Homemade Matsoni
Healthy, thick, and delicate - made from cow’s milk! Matsoni is very similar to natural homemade yogurt without special starters or gadgets. Minimal ingredients, maximum natural taste.
Updated : 05 March, 2026
Easy
About 20 min.
Ingredients
500 milliliters
Milk
1 tablespoon
Sour cream
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make matsoni? Use thick sour cream with a high fat content, ideally farm-style, and most importantly fresh. If the sour cream is close to its expiration date, the matsoni may not thicken. It’s also better to use rich farm milk rather than ultra-pasteurized carton milk. Boil farm milk first and cool it to room temperature.
Step 2
Pour the milk into a saucepan and warm it over low heat to about 40°C / 104°F (dip a clean finger in - it should feel pleasantly warm). If the milk is hotter, the lactic acid bacteria can die. If it’s too cool, fermentation won’t start and the matsoni won’t thicken.
Step 3
Pour the warm milk into a clean glass jar.
Step 4
In a small bowl with sour cream, add 2-3 tbsp of warm milk and mix. This is your starter for matsoni.
Step 5
Pour the mixture into the jar and stir well. Close the jar with a lid.
Step 6
Turn the jar upside down and wrap it in a thick blanket so it cools slowly. This is important - the bacteria need warmth to work. Leave it overnight, then place it in the refrigerator about 1 hour before serving.
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