Most store-bought yogurts lose their nutritional benefits by using added sugars, artificial flavors and colors, and even low-quality milk. If you know how to make yogurt at home, you can take back the nutrition and truly enjoy your yogurt guilt-free.

Gather Your Supplies

If you regularly make kombucha tea at home, you can make kombucha yogurt by simply using milk in place of tea in your normal recipe. Otherwise, you’ll need a few yogurt making supplies to get you started:

• Yogurt cultures
• Milk
• Cheesecloth and strainer (for thicker consistency)
• Flavorings/toppings (optional; fresh fruit is best)
• Incubator

An incubator is one of the most essential of any of your homemade yogurt supplies. While your yogurt is fermenting, it needs to stay at just the right temperature. You can buy vessels that incubate several jars at once or devices that warm jars individually. 

Start Cooking

1. Heat the milk.

In a saucepan, slowly heat a quart of milk over medium heat. For the thickest, creamiest yogurt, use whole milk. 

2. Cool the milk.

To avoid killing your yogurt cultures, let the milk cool down for about a half hour. You don’t want it to be completely chilled, but it shouldn’t be boiling hot either. 

3. Add the cultures.

Put a few tablespoons of yogurt cultures into a bowl and add just enough of the warm milk to incorporate the cultures. Then add the mixture to the rest of the milk until your cultures have dissolved. 

4. Incubate the yogurt.

The yogurt needs to remain around 100-115 degrees. Incubate for about 5 hours.

5. Enjoy!

Now is the time to strain out excess liquid if you want it a bit thicker. Otherwise, cool the yogurt in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and it’s ready to eat. 

Making your own yogurt at home is simple, but you do have the option of buying a yogurt making kit that will have all your essential supplies to aid the process. To find a kit or other essential yogurt ingredients, shop our online store.