How to make yogurt or curd at home

Curd, also known as dahi in hindi, is traditional Indian yoghurt made by slow fermenting of milk. If you have never set yogurt or curd at home before, you will be surprised at how easy it is and that too with just 2 ingredients!

Homemade curd is cost-effective and better than store-bought ones as it has no added preservatives or sugar. The prep time is barely 10 minutes but just like bread dough, you have to wait 6-8 hrs for it to set completely.

You can enjoy it as it is with meals or use for other recipes like raita, smoothies, desserts, sandwich filling or parfait. Due to its probiotic properties, curd helps in improving digestion and is also known to be a rich source of protein and calcium.

To make curd at home, we begin by heating the milk and bringing it to lukewarm temp. To test it, dip your little finger in it. It should not feel too hot or cold, but just warm enough that you are able to touch it comfortably.

We then add mother-culture / starter to milk, also known as ‘jaman‘, which is basically a small amount of yoghurt from previous batch. Mix it well in milk and then leave it covered for 6-8 hrs (or overnight). Next day you will have fresh batch of curd ready.

The quality of the curd depends a lot on the quality of milk used (fat percentage) and the culture used to set it. The full-fat milk renders creamier texture and taste. Similarly, If the culture you are using to set the curd is sour or thin, the resulting curd will also have similar taste and texture.

To go even a step further, you can strain the yoghurt on a colander & muslin cloth, which removes all the whey from it, leaving behind a thick creamy yoghurt resembling greek-yogurt. I have shown the process in detail in this baked yogurt recipe.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• Milk- 2 cups (500 ml)
• Curd (yoghurt)- 2 tsp

Note: Use full-fat milk for richer texture but toned (skimmed) milk can also be used.

Directions:

Step 1:
Rinse the inside of a cooking-pot with drinking water (prevents milk from burning on bottom). Add 2 cups milk to it. Bring to boil first and then simmer for 5 min. Turn off the heat.

Step 2:
Let the milk cool down to the temp when it feels just lukewarm (dip your little finger to test it). It should not be too hot. Add 2 tsp curd to it and mix well.

Step 3:
Transfer this milk to another container or bowl in which you plan to set the yoghurt. Cover with a lid / plate and let it rest for 6-8 hrs. If it is winter, keep the bowl in a slightly warm corner and in summer you can leave it on kitchen counter.

Step 4:
After 6-8 hrs, remove the lid and check the curd. The top should be firm and on tilting there should not be any liquid flowing. Cover it again and keep in fridge for 1-2 hrs before consuming to set completely.

This is how it turns out after chilling in fridge- perfectly set!

You can enjoy curd with everyday meals, use it for recipes like mint raita, or buttermilk (chaas). Store it in fridge, covered at all times and always use a clean spoon to scoop it out. Homemade curd stays good for 4-5 days. If it starts getting sour later, then you can use it to make kadhi pakora.

Tips:

1. Boiling the milk is advisable as if by chance it is spoilt, it will curdle during boiling. However if the milk is pre-boiled, just heat it to lukewarm temp.
2. The quality of starter (jaman) used to set the curd makes a lot of difference. If it is sour or watery, the resulting yogurt will also turn out of the same taste and texture.
3. During the resting period, do not tilt or check the bowl again and again. Leave it untouched.
4. In winters when the temp is lower, the fermentation process slows down and hence it can take upto 10-12 hrs for yoghurt to set properly.

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(P.S: The post was originally published on 10 Sep’2015 and has been updated with better images & additional tips on 21 Jun’2026.)

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