Jars, Heat and Time: How to Pick the Best Yogurt Maker

Yogurt is one of the simplest things a kitchen can culture: heat milk, cool it, stir in a spoonful of live yogurt and hold it warm for several hours. The hard part is the holding. Milk needs to sit at a steady, warm temperature, undisturbed, for most of a day, and a yogurt maker is simply a small appliance that does that one job reliably.

In a Mexican kitchen, plain homemade yogurt is a useful thing to have around. It can be stirred into a lime-and-herb dressing for a cabbage slaw, drained thick and tangy for spreading on a warm tortilla with chile, or simply eaten with fruit and honey in the morning. This guide covers eight yogurt makers, from jar machines and Greek-style kits to a precise Japanese fermenter and a no-power insulated flask, using what each maker, manual and Amazon listing states, and University of Illinois Extension’s guide to making yogurt at home.

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Quick verdict: which yogurt maker to buy

Already own an electric multicooker? Many have a yogurt setting, and our guide to the best pressure cooker covers models with one. You may not need a second appliance.

Five yogurt makers at a glance

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook, with the capacity, jars and temperature control each maker or listing states. All eight are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Capacities, temperatures and timers are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

Our picks for the best yogurt maker

The eight picks below fall into three groups: jar machines that hold a set temperature, adjustable machines that let you choose the temperature and run time, and simple kits that rely on insulation or straining. Several listings make health claims about probiotics; we do not repeat them, and where a maker’s claim matters to the design, we say whose claim it is.

How to choose a yogurt maker for your kitchen

The method behind every machine is the same, so choose by how much you make and how much control you want.

1. The temperatures that matter

University of Illinois Extension’s method is to heat milk slowly to 180°F to 185°F, cool it to 108°F to 115°F, stir in the starter, then incubate it between 108°F and 115°F for 6 to 10 hours, undisturbed. A food thermometer is the one tool you need either way; a good instant-read thermometer does the job. A machine with a fixed temperature is designed around that range. An adjustable one, like the YM260 or Tanica, lets you follow recipes that call for something different.

2. Jars or one big container

Illinois notes that small containers incubate faster and give you pre-portioned yogurt, while a larger container takes longer and makes a single batch. Jar machines such as the YMX650 and YM80 suit breakfast cups; one large jar suits cooking, where you want a cup here and half a cup there.

3. Glass or plastic

Illinois says glass, food-safe plastic or metal containers with lids all work. Glass lets you watch the yogurt set; plastic is lighter to handle. Most picks here use glass; the Dash and the GY50 strainer use plastic.

4. A timer that turns the machine off

Illinois advises refrigerating yogurt once it gels, since longer incubation keeps making acid and the yogurt grows more sour. A timer with automatic shutoff, like the YMX650’s, stops the heat, but it does not chill the yogurt, so plan to move it to the fridge soon after. Illinois says to store yogurt at 40°F or lower and eat it within 14 days.

5. Greek-style and yogurt cheese

If you want thick yogurt, buy a machine with a strainer or add one. Draining for 2 to 4 hours gives Greek-style yogurt and 8 to 24 hours gives yogurt cheese, according to Illinois. In parts of Mexico, a tangy fermented dairy called jocoque sits somewhere between yogurt and cheese; strained homemade yogurt is not the same thing, but it is a useful, spreadable cousin to have in the fridge. Our guide to Mexican cheeses covers the fresh cheeses it sits beside.

6. Do you need a yogurt maker at all?

Maybe not. Illinois lists other incubators: an oven warmed and switched off, an insulated cooler or a slow cooker with warm water around the containers, or the yogurt setting on an electric pressure cooker, following the manufacturer’s directions. If you own an Instant Pot or similar multicooker with a yogurt button, try it first.

How we picked these eight yogurt makers

We built this list from the makers’ own specifications, manuals and Amazon listings, and checked the method against University of Illinois Extension’s guide to making yogurt at home. We found no America’s Test Kitchen review of yogurt makers, and we were unable to read Wirecutter’s or Serious Eats’ coverage for this guide, so we do not cite them. We looked for variety: fixed-temperature jar machines, adjustable machines, a Greek-style kit, a non-electric option and a strainer. Several machines often recommended elsewhere, including Cuisinart’s yogurt maker and Luvele’s machines, were not available in stock on Amazon when we checked, and Bear’s yogurt maker was listed as low in stock, so we left them out.

Many yogurt maker listings make health claims about probiotics. We do not repeat them, and where a maker’s claim explains a design choice, as with the Ultimate, we attribute it. We checked every pick against the CPSC recall database and found no recall for any of these yogurt makers; the only related recall we found was a 2015 recall of certain Instant Pot pressure cookers by Double Insight, which are not picks here. We have not used these machines ourselves.

Yogurt maker questions, answered

What is the best yogurt maker brand?

Euro Cuisine has the widest range on Amazon, from the simple YM80 to the adjustable YM260 and a matching strainer. Dash is the easy choice for Greek-style yogurt, and Tanica makes the most precise machine here.

What is the simplest yogurt maker for home use?

The Euro Cuisine YM80 has just an on/off switch and a time reminder. If you want no electricity at all, the Country Trading Co. flask is simpler still, though it needs more attention in a cold kitchen.

Is a yogurt maker better than an Instant Pot?

Not necessarily. A multicooker with a yogurt setting works well, and Illinois Extension lists electric pressure cookers among the options. A dedicated maker makes sense if you want small jars, a strainer, finer temperature control or a machine that is free while the multicooker cooks dinner.

How long does homemade yogurt keep?

Illinois Extension says to store it at 40°F or lower and eat it within 14 days, and to use a previous batch as a starter within 5 to 7 days.

Can I make plant-based yogurt in a yogurt maker?

Several makers say so, including Euro Cuisine for the YM260 and Country Trading Co., whose booklet includes coconut, soy and almond recipes. Follow the starter maker’s directions for plant milks.

Our final pick for homemade yogurt

Buy the Euro Cuisine YM260 if you want control and a big glass jar, or the YMX650 for single portions that shut off on their own. Choose the Dash for Greek-style yogurt, the Tanica for precise, varied ferments, and the Country Trading Co. flask if you would rather not plug anything in.

More small-appliance guides: food processors, personal blenders, hand mixers, vegetable choppers, spice grinders, meat grinders, food dehydrators, pasta makers, bread machines.

Like it thick? See our guide to the best Greek yogurt makers.

Homemade yogurt is good for more than breakfast; a spoonful of it, drained thick, belongs next to a stack of warm tortillas. To learn how those are made, read corn vs. flour tortillas. And when you would rather someone else did the cooking, see our menu or call to order.