How-to guide
How to Make Moroccan Yogurt — Raib, the Set Fermented Milk
Raib is Morocco's soft, spoonable set yogurt — a mild, delicate fermented milk, traditionally set using a natural coagulant and often lightly scented with orange blossom water. It is eaten plain, sweetened, or drizzled with honey, and is gentler and looser than thick strained yogurt. Making a version at home is simple once you understand the two things that matter: temperature and time. This guide gives an approachable culture-based method. It pairs beautifully with a splash of homemade orange blossom water stirred through before setting.
20 minutes plus setting
Step by step
- 1
Warm the milk
Gently heat whole milk until it is warm to the touch but not hot — around body temperature or a little above. Full-fat milk gives the richest, best-set raib. If you scald the milk hotter, let it cool back down before the next step, as too much heat kills the culture.
- 2
Add the culture
Whisk a couple of spoonfuls of live plain yogurt into a little of the warm milk until smooth, then stir it back through the rest. The live cultures in the yogurt seed the fermentation. Make sure the milk is not too hot, or it will kill the very bacteria you need.
- 3
Scent it if you like
For the traditional fragrance, stir in a little orange blossom water. Keep it subtle — a small amount perfumes the whole batch, while too much turns it soapy. This gentle floral note is characteristic of raib, though you can leave it plain if you prefer.
- 4
Pour into pots
Pour the cultured milk into individual cups, glasses or a bowl. Small pots set more evenly and are the traditional presentation. Handle them gently and do not stir once poured, so the yogurt can set undisturbed into a soft, even curd.
- 5
Keep warm to set
Cover and keep the pots somewhere consistently warm and undisturbed for several hours — an oven with just the light on, a warm cupboard, or wrapped in a towel all work. Steady warmth lets the culture work and the milk set into a soft, wobbly yogurt.
- 6
Chill and serve
Once set, move the raib to the fridge to firm up and stop the fermentation, then serve chilled. Eat it plain, drizzled with honey, dusted with sugar or cinnamon, or with fruit. It is looser than strained yogurt, meant to be soft and just set.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Adding the culture to milk that is too hot, killing the bacteria so it never sets.
- Disturbing the pots while they set, breaking the delicate curd.
- Not keeping it warm and steady enough, so it sets slowly or not at all.
- Overdoing the orange blossom water, which turns it soapy.
- Expecting a thick, Greek-style texture; raib is meant to be soft and just set.
Tips from the kitchen
- Use full-fat milk for the richest, best-setting raib.
- Check the milk is only warm, not hot, before adding the live yogurt.
- An oven with only the light on makes a good, steady warm setting spot.
- A restrained splash of orange blossom water gives the classic fragrance.
- Chill it once set to firm it up and hold the texture.
Questions
What is raib?
Raib is a traditional Moroccan set yogurt, a soft, mild fermented milk that is spoonable rather than thick and strained. It is often lightly scented with orange blossom water and eaten plain, sweetened or with honey. It is gentler and looser than Greek-style yogurt, prized for its delicate, just-set texture and mild flavour.
Why won't my raib set?
The usual reasons are milk that was too hot when the culture went in, killing the bacteria, or not keeping it warm and undisturbed enough while setting. Make sure the milk is only warm to the touch, use live active yogurt as the starter, and let it sit somewhere steadily warm for several hours.
How is raib different from regular yogurt?
Raib is softer, looser and milder than the thick strained yogurts many people know, and is traditionally set in individual pots and scented with orange blossom water. It is closer to a delicate set custard in texture. Regular commercial yogurt is often stirred, strained thicker and left unscented.
How do you serve raib?
Chilled, once it has set and firmed in the fridge. Eat it plain to appreciate its mild, faintly floral flavour, or drizzle it with honey, dust it with sugar or cinnamon, or serve it with fruit. It makes a light, refreshing dessert or breakfast, especially welcome after a rich, spiced meal.
Learn it hands-on in Marrakech
Reading is one thing; doing it beside a local host is another. Book a Marrakech cooking class, or explore the medina on a guided food tour.