Strain It or Make It: The Best Greek Yogurt Maker for Home

Greek yogurt is not a different culture or a special milk. It is ordinary yogurt with some of the whey drained off, which is why it comes out thick enough to hold a spoon upright and why it can stand in for crema on a bowl of beans or a plate of flautas. So a Greek yogurt maker is really two jobs: something that keeps milk warm while it sets, and something that strains it afterward.

This guide is the Greek-yogurt follow-up to our main yogurt maker guide. That page covers jar machines and the Dash Greek Yogurt Maker, which does both jobs in one box. Here we look at the two halves separately: three strainers that turn any batch Greek, a cloth pouch, and three machines that make a big batch to strain, none of them repeated from that page.

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Quick verdict: which Greek yogurt maker to buy

Below: five picks side by side, all seven reviewed, how long to strain according to university extension advice, and what to look for.

Five Greek yogurt makers side by side

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of kitchen, with the capacity and type each maker or listing states. All seven are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Capacities and features are as each maker states them on its Amazon listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best Greek yogurt maker

Four of these seven do the straining, which is the step that makes yogurt Greek: two plastic strainers with fine mesh, one large stainless strainer and a cotton pouch. The other three make the yogurt in the first place: a multicooker, a dedicated yogurt machine and a bread proofer that holds low temperatures. Each pick gives the capacity and care as the maker states it, and one honest reason to skip it.

How long to strain: what University of Illinois Extension says

The University of Illinois Extension guide to making yogurt at home covers both halves of the job. For the yogurt itself, it heats milk slowly to 180 to 185°F, cools it to between 108 and 115°F, stirs in the starter, and incubates it at 108 to 115°F for 6 to 10 hours, undisturbed. For commercial yogurt makers and electric pressure cookers, it says to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

For straining, the guide says draining whey thickens yogurt to a consistency like pudding or spreadable cheese. Drain covered in the refrigerator: 2 to 4 hours for Greek-style yogurt, or 8 to 24 hours for yogurt cheese. Once yogurt has set, the guide says to store it at 40°F or lower and eat it within 14 days.

Those times are a starting point. Every strainer on this page is designed to sit in the refrigerator, so you can check the texture after two hours and leave it longer if you want it thicker. A food thermometer helps with the milk temperatures; our instant-read thermometer guide covers several that read that range.

How to choose a Greek yogurt maker

Decide which half you need

If you already have a yogurt maker, or you buy plain yogurt, you only need a strainer. If you are starting from milk, you need something that holds the incubating temperature and then a strainer. Only a few machines, such as the Dash in our main yogurt maker guide, include both.

Match the strainer to the batch

A strainer should hold your whole batch at once. The Euro Cuisine takes 2 quarts, the Ultimate 2.3 quarts, and the Hatrigo and Kleynhuis up to a gallon. Two 1-quart jars from the Suteck fill a 2-quart strainer; a gallon from a multicooker needs the bigger ones or two rounds.

Mesh or cloth

Fine mesh baskets rinse clean and last; cloth works with the colander you own and stores flat but needs proper washing. Stainless steel mesh (Euro Cuisine GY60, Hatrigo) and nylon mesh (Ultimate) both strain whey; choose the one whose cleaning suits you. A general kitchen sieve can work with a cloth liner, and our fine mesh strainer guide covers those.

Temperature control

The Illinois guide incubates at 108 to 115°F. The Suteck and the Brod & Taylor let you set a temperature in that range; the Instant Pot uses its yogurt program. If you want the most precise control, our main yogurt maker guide covers a machine that adjusts in one-degree steps.

Refrigerator space

Straining happens in the refrigerator for hours. Check the strainer’s size against your shelves; the Hatrigo gallon strainer is 14 by 10 by 7 inches.

How we chose these seven

We looked at strainers, yogurt makers and multicookers from Euro Cuisine, Ultimate, Hatrigo, Kleynhuis, Suteck, Instant Pot, Ninja, Brod & Taylor, Cuisipro, Bear and a number of unbranded sellers, and kept only items showing as in stock on Amazon when we checked. We left out every product on our main yogurt maker page, including the Dash Greek Yogurt Maker and the Euro Cuisine GY50 strainer; the GY60 is the steel-mesh version of the GY50, which is why it appears here. Cuisipro’s strainers were listed only in limited stock, and listings without an identifiable maker were skipped. Specifications come from the Amazon listings, and the method advice comes from University of Illinois Extension. We checked the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s recall database for each brand; the only Instant Pot entry was a 2015 recall of Bluetooth-enabled Instant Pot Smart cookers, a different model from the Duo picked here, and we found no recalls listed for the other brands. No products were handled for this guide, and no claims of testing are made.

Greek yogurt maker questions, answered

What is the best Greek yogurt maker for home use?

For most kitchens, a strainer such as the Euro Cuisine GY60 paired with whatever already makes your yogurt. If you need a machine too, a multicooker with a yogurt program, such as the Instant Pot Duo, makes a large batch to strain.

What is the best Greek yogurt maker machine?

Most yogurt machines make regular yogurt; the Greek part is straining. Of the machines here, the Suteck gives you a set temperature and timer in a dedicated machine, and the Instant Pot gives you the largest batch.

What is the best yogurt maker for Greek yogurt?

One that makes as much yogurt as your strainer holds. The Suteck’s two quarts fill a 2-quart strainer exactly; a 6-quart Instant Pot can feed a gallon strainer like the Hatrigo.

How long should you strain yogurt to make it Greek?

University of Illinois Extension says 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator for Greek-style yogurt, and 8 to 24 hours for thicker yogurt cheese.

Can you make Greek yogurt from store-bought yogurt?

Yes. Euro Cuisine says the GY60 works with homemade or store-bought yogurt. Start with plain yogurt and strain it in the refrigerator.

Our pick for thick yogurt at home

Buy the Euro Cuisine GY60 if you already have yogurt to strain, the Instant Pot Duo if you want a big batch from an appliance that does more, or the Suteck if you want a dedicated machine with a temperature dial. Choose the Ultimate strainer for dishwasher cleanup, the Hatrigo for a gallon at a time, the Brod & Taylor if you bake bread too, and the Kleynhuis pouch if you would rather use a colander you already own.

For jar machines and the all-in-one Dash, see our main guide to the best yogurt maker. Thick yogurt shares a lot with the fresh dairy in our guide to Mexican cheeses, and our guide to Mexican brunch explains the dishes it ends up beside. Or see the menu and call to order.