How to Make Greek-Style Yogurt from Regular Yogurt

Are you tired of the standard thin, watery yogurt we've become accustomed to in the U.S.? Jealous of the thick, creamy yogurt Europeans have come to love? Or do you have a recipe that calls for Greek-style yogurt? Despite it's growing popularity, especially in cooking, Greek-style yogurt is still fairly hard to come by and/or exceedingly expensive in some parts of the country.

No need to worry! You can make your own at home by using the regular American-style yogurt found at most any grocery store. It's easy to turn regular yogurt into Greek-style yogurt at home. All you'll need are a few simple kitchen implements and a few hours of your time. The main task involved is draining the extra whey from regular yogurt to thicken the consistency. You can make low-fat Greek-style yogurt using low-fat regular yogurt, or any flavor or variety you'd like!

What you'll need:
- Regular-style Yogurt (about twice as much as you want of Greek-style yogurt)
- Cheese Cloth or a clean Coffee Filter
- Strainer or Colander
- Bowl

Step 1 - Insert the cheese cloth or a clean coffee filter into your strainer or colander to serve as a sort of liner.

Step 2 - Place the strainer or colander over an empty bowl. You want to arrange it so that the colander or strainer is suspended with several inches of space between the strainer and the bottom of the bowl. This is important in order to provide an adequate amount of room for the drained whey (mostly water) to collect below.

Step 3 - Pour the container of regular yogurt into the cheese cloth or coffee filter-lined strainer. You'll probably start to see some whey begin draining from the strainer almost immediately.

Step 4 - Cover the strainer with some plastic wrap or a plate turned upside down. Place the whole strainer/bowl setup into your refrigerator. You'll want to leave it there for about 3 hours or as long as overnight. Soon enough you'll have fresh Greek-style yogurt to cook with or simply eat with your favorite toppings! The longer you let the whey drain, the thicker your resulting yogurt will be.

Note: If enough whey has drained to a point where the liquid in the bowl is touching the bottom of your strainer/colander (but the yogurt is not yet to the consistency you're looking for), pour out the whey from the bowl and discard it to allow room for more to collect.

Step 5 - Once the volume of yogurt has decreased by about half (or has reached your desired consistency), scrape it out of the lined bowl and place it in a clean covered dish or container. You now have Greek-style yogurt! It will keep in the fridge for up to a week--if you can wait that long to enjoy it!

Greek-style thickened yogurt can be used in a variety of recipes, including dips, creamy salads, and even to make frozen yogurt!

Here a couple more helpful links for making and cooking with Greek-style yogurt:
How to Reduce Calories and Fat by Cooking with Yogurt
How to Make Greek-Style Yogurt from Regular Yogurt
Yogurt 101
Yogurt for Lower Fat Baking