Instant Pot Yogurt
on Apr 09, 2020, Updated Jun 06, 2024
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Instant Pot yogurt is surprisingly easy to make with just 2 ingredients and not a whole lot of hands-on time! If you love yogurt like we do, this is a great way to make a big batch of it at a way lower cost.
This is SUCH an easy recipe and you only need three things: milk, a couple tablespoons of plain yogurt with live and active cultures, and an Instant Pot! Store-bought yogurt can be pricey, especially if you get it all the time and use it almost daily like we do. Whether you love yogurt in parfaits , Fruit Salad, Smoothies, as a sour cream substitute, or any other way, this recipe yields a big batch for a lot lower price than buying yogurt in bulk from the grocery store!
The amazing thing is that your Instant Pot has a yogurt setting, and all you have to do is add milk and yogurt to the pot, turn on the yogurt setting, and let it do its thing for 8 hours.
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents
Ingredients:
- Milk: Whole milk makes the thickest and creamiest yogurt in my opinion, but you can also use 2% or skim.
- Plain yogurt with live and active cultures: The live, active cultures are important because these are what mix with the milk to turn it into yogurt!
See recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities
Tips for the Best Instant Pot Yogurt:
Strain for thicker yogurt: If you’d like it thicker, strain it in a yogurt strainer or line a colander with 3 layers of cheese cloth and set it in a large bowl. Let it strain for 2 to 3 hours depending on how thick you’d like it.
Whole milk makes the creamiest yogurt: You have LOTS of options when it comes to milk. Whole milk yields the thickest and creamiest yogurt. You can also make it with 2% and skim milk, and I know people also have success using lactose free milk.
Boil unpasteurized milk: If your milk is not pasteurized, you can boil it before using. Just be sure to bring it down in temperature to no higher than 110 degrees F. before adding your yogurt to the milk.
Homemade Yogurt Variations:
Low-fat: Use low-fat or skim milk to make low-fat yogurt.
Sweet: Stir in 2 to 3 tablespoons honey or brown sugar after the yogurt is done in the Instant Pot for sweet yogurt.
Vanilla: Add 2 teaspoons vanilla to the yogurt once it’s done in the Instant Pot.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Store homemade yogurt in mason jars in the fridge for up to a week. Reserve a few tablespoons in a separate jar to make your next batch.
It will last about one week properly stored in the fridge.
Most instant pot models have a yogurt button! However, if yours does not, here is what to do.
Pour the milk into inner pot of pressure cooker. Turn on the Sear/Sauté button. Heat milk to 180 degrees F., and use a thermometer to check the temperature often. Be sure to stir very often so milk does not scorch.
Once the milk reaches 180 degrees F., turn off the pressure cooker. Remove inner pot and cool to 108 degrees F. Once your milk has reached 108 degrees F., whisk in the yogurt until incorporated. Put inner pot back into the pressure cooker and add the lid. Wrap in a large towel, or two regular towels, and incubate for 8 hours.
You can also make yogurt in your slow cooker! Here’s my tutorial on slow cooker yogurt.
Instant Pot Recipes to Consider:
Soups, Stews & Chowders
White Chicken Chili
Soups, Stews & Chowders
Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Instant Pot Recipes
Instant Pot Spaghetti Sauce
Chicken Recipes
Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
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Instant Pot Yogurt
Ingredients
- 1/2 to 1 gallon milk*
- 2 to 3 tablespoons plain yogurt with live and active cultures
Instructions
- To prep your Instant Pot, remove the rubber ring on the underside of the lid. For lots of people, this rubber ring smells like all of the things that you cook (mine smells like chili), and we don’t want yogurt that tastes like chili. Remove the ring and wash the lid and metal insert/bowl well.
- Dry all the pieces well, and put the bowl back into the Instant Pot.
- Add the milk.
- Stir in your plain yogurt.
- Add the lid (you don’t need the rubber ring, you aren’t pressure cooking the yogurt; the lid doesn’t need that to seal for this).
- Press the yogurt button and select “low” (just press the yogurt button a few times until the light that indicates the amount of pressure says low).
- Select the time that you’d like it to run. (The default is 8 hours, but it can keep the yogurt warm as long as 24. The yogurt will be as set as it’s going to be at 8 hours and will get more tart with more time, not thicker.)
- Leave the Instant Pot alone for the amount of time you chose.
- When the time is up, remove the lid and you have yogurt!
- If you'd like it thicker, you can strain the yogurt. I like to strain it. You can use a yogurt strainer (like this one), or line a colander with 3 layers of cheese cloth and set it in a large bowl. Let it strain for 2 to 3 hours depending on how thick you'd like it.
- Place the strained yogurt in the fridge (I keep mine in mason jars).
- Reserve a few tablespoons of your homemade yogurt to make your next batch.
Notes
- *You have LOTS of options when it comes to milk. Whole milk yields the thickest and creamiest yogurt. You can make it with 2% and skim milk. I know people also have success using lactose free milk.
- If your milk is not pasteurized, you can boil it before using. Just be sure to bring it down in temperature to no higher than 110 degrees F. before adding your yogurt to the milk.
Nutrition
Use homemade yogurt in these recipes:
How Easy! I never would have thought it would be this simple and delicious.
I have made homemade yogurt for years and really wanted to love the Instant Pot method. However, I prefer to use the double boiler and then incubate in quart jars in a cooler of warm water overnight. It makes my yogurt thick and creamy without straining. Mine keeps 3-4 weeks in unopened quart jars in the refrigerator.
Thank you for letting us know what worked for you!