How to Make Greek-Style Yogurt From Regular Yogurt

Greek yogurt has a thicker, more cheese-like consistency than regular yogurt.

Despite it's growing popularity in cooking, Greek yogurt can still be hard to come by or rather expensive in some areas of the country. Fortunately, you can make your own at home using regular American-style yogurt. All you need to do is drain the extra whey from regular yogurt to thicken the consistency. Make low-fat Greek-style yogurt using low-fat plain yogurt or any flavor you'd like.

Things You'll Need

• Regular yogurt
• Cheesecloth or clean coffee filter
• Strainer or colander
• Bowl

Instructions

1. Place cheesecloth or a clean coffee filter into a strainer or colander.

2. Place the strainer or colander over an empty bowl so that it's suspended and there are several inches of space between the strainer and the bottom of the bowl. This will provide an adequate amount of room for the drained whey (mostly water) to collect below the strainer.

3. Pour the regular yogurt into the lined strainer.

4. Place the whole contraption into your refrigerator for about three hours or as long as overnight.

5. Once the yogurt has halved in volume (or has reached the consistency you desire), scrape it out of the cheesecloth or filter and place in a clean covered dish or container. It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Tips & Warnings

• If enough whey has drained so that the liquid in the bowl is touching the bottom of your strainer/colander but the yogurt is not yet to your desired consistency, pour the whey out of the bowl and discard to allow room for more to collect.

• Greek-style thickened yogurt can be used in a variety of recipes including dips, creamy salads and even frozen yogurt.

References

• Mother Nature Network: What Is Greek Yogurt?