Homemade Yoghurt (and How to Enjoy It Without Overloading Digestion)
Yoghurt is a great source of gut-friendly bacteria — and homemade yoghurt is by far the best option. You can choose the milk you tolerate well, use a fresh culture, and keep the yoghurt mild rather than sour.
You don’t need a yoghurt maker.
Over the years, I’ve made yoghurt in many ways. First, while still living in Germany, I used a yoghurt maker and little glass jars.
When I moved to London, my mother-in-law showed me an even simpler way. She would use a pot in the size she needed, add the warm milk and culture, then place it inside a pressure cooker with hot water — not to cook it, but simply to keep the warmth in. The pot would then sit next to the hot water tank, where the steady heat allowed the yoghurt to set gently on its own.
Later on, we placed the pot into the warm oven with the light on. And now, most often in the Instant Pot, using a very low, steady temperature.
What matters is not the method, but the principle: gentle warmth and freshness.
Simple Homemade Yoghurt Recipe
Basic method
Heat milk until it just comes to the boil
Let it cool until lukewarm
Stir in 1 tablespoon of fresh yoghurt per litre of milk (this is a rough estimate)
Keep warm and undisturbed for 4–6 hours (overnight is fine)
Once set, place straight into the fridge
Fresh yoghurt is mild. The longer it sits, the more sour it becomes — which is not what we’re aiming for.
I always use full-fat milk. If you don’t have yoghurt culture, take it from your favourite plain yoghurt or order yoghurt culture online or buy in a health food shop.
A Note on Yoghurt in Ayurveda: Why Care Is Needed
In Ayurveda, yoghurt (dadhi) is not considered a neutral food.
Classical texts describe it as heavy, sour, and heating — but also strength-promoting and nourishing to the tissues. When used incorrectly, however, yoghurt can aggravate Kapha and Pitta.
Yoghurt is traditionally said to be most suitable in winter, when digestive fire is stronger and cold, dry weather counterbalances its heavy qualities. In cooler, damper climates — and when digestion is already sluggish — yoghurt needs more care.
Freshness also matters:
Fresh, homemade yoghurt is lighter and more supportive and seen as sattvic in nature.
Old, sour, heavily refrigerated yoghurt is heavier, duller, and more likely to clog the body’s channels (srotas) and is seen as tamasic.
If you’re curious about how the gunas influence food, mood, and digestion more broadly, I explore this in more depth here.
This already gives us a clue: yoghurt was never meant to be eaten thoughtlessly, every day, in the same way.
Yoghurt, Fruit, and the Quiet Build-Up of Ama
Now, this might be a bit of a bummer for you.
Especially if yoghurt with fruit has been your go-to “healthy” breakfast for years.
One of the most common yoghurt habits today — yoghurt with fresh fruit — is considered an incompatible food combination (viruddha āhāra) in Ayurveda.
Fruit digests quickly.
Yoghurt digests slowly.
When eaten together, especially cold, this mismatch can lead to fermentation in the gut. Over time, this contributes to the formation of ama — metabolic residue that develops when digestion is incomplete.
Ama isn’t always noticeable straightaway. More often, it works quietly and gradually, showing up as:
Morning heaviness or sluggishness
Mucus, congestion, or frequent colds
Low energy after meals
Skin issues such as eczema, breakouts, or chronic irritation
Many people don’t connect skin symptoms with digestion — yet in Ayurveda, the skin is one of the places the body tries to offload what it hasn’t been able to digest properly.
When a habit is repeated day in, day out, its effects can start to feel normal — even when they aren’t supportive.
Timing, Climate, and Digestive Strength
Shriguruji Balaji used to say yoghurt should only be eaten “when the sun shines.”
In other words, when the digestive fire is strongest.
Early morning is a Kapha time of day — cool, heavy, and slow. Adding cold yoghurt at breakfast can increase heaviness, especially if digestion is already under strain.
This is also why yoghurt is traditionally avoided during:
Colds, coughs, and sinus congestion.
Periods of sluggish digestion or fatigue.
In warmer, sunnier climates — such as Greece — yoghurt is often eaten with honey and herbs like thyme, which help counteract yoghurt’s mucus-forming qualities. Traditional food pairings evolved in response to climate and digestion, not trends.
Here in London, with less sun and more dampness, those balancing measures matter even more.
A Better Everyday Option: Buttermilk (Takra)
One of the simplest ways to enjoy yoghurt more gently is to turn it into buttermilk.
Basic buttermilk ratio:
⅓ yoghurt
⅔ warm or room-temperature water
A pinch of rock salt
Optional but helpful: roasted cumin, coriander, or a little fresh ginger
Buttermilk is:
Lighter than yoghurt
Easier to digest
Less mucus-forming
Traditionally enjoyed after lunch
If yoghurt feels heavy, buttermilk is often a much better daily choice.
If You Choose to Eat Yoghurt, Keep This in Mind
This isn’t about removing foods.
Ideally, our digestion should be strong enough to digest everything. That is the aim. The reality is that many of us don’t have that level of digestive strength right now — and that’s not a failure, it’s simply information.
So rather than avoiding yoghurt altogether, Ayurveda invites a more attentive approach.
This is where awareness matters.
If you eat yoghurt:
Choose fresh, mild (best homemade) yoghurt.
Avoid eating it fridge-cold.
Eat it during the day, not early morning or evening.
Avoid combining it with fresh fruit.
If you want sweetness, try a little honey.
Add warming spices if needed.
Or dilute it and enjoy it as buttermilk.
Takeaway
This started as a simple yoghurt recipe.
Then it turned into a bigger conversation about digestion, rhythm, and awareness.
Not because food is complicated — but because many of us have stopped noticing what familiar foods quietly do over time.
Small adjustments, made with understanding, can change how the body feels long before it starts to complain.
