Something that comes up again and again in our conversations about homemade yogurt is how to make it thicker, more like store-bought. Thin runny yogurt loses it’s appeal really fast, so let’s talk options.
First off, take a look at the kind of milk you’re using. While you can technically make yogurt with whole, 2%, or non-fat milk, a higher fat content will definitely give you a thicker, creamier yogurt. Also, avoid milk that has been Ultra High-Temperature pasteurized (UHT). This should be indicated on the label. UHT pasteurization tends to break down the proteins necessary to set milk into yogurt.
If you’re still having problems with thin yogurt after you’ve settled on a milk, try some of these techniques:
1. Longer Initial Heating - Most yogurt recipes have you warm the milk to around 200°F before cooling it down and adding the yogurt culture. During this step, try holding the milk at 200°F for 20 minutes or longer. This allows some of the moisture in the milk to evaporate and concentrates the solids. This is the technique we’ve been using to make our yogurt and have been very happy with the thickness.
2. Let the Yogurt Sit - The longer the yogurt has to set, the thicker it will become. The trade-off is that it also gets more sour the longer it sits. With our oven-technique, we’ve found a balance between thickness and sourness at around the 7-hour mark.
3. Strain the Yogurt - There’s a lot of whey suspended in that yogurt! Try straining some of it out using this technique for making Greek-style yogurt. You can strain for anywhere from a few minutes to overnight, depending on how thick you want your yogurt.
4. Add Nonfat Dry Milk Powder - Try adding 1/2 cup of dry milk powder per quart of milk. Mix it into the milk before you start heating it. This is especially helpful for making thicker yogurt from non-fat milk.
5. Add Gelatin - A little gelatin helps make yogurt surprisingly creamy and thick (though too much and you’ll get yogurt jello!). Start experimenting with one teaspoon of gelatin per quart of milk. Mix it in a bowl with a little milk and let it bloom. Then stir into the pot of milk as it starts to heat. If you want to avoid gelatin, we’ve heard that pectin also works.
As a last note, we didn’t find much evidence that using different brands of commercial yogurt to culture your homemade yogurt made much difference in terms of texture. Some brands will have different strains of active culture, which will give your yogurt slightly different flavors and health benefits. But it seems like the thickness is more dependent on the type of milk you use and your process.
What other advice do you have for making thicker, creamier yogurt?
Related: Three Ways to Make Yogurt without a Yogurt Maker
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The longer initial heating works because it allows more time for the milk proteins to fully denature & bind together better. I don't think you will get appreciable evaporation with 20 minutes at 200 degrees. This blog post has a good explanation: http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2010/07/01/homemade-yogurt-tip/
I keep mine at around 180 degrees for at least an hour, and it's as thick as store-bought, if not thicker.
gelatin? ugh. the whole point of homemade yogurt is that it *doesn't* have gelatin.
I'm basically on the same page as matchbookhymnal.
I heat and keep my whole milk at 200 for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Then, I chill it very rapidly in an ice bath. This technique has been very successful for me.
I'm basically on the same page as matchbookhymnal.
I heat and keep my whole milk at 200 for 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Then, I chill it very rapidly in an ice bath. This technique has been very successful for me.
Anybody got hints on how to make homemade soy yogurt?
Thanks
I've always used dry milk and had good luck with it. It also adds some extra protein.
What do people use for their culture. I bought a powdered culture at one point and it was awful - 6 hours later and I still had yogurt soup. I'd like to use my own yogurt, but hear about diminishing cultures the more you do that.
If you don't like the thought of gelatin you can also use tapioca starch. You won't get the thick gobules of tapioca, but it's more like using cornstart to thicken a sauce.
As Joe Pastry says, try using a lower fat milk for thicker yogurt:
http://joepastry.com/index.php?s=Making+Yogurt+Step+One:+Choosing+the+Milk&sentence=AND&submit=Search
So how do you hold milk at 180 degrees for an hour (as one comment said). I use the oven at below its lowest setting for the 7 hour s at 110 degrees, but an hour at 180 in a double boiler is a push, the milk begins to 'burn' on the bottom of the pot within five minutes. And at 180 in the oven I fear would damage the non-metal handles on my pots. Do I have to get an all metal pot just for making yogurt?
the main point for me about making yogurt is that I use the healthiest milk, which is unpasteurised, so I have always heated it to 122F, which is below the pasteurisation temperature, but it comes out too thin, can anyone help please?
Phil, if you are using raw milk your yogurt culture is dealing with more competition because of the higher levels of good bacteria present. It can definitely be done, but from what I have read, it requires a bit more experimentation.
This site has a helpful tutorial and discussion of techniques: http://www.culturesforhealth.com/raw-milk-yogurt-video
I'm not against gelatin in itself, I'm just against low-quality gelatin and other thickeners. I have a very high-quality gelatin that I like to use... it is organic, from grass-fed animals, and properly prepared, with no additives.
I have very weak fingernails, so I like to have the gelatin in there. I even take a supplement as well! So high-quality gelatin is one good option for homemade yogourt and does not negate the benefits of homemade.
I find it really weird that you say never to use UHT milk. I've been using it for years to make yoghurt and learned it from friends who have been using it for years before that! This way you can skip the initial heating step and just throw the room temperature milk, heaped teaspoon of milk powder and heaped teaspoon of greek yoghurt into a yoghurt maker before bed and wake up to fresh yoghurt!
Gelatin made from animal hides and bones, can harm humans in numerous ways, because it has some toxins left in it from the manufacturing process, such as lime.
Agar agar, made from seaweed vegetation, makes a great gelatin and is not harmful, but manufacturers don't use it because it costs more than the animal based product.