How to Strain Whey from Yogurt

Learn how to strain whey from homemade yogurt, an easy but essential kitchen skill on the GAPS diet.  

What is whey?

Whey is the clear yellow liquid that can be strained or dripped from yogurt. It is rich in probiotics and lactic acid and has a profound healing effect on the gut lining (Gut and Physiology Syndrome, p50).

To make whey first make GAPS homemade yogurt that is cultured for 24 hours, I show you how in this post GAPS homemade yogurt. Then cheesecloth is used to separate the yogurt solids from the whey, resulting in a high-protein dairy liquid. 4 cups of yogurt will produce approximately 2 cups of whey.

What are the benefits of Whey?

Fermented foods such as whey can help to normalize gut flora by improving the balance and diversity of good and pathogenic bacteria. Whey is packed full of live lactobacillus bacteria, is soothing and healing to the digestive system, and supports the strengthening of the immune system (Gut and Physiology Syndrome, p50 and 59).

Why is Whey used on the GAPS diet?

Whey is used as a probiotic liquid throughout the GAPS diet to introduce beneficial bacteria in the digestive system, this includes during the Introduction Diet, Full GAPS, Baby GAPS, and GAPS Liquid Fast. It is generally well tolerated by GAPS people where there is no anaphylaxis allergy to dairy and can be used to ferment fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and during detox-supporting activities.

What yogurt to use?

Using homemade yogurt that has been cultured for 24 hours from grass-fed raw or pasteurized milk is the best option. If using store-bought yogurt make sure it’s plain and organic and contains no additives or flavours.

Tips for Straining whey

• I find that if I make yogurt using ½ cup of yogurt from a previous batch as the yogurt starter then a thinner yogurt is produced and I can stain more whey from it.
• Draining whey from warm freshly made yogurt before storing it in the fridge will release why more quickly.

Ingredients

• 4 cups GAPS homemade yogurt

Tools you may need

• Strainer – A metal strainer or colander.
• Cheesecloth – Or a nut milk bag made from organic material to line the stainer.
• Rubber band – Or string to secure the cheesecloth.
• Bowl – A bowl, pot, or jar to catch the whey as it drains.

How to make to strain whey in 4 easy steps

1. Line the strainer with a double layer of the cheesecloth and place it over the bowl.

2. Place yogurt in the center of the cheesecloth and then bring the corners of the cheesecloth together and secure with a rubber band.

3. Place a weight on top of the ball of yogurt. I like to use a glass jar or container filled with water. Alternatively, you can hang the ball of yogurt and gravity will drip the whey.

4. Leave it on the counter for a few hours or in the fridge overnight depending on how much whey you need. The whey will slowly release and collect in the bowl underneath.

How to store

Store in an air-tight glass jar in the fridge. It will be good for a few months if you successfully remove most of the milk solids. Bad whey usually has a pink film on the top and an off-taste.

How to introduce

Dr Natasha recommends starting with 1 teaspoon added to meat stock or soup and working your way up until you tolerate 1/2 cup per day. Note: Whey is a high-protein dairy and it can aggravate constipation.

New to Dairy – If you have not yet introduced dairy whey can be used in a sensitivity test on the skin to determine if it’s the right time to introduce dairy. Note: this will depend on your individual reaction during the test.

Baby GAPS – Introducing solids Week 2, starting with a sensitivity test as outlined in Gut and Psychology Syndrome p353. We started introducing a little earlier as suggested by Becky Plotner in her GAPS Baby book, with 1 drop diluted in a teaspoon of filtered water, then 1 drop of the mixture, and slowly increased from there.

How to use whey on the GAPS Diet

Drink it – As a refreshing beverage, it can be watered down and Dr Natasha suggests adding salt to taste (Gut and Physiology Syndrome, p205).

Add to meat stock or soup – For added probiotics

Fermenting vegetables – Use as a starter for speeding up the fermentation process as well as introducing different probiotic strains. Try making Beet Kvass and Vegetable Medley.

Fermenting nuts and seeds – The beneficial microbes predigest the nuts and seeds increasing the overall digestibility.

As a yogurt starter – Instead of using a packet yogurt starter culture use 1/2 cup of whey, note that this will produce a thinner yogurt.

Dairy introduction – Whey can be used in a dairy sensitivity test.

Topically on the skin – It assists with populating areas of the body with beneficial bacteria.

Enemas – A added to water enemas, it is great for diarrhea.

Baby GAPS – Introducing probiotics to babies.

What will you use your whey for?

Variation

Milk kefir – Whey can also be strained from milk kefir. It will have a stronger and wider diversity of beneficial bacteria.

Resources

Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride

• Gut and Psychology Syndrome
• Gut and Physiology Syndrome

Monica Corrado (GAPS Chef)

• The Complete Cooking Techniques for the GAPS Diet book, p89

Becky Plotner

• GAPS Baby, Building Baby’s Biome

Pin it for later

Thank you so much for stopping by the kitchen!

GAPS™ and Gut and Psychology Syndrome™ are the trademark and copyright of Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.

The information in this blog post is my personal experience and for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease; and does not consider your individual situation. If you have medical questions, please consult with a qualified medical practitioner.