How to Make Yogurt in an Instant Pot
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Yes, you can make yogurt at home! It’s cheaper and 100x creamier! You’ll never want to buy store-bought yogurt again!
What? Yogurt in an Instant Pot?! Um, yes, 10000 times yes!
The process sounds like it’ll take for-ever, but really, this recipe is so stinking easy with like 4 minutes of hands-on time (legit, 4-5 minutes) – it’s basically effortless. And fool-proof.
Now why bother making homemade yogurt? Well, for starters, it’s 100000x better than store-bought. Seriously. It’s creamier and substantially less tangy. With zero-sweetener.
Plus, you know once you go homemade, you can NEVER go back to the store-bought version. NEVER EVER EVER.
And for that, I’m truly sorry.
Well, not really.
How to Make Yogurt in an Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 8 cups whole milk*
- ¼ cup plain whole milk yogurt
Instructions
- Add milk to a 6-qt Instant Pot®; close and lock the lid. Select yogurt setting; adjust pressure to boil. This can take up to 1 hour.
- Working carefully, cool the Instant Pot® insert in a bowl of ice water, stirring occasionally, until the milk reaches 100 to 110 degrees F, about 15- 20 minutes; set aside 1 cup milk.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt and reserved 1 cup milk. Stir into remaining milk, being careful not to scrape the bottom of the insert.
- Return insert into the Instant Pot®. Select yogurt setting, set automatically at 8 hours.
- Transfer to storage containers; cover and chill until cold, about 6-8 hours, or up to 10 days.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
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I have to admit, after reading all of the comments and reviews, I was skeptical how well this would work out. You see, there is a certain brand of organic Greek yogurt that I buy that is impossibly silky and smooth without the use of any stabilizers. It is decadent, but a bit expensive, I’ve only found it at one store that I don’t frequent regularly, and it doesn’t say that the milk comes from grass feed cows. So I bought some of the yogurt to use as a starter and a half gallon of organic whole milk from grass fed cows, then started by research and came across this page.
I wasn’t sure given the ultra pasteurization of I should do the boil step, but erred on the side of caution. I cooled, added the starter and started the instant pot set for 8 hours. Then I crossed my fingers that the milk source didn’t doom me to runny yogurt and went to bed.
I awoke to a disappointment… The yogurt was tasty, but quite runny, and not at all silky smooth. I set aside a bit too see what would happen to it if simply refrigerated, and proceeded to strain the rest in the refrigerator over the course of most of the day, periodically taking a spoonful from the top for a taste/texture test. Each time was a bit of a disappointment on the texture.
Finally I called it the best I was going to get, and began to transfer it for storage. That was when I noticed that the yogurt further down from the surface was much thicker. After transferring, I have it a stir, and was amazed at the thick, luscious result. It isn’t quite as perfectly silky and smooth as the yogurt I had purchased, but it was awfully close! I also find the process of making it fun, and look forward to doing this with my daughter when she is old enough to help!
I think because the milk is ultra pasteurized it can’t grow the good little microbes in there that yogurt has. Maybe just try regular pasteurized and it may help it get thicker
From what I’ve read in other recipes if the milk is ultra pasteurized you can skip the boiling step altogether!
I’ve not tried the IP version of yogurt making… but, I’ve made a lot of yogurt the old-fashioned way (I was looking here for an easier way).
You can’t use ultra-pasteurized milk effectively for yogurt. That high-heat pasteurization denatures some proteins needed for appropriately textured yogurt.
Actually, you WANT the proteins denatured – that’s one of the points of heating it up. I can only buy UP milk where I live, and it works very successfully. Never had a fail, and I use an heirloom starter so this has propagated with only UP milk for years. But there is a difference between refrigerator UP (which I use) and shelf-stable (which I don’t think I have).
Does the recipe need to be adjusted if using an 8-qt machine?
When using an 8qt Instant Pot, the timing should stay relatively the same. It would just take a little longer for it to come to pressure. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications. Hope that helps!
Hi,
the yogurt function does not actually use any pressure, it only keeps the temp consistently at 110, the right temp for the milk and yogurt to do their thing. No adjustment for a larger instant pot is needed.
How long will the yogurt last in the fridge?
About 5-10 days, but as I am not an expert on food safety, I cannot really say with certainty. Methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with. Hope that helps, Dawn!
Thank you so much for posting this recipe! I have made four batches of delicious yogurt! I do prefer to strain it afterwards and get the consistency of the thicker Greek yogurt. I’ve been trying to find ways to use the whey that is left over. Any ideas?
Also, I had a question about timing. I’ve followed the recipe as is and it has come out perfectly. However, I was wondering if I could change it to the 12-hour setting instead of the 8-hour setting. The main reason for wanting to do this is the timing of it when I only have time to make it in the evenings. Please let me know if this is possible.
Thanks again for the great recipe!
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
You can set it for up to 24 hours. The longer it incubates, the more tart it will become.
Thank you for the post. In our instant pot duo sv, we found that it is still too thin at 8hours- but makes awesome to-go yoghurt drink (we reuse veganaise mayo jars and it works perfectly for this). The 12hour is a bit thicker, but still not as thick as the original farmers market yoghurt we use as our starter. There is a 24hour setting as well- this is next to try, but I am nervous about it. Has anyone tried the 24hour setting?
I use the whey in place of water in homemade bread. It’s delicious and adds a bit of extra protein to the bread.
Whey can be used in soups, stews, smoothies to add protein. There are a lot of ways to use it!
lots of “wheys” to use it
I see what you did there. lol
Hi, so is yogurt one of the ingredients to make yogurt in an instant pot? I am confused…I thought the whole purpose of making my own yogurt at home is because I do not want store bought yogurt.
Yes, believe it or not, in order to make yogurt in the Instant Pot, the first ingredient you’ll need is yogurt. You need the live, active cultures – the collection of desirable, living bacteria that turns milk into yogurt – and the easiest way to get those cultures is to buy them in yogurt form. Hope that makes sense, Cindy! 🙂
The next batch you make you can use your last homemade yogurt as your starter, but for the first one you need the cultures of the store bought.
Once you make your own yogurt, you can use your own as a starter instead of store bought. But you have to start with live cultures from somewhere.
You can also buy powdered yogurt culture from cheesemaking sites but it is much easier and cheaper to use a good single-size yogurt from the grocery store to get you started. After that first batch you can use some of your own to start the next batch, as someone else mentioned.
If you use a regular probitic, you can also open the capsule and use that. That’s how my mom has done it for awhile. That way, you can tailor it to the specific strains you’re looking for or occasionally add in different strains. After your first batch, you can use some of that for your starter. I believe you can also freeze your starter if you’re not going to use it right away.
I am new to US. Where could one buy UHT milk? I tried few places but it seems to be quite difficult to find it…
You can’t get that here. Just go for the milk in the dairy section of your store. If you can afford it the oberweis is fantastic and the organic milks are good too, but your yogurt will come out just as wonderful with any of the regular milk as well.
Most organic milk in the US is UHT because historically it took longer to sell and UHT gives it much longer shelf life.
Disregard the comment from Audster, it is completely incorrect. Yes, you *CAN* get it in the US — even the Dollar Tree sells it.
I am eager to make yogurt I’n my instant pot. But I’d like to make a half batch due to I am the only person that eats yogurt. Would the 8 hour cook time be the same?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
My Instant Pot doesn’t have
a yogurt setting. Is there
another way to make it? I bought some vanilla yogurt, tasted it and it tasted like chemicals. Yuck!
Hi Pamela! We actually have not tried making this without the use of the “YOGURT” function but here is a great resource you can check out. Good luck!
https://www.sparklestosprinkles.com/how-to-make-instant-pot-yogurt-without-the-yogurt-button/
After a lot of trial and error, I found two things made the most difference in obtaining a thick yogurt. Do not use ultrapasteurized milk. I used regular old half and half (for a lower carb count). Ultra pasteurized milks will create runnier yogurt in my experience. Also, the culture made a difference, The only thick batch was one using Siggi’s yogurt as the starter. I did drain it a little (as I did with all my batches). I divided the yogurt into two jelly bags and then let them hang above a bowl to release some of the whey. Right before bottling in pint bottles, I took each bag and twisted it tightly, creating pressure on the yogurt, releasing more whey. Then I bottled in pint bottles. It made 3 1/2 bottles. I ended up with about 2+ cups of whey. I do whisk in 1 Tbs vanilla extract and 24 drops of EZSweet (sucralose) when yogurt cycle is done. Then I bottle.
Thank you for sharing your experience with us, Melody!
I followed this recipe except for one thing: after I had called the warm yogurt down in an ice bath, to help it get a little bit lower faster, I added about a fourth of a cup of cold heavy whipping cream. This made totally fabulous thick creamy mild and delicious yogurt. I filtered it through two dishcloths because my cheese cloth was way too open weave and didn’t work well
This recipe really is DAMN delicious (and I don’t curse lightly)! I made it for my dairy-loving family and BOOM it was a hit. So simple BUT time-intensive. True, you don’t have to “babysit” the process much, but still, it does take time. Still, worth it for the delicious yogurt. Thanks!
Hella commented about trying to refill Gogurt containers. Whether serious or not, you can buy Zipcicles that would work for making your own Gogurt.
Note! Was very hard to fill my own re-salvaged Gogurt packs. The consistency was inadequate, must have been the inoculation process.
Is straining the finished yogurt necessary? Or is this step only if you want Greek style yogurt.
Yes, Melissa, that is correct. You are only required to strain the yogurt for Greek-style yogurt.
I totally agree, Instant Pot yogurt is so much better than store bought. I’ll never go back to buying it, when it so easy to make it yourself at home!!
I loved this recipe. My yogurt was perfect. I would like to make it a little on the tart side but I think that has something to do with the inoculation process. Anyway it’s Damdelicious. Thank you
What kind of milk do you use? Can I use just regular great value or other store brand milk?
Irma, any brand of whole milk should work just fine.
Use pasteurized milk and not ultra-pasteurized/UHT labeled milk, unless you’re using a direct-set yogurt starter purchased specifically for yogurt-making (i.e., not store-bought yogurt.) UHT milk is pasteurized at higher temperatures to give it a longer shelf life by killing off beneficial bacteria; those good bacteria are what help in curdling/thickening milk product during yogurt-butter-cheese-making. If you’re using store-bought yogurt as your starter the odds for success are much, much better when using good old fashioned pasteurized milk. Good luck!
This is not true. You absolutely can use UHT milk.
1. Yogurt making does not rely on milk-native bacteria to thicken or curdle the milk.
2. This recipe asks you to “boil” the milk before fermentation, which will kill all native bacteria anyway.
Whoa I could really use UHT milk to make yogurt with my instant pot? I moved to a country where unfortunately fresh milk isn’t commonly found and UHT is all most superettes carry.
incorrect!
Not all milks are made equal. For starters, I find milk stored in plastic bottles have a sour taste, it also depends on how the cows are treated and what they are feed. Try a few store brands like Horizons, Green Valley, decide which you like better. It appears that picking ultra pasturized milk gives s more runny yogurt, so that is also worth considering
It is a lot of yogurt… Can it be frozen?
Also, I didn’t know what the pot would do when it was ready after the boil part. It beeps and you are alerted.
Thank you! That was so easy!
Freezing sounds like an amazing idea but unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself. Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
You technically can freeze yogurt but it will not be palatable when it’s unfrozen. It’s still good to cook with but the whey separates out and it looks chunky and weird. So if you’re going to cook with it, go for it. If you want to eat with it, just make less.
Will this recipe work with fat free milk?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Hi, silly question but do you leave the pressure valve opened or close it?
The pressure valve should be closed.
Open or closed. Doesn’t matter. I read this on another site and now I’ve tried it both ways. Milk still reaches boil with valve open and yogurt still does its thing with open valve.
I have never used fat free milk but we use 1% milk. Turns out nice and thick.
My cheesemaking book states that yogurt can be made with full fat or skimmed milk. I haven’t tried it myself but the book says it is so!
I LOVE making yogurt in my 6 quart Ultra. I first tried 2% milk, but my fav is whole milk. I boil one gallon for one hour and then let it cool in cold water in the sink – it takes less than 10 minutes to get it to 110 deg F. I add the culture and let it incubate on the Yogurt setting, medium, for 8 hours. I then move the stainless pot to the fridge to let it get nice and cold. I like to Greek it, so I strain it using cheesecloth inside a colander over a big bowl. 2-3 hours works for me. I plop it out of the cheese cloth to another bowl — add honey and vanilla. I whip it up with a hand mixer and then pour into pint size mason jars. It is so creamy and delicious… I am curious about the results with Ultra Pasteurized milk – not boiling, etc. I’ll give it a try as well.
Thanks so much for sharing with us, Mary!