I absolutely love fresh, homemade yogurt/curd/mosru/dahi! I eat it with almost everything.. rice, roti, vegetables, fruit, etc. But, I am also a bit of a yogurt snob… I really don’t like the taste of store bought yogurt. I can tell the difference right away. So, I make my own yogurt almost every day. 🙂
Making yogurt at home is actually quite simple. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if I should post this recipe, because it is common knowledge to many people who grew up in India or an Indian household. But then I thought that there may be many others who may not be familiar with the process who might benefit!
Interestingly enough, you need yogurt to make yogurt. I would recommend buying a small container of Greek Yogurt or Desi Natural Yogurt. Or, you could borrow some from a friend who already makes their own yogurt at home. Once you start the process however, you can just keep going and keep your fridge constantly stocked with fresh, delicious, homemade yogurt!
I got my starter yogurt from my Mom and also learned this process from her! I have adapted her process slightly. Read below for all of my tips and tricks to making perfect Homemade Desi Yogurt!
Homemade Desi Yogurt
Cuisine: Indian, South Indian6
cups18
minutes30
minutes60
kcal6
hours6
hours48
minutesHomemade plain desi yogurt/curd/dahi/mosru
Ingredients
Milk (1 Liter or 4 cups)
3/4 cups thick starter yogurt
Instructions
- Fill a microwave safe bowl ¾ full with milk. (Note: I use the same 1.5 L Corning bowl every time. Also, use 2% milk. You can also use whole milk for even thicker and creamier yogurt. But, using lighter milks such as 1% or skim do not work as well.)
- Microwave the milk for 18 min. Take it out of the microwave and let cool for approximately 20-30 minutes. The milk should still be on the warmer side, but it shouldn’t be so hot that you can’t touch it. If you let your milk cool for too long, microwave it for 1-3 min. If the milk is too cool, it will not set properly or take longer to set.
- Add ¾ cup thick starter yogurt to a new container. (Note: You could use another Corning or glass container. I prefer to use steel. I have two steel containers from India that I use for the sole purposes of storing my homemade yogurt. I couldn’t find a similar one on Amazon, but you could use one of these steel mixing bowls. )
- Pour the milk on top of the container. (Note: Do not mix. I have found that mixing causes the yogurt to be slightly broken. But, if you don’t mix, it will retain a solid, creamy texture.)
- Let the yogurt sit for 6-8 hours. (I prefer to let the yogurt sit overnight. That way, it is ready in the morning! Also, since I live in a colder environment and my house is often cold, I let the yogurt sit in a microwave with the door closed. You could also keep it in the oven. This helps control the environment. If it is colder, the yogurt takes longer to set.)
- Once the yogurt has set into solid form, place it in the fridge. Let it cool for a bit and then it will be ready to go!
- Pro Tip: Before you help yourself to some delicious homemade yogurt, take out ¾ of the thickest portion of the yogurt and transfer it to a small container (I use a small glass Pyrex container.) Saving this fresh yogurt to make new yogurt helps improve the quality of your new yogurt!
Notes
- If your yogurt still has not set after 6 hours, it is possible that the temperature of the environment it was sitting in was too cold. Let it sit for a few more hours.
- If your yogurt tastes sour, it is likely that you let it sit too long after it was done before you put it in the fridge.
- If you are planning to on vacation for a few days, I would suggest put a fresh pot of untouched yogurt in the fridge. Don’t take out the starter. When you come back from your trip, your yogurt will be good as new! If you are going out of town for a longer time (few weeks instead of a few days), you could put the yogurt in the freezer to help extend the shelf life.
- There are many versions of this recipe. This is my tried and true version that I learned from my Mother and adapted slightly. I hope you love it!
- Vegan Option: I have never tried this and am not sure how it will work. I suppose you could use Dairy-Free milk and plain Vegan yogurt as a starter!
Did you make this recipe?
I hope you all try this recipe out! I would love to see your own adventures in cooking! Please take a pic and share them with me on Instagram/Facebook @chaitrascreations.
