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Thin, custard-like Caspian Sea yogurt with notes of honey.
$19.99
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“Been making this yogurt for over a year. Love how easy it is to make. Mine makes great yogurt in 12 hours. I am never fussing with traditional yogurt making again, this is just so darn easy.”
Gabriella · Matsoni yogurt customerReal kitchens. Real homemade yogurt. A look inside our Cultures for Health yogurt community. Join in with an heirloom culture, a simple countertop routine and expert help whenever you need it.
EVERY CULTURE WE MAKE IS FOOD-SAFETY TESTED.
A MOM'S REASON. OUR STANDARD SINCE 2002.
Cultures for Health was founded in 2002 by a single mom who wanted to feed her children the best food she could.
That care still shapes what we make. Food-safety testing is a meaningful investment, and one we keep making for the families who bring our cultures home.
Start something good in your kitchen →
From packet to proud-of-it.
Matsoni cultures at room temperature, so there's no milk to scald and no machine to plug in. Save a spoonful from each batch and your next one is already started.
Mix one packet into 1 cup of cold, pasteurized whole milk in a clean glass jar. Cover with a coffee filter or tight-weave cloth secured with a rubber band.
Culture at 70°–77°F. Check after 12 hours for a set that pulls away from the jar when tilted. If it hasn't set, check every few hours for up to 48 hours.
Once set, or after 48 hours, cover with a tight lid and refrigerate at least 6 hours. For your next batch, use 1 tablespoon of finished yogurt per cup of milk.
ONE BATCH. THREE WAYS TO ENJOY IT.
Matsoni is the classic choice for frozen yogurt. Here are three recipes from our kitchen:
01Strain your homemade yogurt for this lemon, honey and mint frozen treat. Follow the recipe for the thicker texture it needs.
Get the recipe →
02Soaking rolled oats in fresh homemade Matsoni yields an exceptionally tender, hearty breakfast muffin.
Get the recipe →
03Start with your own batch for a rich chocolate peanut butter frozen yogurt.
Get the recipe →A little reassurance goes a long way.
Get started with 60-day, no-hassle returns. And whenever you have a yogurt question, our on-staff fermenters are here to help. Next week, next month, or next year.
See our guarantee →Heirloom Matsoni Yogurt Starter Culture$19.99
United StatesI’ve always been a yogurt lover (I eat yogurt every morning without fail), but I’ve never actually made the stuff myself. After a few successful attempts at yogurt making (and a few off-tasting, store-bought Fage yogurts), I decided I needed my own heirloom culture. I was tired of buying yogurt just to make yogurt (seems wasteful and inefficient). And I didn’t like the unknown shelf-life of the stuff at the store. Plus I dislike the fact that you have to replace store-bought cultures after every 3-4 batches of yogurt because the bacteria can get unstable. I really try to not depend on the market for things, if I can avoid it. And I liked the idea of an “forever” culture, since I can be lazy and forgetful, lol. In July 2024, I bought the Matsoni culture for a variety of reasons, the main ones being the unusual tasting notes. And the fact that I can make yogurt with it without my Instant Pot or special technology, should the need arise. And I haven’t been disappointed! Activation started off slowly, as did the first few batches of yogurt. But Abigail from Customer Support was there to the rescue with great troubleshooting tips and suggestions. (The customer service responses were lighting fast, by the way). She helped me figure out that my kitchen was probably a bit too cold (68-70 F), and suggested extra yet mild heat sources like my Instant Pot to help the starter culture along. Then when my batches started getting lumpy and bitter tasting, Abigail helped me determine that I was probably over fermenting my culture. I was making yogurt in my Instant Pot on “low” for 12 hours with the ratio of 1T of culture to 1C milk, which wasn’t working for me. I made adjustments from there when I wasn’t getting the results I was after. I hit the payload after a few experimental micro-batches. In case this information is helpful, I activated my starter with Horizon Farms organic ultra-pasteurized grass-fed milk (whole fat). Activation and the initial setting took about 24 hours—for 10 hours of those hours my starter was at room temp (72-74 F), the other 14 hours it was at the “low” yogurt setting in my Instant Pot (the internal temperature of which reads 83 F). What I do to make delicious yogurt now: I use Fairlife whole fat milk or Horizon Farms organic grass-fed whole fat milk. It depends on my mood and what’s at the store. If I’m using Fairlife, I use 2T yogurt culture to the whole 52 oz bottle. If I’m using Horizon Farms, I use 1/4c yogurt culture to the whole half-gallon container. I clean all of my yogurt making tools and my Instant Pot with Palmolive antibacterial soap and hot water. Once that’s done and I’ve mixed the starter and milk together, I set my Instant Pot to 9 hours on the “low” yogurt setting. It’s usually done, delicious, and nicely set by that point. Because I like thick, Greek-style yogurt, I take my yogurt making one step further with straining. I use a Euro Cuisine yogurt strainer, and leave my yogurt to strain in the fridge overnight. The longer I strain the yogurt, the milder tasting it gets, which tells me the Matsoni gets some of its flavor from the whey. Otherwise, Matsoni makes mild-tasting, ricotta textured yogurt when the whey is removed. Almost like yogurt cheese. Sublime! I also found that when I set aside yogurt starter BEFORE I strain my yogurt, the next batch of yogurt has a tangier taste and smoother texture, both of which I like. Thanks Cultures for Health for making and selling a 10/10 product, along with the fabulous and fast customer service! I look forward to many years of yogurt and yogurt making to come!
Hi Stefanie! Thanks so much for sharing your yogurt-making journey with us! We’re thrilled to hear that the Matsoni culture and our customer support team have helped you achieve such delicious results. It’s fantastic that you’ve found a process that works perfectly for you and your taste preferences. If you ever have more questions or need further assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out. Here’s to many more years of yogurt making and enjoying your homemade creations!
United StatesBeen making this yogurt for over a year. Love how easy it is to make. Mine makes great yogurt in 12 hours. I put it on top of my Apple TV little box that emits a low level of constant heat in the cool months since we keep the house cool, works like a charm. I am never fussing with traditional yogurt making again, this is just so darn easy.
We are so happy to hear that you are loving our Matsoni Yogurt Starter, Gabriella!
United StatesBeen looking for these cultures for a while. Now I can make my own yogurts. Haven't had yogurt for so long since I do NOT want to buy all the cups of plastic that they insist on putting everything in these days. None of it is really recyclable or reused. This way I will not have a ton of plastic waste on my karma. Yay!
Hello Camille! We are so glad you are loving your Matsoni Yogurt Starter!
I bought the Heirloom Yogurt Starter Culture pack around 7 years ago but Matsoni is the only one I use. It's been going strong all this time putting up well with abuse and neglect. I'll often go several weeks without refreshing the starter in my fridge and it's perfectly fine. Sometimes I'll push it too long and that's when I reach for my frozen backup ( which may have been untouched for years itself) and it takes at most a day or two to return to normal production status. I've even used it on ultra high pasteurized milk and actually found it sets up even thicker on that. Overall I'm very happy with this starter. It's a great product that will serve me forever, and very convenientto use. Just always make sure to keep backups just in case.
We are so glad to hear that your Matsoni Yogurt Starter has been working out so well for you Paz!!
I wish that I had known about this yogurt 20 years ago. For a long time I had thought that I had needed a fancy yogurt incubator. While I did have one, it made only limited amounts of yogurt and the yogurt was average. I simple didn’t bother after awhile. Given the Matsoni yogurt, I can’t believe that I can make good tasting yogurt without a special incubator and that the taste of the yogurt and that the cost of the product is better than at the supermarket. It has already started to put savings in my pocket while having the fun at home. A special shout out to "Cultures for Health" for making a new hobby that is enjoyable, accessible and inexpensive. Frederick
Hi Frederick thank you for the kind words and support! Very happy to hear your yogurt is coming out tasty!!
Before you start.
Two packets of Matsoni yogurt starter culture and instructions. Start with one packet and keep the other refrigerated for later.
Matsoni, also called Caspian Sea yogurt, comes from the Republic of Georgia. It has a thin, custard-like texture with notes of honey, and it's a popular choice for frozen yogurt.
No. Matsoni cultures at 70°–77°F on your countertop. You only need a spot that holds that range.
Stir one packet into 1 cup of cold pasteurized whole milk, cover, and culture at 70°–77°F. Check at 12 hours and allow up to 48 hours for the first activation. Then refrigerate at least 6 hours.
Use 1 tablespoon of finished Matsoni per cup of fresh milk, up to half a gallon per batch. Keep the reserved yogurt refrigerated between batches.
The included guide calls for pasteurized whole milk and avoiding ultra-pasteurized or UHT milk. Matsoni is a dairy culture, not a vegan starter.
Texture varies by culture, and the first batch rehydrates the dried starter. Check the included guide, and our fermenter support team can help with your specific batch.
Organic milk and dehydrated live cultures. Contains milk. Manufactured in a facility that also produces products containing soy and dairy. Labeled gluten-free and non-GMO.
Keep it refrigerated and use it by the date on the bag.
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