Cultured dairy has been made in home kitchens for centuries—long before commercial yogurts and probiotic drinks lined grocery store shelves. With nothing more than good milk, a starter culture, and time, you can transform simple ingredients into skyr, kefir, sour cream, and other cultured dairy products that are fresher, more flavorful, and often more nutritious than anything store-bought.
At Tony Fitzgerald Photography, cultured dairy is part of The Master Pantry—a collection of foundational recipes that give you flexibility, control, and better results in everyday cooking and baking. Once you understand the basic principles behind culturing milk, you can adapt them to suit your taste, your schedule, and the ingredients available to you.
Cultured dairy refers to milk or cream that has been transformed by beneficial bacteria. These cultures ferment lactose into lactic acid, thickening the dairy, developing flavor, and naturally preserving it.
This hub brings together my tested methods, photography, and agricultural perspective on making cultured dairy at home—linking to detailed recipes while explaining the shared techniques that make them all work.
Cultured dairy is one of our four Master Recipes, along with Master bread dough, Master ice cream, and Master cookies. They all share a common theme: simple ingredients, sound technique, and better results.
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Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Table of contents
Cultured Dairy Products
Examples of cultured dairy products include:
- Skyr – Skyr is thick, mild, and high in protein—closer to fresh cheese than yogurt.
- Kefir – Kefir is lightly effervescent, tangy, and rich in diverse cultures, made with kefir grains.
- Sour cream – Homemade sour cream is subtle, creamy, and nothing like commercial versions thickened with gums.
- Cream Cheese – Authentic homemade cream cheese, to serve with bagels or use to make an exceptional cheesecake.
- Yogurt – A variety of yogurts made from various cultures. (Matsoni Yogurt)
- Crème fraîche – Authentic French cultured cream, an ingredients that elevates homemade ice cream.
Each has its own texture and flavor profile, but they all rely on the same basic process: introducing the right cultures under the right conditions and letting time do the work.
Why Make Cultured Dairy at Home?
- Choice of Milk – Use your favorite brand of milk. We use Horizon Organic Milk – it’s organic, tastes great, and it’s produced sustainably. and choose who whole, lowfat or nonfat milk.
- No additives – no added sugar, corn syrup, thickeners or preservatives.
- Authentic culture – Cultures for Health.has a variety of different cultures available – each with a different taste.
- Convenience – the starter culture comes in powdered form in tiny packets and conveniently stores for months in the refrigerator.
- Probiotics – Ensures that it actually contains probiotics.
- Buttermilk substitute – It’s a perfect substitute for buttermilk, so you don’t have to go to the added expense of having buttermilk on hand for the few recipes that call for it. Buttermilk is used in pancakes and baking because it reacts with the baking soda to create rise, but kefir provides the same affect.
- Saves money – milk and starter is less expensive than buying kefir or yogurt already made.
- Control – You have control over the fermentation time . Longer fermentation time gives the product a more tangy flavor.
- Complete protein – Since kefir is a complete protein source it can be used instead of meat and save money.
Mesophilic vs. Thermophilic Culture
There are a variety of different cultures. They can be grouped into two categories – mesophilic and thermophilic. It is important to know what category your culture is in because they thrive at different temperatures.
- Mesophilic, which translates to “medium-loving”. This indicates that it thrives at medium temperatures (around 68-100 degrees F) and is destroyed at a higher temperature (around 113 degrees F). The Instant Pot Ultra has a yogurt setting that can be adjusted to low, where it will maintain a constant temperature of 91 degrees. This will usually work for culturing a mesophilic culture.
- Thermophilic, which translates to “heat-loving”. This indicates that it thrives at higher temperatures (around 105-115 degrees F) and is destroyed at a higher temperature (around 130 degrees F). The Instant Pot Ultra has a yogurt setting that can be adjusted to medium. The medium setting will maintain a constant temperature of 115 degrees F, which will culture a thermophilic culture. Most yogurt cultures are thermophilic.
The Master Method
Although skyr, kefir, and sour cream are different, they share a master technique:
- Start with high-quality milk or cream
- Bring it to a temperature that will kill bacteria and then let it cool to the fermentation temperature
- Add a live culture (starter or grains)
- Hold at the correct temperature
- Allow time for fermentation
- Chill, strain, or use as-is depending on the style
Once you understand this framework, learning a new cultured dairy recipe becomes intuitive.
Instant Pot
The most import thing is controlling the temperature. An Instant Pot makes this very easy. There is a setting for scalding the milk to kill any bacteria before adding the culture. Then there is a setting that is perfect for either culture and will hold that temperature for hours.
Because this is a cultured product, it is important that everything is clean. The Instant Pot is made of stainless steel and glass, so it is easy to sterilize before starting. Remove the sealing ring on the Instant Pot lid. Thoroughly wash the sealing ring, the inner pot and the lid with very hot water and put the sealing ring back on.
Start with milk that is not near its expiration date. Boiling the milk may not be required, but it will produce a thicker product. Use the boil setting on the yogurt setting to bring the temperature of the milk above 180 degrees F and then let it cool to below the optimum temperature before adding the starter culture. This will kill any unwanted bacteria, and also help produce a thicker product. The temperature and time combination for pasteurization, according to the USDA, “a minimum for milk is 161 degrees F for at least 15 seconds.”
The milk and starter culture must be kept at a constant temperature where the culture will thrive. If it is a mesophilic variety, it needs to be kept between 68 and 100 degrees F. The low setting on the Instant Pot is 91 degrees F, so this setting will work. If it is thermophilic, it needs to be kept between 105-115 degrees F. The medium setting on the Instant Pot will maintain a constant temperature of 115 degrees F.
Sustainability
Before I started developed and posting recipes, I worked in agriculture — as a farmer, an inspector, an assistant to the county farm advisor, and as an advisor to growers. I saw firsthand how important it is to produce food sustainably. That experience continues to shape everything I cook.
The ingredients in this recipe reflect that perspective. They’re chosen with care, with attention to how they’re produced and how they contribute to a more sustainable future. This is especially important in dairy products. Dairy production varies widely in its environmental impact. Look for milk from producers who prioritize pasture-based systems or responsible herd management—practices that support both animal welfare and healthier ecosystems.
Milk quality affects fermentation, texture, and flavor—especially in simple recipes where nothing is hidden. So it is very important to start with a high quality product.
Other Recipes that start with this Master Cultured Dairy at Home Recipe
True to The Master Pantry philosophy, this recipe combines the best seasonal ingredients and quality brands with homemade methods to maximize both flavor and sustainability. It was inspired by our travels and works well as a holiday recipe.
Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography
Recipes created by Lisa LeCoump — Food Photographer, Agricultural Expert, and Home Baker. Sharing master recipes, chef secrets, and sustainable baking for every kitchen. Featured on various publications.