Making Greek yogurt produces a lot of whey. Many people ask, “Can I Use Whey Left Over From Straining Yogurt to Make More Yogurt?” Let’s talk about it.
Making yogurt at home is not an exact science, which means it can be accomplished seemingly a million and one ways. If you’ve never tried to make yogurt before, see this post or watch the video below to get started using my method.
After you’ve made a successful batch, come back and read about this variation. Here is my answer to lots of questions I’ve received lately about recycling whey.
(FYI for yogurt newbies: Whey is that yellowish liquid that rises to the top of yogurt. Many people stir it back in, but I prefer to drain it off. The result is Greek yogurt….and lots of leftover whey.)
Can I use whey to make more yogurt ?
YES! Add 2-3 tablespoons of whey to 2 quarts of heated and cooled milk. (More or less whey may also work–this is just what I do.) Whisk it well and incubate as usual.
In the picture below, I made the yogurt on the left with whey as the starter. I made the yogurt on the right with my homemade yogurt as a starter. The results were identical in taste and texture.
Why you might want to try using whey as a yogurt starter:
#1
If you make very much Greek yogurt, you will have more whey than you can use.
Look here for more ways to use whey.
#2
You won’t have to “waste” any of your precious homemade yogurt as a starter.
Instead, you can enjoy eating every last drop.
#3
Always save a little whey to make your next batch.
Consequently, you won’t have to worry about keeping some yogurt back to use as a starter.
#4
It’s easier to mix whey into your heated-and-cooled milk than regular yogurt.
No lumps.
What is the shelf-life of yogurt-whey?
I get a lot of questions on this subject. In my experience, it’s good for at least three weeks but I’ve read it can last for six months. Although it may last longer, since I make yogurt twice a week, there’s no reason for me to keep it around.
Alisha
We use all our whey in waffle batter. Generally, I don’t feel well after eating something sweet with syrup for breakfast, but when I use whey in the waffle batter, the added protein makes all the difference and I feel fine. My kids call them WHEYfuls.
Paula
WHEYfuls? That’s cute. Reminds me of Chaffles. Good idea!
Me
I just made ricotta with my leftover whey. I will never buy it again! So delicious & quick. All this time i’ve been pouring it down the drain. Thank you for the info!
CC
The short answer to this is no. We’ve tried on several occasions now, increasing the amount of whey added each time until we were adding a quarter cup of whey to each quart of milk and intubating for up to 8 hours, and all we had was warm milk. Save the time and energy and just use yogurt as your starter.
Heather
Made and strained yogurt today. My cheesecloth was very fine and my whey very clear. Just want to check, does clear whey work as a starter or do you need a little cloudiness (yogurt solids) in there to work? I’m excited about not having to hold back any yogurt if this works!
Paula
Heather,
Cloudiness is not necessary. Even though I’ve made successful yogurt with whey several times, for some reason, I still prefer to use yogurt as a starter. Try it and see what you think.
Lisa
I make yogurt with the cold start method in the instant pot. I always strain to make Greek yogurt and last time I saved the whey after learning all the different ways to use it.
I made a batch of yogurt last night and used the whey for starter and 10 hrs later I only have warm milk 😩.
Any idea why it failed?
I also used the whey in my homemade mayonnaise which is supposed to give it a shelf life of a few months but it got moldy after a couple weeks.
Paula
Lisa,
You must be disappointed–and I don’t blame you. I have never tried the “cold start method.” Does that mean you didn’t heat the milk to 180 degrees F and then let it cool back down? If so, I’m probably not qualified to answer this question. I ALWAYS recommend you heat the milk because it rearranges the proteins so the result will be thicker yogurt. Meanwhile, add some yogurt to your “failed” yogurt and re-incubate. I hate to ask this, but did you set your Instant Pot to the yogurt setting? In other words, was the yogurt warm enough to incubate or was it too hot and killed the yogurt babies?
Re: mayonnaise. You did keep it refrigerated. Right? Homemade mayonnaise, even with whey will not last more than a month in the refrigerator.
Kathryn Odell
Oops! I just read the rest of the comments and see that you answered my question, so please ignore that! By the way, I’ve been using the same starter for nine months now, and it still working great!
Paula
9 months? You are doing GOOD!!!
Kathryn Odell
Thanks so much for this tip! Using whey works great, and produces an identical result with using the actual yogurt. I’ve started the instant pot to make my yogurt, and it had simplified even more the process! I use my leftover whey in place of water when I bake bread. One question…I’m going to be traveling and am wondering some whey without killing the active culture, so it’s ready when I return in a month. Thanks for all your help!
Frank Kasha
Yes you can use yogurt whey to make yogurt that is the only way I make Yogurt
Paula
Thanks for the confirmation, Frank. I’m curious. What proportions do you use when adding the whey?
Mari
Hi. How many times can I keep using my own culture as a starter, whether whey or yoghurt before it loses it’s power. How will I know?
Paula
Mari,
That is a VERY GOOD question. I’m not sure I have a very good answer.
In general, it’s when your yogurt is not quite up to par, particularly the texture. If your yogurt has a “gluey” texture, definitely start over. If it’s not as thick as usual, I would probably start over. And if the taste takes a turn, start over. I have used the same “culture” for as long as a year. But sometimes I start over after 3-4 weeks. There are so many variables, I don’t think one can go with a hard and fast rule.
Temi
Can frozen whey be used as a starter
Paula
Temi, Haven’t tried it so cant say for sure. Since you can freeze yogurt to use for starter later, I’m assuming the answer is “yes.”
tia adler
I often freeze the whey and use it as a starter. It works fine.
Rex
Can I make way as a starter for making kvass and just keep the way in the refrigerator
Paula
Whey is a by-product that is produced by straining yogurt. I’m not familiar with kvass so I’m sorry, I can’t answer your question.
Myrna
Thank you so much for this information! I found it right after dumping some whey down the sink…glad I still kept some 🙂
Melissa White
Hi Paula,
Love your blog!! Just started on my yogurt adventure. It was a little intimidating at first but truly yogurt is pretty forgiving. Really, clean containers and utensils and mind your milk temperatures are the only musts. At first I would stress about how much yogurt for a starter, how long to hold the milk at 180 degrees and what if it went above 180?? What if I went longer than 10 minutes? And what is the correct temperature to heat it to? or cool it to? Everyone had a different answer… Well I have been at it about a month now…I have heated it as high as 200 degrees, and held the high temperature for 10, 15, or 20 minutes…I use any combination of 2% whole milk, cream 10%, 18% or a splash of 32% (decadent yes), also I love coconut milk yogurt, love the flavor, have made yogurt using pure coconut milk, though that is pricey, but it is only the flavor that I am going for so I throw in a can of coconut cream, splash of cream and fill it up with whole milk…. delicious!!
As a result of finding your blog today and your posts about using whey as a yogurt starter there is a coconut/whole milk yogurt on the go as I type … very excited about this because the waste of whey weighs heavily on my mind…couldn’t resist.
All I know is yogurt is so easy and the methods so vastly accommodating to what you have on hand that I should have been doing this long ago!!
But seriously thank you for all the whey info, I will make good use of it!
Melissa
Cindy L Bradley
For some reason whenever I use my fresh whey from my previous batch, the chances for my yogurt turning out is maybe 50/50. Sometimes less. 1 tablespoon for 1 gallon of yogurt doesn’t look like enough so I end up adding a little extra. Could this possibly be the reason it doesn’t thicken the same as when I use regular yogurt as my starter, instead of the whey? I’m gonna try and fix this last batch that didn’t thicken enough by doing what you suggested. I’m gonna add some fresh starter to this 104- degree batch and set it for about 5 hours. Should this work? I’d hate to ruin a gallon of milk. Wish me luck. Thanks for being here for all our mistakes. You are very much appreciated!
Paula
Hi Cindy, Wishing you luck. Your plan should work. For a gallon of milk, I would definitely use more than 1 tablespoon of whey. Try at least 2 tablespoons or even 3 or 4 for a whole gallon.
Kat
I tried using whey…. It did NOT work. What went wrong?
Pam Carlson
I have a yogurt maker in which for which I do not do anything to the milk before adding the yogurt starter and pushing start. Do you know if I could use the whey in the machine the same way as I use some of my yogurt as a starter?
Paula
Pam,
I would certainly think so. Should be no difference whatsoever.
Kathryn
I don’t make yogurt as often as you, so can I freeze the whey and still use it as a starter….at a later date?
Paula
Although I have never frozen whey, I have frozen yogurt to use as started and it worked great. I can only imagine that whey would also freeze well.
Allen Bennett
In making yogurt from all heavy cream (three pints), would I get enough whey to start another batch?
Paula
Hi Allen,
I’ve never made yogurt from heavy cream but it doesn’t take much whey (a couple tablespoons?) to start another batch so I’m guessing you would have enough.
lolo
thank you for sharing these great info 🙂
Tina Yeamans
Thanks for the tip! I started using whey for the starter last week, and it was perfect!
Paula
Cool!
Sarah Galvin (All Our Fingers in the Pie)
Very interesting experiment. I must try this. And you are right about whey being easier to incorporate into the milk.
Shawna
Love your blog Paula. I am wondering if the whey can be frozen. I live alone (well,with my three dogs:) and it’s a rare happening when I make yogurt and anything else in the same week. I just don’t cook much for just myself, but would love to try using the whey in pizza dough, etc., but like I said, it would probably go bad before I could use it.
judith
Yes, you can freeze the whey, Shawna. I have done it for both yogurt and bread making. I also use the whey from making what I call Hungarian cottage cheese.
Paula
Shawna,
I haven’t tried freezing whey but I have frozen yogurt to use as starter and it works great so don’t see why it wouldn’t be the same for whey. Perhaps you saw in the comments that Judith says, yes, you can do it.
Susan
I also use the whey on my dogs dry dog food. They love it and stools and breath are great. Urin isn’t as acidic as it shows with my less brown spots on my grass.
Paula
You’re a genius!!
Debra
I make handcrafted soap and substituted yogurt whey for water in a batch. It was very interesting. The soap smelled like fresh bread and felt lovely on my skin.
Paula
Hi Debra,
Making soap? That’s a new one for me. Must add that to my ongoing list of things you can do with yogurt whey.
judith
Not only that, you can also use whey as the liquid part in bread making. Gives bread a sourdough taste without having to make a starter.
Saltspring Island ,BC, Canada.
Paula
Thanks for the reminder about using the whey in bread, Judith. I especially like it in french bread and pizza dough.
diane
this is wonderful news>> see never to old to learn and never new you could use whey in next batch omg dahhhhhhhhh been making my own yogurt for about 4 months now
thanks for sharing
Ontario Canada here