Easy Homemade Yogurt: How To Make Yogurt With 2 Ingredients

Easy homemade yogurt is tangy, creamy and fun to make right on your stovetop! It’s made by introducing live and active cultures from store-bought yogurt (or a previous batch of homemade yogurt) to fresh milk.

To make your own yogurt for the most delicious granola parfaits every morning, it’s a simple process. First, you’ll heat whole milk to a simmer in a large pot. Next, you’ll let the milk cool a bit, then stir in some plain yogurt. This is where you’re introducing the active cultures that will turn milk into thick and tangy yogurt.

Continue to let the mixture cool fully, refrigerate it overnight and the next morning, you’ll have creamy homemade yogurt! Add your favorite mix-ins and flavorings to make it your own.

You’ll need a few important pieces of equipment to make easy homemade yogurt. A large pot for cooking on the stove, for starters. Then, a wooden spoon is best for stirring the milk as it heats. To cool the yogurt, you’ll need a clean glass container with a lid, as well as two clean dishcloths.

Homemade yogurt on the stovetop

First, heat 2 liters of organic whole milk in a large stockpot on the stove over medium-low heat. You want the milk to barley simmer, with a few bubbles on the surface, but not boil. Boiling can cause the milk to separate.

As the milk heats, stir it with a clean wooden spoon regularly. This helps prevent the milk from burning on the bottom of the pot.

While the milk simmers, set a dishtowel on the counter. Place a clean glass container in the center of the dishtowel. When the milk is hot, pour it into the prepared glass container. Let the mixture cool on the counter.

When the milk has cooled so you can touch it comfortably (too hot will kill the good bacteria you’re about to add), measure out 3 tablespoons of room-temperature organic full-fat yogurt. Plain is best. Spoon a few teaspoons of the milk mixture into the bowl of yogurt and stir to combine.

Pour the loosened yogurt into the container with the milk. You’ve just added your live and active cultures! Stir well to distribute the yogurt evenly.

Lay a clean dishtowel over the top of the container.

Secure the dish towel to the container with a lid

Wrap the second dish towel around the sides and over the top of the glass container. This prevents any light from affecting the milk and yogurt inside.

Chill the whole package in the refrigerator overnight, and wake up to enjoy a creamy, tangy bowl of homemade yogurt with your favorite toppings!

How long does homemade yogurt last?

Store your homemade yogurt in the refrigerator for up to one week. A sealed container is best for freshness. Yogurt does not freeze well.

How to Flavor Homemade Yogurt

One of the best parts about making your own yogurt is that you can flavor it however you like. To make this yogurt your own, add any of your favorite mix-ins and flavorings. Some tasty ideas to dress up your plain yogurt include:

• Extracts, like vanilla, or almond
• Mashed fresh berries, like raspberries, or strawberries. They swirl in to make beautiful colorful streaks.
• Fruit jam, marmalade or other preserves
• Nut butter, like almond, peanut or cashew butter
• Honey for natural sweetness. Other liquid sweeteners like agave, date syrup and maple syrup are also delicious flavor enhancers. Cocoa powder
• Spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice

Or, if you want to add texture and crunch to your masterpiece, you can stir in:

• Chopped nuts, such as walnuts, pecan, almonds or even peanuts
• Dried fruit, like raisins, dried cranberries, cherries or chopped dates
• For a sweet take, stir in your favorite candies like M&Ms, chocolate chips or Junior Mints.

What is the Difference Between Regular and Greek Yogurt?

The biggest difference between regular and Greek yogurt is the water content. Greek yogurt has had a lot of liquid drained out of it. As a result, it’s thicker, denser, creamier and contains more protein than regular yogurt.

Regular yogurt is more pourable, lighter and fluffier. You can actually turn regular yogurt into Greek yogurt in one night by setting your homemade yogurt inside a strainer over a bowl. Leave it to drain overnight in the fridge and in the morning, you’ll have dense and tangy Greek yogurt!

Of course, removing the water does leave less yogurt than you started with, so if you’re planning to turn your homemade yogurt Greek, you might want to make a double batch.