Strained Yogurt (Thick Yogurt)

We love our homemade strained yogurt with a drizzle of olive oil and some chili flakes on it. One of the easiest mezzes! You can spread it on a slice of bread and enjoy. Everything you make with strained yogurt goes up to the next level.

And you can use it in all the recipes with yogurt including ayran drink. You end up with a unique taste that is addictive!

So strained yogurt in Turkish cuisine is known as the advanced or concentrated form of regular yoghurt. It is more special and the dishes taste even better when they are made with it. Turkish eggs would be a great example for these dishes.

What is strained yogurt?

Strained yogurt or Turkish süzme yoğurt is the yogurt that you have after removing its whey. So we will be explaining how to strain yogurt here, rather than giving a yogurt recipe from scratch. 

Okay but how is strained yogurt different from regular yogurt? 

The main difference is the structure. While regular yogurt is thinner (because of the whey inside it) and pourable as you see in the picture above, strained yogurt is very thick and concentrated, so it is spreadable.

This thick yogurt can even be called yogurt cheese due to its solid and spreadable structure. But it has nothing to do with cheese, it is still yogurt with a more concentrated flavor.

The second difference is the taste. The liquid called whey is removed from yogurt as it drips in a bowl, so this thick yogurt has a denser and richer taste. We sometimes mix the yogurt with a little salt after it is strained and then keep it in the refrigerator. It gets more on the savory side with the addition of salt.

There is also “Greek style yogurt” at UK and US markets, but we must honestly say that they are waaay thinner. You can buy one and use it to make your own strained yogurt at home.

Strained yogurt is a staple in Turkish cuisine and it is considered to be a tradition in many households. Many homes even have special yogurt straining bags, yogurt kesesi, made from a similar material to cheesecloth (picture above).

Yogurt is poured into this bag (called a kese) and hung somewhere high, like the back of a chair or the handle of a window or door. A bowl is placed underneath to catch the whey as it drips out. After a few hours, the yogurt becomes really thick and develops a pleasant tangy flavor.

Why do we strain it?

• It is a great solution to thicken watery homemade yogurt. It also works when the yogurt you buy from the store is too runny.
• Homemade strained yogurt is much better compared to store-bought yogurt that is not as thick as it should be. Also, some Greek yogurt brands might contain thickeners like gelatin or pectin. So it is better to make it at home.
• The taste is amazing! After the whey is removed, the taste of yogurt gets denser and richer.

About the Ingredients

Plain yogurt: It is the main ingredient that you need to make süzme yogurt. You can use whole, low fat, or no-fat yogurt. It has to be regular plain yogurt. Here in the UK, we use either Greek style yogurt we buy from Aldi or natural yogurt from Tesco.

“Plain yogurt” has one meaning. It is any yogurt that doesn’t contain any sweeteners, extracts, or fruit pieces – any type of flavoring ingredient really.

How To Make Süzme Yoğurt

It is really so easy to make süzme yogurt at home!  Let’s learn how to make it now.

1. Prepare the equipment: Place the strainer over a large bowl and make sure that the bottom of the strainer doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Place the muslin, cheesecloth or nut bag into the strainer. We used a baby muslin here because that was what we had on hand.

2. Pour the yogurt on the muslin.

3. Fold the overhanging sides to the center or make a loose bundle.

4. Allow the yogurt to drip: Place the bowl and the yogurt folded in muslin in the strainer together into the fridge. The whey (excess liquid) will separate from the yogurt slowly.

When making this creamy thick yogurt, you will need to let the yogurt sit for roughly 4-8 hours. You see how it looks after 8 hours in the pictures above.

It is thick enough for us and all the whey is removed after 8 hours. But check yours after 4 or 6 hours and if it still has some whey when you mix with a spoon, let it sit there for another 2 hours.

5. Store your strained yogurt: Place the yogurt inside a clean (and preferably sterilized) glass jar. You can keep it inside the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks or until the expire date of the yogurt you use!

Expert Tips

• Do not squeeze the bags to speed up the process. If you don’t yet know how to use a cheesecloth to strain yogurt (or other types of yogurt straining bags), the key is patience. The whey will slowly separate.
• You don't have to tie the ends or weigh it down.
• The longer you strain yogurt, the thicker it will get. This way you can easily control the consistency by checking it every few hours.
• If you want to use store-bought regular yogurt, read its label and make sure whether it contains any Greek yogurt thickeners. Even regular yogurt might use modified starch as a thickening agent. These thickeners will make it hard to get the desired result. So try to find the yogurt without thickeners.
• You can use the whey removed from yogurt in baking as a substitute for milk, yogurt or water, especially for breads.

Uses

This thick yogurt can be used in many traditional Turkish dishes. The most popular ones are: havuc tarator (carrot dip), cacik, and yogurt soup. Basically, it can be used in almost all the dishes where you use regular yogurt. You might just need to mix it with a little water before using it in some dishes though.

Homemade süzme yogurt can be used in many fruit desserts and be a creamy topping for poached quinces or baked pears.

Labneh vs. Strained Yogurt

We hear the same question over and over: Is labneh the same as süzme yogurt? Well, there aren’t many differences between them. 

Basically, labneh has a bit more thicker compared to that of süzme yogurt because it has been strained for much longer (meaning more whey has been removed).

Labneh is also called yogurt cheese and is essentially a super thick yogurt. It is often shaped in mini balls and stored in a jar with olive oil.

We should also note that there is a type of cheese called "labne" in Turkey and it is not the same as this one. It is often used as a substitute for mascarpone.

Frequently Asked Questions