes
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Homemade Yogurt and Greek Yogurt

Using a yogurt maker makes amazing yogurt without much work on your part. Set it and forget it, then enjoy it.

Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword homemade yogurt, hot to make yogurt in a yogurt maker, how to make yogurt
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 74 kcal
Author Janet Barton

Ingredients

  • 4 cups whole milk yes WHOLE milk
  • 1 package Yogourmet cultures OR 1/2 - 3/4 cup plain whole milk yogurt

Instructions

  1. Heat milk to 180 degrees F (82C).  Allow milk to cool to room temperature.  Stir in powder yogurt cultures or plain yogurt.  Stir to dissolve powder or blend in yogurt.  Culture for 4-8 hours.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Yogurt and Greek Yogurt
Amount Per Serving
Calories 74 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Fat 3g5%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Cholesterol 12mg4%
Sodium 52mg2%
Potassium 161mg5%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 3g6%
Vitamin A 200IU4%
Calcium 138mg14%
Iron 0mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Reasons why I’m giving away a Cuisinart yogurt maker:

  • I hate being lazy alone and I would love for one of my readers to be lazy with me.
  • I hate being so awesome alone and I would love for one of my readers to be just as awesome.
  • I make about .10 cents (seriously) an hour blogging. I thought it would be nice to share my wealth.
  • Your comments make my day
  • Why not?
Disclaimer:  This is not a Cuisinart ad.  I have not been compensated for using or promoting this product. I’m sorry but the contest is for U.S.A. readers only.Contest ends Monday, August 11th, 2015.
Winner announced Monday, August 11th at noon MST
You can enter once daily…why not?
Make sure you scroll down to enter your name and email address, which will be completely private.

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Filed Under: Breakfast Tagged With: Cuisinart yogurt maker, homemade yogurt, how to make greek yogurt, how to make yogurt

Previous Post: « Bircher Muesli with Bruleed Cherries
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenn w says

    August 25, 2022 at 6:30 am

    So does greek gods work as yogurt starter? They are my favorite too. I agree the honey is just some of the best stuff on the planet but I like the plain too. If I can make my OWN will it be as good. Right now I won’t share cause my family doesn’t appreciate the flavor. They get store brand fruit flavors.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      August 30, 2022 at 12:39 pm

      I have never tried using Greek Gods yogurt as a starter. I think the plain version would work best then you can add honey to the yogurt once it has set. I have found that the culture packets create the thickest yogurt, but plain whole fat yogurt works really well. I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

      Reply
  2. Uchechukwu says

    February 6, 2021 at 8:05 am

    Thanks for your receipt. Please I have a question. In a situation where you cannot find coffee filter, can you use the strainer to remove the whey?

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      February 9, 2021 at 3:15 am

      You can use a tightly woven cloth to strain the whey. A dishcloth would work great. Please let me know if this helps.

      Reply
  3. Suzi says

    September 9, 2018 at 4:07 pm

    Love this yogurt maker. Been working bugs out to find myyogurt bliss. You helped a bunch. Ty

    Reply
  4. Debbie says

    October 24, 2017 at 3:31 pm

    I use this exact yogurt maker but I do not cook anything on the stove. I put about 2 cups of straight from the fridge whole milk in, dump in my culture (or 2T yogurt with cultures), stir it to mix well and then fill it to about 1″ from the top with more milk. I then turn it on for 8 hours. When done I put in fridge (or leave it in the machine, which cools too) over night and then strain. If I use Fairlife milk, I do not even need to strain it.

    Reply
    • Janet Barton says

      October 25, 2017 at 5:39 pm

      Brilliant! I’m so anxious to try this. Thank you so much for passing on your easy method.

      Reply
      • Catherine says

        November 30, 2020 at 9:06 am

        I do this method too, but according to my yogurt maker this is best done with UHT milk, because it’s already pasteurized. My kids just guzzle yogurt, which is great, but I hated the plastic packaging. That’s why I make it at home, plus it’s half the price, isn’t it?
        Really nice to have it on hand for smoothies, baking etc
        ps tHANKS FOR ADDING celcius IN YOUR RECIPES.

        Reply
        • Janet Barton says

          December 1, 2020 at 5:58 am

          Thank you so much for all of your great tips. I agree homemade is best!

          Reply
  5. Lori says

    August 11, 2014 at 4:35 am

    I've always wanted to try making homemade yogurt. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  6. meppybn says

    August 8, 2014 at 6:15 pm

    Have wanted a yoghurt maker for a long time – glad to get your recommendation and am willing to be awesome alongside you! Love greek yoghurt mixed in homemade lemon curd – yummo 🙂

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    August 8, 2014 at 7:49 am

    great recipe!

    Reply
  8. acorn hollow says

    August 8, 2014 at 2:03 am

    You have made me a rock star in my family with your bread recipe and to add the whey to it is such a wonderful idea!
    Cathy

    Reply
5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Janet Barton

Hi I'm Janet and this is where I share my delicious made-from-scratch seasonal recipes that I make at home for my family every day.

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