This viral 3-ingredient stretchy yogurt is so fun and easy to make
Kat Lieu’s viral homemade stretchy yogurt that actually stretches
dear friend,
if there’s one thing we Chinese do great, it’s clever marketing. PopMart, for example, has convinced the world that every handbag needs a dangling Labubu, and even those who initially found the toy to look a little “fugly,” they’ve gaslit themselves to needing a Labubu (or entire sets).
And here’s the thing with the “stretchy” yogurt bowls that the Internet has fallen in love with… the yogurt doesn’t actually stretch, and in China, it’s marketed as silky, thick, creamy, and at most, sticky yogurt. It’s a fun, pourable yogurt that’s like thick, viscous melted milkshake and the Internet can’t get enough of it. But, people who have tried it, like the yogurt from Mamie’s, also feel that it’s overhyped, and that it’s really just thick yogurt. Those expecting a mochi, QQ, bouncy consistency will be disappointed. Over on Reddit, a commenter writes, “Unimpressed. Just tasted like regular yogurt with fruit pieces in it.”
See, Mamie’s “stretchy yogurt” doesn’t actually stretch like mochi, because for a food to stretch, it must be like melted mozzarella cheese or mixed with gelatinized starches, such as cornstarch or tapioca starch. Mamie’s likely makes its yogurt with a powdered yogurt starter, then freezes the yogurt into a block, and before serving, will blend the block in a commercial-grade mixer until a resulting thick, runny, and “stretchy” yogurt forms.
Calling this yogurt stretchy is quite a stretch, as Heather Martin points out on Today. A better word for this type of yogurt, I believe, is ropey, sticky, or even silky.
Anyhoo, it won’t be for a while until I fly to NYC to try Mamie’s yogurt, but that’s okay. As a chaotic kitchen wizard and a recipe developer who loves nurturing her inner child, I made it my duty to make yogurt that actually stretches, and I succeeded! And all you’ll need to do the same is just three simple ingredients that are probably already in your pantry and fridge: milk, Greek yogurt, and tapioca starch!
For those asking if you can swap out the milk and yogurt with vegan versions, the answer is yes! The one ingredient that you shouldn’t swap out is the tapioca starch, because that’s the one that contributes to the stretchiness.
So yeah, that stretchy yogurt you can buy in many yogurt joints like Mamie’s now? It’s not exactly stretchy, like rubber or mochi. But in my kitchen, I turned “marketing magic” into actual magic. It’s messy, a little chaotic, and totally delicious—the way cooking should be. Try it yourself and tug on that spoonful like it’s mozzarella. Nurture that inner child today, or better yet, delight a child with this recipe!
Kat Lieu's viral 3-ingredient stretchy yogurt recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
Some people have asked me, well, Kat, doesn’t heating the yogurt kill the precious probiotic properties? See, we often use yogurt to cook. I use it to make pancakes, cookies, banana bread, biriyani, and soups. While heating the yogurt will kill the probiotics, my result and truly stretchy yogurt still has the yogurty tang, protein, and postbiotics that are still gut-friendly.
