I am HUGE fan of Greek yogurt if you all haven’t noticed. My only complaint is that it can cost so much more than regular yogurt. You can save a ton of money by making your own and it’s so simple to do. I think the BEST part about making your own Greek Yogurt is that you can control how thick you want it.
You only need TWO things to make your Greek yogurt.
Your favorite brand of PLAIN nonfat or lowfat yogurt. I used Nancy’s but Stoneyfield is another great option. You should choose one that you like the flavor of ~ Yes, you did hear that right, you can MAKE FLAVORED GREEK yogurt using this method too! Either buy a flavored yogurt or add all natural preserves and fruit to sweeten after you make it!
And any brand of Cheese Cloth will work.
You will need a medium sized bowl that will fit a colander.
Line the bowl with 4 damp layers your cheese cloth.
Add your ENTIRE container of yogurt.
Cover your yogurt concoction and place it in the fridge.
Now this is the important part as it is KEY for the consistency you are desiring from sour cream to Greek yogurt to yogurt cheese/cream cheese.
* Yogurt strained 4 to 6 hours results in sour cream type texture.
* Yogurt strained 8-12 hours results in GREEK YOGURT!
* Yogurt strained 24 hours results in Yogurt Cheese aka Cream Cheese.
Strainer Yogurt will keep in the fridge for about 1 week, however, does ANY greek yogurt last that long in your house?
Ok ~ now, let’s check out some results. After straining my yogurt for 12 hours, here is what I am left with. It’s about 1/2 the size of the container.
For those HARD CORE people, the watery liquid that drains off is called WHEY. Yup, that is the protein powder in your shakes – fun, right?! Oh and ALL the bitterness that is in regular plain yogurt goes into the Whey part. That is why GREEK Yogurt can be creamy and not bitter.
Check out the consistency – thick and creamy.
It’s stays on the spoon when turned upside down.
And it is enough to fill an entire cereal bowl!
I usually just put it back into my original yogurt container (recycle/re-use) and scoop it out as needed. The container is HALF full, not half empty 🙂
My favorite ways to flavor GREEK Yogurt are:
* Agave Syrup plus Vanilla Beans – just a little of each to taste!
* Natural Apricot Preserves ~ 1 Tbsp works per cup depending on your desired sweetness.
* Fresh fruit with the fruit juice or Frozen pineapple tossed in with the yogurt and it’s unthawed by mid morning.
* Add 1 Tbsp of a dried berry blend or raisins for sweetness.
* Parfaits – Click HERE to see some I’ve made.
* Better yet, top your waffles with it!
If you choose to strain it for 24 hours you can make:
* a fantastic “cream cheese” dip Adding 1-2 cloves garlic, fresh or dries herbs, 1 green onion minced, sea salt and pepper to taste. You can use this for any recipe that calls for sour cream or cream cheese for alot less calories/fat than the real deal!
* Whipped Cream Cheese ~ Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and top your favorite muffins. Adding a sprinkle of cinnamon would be awesome too.
* CAKE FROSTING!!! Add 2 cups of yogurt cheese (described above) with 1/2 c powdered sugar and 1 Tsp vanilla extract.
Ok ~ that’s all! Super easy, right?! I’d LOVE to know your favorite ways to use and/or flavor Greek Yogurt….Leave a comment below to add to the ideas above.
That's great! Just make sure there isn't any gelatin in the yogurt, or it won't work quite right. 🙂
Thanks for the tip, very helpful I will have to try it out.
fabulous post danica!
Interesting post!
Make sure to enjoy the whey in a shake. It is where more of the calcium goes (check out the labels between regular yogurt and greek yogurt to figure out how much but it is significant).
I love makes thick yogurt dips (and using the whey in smoothies)
ah this is awesome considering i love the thickness of fage but i do NOT love it's $2.50 price tag per container.. so i always stick to the cheaper chobani which is good.. but i LOVE the idea of making my crack, i mean yogurt, thicker :)! thanks for the tutorial, love!
I've read this trick in several other places but have yet to try it. Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks for posting this! How often do you make it?
Thanks for this tutorial. No wonder Greek yogurt costs so much!
Anonymous ~ Hmmm – I didn't think of that, but, then again, I only buy yogurts I recognize the ingredients on. I think gelatin is in alot of the non-natural, flavored versions, right?
EricaH ~ No problem! I know you can use "yogurt cheese" to make mac n cheese for you kiddos too 🙂
Jaentha ~ Thanks! I thought you'd like the Whey water part 🙂
Nutritious ~ Thanks!
C.G. ~ Ahhh, I need to check the labels – that is an interesting fact I didn't know 🙂
Jenny ~ This is soooo easy to make too along with saving $$$$..plus it's fun to flavor your own.
Broccoli ~ You will totally LOVE all the possibilities of making this – it's fun and tasty!
Anne ~ It all depends. I make it every now and then, but, often take the easy way out buying it. I should make it more because it is definitley less $$$.
Emily ~ It's so true – the result of "greek yogurt" is less yogurt than the real deal. But, it's so worth it for the creaminess.
Hi all,
Do you know if it will work with soy yogurt? I love greek yogurt but I am trying to go vegan here. Have you tried it with using a full container of soy yogurt instead?? Any suggestions on good brands, if so??
Thanks!
Hi AnonymousGirl,
I have never tried making Greek Soy Yogurt but I imagine you could follow the same process and it would turn out just fine. I found another site that has a really good reference on how to make your VEGAN soy yogurt. Here is the link:
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2007/09/greek-style-soy-yogurt-or-soy-yogurt.html
Good luck and be sure to tell if it turns out. I am curious too 🙂
Danica
If you want to save some real money, buy that container of quality yogurt, then use it, 1/4 cup at a time, to make your own yogurt from milk. For 1 quart of yogurt, it costs the cost of the milk, which, at $4 a gallon (cheaper than that here), is $1 a quart, plus the small amount of yogurt you use for a starter.
Take a quart canning jar. Spring for the plastic lids – you can’t can with them, but they don’t rust and they are easy to use for applications like these.
Just before bedtime, get out your jar, and begin preheating your oven. Do not let the oven preheat more than a couple of minutes. Generally, I turn on the oven just before I begin preparing, and turn it off when I put the jar in. Pour the jar almost full of milk. Take a spoon and heap it full of your quality yogurt and put it in the jar of milk. Screw on the lid and shake it 10 or 12 times till the yogurt is thoroughly stirred in. Put the jar in the oven with the lid on, turn on the oven light and go to bed.
Provided you sleep like a reasonable person, in the morning, you will have yogurt. Put it in the refrigerator and once it is cool, probably by the afternoon, it will be ready to strain.
People say you can use the whey to make more yogurt, but I have always had trouble with the process degrading. To me, it is reasonable and cheap enough to simply use new, high-quality yogurt for each batch. The oven method has never failed me. Also, you are a lot less likely to turn the oven on accidentally to bake something.
The reason I say to start this before bed is because it prevents you from peeking at the yogurt all the time, which might allow the oven to cool, or cause rises and dips in temperature. I used to own a yogurt maker, but the jars were tiny, and kept breaking. My mother told me about this (actually, she puts hers on top of her water heater, under a towel, or sometimes she puts it on top of her refrigerator. But I like the oven method, I know the heat is even, and it’s right in the kitchen.