Skyr is an Icelandic cultured dairy food, thick like strained yogurt but classed as a fresh sour milk cheese. It is traditionally served cold, sometimes with cream.

Skyr is mentioned in medieval sources including Egil's saga and Grettis saga, though nobody knows how like modern skyr that was, and Hotel Ranga says Icelanders have eaten it for over 1000 years. Today it starts from skimmed milk, a spoonful of an earlier batch and rennet, ferments for about five hours and is strained through cloth. In Reykjavik Sandholt serves it with lemon cream and berries, Cafe Loki with cream and sugar, and Hofnin as its house dessert.

Where to eat Skyr in Reykjavik

4 editor picks for Skyr in Reykjavik, ranked by editorial score. All Reykjavik signature dishes · Skyr across every city.

Book food experiences in Reykjavik

See all 2318 food experiences in Reykjavik

Make it at home

24 hrIntermediate

Ingredients

  • 2 litres skimmed milk
  • 2 tablespoons live skyr or plain yogurt as a starter
  • A few drops of rennet (optional, for a firmer set)

Method

  1. Heat the milk to 85C, hold for 10 minutes, then cool to about 40C.
  2. Whisk in the live skyr starter, and the rennet if using.
  3. Cover and keep warm at around 40C for 4 to 5 hours until set.
  4. Spoon into a muslin-lined sieve and strain in the fridge overnight to thicken.
  5. Stir smooth and serve with milk, berries or a spoon of sugar.

Editor tip. Save a few spoonfuls of each batch as the culture for the next one; a small amount of an earlier batch is how skyr is started.

Common allergens: Milk.