How to Make Greek-Style Yogurt from Plain Yogurt

To thicken store-bought plain yogurt, spoon it into a lined strainer and leave it in the fridge overnight. The liquid that collects in the bowl is whey. The yogurt left in the strainer is thick and spoonable. (University of Guam Extension’s straining method)

Ingredients

Yield varies with the starting amount

• Plain unsweetened yogurt, as much as you want to strain

Instructions

1. Set a clean strainer over a bowl and line it with clean cheesecloth or a paper towel. In the original article we used boiling water to sanitize heat-safe equipment first.
2. Spoon in the yogurt and cover it. Leave enough room below the strainer for the whey to collect without touching the yogurt.
3. Refrigerate and let it drain overnight, or remove it once it reaches the texture you like.

Using a yogurt maker

In the original article we mixed 50 g of Greek yogurt with 1 L of milk in the clean container that came with our Kuvings machine and ran its Greek yogurt program. Ours beeped after about eight hours. We chilled the batch for at least two to three hours to set it, then drained it for several hours in the supplied strainer.

Those quantities and times describe the original machine and batch. If you are culturing yogurt, use pasteurized milk and follow your model’s instructions for amounts, temperature, and time. Refrigerate set yogurt at 4°C (40°F) or below. (University of Illinois Extension’s yogurt guide) (Kuvings product information and manual)

What happened when we strained it too soon

In the original kitchen trial, we started draining after about an hour of chilling and too much yogurt went through the strainer. If you are using a fresh batch from a machine, let it cool and set fully before transferring it.

How we use it at home

My husband got more interested in making yogurt than I did, which was a big help. Our child could join in by mixing the milk and starter. Our machine also has cheese and natto programs.

Kuvings yogurt maker from the original article (Amazon Japan)

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Try the Greek yogurt sauce for breakfast muffins or the yogurt honey mustard sauce.