Have you just discovered your yogurt project still looks like milk? So now you’re asking, “What Can I Do with Failed Homemade Yogurt?“ DON’T THROW IT OUT JUST YET!
Updated 3/2020
Oh, the disappointment and anguish over wasting money on milk, not to mention your time.
I can’t count how many times I get desperate emails seeking to recover and make good yogurt from the same batch of milk or recycle the non-yogurt-milk into something entirely different.
The answer to these questions can go in several ways. If you know why your yogurt failed, you have a good chance at success if you try again with the same batch.
Was your incubation temperature too high or too low? Was your starter too old or dead? Check out my yogurt trouble-shooting post if you aren’t sure.
But what if you don’t know what you did wrong, and do everything the same way again? As the old saying goes, you can probably expect the same poor results.
Here are some suggestions based on my own experience:
4 Steps to Possible Yogurt Recovery
#1
Does the milk smell bad?
If so, throw it out — no need to ask any more questions.
If the milk still smells OK and you aren’t feeding it to anybody who is immunocompromised such as the very young, the very old, or very ill, then proceed to the next step.
Related Post: Five Things You Should Not Do When Making Homemade Yogurt
#2
Reheat milk to 100 degrees.
We are assuming you heated the milk to 175 degrees F the first time around, and then, let it cool back to 100-110 degrees F.
To reheat, I put mine back in the microwave for 2-3 minutes. However, the
If you accidentally overheat the milk and it separates or clabbers, you’ve just made fresh ricotta. KEEP READING.
#3
Add a new starter.
If you suspect the original starter was the cause of your fail, try a different starter. Make sure the new starter is fresh and contains no additives.
#4
Re-incubate per my original instructions for making yogurt.
Start with the incubation step. No need to reheat the milk to 180˚F.
See the video in this post for instructions for making yogurt from beginning to end if you prefer pictures to words.
Option #2 for failed yogurt that still smells good but looks like milk:
How to make fresh Ricotta Cheese from failed yogurt:
IF you are sure you remembered to add “starter,” you could try this idea I accidentally discovered when I had a “yogurt fail” myself recently.
In step #2 above, I was heating the milk back to 100˚ F in the microwave. But somehow, the milk was warmer than I thought so it was no time at all before the milk started boiling (and popping).
When you heat milk containing yogurt or whey up to 180˚ F or above, it will curdle and separate. Grab a slotted spoon and start dipping out the curds into a cheesecloth-lined colander leaving most of the whey behind.
When the remaining liquid has drained out, season the ricotta cheese with a pinch of salt and refrigerated it. Your reward will be fresh ricotta cheese perfect for lasagna or most any other ricotta recipe. Use immediately or freeze it for the next time you make lasagna soup.
For more information and pictures of the process, see my post on making ricotta cheese.
Why did my yogurt fail?
#1
Did you remember to add the starter?
I’ve had several failures through the years, mostly due to my forgetfulness.
For example, I heated three batches of milk (2 quarts each) last night. As usual, I set them on the counter to cool down to approximately 110˚ F.
Later in the evening, I went to bed without thinking about the milk again until I awoke at 6:00 this morning. As I lay in bed, it hit me that I forgot to add the “
Throwing out all that milk was unthinkable. It didn’t smell bad, so I heated the milk to 100 degrees, added a little more starter, and incubated as usual. Five hours later, I had perfect yogurt.
#2
Was the starter compromised?
Was your starter fresh? The fresher the better. When older than 10 days, your chances for good yogurt decreases in a hurry.
Is it possible you killed the yogurt because your milk was too hot when you added the starter? Use a thermometer if you aren’t sure.
#3
Does your incubation system maintain the correct temperature?
Another scenario I often hear about is forgetting to turn on the heat for your incubation “system.” Again, if the milk still smells OK, reheat milk mixture to 100 degrees F. Turn on your heat source for incubation and give the milk a few more hours to make yogurt.
If your system doesn’t include a built-in thermostat, you might want to double-check it. Is it holding the temperature where it needs to be the entire incubation time?
#4
Is your yogurt too thin?
Perhaps your “fail” could be better described as drinkable yogurt. As long as it smells good, you could try again.
Perhaps it just needs to incubate longer. Keep incubating. Bear in mind that once you stir or jostle the milk-plus-starter, you will have to start over again with new starter.
There are many ways to make yogurt thicker with additives and techniques done before incubation. However, the easiest way to make a batch of completed yogurt thicker is to strain it.
Unfortunately, if your yogurt is very thin, it won’t strain very well. Instead, it will pour right through your lined strainer. I would try again with more starter.
If you don’t want to re-incubate, my recommendation is to use the yogurt-milk as is, even if it’s not what you originally planned. Try it in smoothies, substitute it for buttermilk in baked goods such as these cinnamon biscuits, or make ricotta cheese as described above.
As one of my readers once told me, “The yogurt gods can be fickle.” Whenever you’re dealing with a live organism, the results can be unpredictable.
But don’t be discouraged. The more experience you have, the fewer failures you will experience.
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Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
Hi Paula!
Picking up from my original attempt to make yogurt (using my instant pot) and failing after trying to rescue the first batch…
I started over and used organic plain yogurt as the starter and the same brand of organic whole milk.
1. Heated 1/2 gallon milk in the microwave to 185°.
2. Cooled it to 105°.
3. Added 1 tablespoon fresh yogurt to 1 cup of cooled milk and then stirred it into the cooled milk,
4. Transferred the mixture to quart jars.
5. Wrapped in towels and left it to sit nearly 16 hours without peeking.
This morning I found a yogurt drink that tasted lovely…
I don’t think that the jars stayed warm enough. I used this method in the past but I suspect we kept the house warmer or I may have been making it during the warmer months.
Advice please?
Paula
Hi Eva,
I’m sorry to hear you had another fail. I suspect you are right about your incubation method. Just wrapping in towels would not usually be warm enough to make yogurt. Have you seen this post about incubating yogurt? I’ve listed lots of ideas. Maybe one would work for you. Don’t give up yet.
Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
Hi Paula! My solution was a suggestion from a reader who wrote the magic words “sous vide!” I knew there was a reason I gave one to my husband on his birthday,.
Honestly, that is positively brilliant!
Hopefully I’ll have good news tomorrow morning!
Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
Update! I have yogurt!!!
My second batch was not a complete fail. I tried to strain it, but it simply oozed out of the bag… so I decided to put it back and just treat it as something to make Lassi.
It set beautifully overnight! Yay!!!
The sous vide method also worked beautifully. and I learned something very important. I thought that my old fashioned glass candy thermometer was
“broken” even though the glass was not cracked. I found out that there is nothing wrong with it. It is the digital thermometer that is off. It reads nearly 15-20 degrees hotter than the sous vide temp and the glass thermometer. So when I thought that the temp of the milk was cooled to 110, it was actually closer to 90!
Important to check the accuracy of your thermometer!
Thank you
Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
Hi! I made a batch of yogurt yesterday using my instant pot. I don’t think that the milk ever heated to 185°. I cooled it to 90° and added the freeze dried starter, put it back in the instant pot for 12 hours. The yogurt is like a very very soft custard. I put it into sterile quart jars and refrigerated it hoping that it would firm up.
It did not. Can I reheat it as in step 2? Or is it too late to do that?
I wanted to ask before I strain it!
I love your instructions, and your answers! I used to make yogurt about 30 years ago and would just wrap the jars in towels overnight. Always worked!
Thank you!
Paula
Yes, you can reheat and add new starter. More about that here.
Is this the first time you have used this particular freeze-dried starter? If so, many times the instructions will warn you that the first batch will be quite soft. The second batch will be firmer. Since I don’t know the brand you used, I can’t be sure.
This is not the reason your yogurt was so soft, but you only need to cool the yogurt back to 100-110˚. No big deal. It just might save you a bit of time in the future.
Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
Hi Paula, Thank you for your response..
Yes, this is the first time that I’ve ever used a freeze dried starter. I used yogourmet probiotic yogurt freeze-dried starter fermenter.
I just want to confirm that I am heating the soft yogurt to 175 and then let it cool to 100 – 110 and add the starter.
Since the yogurt is in 2 quart jars, I may leave it in the jars and use your microwave process!
Thanks so much! I will let you know how it works out.
Paula
Yes, you are correct about the temperatures. I’m a little concerned about you heating the milk in Mason jars. I’ve never done that. Guess I’m afraid it would boil over. I always do it in a large bowl or 2-qt. pitcher. Just watch it the first time you do it. The Mason jars may work perfectly.
Did you hold out some of the first batch (the “thin” stuff) you made to use for a starter? That’s what I would do and see if it doesn’t get thicker the second time around.
I’ll be anxious to hear how it goes for you.
Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
I decided to use a pyrex glass bowl to reheat it. It is pretty strange because in the heating process it separated into whey and solids. I’m waiting for it to cool down now. Fingers crossed!
Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
Unfortunately this failed. In the reheating process it separated into whey and curds. Oh well, lesson learned is that the milk needs to get to 185 before you can cool it 🙂 I don’t think it was the starter, but I think I will try starting with a good yogurt this time! Onwards!!!
Thanks for your help.
Paula
If you drain the whey off, you will have ricotta cheese. Hope it’s not too late. Add a touch of salt. A touch of cream is also good if the curds are too dry.
Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
Yipes! Too late, but if it happens again I’ll remember!
Thanks, Paula!
Eva Rangel-Ribeiro
Epic fail #2…
Maybe there is an age restriction to making yogurt??? Used to do it all the time in my teens and 20s. In my 60s it simply doesn’t work!
Laura
I made soy yogurt yesterday and it is very thin. It tastes fantastic – great yogurt tang. I read some of your tips and realized that I did stir it, and also poured it into jars after fermenting (I fermented in an instant pot). My main question is, should I use this as starter for my next batch or start over? I know subsequent batches are usually better. I made homemade soy milk and used yogourmet starter. (I used regular starter because I’m not bothered if there is trace dairy in my yogurt.). Thanks for any input you have!
Paula
Hi Laura,
I’m not a fan of soy yogurt so I don’t consider myself an expert although I have experimented with it some. I’ve read that you’ll have more success using a starter designed for non-dairy yogurt. Maybe something like this: https://shop.culturesforhealth.com/products/vegan-yogurt-starter. Perhaps you already know that these freeze-dried starters tend to make thin yogurt the first time or two but get better the more you use them. Just a thought.
Stirring does seem to make yogurt a bit thinner but it usually firms back up when chilled. Good luck.
Laura
Thanks for the reply! I believe I’ll try using it as a starter for the next so see if it improves.
BL
I’ve been successfully making yogurt for years! Unfortunately I woke up this morning to a pot full of what looks like milk! I added starter last night. Seems like the best thing to do is reheat to 100 degrees and add new starter. The milk doesn’t smell bad.
Sad day!
Paula
Yes, Beth. That is what I would do. I do have one other idea.
Do you like ricotta cheese? Bring the “failed yogurt” to a boil until it separates or clabbers. Spoon out the curds into a fine-mesh sieve or a sieve lined with cheesecloth. When all the whey drains out of the curds, you will have ricotta cheese. Add a pinch of salt. If the cheese is too dry for your tastes, add a little bit of cream. If too wet, let it drain some more. At this point, I put the ricotta into a zip lock bag and freeze it. Otherwise, use cheese within 2-3 days. I have a whole post about making ricotta cheese with yogurt whey but I figured this out accidentally. It’s another option.
Cindy L Bradley
I just love whole milk coconut yogurt, made with coconut cream. But I don’t have a very good recipe for it. I noticed that someone mentioned making this. Would it be possible for that someone(I don’t know the person’s name)to leave the recipe for me somehow? I would truly appreciate this. Thanks. Cindy Lou,
Paula
Cindy, Do you want to make yogurt from coconut milk or are you wanting regular yogurt flavored with coconut cream? If the latter, you can add it to your yogurt as you would jelly after it sets. If you want yogurt made from coconut milk, well, that’s a different game. I believe you will need a different kind of starter. Check out the Cultures for Health website. https://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/recipe/yogurt-recipes/dairy-free-yogurt/
Odelia Tan
I have tried from kombucha to junbocha to milk kefir & water kefir but when it comes to yoghurt I failed. Fresh milk + store bought unflavoured greek yogurt but it was watery & did not set. Like you I will want to know why or find a short or cheaper or more efficient way when I get to expert level. Will want to compare the whey from milk kefir & whey from yogurt. So! I didn’t use thermometer but feel method. Do you have to wait for skin to form on the surface to confirm cool down milk?
Paula
Hi Odelia,
I have never tried to strain kefir. Seems like it would be difficult. The firmer your end product, the easier it is to strain the whey.
On a different subject, my milk always has skin on the surface when I finish heating it. If I remove it, it comes right back. So, I leave it on the milk until the milk is cooled back to 110 degrees F. Then I remove it and add my starter. Hope that helps.
Jay
Greetings,
It’s my first making yogurt and I left the lids on by mistake. The yogurt looks good, but is it ok to eat?
Thanks,
Jay
Paula
Hi Jay,
If it smells and looks good, I taste it. If it tastes alright, I eat it. I’ve never once got sick from my own yogurt. If I were you, I would pop the lid and dive in once it’s chilled.
Breeze
Thanks so much for the tips. But i HATE your reference to “more ways to skin a cat” Why the hell would anyone skin a cat. 🙁
Paula
Hi Breeze,
I changed it. It is a very common saying where I grew up. I love cats, btw.
Noemie
Hi!
I did some yogurts using the ferment from another yogurt I did in my yogurt maker, but the process went wrong a some point. It has the consistency of mozzarella and is very acidic. Have you ever experienced that?
I have been eating natto few days before, could that be the cause?
Paula
Hi Noemie,
I had to look up natto. Very interesting. Sounds like you may have picked up some wild yeast. Not sure that is was from the natto, however. I recently wrote this post that I think might answer your question. Check it out here. Write back if you still have questions.
Bryanah Whitney
Hi There! I think I need to toss my batch out. I used the heating pad method and went to bed last night around midnight. The yogurt was at 103 degrees. Nervous the temperature would continue to drop overnight I later a towel over it. Well, I woke up at 6:45 and the yogurt read 120*. Should I toss? Anything else I can do with it? Thank you!
Paula
I hope you get this in time. If the milk still smells good, try one more time. Let the temperature cool down to below 110 and add more starter.
Bryanah Whitney
Great! It’s not too late. I couldn’t bring myself to dump it. I made a double batch this time around. The heating pad method is so finicky! Add more starter, then let it sit for 24 more hours?
Bryanah Whitney
not too late! I didn’t have the heart to toss it yet. This was a double batch, too! The heating pad is tricky! I add more yogurt and let it sit for another 24 hours?
Paula
24 hours? Wow! That’s a long time. Do you prefer very tart yogurt? Your yogurt should start to set up after 4-5 hours but will be mild. That’s what I do. 8-10 hours is an average time for many people to incubate their yogurt. Perhaps you have a special reason for incubating that long?
Bryanah Whitney
Yes! It’s the SCD 24 hour yogurt. It’s essentially lactose free from the bacteria 🙂 It’s tart and tangy and thick like plain Greek yogurt. So maybe this won’t be any good sitting out an additional 24 hours. I guess I will continue with the experiment anyway and go by taste/texture/smell?
Paula
I’m guessing it will turn out just fine.
Suzanne
I’ve been making yogurt for a few years now and I had what I thought was my first fail last week. I used the Y3 cultures from New England Cheesemaking Supply (been using them for almost as long as making my yogurt) , heated up the 2% milk to 185, cooled to 120-118 like I usually do before I add the Y3. I kept it in the Yogotherm for 7 hrs like usual, but when I opened it to check it before putting in the refrigerator, it was very watery. Almost like nothing happened. YIKERS!!! What to do??
I heated up some water, put the plastic container in it till the milk got very warm, into the Yogotherm for about 2 hrs then into the refrigerator. The next day I had THE BEST, creamiest yogurt ever!!! Very little water in it. Like sour cream thick.
Was this really yogurt? If not, what was it? It didn’t taste like sour cream. It was sooooo delicious!!
Paula
Hi Suzanne,
Is it possible the Yogotherm is not heating correctly?
Neila Bala
I put my 2 tbsp yogurt in as a starter but when my pot was still 180 degrees.. I forgot. Is it ruined or do i add more starter once temperature drops to 110
Paula
Neila,
The latter. When milk cools down, add more starter. No harm done.
Karen
Hello.
My result was “runny yogurt” and I thought, well, i’ll just add some blueberries and it will be drinkable. It wasn’t until after that I realized that I hadn’t added my starter. Can I try again, even though it has blended blueberries throughout?
Paula
If it still smells OK, it’s worth a try. I have never tried it with fruit already in it, but I’ve read that some people do.
Regina
So we just made 2 quarts of yogurt. Uh, I mean milk. I reviewed the steps and one of two possible reasons that it didn’t thicken. (1) too much starter, or (2) the environment wasn’t warm enough. I was to try again – I’ve read your blog and have a question. If I reheat the mix to 100 degrees, do I add more started or just incubate the milk with the original starter that is already in the mix? Just wasn’t clear on whether I should reuse the yogurt milk as milk – or just reheat it as is and re-incubate? Thanks!
Paula
Hi Regina,
You should add a new starter. It’s possible that your starter is still good if the environment wasn’t warm enough. But if it was too hot at any point, the original starter would have been killed. Temperature problems are the most common cause of failure. It’s doubtful that the problem was too much starter. That can lead to poor quality but shouldn’t cause a fail. The problem could have been the starter itself. You might try a different brand of yogurt but make sure it is fresh and has no additives. Good luck. Let me know if you have more questions.
Regina
Thanks so much for the speedy reply! I’ll report back 🙂
Jade
we already repeat the process because our yogurt didn’t set as expected, it is still liquid and taste milk after culturing for 12 hours and put it in a refrigerator for an hour, that’s why we reheat it to 110degrees and add the starter again, then we store it again to remain 110degrees for 5hours but my bf put it in the refrigerator even though it’s still not set as a yogurt, the milk still in a good smell, what should we do? can we still make it as a yogurt?
Jade
It smells good, but still liquid. can we reheat it for the 3rd time and reculture again? because there’s some little creamy or thick portion like dots.
Paula
As long as it still smells good, I would try again. But I would recommend you do something different. Try a different starter. Check to make sure your temperatures are within the correct range during each step. Try a different method of incubation, perhaps. See this post.
forever
I tried making yoghurt the first time ever with raw milk, warmed it and added a powdered starter, kept the milk in a mason jar inside a cooler, I left it for 12 hours found a small layer of creamy thick substance at the top and below ha lot aof liquid milk smell and taste good. Can I restart the process
Paula
If the milk still smells OK, yes. Try again.
Did you heat the milk to 170 degrees F and let it cool back to 110 degrees F? That rearranges the proteins so they will coagulate into a thicker yogurt. Also, I suspect your cooler did not quite keep the yogurt warm enough. Did you check the heat with a thermometer? Just some ideas…
Rose
If I heated then cooled the milk and forgot it and someonr else stuck it in the refrigerator, can I just reheat it to 100 or should I reheat to 185 and then cool to 100 again?
Paula
Reheating to 100 degrees is sufficient. Hope it turns out for you. Usually works.
Ali
Last night I forgot to put starter in my milk. And when I woke up it was already thickened and its texture was like yogurt but it doesn’t taste like yogurt. Should I just add my starter in it or what?
Paula
Ali,
I have not experienced this. However, if you are sure you didn’t add starter, I would throw it out. Sounds spoiled to me. Paula
Purple unicorn
No this is clobbered milk! It’s not bad!
Anonymus
My batch looked like milk but was really thick and liquidy and smelled like yogurt what can i do
Paula
You didn’t give me any details about your process. Are you sure all your temperatures were right? Did you follow my directions? What did you use for a starter? Regarding your current batch, you could chill it and use it in smoothies.
Kwunset
Exact same scenario just happened to us, woke up realizing we hadn’t added the starter at all last night. The successful routine has been to heat it in a crock pot, then cool to 110, add starter, wrap in a towel overnight while it cools the rest of the way…
The milk smells ok to us, so we’re a going to try again, but Question is, you write about microwaving to get it back to 100– do you think it’s fine for us to just reheat the batch in the crock pot it’s still in, which just takes more time…?
Thanks,
ben
I’ve had good success with the progurt incubator. Perhaps my previous yogurt maker was less forgiving, but with the progurt I rarely get a bad batch. Of course the downside (other than the price) is that it makes a single big serving instead of small individual batches.
What do you think of yogurt makers in general?
Also do you know if it’s possible to make a kefir / yogurt concoction? In the morning, I usually drink a few ounces of store bought Kefir (Lifeway) mixed with a few tablespoons of my homemade yogurt. But I would love to somehow make Kefir together with the yogurt… unless the different types of bugs don’t play well together.
Paula
Ben, Since you asked, yogurt makers,to me, are like training wheels for newbie yogurt makers. They usually work fine and success is pretty much assured if you follow the directions. My objections? Number 1,they aren’t nearly large enough for me as I use a gallon to a gallon and a half of milk every time I make yogurt. Number 2, the individual servings (if you’re using that kind) are worthless for making Greek yogurt, and that’s my thing. You would have to remove the yogurt from each container to strain it and then I guess you could pour it back into the cute little containers, but what a hassle. Number 3, you have to store it, and I don’t want to use my precious kitchen storage for that. Number 4, cleaning can be more complicated. Nothing easier than throwing my Pyrex pitchers in the dishwasher–and I use 2-3 each time I make yogurt. Number 5 is the cost, of course. If you have issues with keeping your temperatures regulated for incubation, I would be prone to buy an incubator (also good for proofing bread) instead of a yogurt maker.
I have tried making kefir. Not my thing. Have never attempted what you suggest so can’t offer an opinion on that. Good luck. Thanks for writing.