How to Make Yogurt in an Instant Pot

The yoghurt button on the Instant Pot has been tackled. What’s more, guess what? It’s not as horrible as it seems! You’ll only need two ingredients, some time, and a thermometer to make the tastiest and most cost-effective yoghurt you’ve ever eaten. The following is a step-by-step guide on making yoghurt in an Instant Pot.

“Yogurt” appeared to be the most intimidating of the Instant Pot’s buttons. It does not appear intuitive, unlike many of the others. So, after some research and trial and error, I’ve created a step-by-step method on creating your own yoghurt.

I’ll just give you a quick rundown of how the process works before we go into the intricacies. In the Instant Pot, you warm milk and then cool it to a specific temperature. Then, as a “starter,” you add a small amount of yoghurt and heat for another 8 hours.

That’s it! If you want Greek yoghurt, strain it for a couple of hours using cheese cloth.

I know it sounds like it takes forever, but with the exception of a few short stages, it’s completely hands-off. And it’ll be well worth it! I like how it tastes because it isn’t as sour as some of the others I’ve tried. If you prefer it sour, simmer it for 10 hours instead of 8, and it will become more acidic. It’s fantastic to be able to make your own yoghurt!

How to make yogurt in an Instant Pot

Step 1: Preheat the milk to 180 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fill your Instant Pot with a gallon of milk that has been thoroughly cleaned. Press the “Yogurt” and “Adjust” buttons together until the screen says “boil.” Close the lid (it doesn’t matter if the vent is open or closed) and walk away. This will bring the milk to a boil before beeping when it’s finished. It takes around an hour to complete.

A note on milk: I used 2 percent, but I’ve read a lot of recipes and it appears that you can use anything from 1% to whole and get good results!

When the boiling is complete, check the temperature of the milk using a thermometer to ensure it has reached 180°F. To avoid getting a misleading reading, stir the pot a little to ensure that the milk is at the same temperature. You can use the Saute feature on low to bring the milk to temperature if it isn’t quite at 180°F. Simply stir it frequently to avoid scalding, and then switch it off as soon as it reaches the desired temperature.

Step 2: Cool milk to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

It’s time to cool the milk down once it’s reached the desired temperature (does it feel like we’re going in circles?). We require a temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit or little less. Simply remove the pot insert from the pot and place it on a cooling rack on the counter. This takes around an hour.

NOTE: If you wish to speed up the cooling process, place the pot insert in a sink full of cold water. Stir the milk in the pot and swirl the cold water in the sink until it reaches room temperature. This took me around 15 minutes, depending on how cold the sink water was and whether you made the whole batch or half of it.

Step 3: Add the starter and reheat.

You can add your yoghurt starter at 110°F or less, which can be any plain yoghurt with live and active organisms. I used Fage Total Greek yoghurt (made with whole milk), but my father prefers Chobani plain 0%, which works just as well. Only 3 tablespoons are required! Whisk everything together thoroughly.

NOTE: Metal whisks are said to leave a mild metal flavour, so if you have one, use it!

Finally, replace the insert pot in the cooker and select “Yogurt” once more. Adjust it this time till the screen says 8:00. This means it will maintain the yoghurt at the ideal temperature for the cultures to work their magic for 8 hours. If you want a tangier yoghurt, you can choose 10:00 a.m.

How to Make Greek Yogurt (optional)

I like to have this procedure take place overnight, but as long as it doesn’t take place in the middle of the night, you’ll be OK.

You’ll need cheese cloth or something similar to strain the yoghurt. Place a double layer of cheese cloth inside a large colander/strainer and set it in the sink. You’ll need to find a technique to drip the whey (liquid that pours out) into a bowl if you want to save it. For the colander to rest on, I placed a small bowl upside-down in a larger bowl. The whey can be used in various baking recipes.

You decide how long you want to strain. I let mine soak for just under two hours, but it may have lasted even longer. It will become thicker the longer you wait. If you prefer your coffee particularly thick, filter it for 3-4 hours.

You can now add vanilla or sweetener if desired. I used a spoonful of vanilla essence and scraped the insides of half a vanilla bean to make unsweetened vanilla yoghurt with half of my batch. If you don’t have vanilla beans, you could easily just use the extract.

Oh, and don’t forget to save some plain yoghurt for the following batch’s starting! You can freeze it in ice cube trays and use it again later.

Making my own yoghurt was a fantastic experience for me! It’s excellent and significantly less expensive than buying. I received a lot for the price of a gallon of milk and a single serving of Greek yoghurt (which I won’t even need next time!).

Ingredients
- 1 gallon milk
- 3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt

Instructions
1. Pour 1 gallon of milk (1%, 2%, or whole) into the Instant Pot. Push “Yogurt” then “Adjust” until the screen reads “boil.” Place the lid on and walk away. It will heat the milk until boiling, and it takes about an hour.
2. Once the boil cycle is finished and the pot beeps, give the milk a quick stir and then use a thermometer to read the temperature. You need the milk to have reached 180* F. If it has not, use the “Saute” function on low to heat the milk a bit more.
3. Once 180* F has been reached, remove the pot insert and set it on the counter to cool to 110* F. This takes about an hour. A quicker option is to set the pot in a sink full of cold water and stir. This takes about 15 minutes.
4. After reaching 110* or a little lower, add 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt. NOTE: make SURE the yogurt you use as starter contains live and active cultures! Whisk to mix the yogurt into the milk.
5. Place the pot insert back into the Instant Pot and close the lid. Press the “Yogurt” button again and then “Adjust” until the screen reads “8:00.” This means the pot will incubate the yogurt for 8 hours, or you can choose “10:00” for a tangier yogurt.
6. Once the incubation period completes, either refrigerate the yogurt as is, or make it into Greek yogurt.
7. To make Greek yogurt: strain the yogurt using cheese cloth covering a large colander or strainer. Allow the yogurt to drip in the sink or over a bowl for 1-4 hours, depending on desired thickness. The longer the strain, the thicker the yogurt.
8. Store yogurt in the fridge and it will be good for at least one week. Don’t forget to reserve 3 tablespoons of yogurt to be your starter for next time! Freeze this in ice cube trays and you’re all set.

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