When Is My Yogurt Ready? 4 Easy Ways To Tell If It’s Set

Sneak Preview: Are you wondering how to tell if your yogurt is ready? In this post, I’ll share four simple ways to check if your yogurt has set without sabotaging the incubation process. Plus, don’t miss the troubleshooting tips and helpful video!

tipped yogurt that is set. — Is this yogurt done or set?

Deciding when yogurt is set can be challenging if you are new to homemade yogurt. Once it’s set, you may want to continue the incubation to match your flavor preference for tanginess. However, in this post, we will stick with ways to determine when it is set.

4 Ways To Tell When Homemade Yogurt Is Done

Shake or Tap the Container:
- Gently shake or tap the container. If the milk ripples or splashes, it’s not set yet.
- Set yogurt will quiver slightly—like Jello. Thicker yogurt will move even less.
Tilt the Bowl:
- Tip the bowl slightly. Set yogurt will jiggle or bulge gently.
- Watch the video for a quick visual demonstration!
Check the Sides:
- Yogurt typically sticks to the sides of the container when set unless there’s excess whey. If it’s still too liquidy, give it more time.
The Knife Test:
- Insert a thin paring knife into the yogurt about an inch deep. If it comes out mostly clean, it’s ready. If it’s coated in milk, continue incubating.

Pro Tip: Most yogurt sets within 3-8 hours. If it’s not ready, check back in 30-60 minutes.

What NOT To Do When Checking Your Yogurt

Careless handling can lead to a yogurt fail. Avoid these mistakes:

Don’t Dip Too Soon: Wait until you’re confident the yogurt has set before using a spoon or thermometer.
Don’t Move the Container: Resist moving the yogurt during incubation, especially in the first 30 minutes.
Don’t Stir In More Starter: If you’re not seeing progress, don’t stir in extra starter. This halts fermentation, and you’ll need to start over.

Common Questions About Yogurt Setting

Why Is There a Skin on Top of My Yogurt?

Reasons why a skin may form during incubation:

Higher incubation temperatures (over 105˚F or 41˚C)
Using milk with a higher fat content
Incubating without a cover

The skin isn’t harmful, but I always remove it to avoid small bits of torn-up “skin” in my yogurt. My tongue (a curious animal) can always find them.

What Is the Clear Liquid on Top?

The clear to yellowish liquid is whey, a by-product of the fermentation process. It’s safe to eat, stir back in, or strain off for thicker yogurt (aka Greek yogurt).

Set yogurt with a lot of whey and inconsistent texture.

Why Does My Yogurt Look Curdled?

If your yogurt looks curdled or lumpy:

The milk may not have been fresh.
The starter might have been too old.
The temperature may have been too high or inconsistent.
Too much starter could have been used.

Straining and whisking can often salvage curdled yogurt, making it creamy again..

Frequently Asked Questions

It has been over ten hours and my milk looks the same. Now what?
- Something has obviously gone wrong. Double-check the temperature. If it’s below 100°F, try a different incubation method. If it still smells OK, you can try again–directions here. Otherwise, estart with fresh milk and starter if necessary.
How long can I leave yogurt out before refrigerating it?
- Once set, transfer yogurt to the fridge within two hours for safety.

Note: If you plan to make Greek yogurt or Skyr, doing so while the yogurt is still warm can speed up the process. For example, a half-gallon of milk can be strained to 50% at room temperature in under an hour. If it’s more convenient, you can also strain the yogurt in the refrigerator or the next day—both methods work well.

Parting Thoughts: Knowing when your yogurt is set gets easier with practice. Don’t give up! With these tips and a little patience, you’ll be making smooth, creamy yogurt in no time.

Questions? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com. Hope to see you again soon!

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7 Comments

Where’s the video? You promised a video at the beginning of the article. I need to see it live action to understand.

Paula says:

at

Hi C.B.

Do you happen to have an ad-blocker on your search engine? If so, turn it off for a bit and you should be able to see the video. You will find it near the end of the post.

Reply

I also want to leave a cautionary tale for making yogurt in the Instant Pot. The very last time I made yogurt, the yogurt had an off taste, that in retrospect, I think was due to using the gasket that is frequently used for savory dishes. I may have learned the hard way to use a different gasket for yogurt and non-savoRy food. The other option is to leave off the gasket for making yogurt. It is not necessary for the yogurt process. I am hoping this will solve this problem.

I haven’t commented in a while, and I would like to make a couple of points that may help other readers. I have now been making yogurt for a long time using my instant pot: My method is using the yogurt setting on the instant pot until the pot shows “boil.” (This takes about 35 minutes for the 2 quarts plus 2 cups of 2% milk that I use). I switch to the low slow cook setting for 25 minutes, then remove the pot and cool it down to about 112° F by putting the pot in a Dutch oven with ice and water at the bottom. Then I mix in 32 grams of Fage yogurt or homemade yogurt and set the final yogurt Instant Pot setting to 13 hours.
Now, I know that it is believed that 13 hours will make the yogurt quite tart, but the result I get is very mild. A while back, I got tart results by re-using the homemade yogurt a number of times. If I stick to using Fage, it is mild every time. I would guess that the yogurt would be set earlier, but I set it for 13 hours out of convenience, allowing me to start making it at 6 PM and have it be be ready by about 8:30 AM.

Paula says:

at

Hi Caryn,

Thank you for adding to the discussion. I rarely use an Instant Pot these days so it’s good to have your experience in writing.

Reply

I strain my yogurt for about an hour to get a thick consistency. On a good day, I get about 500g of Greek yogurt from a 1 litre milk. On a bad day, when the yogurt doesn’t set well ie. it’s watery, I only get 300g. May I know what would be considered a “well set yogurt” in terms of how much thick Greek yogurt you can get yield in terms of weight.

Paula says:

at

Hi Iris,

I’m so glad you reached out. How much whey you get has much to do with the freshness and quality of your milk and starter. There is no standard for “well set yogurt” that I know of. What kind of starter are you using and how old is it when you use it? It’s best to use starter that’s no more than 7-10 days old. After that, there’s not enough live and healthy bacteria to culture the milk.

When using fresh, high quality milk and starter, and incubating the yogurt at a consistent temperature that’s not too high or too low, how much whey you get usually corresponds with how long you strain it. If you want more Greek yogurt, don’t strain it as long.

Reply

Paula Rhodes, owner

As a retired home economist, I created Saladinajar.com to share my belief that you don’t have to be a chef to find joy in creating homemade food worth sharing. Bread machines (used in an unconventional way), homemade yogurt, and quick microwave recipes are my specialty.

C.B says:

at

Where’s the video? You promised a video at the beginning of the article. I need to see it live action to understand.

1. Paula says:
  
  at
  
  Hi C.B.
  
  Do you happen to have an ad-blocker on your search engine? If so, turn it off for a bit and you should be able to see the video. You will find it near the end of the post.
  
Caryn Hart says:

at

I also want to leave a cautionary tale for making yogurt in the Instant Pot. The very last time I made yogurt, the yogurt had an off taste, that in retrospect, I think was due to using the gasket that is frequently used for savory dishes. I may have learned the hard way to use a different gasket for yogurt and non-savoRy food. The other option is to leave off the gasket for making yogurt. It is not necessary for the yogurt process. I am hoping this will solve this problem.

Caryn Hart says:

at

I haven’t commented in a while, and I would like to make a couple of points that may help other readers. I have now been making yogurt for a long time using my instant pot: My method is using the yogurt setting on the instant pot until the pot shows “boil.” (This takes about 35 minutes for the 2 quarts plus 2 cups of 2% milk that I use). I switch to the low slow cook setting for 25 minutes, then remove the pot and cool it down to about 112° F by putting the pot in a Dutch oven with ice and water at the bottom. Then I mix in 32 grams of Fage yogurt or homemade yogurt and set the final yogurt Instant Pot setting to 13 hours.
Now, I know that it is believed that 13 hours will make the yogurt quite tart, but the result I get is very mild. A while back, I got tart results by re-using the homemade yogurt a number of times. If I stick to using Fage, it is mild every time. I would guess that the yogurt would be set earlier, but I set it for 13 hours out of convenience, allowing me to start making it at 6 PM and have it be be ready by about 8:30 AM.

1. Paula says:
  
  at
  
  Hi Caryn,
  
  Thank you for adding to the discussion. I rarely use an Instant Pot these days so it’s good to have your experience in writing.
  
Iris Wee says:

at

I strain my yogurt for about an hour to get a thick consistency. On a good day, I get about 500g of Greek yogurt from a 1 litre milk. On a bad day, when the yogurt doesn’t set well ie. it’s watery, I only get 300g. May I know what would be considered a “well set yogurt” in terms of how much thick Greek yogurt you can get yield in terms of weight.

1. Paula says:
  
  at
  
  Hi Iris,
  
  I’m so glad you reached out. How much whey you get has much to do with the freshness and quality of your milk and starter. There is no standard for “well set yogurt” that I know of. What kind of starter are you using and how old is it when you use it? It’s best to use starter that’s no more than 7-10 days old. After that, there’s not enough live and healthy bacteria to culture the milk.
  
  When using fresh, high quality milk and starter, and incubating the yogurt at a consistent temperature that’s not too high or too low, how much whey you get usually corresponds with how long you strain it. If you want more Greek yogurt, don’t strain it as long.