How Yogurt is Made: A Step-by-Step Guide

Making yogurt is actually a pretty straightforward process—and yes, you can make it at home! Different styles, like Greek and Icelandic yogurt, vary by how much they’re strained to achieve their unique textures and flavors. Whether you’re curious about homemade yogurt or just want to understand what goes into your favorite snack, here’s a closer look at the process.

How to Make Yogurt

The process of yogurt-making starts with fresh milk transformed by good bacteria that convert natural sugars into tangy, creamy goodness. This thickens the milk and creates yogurt’s signature flavor—perfect to enjoy plain or with your favorite mix-ins! Here’s a general step-by-step guide to how yogurt is made:

Step 1: Prepare the Milk

It all starts with fresh milk. You can make yogurt at home with whole milk, but some manufacturers will first separate it into cream and skim milk. They then thicken the milk by either evaporating it or adding gelatin or milk powder.

Once the milk is thickened, it is pasteurized to ensure its safety and homogenized  to create a smooth, creamy texture.

Step 2: Ferment the Yogurt

After the separation and thickening process, good bacteria are added to the milk. These bacteria, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles, are starters or “cultures” for yogurt. The milk is then kept warm at a specific temperature so the bacteria can work, that is, the bacteria change milk’s natural sugar (lactose) into lactic acid. This thickens the milk more and gives it yogurt’s familiar tangy flavor.

Once the milk becomes yogurt, that’s when manufactures – or even you at home – can add in sweeteners, fruit or other add-ins.

Step 3: Sweeten & Garnish to Eat

Want to try making yogurt at home? The Kitchen has a step-by-step slideshow and video to help!