If you're about to make L. reuteri yogurt for the first time, the starter culture you choose matters more than almost anything else — more than your milk, more than your yogurt maker. Pick the wrong one and you get thin, soupy disappointment. Pick a good one and you get thick, creamy, gut-loving yogurt on the first or second try.

I've made this yogurt with BioGaia Gastrus tablets, Dr. Davis's MyReuteri capsules, and Cutting Edge Cultures starters. Here's the honest truth about how they compare — and which one I reach for now.

#Quick answer: which starter is best?

For most people, Dr. Davis's MyReuteri is the best all-around L. reuteri yogurt starter. One capsule cultures a full quart and then reseeds almost indefinitely — realistically 7–10 great batches before you refresh it — so its higher price actually works out economical. BioGaia Gastrus lasts longer per pack and is easier to find in stores. Cutting Edge Cultures is wonderfully beginner-friendly, and — like the others — you reseed a spoonful of each batch to keep it going almost indefinitely. Honestly? They all make good yogurt. If I had to name one, I'd say start with MyReuteri.

#A quick word on where I'm coming from

I've been living with chronic illness — psoriasis and fibromyalgia — for over twenty years, most of my adult life. For the last five or so, I've gone deep into the science of nutrition and the microbiome, trying to optimize my way toward feeling better. I'm not "healed." I still get inflammation sometimes, still get breakouts sometimes. But I'm so much better than I was: more energy, clearer skin, steadier mood. A lot of things earned that, and one of the big ones is what I call fermentfulness — fermentation combined with mindfulness.

So when I compare starter cultures, I'm not doing it from a lab. I'm doing it from my kitchen, from years of batches, as someone who genuinely depends on this stuff. That's the lens here.

These days I actually make the full triple-strain SIBO yogurt — L. reuteri plus two other powerhouse strains, L. gasseri and B. coagulans — but L. reuteri is the backbone of the whole thing, so getting your reuteri starter right (which is what this post is about) is step one. If you want the upgraded version later, here's my triple-strain SIBO yogurt recipe.

#The contenders

A quick note before the table: two of these are L. reuteri starters (BioGaia Gastrus, MyReuteri, Cutting Edge). If you're making the full three-strain SIBO yogurt, you'll also need an L. gasseri source like Dr. Mercola BioThin — but that's a different strain for a different job, not a substitute for your reuteri starter.

StarterFormBatches per packEaseCost feelBest for
MyReuteri (Dr. Davis)Capsule (10/20/50B CFU)1 capsule → ~4 quarts to start, then reseed almost indefinitely (~7–10 batches)Easiest — no crushingPricey upfront, economical per batchAnyone who wants the simplest reliable start
BioGaia GastrusChewable tablets~10 crushed tablets per first batch, then reseed; a pack lasts a whileA little fiddly (crushing)Moderate, widely availablePeople who want it in stores and lasting longer
Cutting Edge CulturesSachet starter1 sachet → a quart, then reseed almost indefinitelyVery easy to start fromAffordable; reseeds like the othersFirst-timers who want a foolproof first batch

#My honest take on each

BioGaia Gastrus. This is the classic. Yes, crushing ten tablets is a bit of a hustle, but it's never given me real trouble, and a pack lasts a good while. For me it also happens to be the easiest to source — that's just my situation, but it's a real factor in what I actually keep buying. It makes good yogurt, full stop.

Cutting Edge Cultures. These were genuinely awesome and about as easy as it gets to start from — great for a confident first batch. Each sachet starts a fresh quart, and — just like BioGaia or MyReuteri — you then reseed a spoonful of that yogurt into the next batch almost indefinitely, so a single sachet stretches a very long way. The 4-sachet pack simply gives you extra fresh starts. Lovely product, and more economical than I first gave it credit for.

MyReuteri. Here's the interesting one. As a probiotic, it's expensive — no getting around that. But as a yogurt starter, when you actually do the math, it's surprisingly economical: one capsule cultures a quart, and you reseed a spoonful of that batch to start the next one almost indefinitely — realistically 7–10 great batches before a fresh capsule. So a single capsule quietly becomes many quarts of yogurt, each half-cup serving carrying hundreds of billions of CFUs. It's also the most comfortable to use — empty a capsule instead of crushing tablets and hoping you didn't leave chunks. If crushed tablets aren't fully broken down, results can wobble; the capsule sidesteps that entirely, which is probably why it's a touch more foolproof.

I still use BioGaia Gastrus often (mostly because it's easy for me to get). But if you asked me to recommend just one, I'd point you to MyReuteri — or the all-in-one MyReuteri Complete if you want the inulin already mixed in.

#The "it's too expensive" question

This comes up in every review thread for MyReuteri, so let's meet it honestly. Reviewers are split on value — many call it expensive for a probiotic, and it is. But a common counterpoint from the community is the one that convinced me it's fair: the company developed and quality-controls a specific strain, and then openly teaches you how to stretch one ~$1–2 capsule into many quarts of yogurt — reseed it for 7–10 batches (sometimes more), turning a couple of dollars into pennies per serving. You can do this with cheaper L. reuteri capsules too. You're partly paying for the strain, the consistency, and frankly for supporting the person who taught the whole method in the first place. Whether that's worth it is a personal call — but "expensive per bottle" and "expensive per batch" are two very different numbers.

#How to choose (30 seconds)

  • Total beginner, want your first batch to just work? Cutting Edge Cultures or MyReuteri.
  • Want the simplest reliable long-term routine? MyReuteri — empty a capsule, reseed for months.
  • Want it available in stores and lasting a while per pack? BioGaia Gastrus.
  • Making the full three-strain SIBO yogurt? Any reuteri starter above plus L. gasseri — see the full SIBO yogurt recipe.

#One honest caveat

They all work. If a batch comes out thin or split, the starter usually isn't the culprit — in my experience the failures came from other things (an over-active third strain, or my own experiments adding extra probiotics to the mix). Temperature, time, and your milk matter as much as the culture. Whichever starter you pick, you will want a low-temp yogurt maker or a sous vide — ideally with clean wide-mouth jars and leak-proof lids — that holds a steady 97–100°F — this ferment runs cooler and longer than ordinary yogurt, so a standard maker will not do it. Results vary batch to batch, and that's normal. If your first batch separates, don't toss the method — reseed and adjust. Most people's second or third batch is where it clicks.

#The bottom line

All three make good L. reuteri yogurt. BioGaia Gastrus is the dependable, easy-to-find classic; Cutting Edge Cultures is a lovely foolproof starting point that reseeds just as endlessly; MyReuteri is the most comfortable and, per batch, the most economical. If you're standing in front of the "buy" button and want one answer: MyReuteri, then reseed it for months.

Once you've got your starter, here's how to make the yogurt itself. Take it slow, be patient with the first batch, and let the little bacteria do their very patient work.

This article reflects my personal experience making yogurt at home, plus reports from the fermentation community. It is not medical advice, and nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Probiotic responses vary from person to person — always talk to a qualified healthcare provider before changing your diet or supplement routine.

References

Ready to actually make it? Here's L. reuteri yogurt the easy way with a single MyReuteri capsule — no crushing tablets required.