Sous Vide Greek Yogurt

Using the Anova Precision Cooker to control the temperatures makes getting smooth, thick yogurt super easy—and in much less time than you might expect. Some recipes have you making the yogurt in a glass jar, but I plunged in and made the entire batch in a zip-close plastic bag. Gentle heating and gentle handling are the keys to making this come out right. 

Very important note: Turn the water circulation hole WELL AWAY from the bag in the water. Too much agitation creates grainy yogurt—trust me, it took me three half gallons of milk to figure that one out!!

Author

Barbara Freda

I grew up in a cooking family and after getting a degree in Spanish and Anthropology, realized what I really wanted to do was to go to culinary school. After working in a NYC bank for a few years, I managed to get to culinary school and got my first jobs in NYC kitchens, including a long stint at Union Square Cafe in its earliest years. After (sadly) leaving NYC, I realized I needed to step away from the 80-hour work weeks, so I left the heat of the kitchen for the cool of the computer keyboard: I started writing about food, the business of food, and technology in the food industry, as well as teaching cooking classes. Recipe development remains one of my top loves, and the opportunity to develop recipes for Anova has been fun every step of the way.

Prep Time: 00:10

Recipe Time: 04:00

Temperature : 180F / 82.2C

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon (1.9 L) whole milk
• 2 tablespoons (30 mL) prepared Greek yogurt

Directions

1. Set Anova Precision Cooker to 180ºF (82.2 C), making sure to turn circulation hole away from the center of the water container.
2. Pour milk into zip-close bag. Spoon out 2 tablespoons milk and place into jar with 2 tablespoons prepared yogurt. Shake well to combine. Set aside.
3. Close bag using water immersion method to create vacuum. Place in water and let come to 180ºF as the water heats. Once temperature is reached, leave milk in water for 10 minutes. You can leave it indefinitely, as it will not get any hotter. I set a timer to remind me to get it.
4. After milk heats at 180ºF for 10 minutes, set APC to 110ºF. Add ice to water to bring temperature down. Once 110ºF is reached, let milk rest there for 10 minutes. Use thermometer to check that temperature has come down.
5. Remove bag from water. Add yogurt/milk mixture to bag, seal bag again and VERY gently agitate to mix contents. Place sealed bag back into water. Increase setting on APC to 115ºF. Once temperature is reached, set timer for 2 hours, 45 minutes.

Finishing Steps

1. Remove bag from water and cool on counter 1 hour. After 1 hour, gently pour ingredients into mesh-lined strainer over bowl. Set in refrigerator and check after 1 hour. If you prefer thicker yogurt, let drain 1 more hour. I like the thickness when about 4 cups of whey has drained out, leaving me with about 4 cups yogurt. Pour whey out (save for pets, to stir into protein shakes or other uses—this is super protein!). Scrape yogurt into container. Seal and place in refrigerator. Use up within 14 days. You can use 2 tablespoons of this yogurt as starter for your next batch.