How to Make Piima Yogurt
How to Make Piima Yogurt at Home: Scandinavian Drinkable Yogurt Guide
The Short Answer
Piima is one of the simplest fermented dairy products you can make at home. Stir your live Piima starter culture into cooled whole milk and leave on your kitchen counter at 18 to 24°C for 12 to 24 hours. No yogurt maker, no heating equipment and no straining required. The result is a smooth, pourable, lightly tangy cultured milk with a mild buttery flavour. It is one of the most beginner friendly fermented dairy products available.
In This Guide
Piima is a traditional Scandinavian cultured milk that has been made in Nordic homes for generations. It is one of the most accessible fermented dairy products you can make, requiring no specialist equipment, no precise temperature monitoring and no straining. You simply stir the culture into milk and leave it on your counter.
Unlike Viili, which produces a set yogurt with a stretchy texture, Piima stays pourable throughout fermentation. It is smooth, mildly tangy and has a distinctive buttery, almost creamy flavour that is gentler than any other yogurt in our range. It is also one of the best natural substitutes for buttermilk in baking and cooking, which makes it genuinely useful beyond drinking on its own.
What is Piima and How is it Different from Other Yogurts
Mesophilic Culture
Like Viili, Piima is mesophilic and ferments at room temperature with no yogurt maker needed. It is the simplest cultured dairy product in our range in terms of equipment and process.
Drinkable and Pourable
Piima does not set into a thick yogurt. It remains pourable and drinkable throughout the fermentation process, similar in consistency to kefir or a thin drinking yogurt. It does not produce the stretchy ropy texture of Viili.
The Flavour
Piima has a mild, buttery, lightly tangy flavour that is the gentlest of all our yogurt cultures. It is sometimes described as tasting like a very mild buttermilk or liquid cream. People who find standard yogurt too sour often find Piima very easy to enjoy.
Cooking Versatility
Piima is an excellent natural substitute for buttermilk in baking. Its mild acidity activates baking soda and baking powder in the same way as commercial buttermilk, making it useful in pancakes, soda bread, scones, muffins and marinades.
Piima vs Viili: Key Differences at a Glance
Both Piima and Viili are mesophilic Scandinavian cultures that ferment at room temperature, but they produce very different results. Here is a quick comparison to help you choose.
Piima
- Pourable, drinkable consistency
- No stretchy or ropy texture
- No velvety surface layer
- Mild, buttery, very gentle tang
- Best drunk, used in smoothies or as buttermilk substitute
- Can be made in any container
Viili
- Set yogurt consistency, spoonable
- Distinctive stretchy, ropy texture
- Velvety white Geotrichum surface layer
- Mild but slightly more tangy than Piima
- Best eaten with a spoon, layered with fruit or granola
- Needs a wide shallow dish for best results
What You Need to Make Piima
Equipment and Ingredients
- 1 litre of whole milk, organic where possible for the richest flavour
- Piima starter culture, either our freeze dried Piima culture for a first batch or 2 tablespoons of your previous batch for reculturing
- A clean glass jar or bowl, any shape works as Piima stays pourable
- A loose cover, a clean cloth, plate or loose lid
- A warm spot on your kitchen counter, between 18 and 24°C is ideal
NutriBrew Tip: Unlike Viili, Piima does not need a wide shallow dish. Because it stays pourable rather than setting into a thick yogurt, any clean glass jar or bowl works perfectly well. A standard 1 litre glass jar is ideal as it can go straight from the counter into the fridge.
Activating a Freeze Dried Piima Culture: First Batch
If you are using a freeze dried culture for the first time, Piima needs a short activation phase before making a full litre batch. This gives the freeze dried bacteria time to wake up and establish themselves.
Activation Process
Step 1: Mix your freeze dried starter packet into 150ml of whole milk at room temperature. Stir gently until dissolved.
Step 2: Cover loosely and leave at room temperature for 24 to 72 hours until the milk has thickened slightly and tastes lightly tangy.
Step 3: Use this activated culture as your starter for your first full 1 litre batch.
Step 4: The flavour and consistency will improve over the first 2 to 3 batches as the culture fully establishes in your home environment.
Step by Step: How to Make Piima
The Full Method
Step 1: Prepare your milk
Heat 1 litre of whole milk to 72 to 77°C for 15 seconds, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely to room temperature. This short pasteurisation removes competing bacteria. Alternatively use UHT milk straight from the carton without any heating, which makes the process even simpler.
Step 2: Add your starter culture
Once the milk is at room temperature, stir in 2 tablespoons of your previous Piima batch or your activated culture. Mix gently for 1 minute until evenly distributed throughout the milk.
Step 3: Pour into a jar and cover loosely
Pour the inoculated milk into a clean glass jar or bowl. Cover loosely with a cloth, a plate or a lid that is not sealed airtight. The culture needs some airflow during fermentation.
Step 4: Leave on the counter for 12 to 24 hours
Leave at room temperature between 18 and 24°C. Piima ferments quietly without producing visible bubbles or dramatic changes. After 12 hours the milk will have thickened slightly and developed a mild tang. At 24 hours it will be more pronounced. The exact timing depends on your kitchen temperature.
Step 5: Taste and refrigerate
Taste the Piima from 12 hours onwards. It is ready when it has a pleasant mild tang and a slightly thickened, pourable consistency. Move to the fridge once it reaches your preferred flavour. Refrigerating stops fermentation and the flavour settles and mellows over the following 24 hours.
Temperature Guide for Irish Kitchens
Piima is mesophilic and ferments best at typical Irish room temperatures, making it one of the most naturally suited cultures for an Irish home kitchen.
22 to 24°C, Summer Kitchen
Ready in 12 to 18 hours. Check at 12 hours and refrigerate as soon as the flavour suits your taste.
18 to 22°C, Typical Irish Kitchen
Allow 18 to 24 hours. This temperature range produces the most balanced flavour and is where Piima performs best. Most Irish kitchens fall in this range for most of the year.
Below 18°C, Cold Winter Kitchen
Allow 24 to 48 hours. Move the jar to a slightly warmer spot such as near a radiator or on top of the fridge. Below 15°C fermentation becomes very slow and the culture may struggle to develop properly.
How to Use Piima
Piima is one of the most versatile fermented dairy products in our range. Its pourable consistency and mild flavour make it useful in a wide variety of situations beyond simply drinking it plain.
Drink it Plain
Serve chilled straight from the fridge. Piima is light enough to drink as a glass of cultured milk rather than eating with a spoon. Try it with a light drizzle of honey.
Smoothies
Use as the liquid base in smoothies in place of regular milk or yogurt. Adds a mild tang, live cultures and a creamy body without overpowering the fruit.
Buttermilk Substitute
Use as a direct 1 to 1 replacement for buttermilk in pancakes, soda bread, scones, muffins and marinades. The mild acidity activates baking soda and baking powder in exactly the same way.
Dressings and Sauces
Use as a base for creamy salad dressings, cold sauces or dips. Its mild flavour works well with herbs, garlic and lemon without competing with other ingredients.
Overnight Oats
Pour over oats instead of milk for overnight oats. The mild tang and live cultures add nutritional value and a subtle flavour depth that plain milk cannot provide.
How to Recultue Piima
Piima is a heirloom culture that perpetuates indefinitely through regular reculturing. It is one of the easiest cultures in our range to maintain long term.
Reculturing Rules
How much to use: 2 tablespoons of your previous batch per 1 litre of new milk.
Freshness window: Use Piima no more than 7 days old as a starter. Beyond this the bacterial strains begin to weaken and subsequent batches will be progressively thinner and less flavourful.
Keep a backup: Every 4 to 5 batches, freeze a small amount of freshly made Piima in an airtight container. If a batch fails or the culture weakens, you can restart from frozen without purchasing a new starter.
When to start fresh: If the flavour becomes noticeably weaker or the milk is not thickening at all after several batches despite correct technique, start fresh from your frozen backup or a new culture.
Piima Troubleshooting
Milk Has Not Thickened After 24 Hours
Cause: Kitchen too cold or culture still activating in first batches
Fix: Move to a warmer spot above 18°C and leave for a further 12 hours. Normal for the first batch from a freeze dried culture to be slower to show results.
Piima Tastes Too Sour
Cause: Left fermenting too long, especially in a warm kitchen
Fix: In summer or a warm kitchen, check at 12 hours and refrigerate as soon as the flavour suits you. Do not leave for the full 24 hours in warm conditions.
Piima Separating into Curds and Whey
Cause: Significantly over fermented
Fix: Refrigerate immediately. The separated liquid is still safe and can be blended back together or strained to produce a soft fresh cheese. Reduce fermentation time significantly next batch.
Flavour Weaker Over Batches
Cause: Reculturing from Piima older than 7 days
Fix: Always use Piima no older than 7 days as your starter. Start from frozen backup if the culture has weakened significantly.
Unusual Smell or Colour
Cause: Contamination
Fix: Discard and start fresh from frozen backup. A healthy Piima smells pleasantly milky and lightly tangy. Any off, cheesy or unpleasant smell indicates contamination.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Piima
Is Piima the same as buttermilk?
No, but it is very similar in how it behaves in cooking. Traditional buttermilk is the liquid left over from churning butter. Piima is a cultured milk fermented with live bacteria. Both have a mild acidity that activates baking soda and baking powder, which is why Piima works so well as a direct buttermilk substitute in baking. The flavour is comparable, though Piima is slightly creamier and less sharp than commercial buttermilk.
Is Piima the same as Viili?
No. Both are mesophilic Scandinavian cultures that ferment at room temperature but they produce very different results. Piima stays pourable and drinkable with a mild buttery flavour. Viili sets into a thick yogurt with a distinctive stretchy, ropy texture and a velvety surface layer. If you want a drinkable cultured milk, choose Piima. If you want a set yogurt with a unique texture, choose Viili.
Do I need any equipment to make Piima?
No specialist equipment at all. A clean glass jar, a loose cover and a warm spot on your counter is everything you need. If you want to do the short pasteurisation step, a saucepan and thermometer help, but using UHT milk bypasses this entirely and makes Piima the simplest fermented dairy product you can make at home.
How long does Piima last in the fridge?
Properly refrigerated Piima will keep well for up to 2 weeks. The flavour continues to develop slowly in the fridge, becoming slightly more tangy over time. It is at its mildest and freshest in the first few days. Always use a clean spoon or pour directly from the jar without contaminating the remaining culture.
Can I use Piima to make other fermented dairy products?
Piima is specifically suited to producing its own cultured milk and is not interchangeable with kefir grains or thermophilic yogurt starters. However, over fermented Piima that has begun to separate can be strained through muslin cloth to produce a soft, mild fresh cheese similar to quark or fromage frais, which is a pleasant way to use a batch that has gone a little too far rather than wasting it.
Explore More Yogurt Cultures
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