Vegan Starter Culture | 32 Dairy-Free Direct-Set Packets for Creamy Plant-Based Yogurt | Probiotic for Gut Health

I've been making my own yogurt for about 25 years, using a store-bought plain yogurt with cultures and in several different types of yogurt makers, mostly Oster brand 1-quart, but also Salton, and a Waring 2-quart. I only recently began using a powdered starter. Until I bought an Oster Mykonos Greek Digital Homemade Yogurt Maker, 2-Quart CKSTYM1012 maker in 2014, I never would strain yogurt and wasn't even aware you could. I wish I had known about it sooner because I really can't stand runny, bitter yogurt, which would frequently happen over the years. I prefer a firm, mildly tart yogurt....just short of being sour cream! 😁 Note: The Oster Mykonos Greek square yogurt maker comes in a digital CKSTYM1012 and manual CKSTYM1010 option, but both come with ONE 1-quart rectangle container and 6 small glass containers. I prefer to use only the 1-quart container, so I bought an extra Mykonos Greek yogurt maker and swapped the individual jars for the rectangle container. So I do TWO 1-quart rectangle containers per batch. Since getting the Greek yogurt maker, I will never go back to unstrained yogurt again. As for a starter, in the past, I would start my first batch using a plain yogurt with active cultures from the grocery store, usually Mountain High brand in So. Calif. For subsequent batches, I would use a few heaping tablespoons (about 1/3 cup) of the current batch for the next batch, and so on. It wasn't until 2016 that I started using a freeze dried starter by Yo Gourmet that I would buy here on Amazon and use for about every 5th batch, using two heaping tablespoons of yogurt reserved from the current batch as the starter for the next batch. I looked into other brands, including this Cultures for Health, but saw the negative reviews about the first batch turning out awful, that I hesitated to try it. However, a week ago, when I tried to order more Yo Gourmet yogurt starter, Amazon was out, so I decided to try this Greek Yogurt start by Cultures for Health and am I glad I did! I just made my first batch two days ago using my usual process [below] and my first batch came out perfect! It's firm with very little tartness 👍 The photos attached shows my first batch using ONE packet of Cultures for Health. In the cup shown, I have about 2/3 of a cup of yogurt on top of 1/3 cup chopped up trail mix (done in my Vitamix dry container) that I keep a running batch of to add to each serving of yogurt. This is the process I've been using for 6-years with the Oster Mykonos 2-quart yogurt maker: * Heat 9 cups (or slightly more than a half gallon) of whole milk in our GE Microwave for 23 minutes on High to achieve 180° - 185° - I use a 2-quart Pyrex glass measuring bowl * Cool to between 106° - 110° * Put ONE .5 or .6 gram powdered starter into a separate 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup and pour a cup of the cooled milk into the starter and stir/whisk until dissolved. Add back to the main batch of milk and stir in. - subsequent batches....I use two heaping tablespoons or about 1/3 of a cup of the previous batch's yogurt and mix in the same as above. * When I pour the milk into the yogurt maker containers, to ensure I achieve an optimal mix of milk and starter, I alternate pouring the milk into both 1-quart containers, back and forth, back and forth, so neither container has more active cultures than the other. * Cook the yogurt for 15 hours (12 hours is the minimum I will do because I prefer firm yogurt) * After the yogurt is cooked, cover the containers and place in the fridge for a minimum of 8-hours * After 8-hours, transfer the chilled yogurt to the strainers and put back in the fridge for at least 6-hours. * Pour out the strained liquid. Enjoy!

Do not buy. Ive been making yogurt for quite some time so I know what im doing, however this did not inocolate whatsoever, and I did everything right. Ill just go to the supermarket, buy natural yogurt and start using that to restart my batches of yogurt. My last strain from the grocery store made yogurt perpetually for over a year, I thought id try this for a change, just wasted milk and time. Not a reliable product. Edit. They will not give a refund if yogurt culture is inactive, they will instead question you in your yogurt making methods as if you are to blame and offer to ship a replacement after lots of questioning, like I have no idea what im doing,when I stated im an experienced yogurt maker. The last thing I want is more of a dead culture, to waste more organic milk. Disappointmenting experience all-around.

Cultures For Health makes a good starter, and I have been very satisfied with the yogurt. I have made ten batches of this yogurt so far with very good and consistent results. All but the first and second rounds (to fully activate the culture) have been a gallon each. The first (1 quart) was lightly set, and the second (2 quarts) was fully set after 7 hours. I use two pots and a lid to make a double-boiler, a digital smoker thermometer to monitor the temperature of the milk on the stove (heated slowly to 190 degrees and held for 10 minutes or so) and in the cooling bath. There is no stirring during the heating process, so some milk sticks to the bottom of the non-stick pot, but it peels off easily. It takes about an hour on a low burner to bring a gallon from fridge temp to 190, and there’s nothing to do but check the temperature on the remote digital display. After cooling to 110 degrees, I whisk in the starter from the last batch. A sous vide cooker in a foam cooler (made a hole in the lid) holds the 4 quarts in a water bath at 110 degrees for 5 to 7 hours. Any extra cultured milk sits in containers up out of the water: the cooler holds a constant air temperature. When it's done, everything cools down on the counter for a while, and then goes in the refrigerator and lasts me about a month. Batches 2-10 were started with 2 cups of last month’s yogurt that was frozen for 4 weeks and defrosted for a day or two in the refrigerator. The defrosted culture smells good and activates to make consistently good yogurt. I use whatever cow's milk is on sale or reduced, 1% to whole, as long as it isn’t ultra-pasteurized. One packet of dehydrated starter has provided months of yogurt. The second packet is in the refrigerator, in case I need to do a restart someday. I recommend this yogurt starter.

I raised my review from a 4 star to a 5 star. I successfully made my second batch of yogurt- used whey from the previous batch as the starter. I could smell it fermenting at 5 hours and pulled it out of the incubator at 6 hours. I think the flavor had improved a bit and I'm looking forward to sampling the finished product tomorrow. So far really enjoying the product and no complaints at all! Original review: I've been making greek yogurt for a few months now, but I used a store-bought yogurt as the starter. My results were never "bad" but I didn't feel like I was getting the right consistency between the batches (some were perfect, and some were a bit thick), so I decided to try this product as the starter. I'd read various reviews indicated that the first batch wouldn't set or tasted terrible, so I was prepared for some disappointment and the first round and just made a one quart batch. I did cheat a bit- the recipes that I had made in the past indicated to heat the milk to 185 degrees before cooling to 110 degrees. The instructions for this kit indicated to heat the milk to 160 degrees before cooling- I cooked mine to 185... The kit indicated to incubate the milk for 5 hours and that if it hadn't set yet- to continue to check every two hours- up to 12 hours total. Mine hadn't set at 6 hours but was firmly set by 8 hours. They recommend tilting the container to see if the yogurt has set but afterwards I realized that I could tell just by the smell of fermentation that nothing had happened at 6 hours but that it set somewhere before 8 hours had elapsed- so you can also use the sniff test before tilting the bowl if you want. The only thing that seemed to be missing from the instructions was the step to actually strain your yogurt after its fermented and let it chill for a few hours. So my understanding is that these instruction tell you how to make a batch of regular yogurt but don't tell you how to make "greek" yogurt. The taste was a bit rough, but the instructions indicate to set some yogurt aside (or I set aside the whey after straining) to use it as a starter for the next batch. Instructions indicate that the flavor should improve dramatically with each batch and then you should be able to scale up your batch size afterwards once you get consistent results that your happy with. Another note was that their instructions include directions for both activating the starter (cool it for two hours covered after fermenting) and directions for a regular batch using starter from a previous batch (no cooling period) All in all-I'm happy with my first batch and really looking forward to seeing if I can get really consistent results and fantastic flavor in the future!

I tried the Cultures for Health Traditional Yogurt Starter Culture and overall, I’m happy with the results. Each packet is easy to use, and the instructions are straightforward, making it beginner-friendly. The yogurt comes out thick, tangy, and creamy with a nice probiotic punch. I also appreciate that it’s a thermophilic starter, which works perfectly in my yogurt maker and sous vide setup. That said, this is a direct-set culture, which means it’s not an heirloom culture that can be reused indefinitely. You only get one batch per packet, so while the quality is good, it can add up in cost over time compared to heirloom starters. ✅ Pros: Produces thick, tangy, probiotic-rich yogurt Simple to use with clear directions Consistent results across batches Works well with yogurt makers and sous vide ❌ Cons: Direct-set culture (cannot be re-cultured long-term) A bit pricier if making yogurt regularly 💡 Tips: Use high-quality milk for the best flavor and texture. Heat your milk to the recommended temperature and cool it properly before adding the starter. Portion into glass jars for easy storage and portion control. If you want a reusable culture, consider their heirloom varieties instead. Bottom Line: This is a great starter for anyone new to yogurt making or for those who want consistently thick, tangy yogurt without much hassle. If you’re looking for a long-term, sustainable option, you may want to upgrade to an heirloom starter, but for ease and reliability, this is an excellent choice.

Finally found the culture that gives me the texture and flavor I most appreciate in yogurt! Kudos to this company. The culture set up beautifully in 8 hours in the lowest setting of my food dehydrator. Once chilled, the yogurt was firm and not overly tart. I did notice that as I scooped out a serving, the next time I opened the container there was a LOT of whey in the hole the scoop left. Not a problem, just drained it off, but kind of startling as I forgot Greek yogurt would do this. I also found that I was able to reserve about 1/4 cup and replicated the process for three rounds before the yogurt “Yogged” but was not as firm as the first two rounds. Considering the higher cost of the culture, this is a big bonus.

This is the second time in 1-2 years I have tried this culture brand. First time, I thought it was maybe user error…after all… I did buy to culture something that was not store bought, but then ended up not because life happened due to a health battle within our family. Now that life has calmed, I decided to try and team up, once again, with Cultures For Health . This time around, I cultured immediately, or at least tried, and froze my backup. I began after dinner so the yogurt could sit overnight. I followed provided instructions. Even compared the ones I had to internet instructions. However, this morning, my milk is still liquidy, no chunkiness. Nor even a sign of the milk thickening into a yogurt. Unless I succeed @ something, I’m a person who feels like I wasted time and resources. And…unfortunately, that’s exactly how I currently feel. On top of that, in reviews and asking questions, this culture is advertised as mesophilic…meaning one can culture just on the counter. This is NOT the case for Greek Yogurt. Greek Yogurt is thermophilic…which means you have to heat/boil the milk first, let it cool, then add your culture. Because I had better results when I bought my culture from HEB/Wal-Mart, unless by some miracle my yogurt does culture, I will be returning to my old path of culturing homemade yogurt. Why fix something that ain’t broke!? UPDATE: Instructions need to be adjusted and updated, but… I did finally succeed in reactivating my culture, so…it is very possible I would by cultures again from Cultures For Health, however…the directions say to use 4 cups of milk. HOWEVER, other YouTube videos I watch say 1 tbsp. of starter per 1 cup of milk…. Given instructions said 4 cups of milk to packet of starter. It wasn’t until I cut my batch into fourths and added 2nd packet that I started getting yogurt. If I were to buy from this brand again…to reactivate my starter, I use 1/2 - 1 cup of milk to 1 packet of starter. For, there is, by NO MEANS, 4 tbsp. dehydrated starter in each packet. I’ve spent the last 2 full days learning by trial and error. Hope this helps save someone out there from frustration and stress with the same issue as I did. Working through this has taken a lot of time and energy.😵‍💫

We have used this product for the past year and have had success with every batch. We made a batch yesterday in our instant pot, using the same procedure a usual and it did not thicken up at all. 12 hours at low with the vent open, just like every other time. Tried again today and same problem. Date on the packet says good until 5/2025. We are extremely disappointed. I also thought it was a bad batch, but just read another review saying they had the exact same problem with the same dated product (expiring in 10 months. It looks like it may be time to find another vegan starter product as this one is now considered inconsistent and a big waste of time and money. Talking to the seller provides no benefit, they just want me to provide too much info and in reality it appears they have a QC issue with the other complaints I’m seeing.