How to Make Greek Yogurt the Easy Way!

Let's Talk Yogurt! Specifically how to make Greek yogurt the EASY way!

Do you love Greek yogurt, but dislike the cost? Me too! Then I found out this little secret and it blew me away!

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support! 

Before I share this super secret process on how to make Greek Yogurt the easy way (and it's really easy), let's talk a little about Greek yogurt.

When I was doing research for my Homemade Greek Yogurt recipe, I was pretty clueless about Greek Yogurt except for the fact that I loved it and it's expensive to buy! I figured there was some sort of special culture for Greek Yogurt or at the very least a a cool technique that created this lusciously thick and creamy yogurt.

I guess I was correct in a way... the "cool" technique is called straining. Yep... that's it! Greek yogurt is exactly the same as regular yogurt, it's just strained longer so more of the whey is removed. By removing the whey you create a thicker yogurt that we all call Greek Yogurt!

Why is it called Greek yogurt?

As the story goes, a store owner from New York went to Greece to buy Feta cheese from a company called Fage (you probably recognize that name). While he was there, a manager suggested that he bring back some of their strained yogurt (AKA Greek yogurt) to sell in his store. This lusciously thick and creamy yogurt was a huge hit and soon his food production company started selling the strained yogurt to local stores. As the saying goes, the rest is history.

When you visit the grocery store dairy aisle, you will find rows and rows of Greek yogurt lining the shelf. You will also find the price tag of Greek yogurt to be close to double the cost of regular yogurt. YIKES! I know... it's crazy how expensive Greek yogurt is. Start saving money today and learn how to make Greek yogurt the easy way!

How to make Greek yogurt the easy way!

I was at my local grocery store the other day to get the ingredients I needed for a Pesto Chicken dish I was making and I wanted to make the pesto with Greek yogurt instead of oil to keep it healthier. I happened to see a container of regular yogurt on sale for less than $2.00! Even at it's regular price it was ½ the cost of the same size container of Greek yogurt. Remembering my research from before, I grabbed it, knowing I could strain it and voila it's Greek.

What you'll need:

Cheesecloth or a flour sack (I love flour sacks!)

Strainer or seive with a bowl under it to catch the whey

regular yogurt (any flavor works)

Step one:

Place your cheesecloth or flour sack (affiliate links) in the strainer. I use a mesh seive from Sur La Table that I've had for years and LOVE it!  Add the regular yogurt and allow to sit and strain until it's the desired consistency. The longer you let it strain, the thicker it will get. I like mine really thick, so I put it in the fridge over night, but you can strain it for 30 minutes right on your counter and you'll still end up with luxurious Greek yogurt at a fraction of the cost!

And that, my friends, is how to make Greek Yogurt from regular yogurt!

Now add all those yummy toppings and enjoy! I used honey, blueberries, and pecans in mine and man was that good!