Food

Instant Pot® Yogurt Recipe

March 10, 2018

One of the first things yogurt aficionados were excited about when they learned of the Instant Pot^® was the Yogurt function. The idea that you can make your own yogurt at home in large batches is appealing in regards to cost and the ability to customize the yogurt to your own taste. This Instant Pot^® yogurt recipe we’re sharing here today will help you successfully create your own homemade yogurt, which can be enjoyed plain or flavored with any sweeteners you want.

Making yogurt in the Instant Pot^® is a pretty hands-off process. You will only need a couple of ingredients and a thermometer to make your own homemade yogurt. If you want to go one step further and turn your yogurt into Greek-style yogurt, which is much thicker, you can use a cheesecloth and strainer once the yogurt is ready.

One of the best aspects of making yogurt in the Instant Pot^® is the fact that you can make a large batch of it for the cost of 1 gallon of milk and one snack-size container of yogurt. The milk is needed for the majority of the recipe, whereas the yogurt is used as a “starter” to add to the milk and transform it into your own batch of homemade yogurt.

After you make the yogurt once, you can reserve some of your homemade yogurt and freeze it as a starter for future batches. If you do this, you’ll only need to buy milk in the future to create this Instant Pot^® yogurt recipe.

The other appealing aspect of making your own yogurt is the fact that you can control how sweet or tangy it is and what actually goes into your yogurt. If you want a vanilla-flavored yogurt, you can add fresh vanilla beans and vanilla extract. If you want your yogurt super tangy, cook the yogurt for 10 hours instead of the 8 hours outlined below. The flavor profile of your yogurt is all up to you!

Instant Pot^® Yogurt Recipe

yields 2 quarts

Ingredients

1 gallon of milk (whole or 2%)
3 tbsp Greek or plain yogurt (with active and live cultures)

Directions

Pour the milk into a very clean Instant Pot^®. Place the lid on the pot with the vent either sealed or not, and press the Yogurt button. Then hit the Adjust button until the screen reads “Boil.” This will warm the milk until it boils, about 1 hour.
Once the pot is done, it will beep and you can give the milk a stir. Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk. It should read 180°F. If it’s not hot enough yet, press the Saute button and allow the milk to heat up to 180°F. Make sure you frequently stir the milk and check the temperature so that it doesn’t scald or warm up past 180°F.
When the milk has reached 180°F, remove the Instant Pot^® insert and place it on a cooling rack to allow the milk to cool to 110°F; this will take about an hour. Tip: If you want to speed this process up, you can place the insert in a sink filled with cold water. Depending on how cold the water is, it will take about 15 minutes for the milk to reach 110°F.
Once the milk is 110°F or a few degrees lower, add the 3 tablespoons of yogurt to the milk. Stir it in, then place the insert back into the Instant Pot^®. Press the Yogurt button on the pot, then hit the Adjust button until the time reads 8:00 (8 hours). If you want a tangier yogurt, you can set the time to 10:00 (10 hours).
When the yogurt is done, you can either store it in jars/tubs and refrigerate, or you can turn it into Greek yogurt by straining it. To strain the yogurt, place a double-layered cheesecloth over a large strainer/sieve, and place the strainer over the sink or a bowl. Pour the yogurt into the sieve and allow it to drain for about 2 hours. Refrigerate once it’s done.