How to Make Whey from Homemade 24-Hour GAPS Yogurt

If you have a batch of 24-hour yogurt in the fridge, you already have whey. All you need is a cloth, a bowl, and a little time. Gravity does the rest, and you end up with two useful foods from one jar.

Homemade whey is the clear yellow liquid that drains from properly fermented yogurt or kefir. This method starts with 3 cups of homemade 24-hour GAPS yogurt and separates it into cultured whey and thickened yogurt or soft cottage cheese.

Starting amount: 3 cups homemade yogurt
Straining time: 10 minutes for a small amount of whey, a few hours for more, or overnight for a thicker curd
Yield: varies with the yogurt and the chosen straining time

Whey sits at the beginning of the GAPS dairy sequence, but the straining job is simple once the yogurt has finished its 24-hour ferment. Keep the two jobs separate: make the yogurt first, then drain it to collect whey. The sensitivity test and gradual introduction still apply to the whey you collect.

With six children, homeschooling in the morning, and second-shift work, I appreciate being able to separate the hands-on part from the waiting. Set up the bowl and cloth when you have a few minutes, then choose a draining window that fits your day. Check the support before leaving it, and make sure the collecting bowl has room for the whey.

Ingredient

• 3 cups homemade cow’s- or goat’s-milk yogurt fermented for at least 24 hours

Start with plain homemade yogurt that has completed its full GAPS ferment. The linked yogurt method uses at least 24 hours of fermentation, followed by refrigeration. Measure three cups of that finished yogurt. The yogurt is already fermented and chilled when this draining method begins.

Cow’s-milk and goat’s-milk yogurt both work here. Goat’s-milk yogurt is often looser. The consistency you start with and the time you leave it draining both affect how much whey collects.

Recommended Equipment

• Large glass or ceramic bowl
• Stainless-steel colander or strainer set above the bowl
• Clean double-layer single-use unbleached cheesecloth, or a reusable thin linen tea towel or flour-sack towel
• Natural kitchen twine
• Clean dry glass jar or bottle with lid

The cheesecloth link is an Amazon affiliate link. Regency recommends a single food use for this cloth. A reusable linen or flour-sack towel is a separate option; choose which one you will use before setting up the bowl.

The bowl is the piece to size carefully. It needs to be deep enough that whey collects well below the colander, even after an overnight drain. A reusable linen or flour-sack towel works well if you make whey often, since it can be washed and dried for another batch. Keeping one towel just for dairy helps it stay free of flavors from other kitchen jobs.

How To Make Whey

1. Set the stainless-steel colander above the glass or ceramic bowl with enough clearance for whey to collect without touching the bottom of the colander.
2. Line the colander with two clean layers of the single-use cheesecloth, or with the clean reusable linen or flour-sack towel.
3. Pour all 3 cups of completed 24-hour yogurt into the cloth.
4. Bring the cloth corners together and tie them with kitchen twine to form a bag. Leave the bag suspended above the bowl so the liquid can drip freely.
5. Choose how much whey you need. About 10 minutes slightly thickens the yogurt and releases a small amount of whey. A few hours produces more whey and thicker yogurt. Overnight produces the fullest separation and leaves a soft cottage-cheese-like solid.
6. Pour the collected clear yellow whey into the clean dry glass jar or bottle. Cover and refrigerate.
7. Transfer the thickened yogurt or soft cheese from the cloth to a separate glass container.
8. Discard the linked Regency cheesecloth after this food use, as the manufacturer recommends. If you used a reusable linen or flour-sack towel, rinse it well, wash it according to its care instructions, and let it dry completely before storing it.

What Homemade Whey Looks Like

The liquid collecting below the cloth should be clear to pale yellow rather than the opaque white of yogurt. The solid inside the cloth becomes progressively thicker as the draining time increases. Sandor Katz describes this hanging-cloth method in The Art of Fermentation: a longer drain leaves firmer yogurt and more liquid in the bowl.

Pour slowly into the center of the cloth so the yogurt stays inside it. Once the bag is hanging, look for pale-yellow drops collecting below. Keep the bag above the rising liquid so it can continue draining freely.

Where Whey Fits On GAPS

In Gut and Physiology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride introduces well-fermented homemade whey at the beginning of the Introduction Diet after the dairy sensitivity test. Her guidance is specific: begin with 1 teaspoon of whey per day for 2 to 5 days, increase to 2 teaspoons per day, and continue gradually until reaching up to ½ cup per day with meals.

Add whey only to food that is cool enough for the live culture. Those teaspoons describe how whey is introduced, not how much yogurt to strain. The same plain whey can continue through the later Intro stages and Full GAPS once it has been introduced.

The 2020 GAPS book gives a specific reason whey comes first. Dripping yogurt removes many of the dairy proteins, so the book says to test whey from dripped homemade yogurt before anything else. If there is no reaction, whey goes in first. After that, the book moves to undripped homemade yogurt, homemade sour cream, and then kefir.

The book also says dairy is not the right first probiotic for everyone. For people prone to chronic constipation, it suggests starting with juice from fermented vegetables and being cautious with high-protein dairy, including whey. For people prone to diarrhea, it suggests fermented milk products from the beginning. If you are unsure which applies to your family, start with the sensitivity test and go slowly.

If you already eat homemade yogurt, kefir, or other fermented dairy without a reaction, the GAPS book says you do not have to restart at one teaspoon. Keep your usual tolerated amounts. No-Plant GAPS has a different dairy sequence and initially excludes cow’s milk; follow that sequence when choosing the prepared yogurt you intend to strain.

How To Use Homemade Whey

Homemade whey can be kept as a starter for your next batch of yogurt, as described in the GAPS yogurt instructions. Keep it in a clean dry glass jar in the refrigerator. If a saved yogurt or whey starter stops producing a good ferment, restart with a commercial starter or live yogurt as the book directs.

Whey can also supply the starter in GAPS ferment recipes that specifically call for it. Measure the amount named by the recipe you are making. Different ferments use different amounts of starter.

The solid left in the cloth is thickened yogurt or a soft curd, depending on drain time. Save it separately rather than discarding it. Keep the curd separately and serve it when yogurt or soft cheese fits your dairy introduction.

The Yogurt Maker I Use

This method begins with homemade 24-hour GAPS yogurt. I use the Luvele Pure Plus Yogurt Maker for the long yogurt ferment before straining. This is my referral link.

Have the yogurt finished and chilled before setting up the cloth. That advance preparation is the part to allow for when planning your batch.

Storage

Pour the finished whey into a clean, dry glass jar or bottle, cover it, and keep it refrigerated. Label it with the date you strained it. Store the thicker yogurt separately so you can take out whichever part your next meal or ferment calls for.

The whey should remain a thin liquid when you pour it from the jar. Use a clean utensil to measure it, then close the jar and return it to the refrigerator. Having the whey in its own jar makes it easier to measure a spoonful for soup or a larger amount for another ferment.

For serving, the book’s simplest use is a spoonful stirred into a cup of meat stock or a bowl of soup. Let hot food cool a bit before you add it so the heat does not kill the live bacteria. The book also describes some people enjoying whey as a drink, plain, diluted with water, or with a little salt to taste. Keep the thick yogurt separately for a meal or recipe once yogurt is part of the eater’s GAPS dairy sequence.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Yogurt Should I Drain?

Use homemade cow’s- or goat’s-milk yogurt fermented for at least 24 hours. The homemade yogurt recipe linked above prepares that ingredient before straining.

How Long Should the Yogurt Drain?

Use about 10 minutes for slight thickening, a few hours for more whey, or overnight for the fullest separation and a soft cheese-like solid.

What Does Finished Whey Look Like?

It is the clear to pale-yellow liquid in the bowl below the cloth. The opaque thickened yogurt or soft cheese remains inside the cloth.

How Is Whey Introduced on Intro Stage 1?

After the dairy sensitivity test, the GAPS introduction begins with 1 teaspoon per day for 2 to 5 days, then increases gradually as described above.

Can This Whey Be Used in Another Recipe?

Yes. Use it when a recipe calls for fresh homemade cultured whey, and follow that recipe’s amount and fermentation instructions.

Why Is Whey Introduced Before Yogurt on GAPS?

The 2020 GAPS book says dripping yogurt removes many of the dairy proteins. That makes whey the gentlest dairy food to test first. Yogurt, sour cream and kefir follow once whey is tolerated.

Can I Make Whey from Kefir Instead?

The GAPS book describes whey from both homemade yogurt and kefir. This card measures three cups of yogurt. Katz also notes that whey from yogurt and kefir carries different cultures, so keep the starter named by the recipe you plan to make.

What Can I Do with the Thick Yogurt Left in the Cloth?

Keep it separately until yogurt or the thicker dairy form has been introduced and tolerated. A short drain leaves spoonable yogurt; an overnight drain gives a soft curd. For a later Full GAPS use, Yogurt-Cheese Almond Chaffles use fully drained yogurt cheese. Follow the waffle recipe for its own measured amount and stage.

Related Recipes

• GAPS Yogurt: How to Make a Twenty-Four-Hour Batch at Home is the yogurt this whole method starts with.
• GAPS Chicken Meat Stock for Intro Stage 1 and Full GAPS is the cup your first teaspoons of whey go into.
• When you are preparing nuts for later GAPS baking, Homemade Fermented Almond Flour From Whole Almonds uses one-half cup of fresh whey as its starter. Follow that recipe for its soaking, draining, and grinding steps.

Planning stock and fermented foods around family meals can take more thought than the straining itself. The upcoming Intro Stage 1–6 Batch-Cooking Guides are being built around cooking order, prepared components, and stage-specific planning. Find current resources and upcoming releases in the WFLI shop.