How to Make Yogurt in 5 Easy Steps (with Pictures)

It’s super easy to make homemade yogurt. There’s no better way to get this cultured staple preservative-free than to make it yourself.

I started making yogurt before we ever came to Africa. We were able to get milk from a local farm. I’d found directions for making yogurt in a book I read and decided to try it out with the fresh milk. It turned out the first time!

Yogurt making is now a normal part of our weekly ritual. It takes time, but not much supervision. Most of the process is just letting the bacteria do its work to change the milk to yogurt. You don’t need any special equipment.

You’ll need:

• a pan with a lid in which to heat the milk and leave the yogurt until it has cultured
• a wooden spoon
• plain yogurt to use for a starter
• a towel (optional)
• flavoring (optional – see below)

How to Make Homemade Yogurt in 5 Easy Steps

1. Boil the milk.

It doesn’t need a hard boil, but it won’t hurt if it boils hard. You know what they say about watched pots. I can watch it simmer but not boil for 10 minutes, then leave or turn my back for one second and the milk boils over. *sigh*

This is the first place the wooden spoon comes in handy. If you lay the spoon on top of the milk, it breaks the surface tension and the milk tends not to boil over as easily.

2. Cool the milk until you can hold a finger in it for 10 seconds or longer.

If your milk is too hot, it will kill the culture on the yogurt starter. The milk is cool enough when you can hold your finger in it for several seconds. The cooling part takes longer than the boiling part. I come back and stir it on a regular basis (use the wooden spoon for this) and only test it when I can touch the outside of the pan without it burning me.

3. Add yogurt starter to the milk and mix thoroughly.

6-8oz. of plain yogurt is enough for a starter – in other words, it’s enough to start the culturing process. Once you’ve added the starter, mix it into the milk until it’s smooth and there are no chunks.

4. Cover and let it set for 6-12 hours.

I leave mine sitting on the back of the stove but my kitchen stays around 80 degrees during the day. If your kitchen is cooler, place the pan with the yogurt inside the oven (oven turned off). This helps it maintain its heat. You can even set the yogurt on the counter or table or the top of the fridge wrapped in a towel. 

You don’t have to check it or stir it. In fact, you don’t want to disturb it any more than necessary.

5. Refrigerate.

I leave mine out to culture for 8-10 hours (usually closer to 8) and it’s nice and thick. The longer you leave it out, the thicker it gets, but it also gets more sour (sourer?). We use it in place of sour cream, so we don’t mind it being a little tart. But you can overdo it.

What if you forget and it sits out longer? It’s yogurt. It might be very sour or tart, but you can still use it. I’ve left mine sitting out overnight and it was still okay the next day.

Additions:

• For sweetened yogurt, add honey to taste as the milk is cooling. Stir with the wooden spoon until the honey is completely dissolved.
• Add fruit to the yogurt when you refrigerate it or as you serve it. 

Questions? Feel free to contact me with them. I can’t promise I can help but I’ll do my best. Have you made yogurt before? How did it work? I’d love to hear from you!