I Tried This Iconic Homemade Yogurt Brand From New Zealand — And Here's What Happened

There's nothing like having lashings of freshly-made yogurt from grass-fed cows at your disposal.

Making my own yogurt always sounded like something I should totally be on board with. But, to be honest, it did strike me as a bit of a fantasy. Like baking your own bread or making your own granola — great in theory, but in reality, way too time-consuming and fiddly. Enter, EasiYo.

EasiYo

The New Zealand-based company has just launched right here in the US — and their mission is to provide us with the tools to create delicious yogurt (made with milk from grass-fed cows!) without needing to cross the ocean.

I had heard a little bit about EasiYo's amazing yogurt-maker — which has been getting a lot of buzz for its genius simplicity, and was thrilled to hear that I could get my hands on it.

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The yogurt-maker itself is beautifully sleek and minimalist, and the process involves doing — honestly — next to nothing(!), so of course I had to try it.

EasiYo yogurt-makers are available on Amazon — I honestly had no idea that making Greek Style yogurt at home could be so simple. I ordered mine and it arrived in just a couple of days, at which point excitement levels were off the scale.

Even still, I honestly had no idea that making my own Greek Style yogurt could be so simple.

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Inside the box was the yogurt-maker, jar and a packet of Greek Style Vanilla flavor. I’d also ordered some more yogurt packets (I’d gone for Plain 2% Greek Style and a Greek Style Triple Berry) which luckily arrived all together.

The powder packets come in all kinds of flavors, from Vanilla and Cherry, to Salted Caramel and Passionfruit. 

The Plain 2% Greek Style is obviously most versatile and featured in most of the EasiYo recipes I planned to make throughout the week, so it felt like the perfect flavor to kick things off.  

 

I was beyond happy (and relieved) to find there were only three steps to the process. It really was as simple as it looked. The first step was to mix a packet of yogurt powder with room-temperature drinking water in the EasiYo jar — by giving it a good shake.

Zoe Smith

(Checking thoroughly the lid is properly screwed on, obvs!)

Then I had to add boiling water to the yogurt-maker and place the jar inside. After that, it was just a case of leaving it to do its thing and set for 8-12 hours, before placing it in the fridge to chill.

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There's really not a lot to it!

And...ta-da! There you have it: Thick and creamy Greek Style yogurt. As if by magic.

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It's a special moment, let me tell you. I'd finally made yogurt at home, after all this time! And it felt effortless. This was cause for celebration.

Not only that, it tasted AMAZING. Similar to the Greek yogurt I buy from the store, only nicer. Fresher-tasting, slightly creamier and with a touch more tanginess. 

What also stuck me was the volume of yogurt I'd got from just one packet.

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A single packet got me 35oz of yogurt. Plus, it's obviously as fresh as it comes. No small matter — when it means it's healthier than store-bought, due to its millions of live cultures (these can reduce in number throughout the supply chain process) and lack of artificial additives or preservatives. Clearly, there's a lot of pros to this. 

What have I been doing all this time?!

I was desperate to see how I could use all of my freshly made yogurt and after browsing the EasiYo recipes, one thing became clear: Yogurt is ridiculously versatile. You can use it in so many meals — both sweet and savory.

EasiYo

So I picked a few that I knew my kids would demolish. And then got to making.

In total, I made five meals with my Greek Style yogurt — all using recipes from EasiYo's website. I made some crispy chicken burgers, which featured a satisfyingly crunchy coleslaw made with the yogurt, heavenly mushroom fettuccine, unbelievably creamy banana smoothies, a super simple pizza base — and even pancakes.

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Brinner (breakfast x dinner) anyone?

The verdict? I don't think I'll be making a recipe that doesn't include Greek Style Yogurt for a while.

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I was surprised at how many meals I could make with just one round of yogurt — which sucked, because all I could think about was feeling like a food scientist again and making another batch.

Beyond the simple recipes that I went for, you can use yogurt in so many salads and dips, cookies and tarts, and various types of home-made bread like focaccia, garlic and herb knots, or this zucchini bread, which I'm 100% making next...

EasiYo

The possibilities are endless.

It's also worth noting — you have less pressure around use-by dates, which can sometimes be an issue if you buy yogurt from a store. The packets have a shelf-life of 18 months, so they can sit in your cupboard until you need to bring them out for a particular recipe. 

Did I mention the yogurt-maker requires no electronic parts or power, so you can keep it anywhere on your countertop and move it around freely? Another bonus!

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No one needs more kitchen appliances to plug in, let's face it.

Give it a try for yourself. If you like things kept super simple and easy, head over to EasiYo and learn more about making delicious, fresh yogurt at home — it's definitely got the feel-good factor.