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Make / Yogurt

Method · Updated on 9 October 2026

How to make yogurt at home

Milk, a little live yogurt and a steady warm place: a tested home method with temperatures, times, starter amounts and the signs that it is ready.

You need
Milk, live yogurt or culture
Incubate
6–10 hours at 42–46 °C 1
Keeps
Up to 14 days at 4 °C 1
Work out the starterStart a Batch CardSomething went wrong?
A jar of homemade yogurt with a spoon

Yogurt is milk soured and thickened by yogurt bacteria. Heating the milk first changes its proteins so that it sets firmer, and a steady warm temperature lets the culture work. 13

You need

  • 1 L pasteurised milk, any fat level 12
  • Starter: plain yogurt with live cultures, 2 tablespoons per quart (about 1 litre), or a freeze-dried culture at the dose on its pack, usually one 5 g packet per quart 12
  • Optional: nonfat dry milk for a thicker yogurt with less whey; 5% of the milk weight is recommended 4

Equipment

  • Heavy pan and a thermometer
  • Clean jars or a bowl with a cover
  • A way to hold 42–46 °C for several hours: oven with the light on, insulated box or yogurt maker 1

Method

  1. Heat the milk

    Heat the milk to 82–85 °C (180–185 °F), without boiling. For a thicker yogurt, hold it at 85–93 °C (185–200 °F) for 10–20 minutes. If you use milk powder, stir it into the cold milk first. 12

  2. Cool

    Cool the milk to 42–46 °C (108–115 °F). Culture added to milk hotter than 46 °C can be killed. 12

  3. Add the starter

    Stir the starter into a cup of the warm milk until smooth, then stir it into the rest. 12

  4. Incubate

    Cover and keep at 42–46 °C for 6–10 hours without moving the container. Below 37 °C (98 °F) the culture grows poorly; above 54 °C (130 °F) it dies. 12

  5. Check the set

    Tilt the container or press a spoon in: it is ready when lightly gelled, like a thin pudding. If it is still milky, give it about 2 more hours. 1

  6. Chill

    Refrigerate at 4 °C (40 °F) or below as soon as it has set. Cooling stops the souring. 12

How to tell it is ready

  • Lightly gelled and pulling away cleanly from a spoon, like thin pudding 1
  • A clean, fresh sour smell 2
  • It has reached about pH 4.6, if you test 2

Storing it

  • Refrigerate at 4 °C (40 °F) or below and eat within 14 days 1
  • To use as starter for the next batch, take it within 5–7 days of making 1
  • For steady results, extension guides recommend a fresh commercial starter from time to time rather than carrying one culture on indefinitely 4

Thicker, milder, tangier

Longer incubation makes a tangier yogurt; chilling as soon as it sets keeps it mild. 2 For a thicker yogurt, hold the milk hot for longer or add milk powder. 24 To make Greek-style yogurt, strain it covered in the fridge for 2–4 hours. 1 Change one of these at a time.

Next batch: change one thing

Write down what you did in a Batch Card, change a single variable (time, temperature, starter or ingredient) and compare. Problems? See Yogurt problems and fixes.

Sources

  1. University of Illinois Extension: Making yogurt at homeHeat milk to 82–85 °C (180–185 °F); cool to 42–46 °C (108–115 °F); 2 tablespoons of yogurt per quart of milk; incubate 6–10 hours; ready when lightly gelled like thin pudding; refrigerate at or below 4 °C (40 °F) and eat within 14 days; use homemade yogurt as starter within 5–7 days; strain 2–4 hours for Greek-style and 8–24 hours for yogurt cheese, covered in the refrigerator; troubleshooting table. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  2. University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension: Making yogurt at home (FNH-00062)Heat to 85–93 °C (185–200 °F) for 10–20 minutes, do not boil; culture is killed above 54 °C (130 °F) and grows poorly below 37 °C (98 °F); adding culture to milk over 46 °C (115 °F) can kill it; incubate 4–7 hours at 43 °C (110 °F); sets at pH 4.6; one 5 g freeze-dried packet or ¼ cup yogurt per quart; discard batches that fail to set or show microbial growth or odd odours; keeps about 10–21 days at 4 °C. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  3. Tetra Pak Dairy Processing Handbook: Fermented milk productsIndustrial yogurt milk is heated to 90–95 °C for about 5 minutes; incubation 4–5 hours at 42–43 °C to pH 4.2–4.5; concentrated yogurts including strained yogurt and skyr lose whey after fermentation; raising protein too high before fermentation risks sandiness; kefir is made with 1:20–1:30 grains to milk at about 23 °C for about 20 hours; temperature controls the acid, alcohol and carbon dioxide in kefir. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  4. University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension: Making yogurt at home (IP-36)Nonfat dry milk at 1–6%, 5% recommended against whey separation; causes of grainy texture (high or uneven incubation temperature, slow cooling, rough handling), whey separation, too much sourness and bitterness; a fresh commercial starter is recommended over carrying one culture on. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  5. US FDA: The dangers of raw milkRaw milk can carry Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter; soft cheeses and yogurt made from it are high-risk. Accessed 2026-10-09.
  6. UConn Extension: Handling food with mould (citing USDA FSIS)Yogurt, sour cream and soft cheeses such as cottage and cream cheese are discarded entirely if any part is mouldy. Accessed 2026-10-09.

Numbers on this page come from these sources. Where sources give a range, we quote the range rather than a single figure.

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