Instant Pot Yogurt: Step by step directions for making yogurt in an electric pressure cooker. Includes directions for nonfat, full fat, and Greek yogurt. Also, ways to naturally sweeten yogurt. This is EVERYTHING you need to know about making Instant Pot Yogurt.
I am all about making things at home when I can.
I prefer to make fruit roll-ups, chicken stock, granola bars, and even rotisserie chicken.
However, making yogurt at home, never appealed to me--and frankly overwhelmed me.
I can purchase high-quality yogurt with simple, wholesome ingredients at every grocery store around me.
But I was intrigued to try my hand at making yogurt shortly after getting my Instant Pot--and let me tell you, I am so glad I gave it a try.
Instant Pot Yogurt
There are two reasons that I will no longer purchase yogurt at the store and make yogurt in my Instant Pot.
- Taste
- Cost
You guys, homemade yogurt is so much creamier and less tangy than store-bought yogurt. The first time my kids had homemade yogurt they asked if I put sugar in the yogurt. Nope just plain yogurt--just a less tangy. But man, they loved it. And so did I.
And the cost of making homemade yogurt is so much cheaper than store-bought yogurt. By making homemade yogurt you cut the cost in at least half!!!
Now that you are intrigued, let's get started.
Making yogurt at home is time-consuming, but NOT at all hard. With an instant pot, it is nearly fail-proof!
How to make Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt
Step One: Clean your Instant Pot.
- This sounds like a no-brainer. But I am not talking about simply washing your Instant Pot--you need to sanitize your inner pot.
- You can prepare your inner pot for making yogurt by pouring boiling water in the inner pot and then discard the water.
- This step can be skipped, but it helps drastically in the flavor of your yogurt--especially if you have been making a lot of Instant Pot Chili.
Step Two: Heat your Milk in your Instant Pot.
- Pour ½ gallon milk into the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker, and put the lid on the Instant Pot (vent can be sealed or not sealed in this function). Hit yogurt function and then the adjust button until it says Boil.
- When the Instant Pot beeps that it is done, remove the lid and test the temperature to be sure the milk has reached 180 degrees.
- I like to leave the inner pot in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes before removing it. This helps the yogurt thicken up a bit better.
Step Three: Cool the milk to approximately 105-115 degrees.
- Cooling the milk to this temperature takes about 1 hour if placed on the counter.
- I like to speed the process up by placing the inner pot into a large mixing bowl in ice water. This takes about 15-20 minutes.
Step Four: Remove the "skin" off the milk.
- Once your milk has reached the proper temperature, skim off the top layer of milk "skin" that has formed on top of the liquid.
- This helps to give you the creamiest of yogurts.
Step Five: Whisk in a yogurt starter.
- Use either prepared yogurt or a yogurt starter and whisk into your prepared milk.
- It is important to note that if using prepared yogurt you need to be sure it is plain yogurt with live and active cultures.
- If your starter is sweetened or does not have live cultures, making yogurt at home will NOT work!
Step Six: Allow your yogurt to Incubate.
- To finish making your yogurt, place your inner pot back in your Instant Pot with the lid on (again, it doesn't matter which way the valve is set).
- Hit the Yogurt button again button.
- Adjust until it reads 8:00 or 8 hours.
- Then let the Instant Pot do its thing.
Step Seven: Enjoy!
- Transfer to glass jars or a plastic container.
- Refrigerate and Enjoy!
How to Make Yogurt without a Yogurt Button
It is a bit harder to make yogurt without a yogurt button on a pressure cooker, but it is possible.
- It is a bit harder, but it is possible.
- Pour milk into the inner pot of the pressure cooker.
- Turn on the Sear/Saute function.
- Heat milk to 180°F. Use a thermometer to check the temp often and be sure to stir very often so the milk does not scorch.
- Once the milk reaches 180°F, turn off your pressure cooker.
- Remove the inner pot and cool it to 108 degrees.
- Once your milk has reached 108 stir starter yogurt and whisk until incorporated.
- Put inner pot back in instant pot and place lid on the pressure cooker.
- Wrap in a large towel, or two regular towels and incubate for at least 8 hours or 10 hours.
How to Make Greek Yogurt
- If you would like to make Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt, follow all the instructions for homemade yogurt.
- Once the yogurt is prepared, place a large strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large mixing bowl.
- You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your strainer.
- Allow the yogurt to drain in the strainer overnight.
- Scoop out the thick yogurt into containers to store and discard the cheesecloth.
What to do with the extra whey from the yogurt?
- You can either discard the whey or you can use it in smoothies, oatmeal, protein shakes, etc. It will be filled with protein and probiotics.
How to make Instant Pot Fat Free Yogurt
Can you use skim milk to make yogurt in your electric pressure cooker?
Yes, you can, with a few important tips.
- I have found for nonfat yogurt, 3 tablespoons of yogurt added to ½ gallon of milk works best.
- Nonfat yogurt will have quite a bit more liquid on the top than yogurt made with full or reduced-fat milk.
- Just carefully drain off the layer of liquid that forms on the yogurt and discard it.
- As nonfat yogurt sits, the liquid will begin to separate again, just mix it into the yogurt before serving.
How long does Homemade Yogurt last?
- Homemade yogurt should last for up to 10-14 days in your refrigerator.
- Be sure to save 2 tablespoons of your homemade yogurt to make your next batch.
How to Sweeten Homemade Yogurt
I have found homemade yogurt to be so much smoother and a bit sweeter than store-bought yogurt and simply enjoy it topped with fresh berries or homemade granola.
Homemade Vanilla Yogurt
- Make yogurt as directed.
- Mix in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract into prepared yogurt.
- This will flavor the yogurt without any added sweeteners.
**If you like your yogurt to be sweet, you can add in honey, maple syrup, or sugar adjusted to your desired level of sweetness. I would start with no more than ¼ cup, and increase by a tablespoon at a time.
A few tips for making yogurt at home
- I use 1 tablespoon of prepared yogurt for every quart of milk. Therefore for ½ gallon of milk, I whisk in 2 tablespoons of already prepared yogurt into my milk.
- You can cut this recipe in half if you would like. If you have an 8-quart pressure cooker, you can also double this recipe for homemade yogurt.
- Do NOT try to make homemade yogurt with flavored yogurt as your starter. You need to either use a yogurt starter or plain yogurt with active live cultures. How do you know if your store-bought yogurt has live cultures? The label on the yogurt will say Lactobacillus bulgaricus or Streptococcus thermophilus.
- A huge tip for making yogurt in the future is to FREEZE your starter immediately after fresh yogurt is made. I recommend using an ice cube tray. Each ice cube holds 1 tablespoon of yogurt so you will know exactly how much yogurt to defrost when making a new yogurt batch. Just be sure to thaw your yogurt cubes in the fridge to not alter the cultures in the yogurt.
- If you would like tangier yogurt, set an incubation period to 10 hours instead of 8 hours.
- If you need more tips on how to use your Instant Pot or are confused about some of the functions or pieces I mentioned, check out my Instant Pot 101.
- Get more easy, healthy instant pot recipes here.
Homemade Yogurt is great for:
- Yogurt Peanut Butter Dip
- 2 Ingredient Homemade Gogurts
- Peanut Butter Power Smoothie
- Skinny Double Chocolate Zucchini Muffins
- Skinny Spinach Artichoke Dip
How to make yogurt at home in an Instant Pot:
Homemade Yogurt
Ingredients
- ½ gallon milk
- 2 tablespoons prepared yogurt with cultures
Instructions
- Pour milk into inner pot of Instant Pot. Push yogurt button until the screen reads "boil." (Usually you will need to hit the yogurt button two times) This will take about an hour.
- Once the Instant Pot beebs that the boil cycle is complete, carefully remove the lid and test the temperature. It should be around 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Let inner pot sit in instant pot for 5 minutes and then remove inner pot.
- Allow the milk to cool to 105-115 degrees. This will take an hour on the counter top or about 15 minutes if you place your inner pot into an ice bath.
- Gently skim off the "skin" on the yogurt and discard.
- Whisk in the prepared yogurt.
- Place inner pot (be sure to dry off well if you had in ice bath),put lid on and press yogurt button again and then adjust until screen reads 8:00. (The pressure should also read normal--if it reads less, hit adjust again until normal is lit up.)
- Once the pressure cooker beeps that the yogurt cycle is complete, remove the inner pot from the inner pot and cover it with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 8 hours before transferring to individual containers or stirring the instant pot.
- Once refrigerated for 8 hours, you can strain the yogurt to prepare Greek yogurt and/or set some yogurt aside for future yogurt making. To make Greek yogurt, strain the yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth overnight in the fridge (be sure to place over a large mixing bowl while draining.)
Equipment Needed
Notes
- Instead of prepared yogurt as your starter, you can use a yogurt starter. Just follow directions to determine how much starter to add to ½ gallon milk (each brand is a bit different.)
- You can use any percentage of fat to make homemade yogurt.
- To make Greek yogurt, strain the yogurt in a strainer lined with cheesecloth overnight in the fridge (be sure to place over large mixing bowl while draining.)
- Homemade yogurt should last for about 10-14 days.
- If sweetening yogurt, I have found it is best to add in sweeteners/vanilla after the yogurt has set up in the fridge for at least 8 hours, or after straining.
- If you find your milk is not reaching 180 degrees after the boil cycle, you can turn to saute function for a few minutes, watching VERY closely to help it reach to 180 degrees.
- Nutritional values are approximate and have been calculated using 2% milk. The serving size is approximately 4 ounces.
Heidi
Any suggestions on what to do if in step 3, the milk drops below 105F? It cooled much faster on my countertop than I expected, maybe 20-25 minutes rather than an hour. (I'd guess kitchen temperature & humidity levels influence this). Since it was just under, I proceeded anyway... but the yogurt turned out a lot tangier than I expected. Would it have been better to re-do the boil step?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Heidi. It would be dependant on how much it cooled. A few degrees under is nothing to worry about. Much lower, I would warm back up to 105-110 degrees slowly and then whisk in starter. As for tanginess, incubate for only 8 hours, not 10--as that can influence the flavor. If still tangier than you like, you may consider sweetening.
Chris
I made my first batch last night. I couldn’t find the “boil” Setting on my Insta pot. I didn’t realize you had to push the yogurt button and then the “adjust” button to find The boil setting. I used the “sauté” feature and had my thermometer set at 180 degrees. I cooled it off in an ice bath to 110 Fahrenheit and I added a Bulgarian yogurt for my starter and set it for 10 hours. It came out slightly runny and had a odor of bone broth.
My problem and question is can the Silicone or rubber lining in the lid be removed during the cooking process? I can’t remove the smell from previous food cooked in it. I washed my inner lining and silicone seal in the dishwasher and soaked my lid and liner again in a soapy vinegar solution several times. I don’t know what else to do to remove the taint of previous cooking. Any suggestions would be helpful! Also, can I remove that stinky seal and leave the stem on “venting” the entire time or does it matter if it’s sealed or not. I read many things and can’t get a straight answer on whether it needs to be sealed or vented during the yogurt cooking time. Thanks,
Chris
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Chris. You do not need to use a sealing ring for yogurt. I do find using a lid with a seal does help prevent condensation, which can thin yogurt a bit--but it is very minimal. I keep an extra sealing ring to use just for yogurt.
Ana
Did the odor persisted and affected the yogurt? I found mine to came out smelling like chili, but it was rather the whole instant pot that smelled. After I refrigerated it there was no smell nor taste left, just delicious yogurt.
Dina
Thanks for the detailed procedure. Love it!
Wanted to know the electric consumption for making the yogurt in an instant pot for 8 hours.
Thanks
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Dina! I am so glad you appreciated the detailed instructions and enjoyed the results. As for the electric consumption, I am not sure--as each model would use a different amount. You can refer to your owner's manual possibly. Sorry I can't help you out with that.
Debbie
So I did the boil and then I took out the pot and put it in an ice bath. I set my timer for 15 minutes. When the timer went off it was way cooler than 110 degrees! It was like 65 🙁. I put it back in the instant pot and hit the yogurt button to set at 8 hours after I whisked in the yogurt. I hope this still works!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Debbie! It is important to keep an eye on the temperature because the time which things cool will vary on many factors (how much ice water, how much yogurt you made, the temperature of your house). I hope it works as well, but you may find your yogurt is much thinner and needs a longer incubation time, or the process repeated.
Katy
Hi Kristen. Thanks for the recipe- we are in the process of trying it right now. Our Instantpot beeped after being set to boil but the milk temp only reads about 160. Tried setting it to boil again but it still reads just 160 and now I see the milk has cooked onto the bottom of the pot (not sure if this happened on the first boil or the second). We are going to keep going and see how it turns out but in this case should we boil the milk outside of the Instant Pot? What is the (scientific) purpose of having the milk reach 180 before cooling it? Thanks- I love your recipes!
Kristen Chidsey
You can turn to saute function for a few minutes, watching closely to help it reach to 180 degrees. The biggest reason to heat milk to almost boiling before fermenting is that it improves the texture of the yogurt and keeps the milk safe from forming bacteria.
Lisa
Question, making Greek yogurt, when straining in the fridge over night if you are doing it in batches do you just store the unstrained batch in a container?
Kristen Chidsey
That is what I would recommend Lisa.
Julia Valerius
My son and I loved with peaches and granola.
I do have a suggestion. Instead of removing skin. Dont let it form. Place a circle of parchment on surface. Or plastic wrap. That is what i was taught for puddings etc to prevent skinning. It works great.
Kristen Chidsey
Great tip!
Ted Vander
Yes that's a great tip, I use a chilled fork and the skin clings to the fork.
dawn
This came out really great the first time I made it. However, yesterday it ended up totally liquid, per other reviews. After some googling, I realized I used user Ultra-pasteurized milk, apparently a no-no for making IP yogurt (super small font on the packaging). I'm surprised you didn't mention that in the recipe or in your replies. I'm curious if you think that wasn't the issue.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Dawn, using ultra-pasteurized milk should not be an issue at all. It may have been that that brand is not safe for Cold Start Yogurt. It is more likely that your instant pot was set to low incubation rather than normal or you added your starter when your milk was too hot, killing the active cultures. If you milk smells fine, you can repeat the process.
Dawn
Interesting. Thanks for the quick reply. I was using Horizon organic 2%, which should be ok and an oxo instant digital thermometer and temps were fine. My starter was what my output from last time that I froze. I thawed it on the counter for a little then in the fridge. I’ll try again and thaw it overnight in the fridge only.
Becky
I have made yogurt for 2 years in a Crockpot with mostly good results. I decided to try my new Instant Pot a month ago and found your recipe First of all your explanation is thorough. I had done a great deal of internet research because the yogurt I made before had varying degrees of success and I tried to save the final product. You are correct, a do-over is possible with the same batch. I strained yogurt before but it wasn't necessary with your recipe. (I did use more yogurt to culture, 1/2 cup.) I appreciate how the Instant Pot does the timing for you! With the Crockpot, you have to REMEMBER to check the temp periodically and adding the straining (I use a large unbleached coffee filter), it took 24 hours! With your recipe, no straining necessary to get a creamy product, just jar and chill. Thank you for the introduction, my first try was A HUGE SUCCESS! One side note: if you make homemade bread, whey is an excellent liquid to add instead if water, or, whey and powdered milk instead of milk.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you found this method easier to follow Becky!
Julia
Hi, this time I made this with heavy whipping cream because I like my yogurt really thick. However, it was decently watery at the end of 8 hours and thickened up more in the fridge after but nowhere near as thick as I was expecting. I did not strain at the end. What do you think I can tweak for next time? Thanks! Julia
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Julia! I have never tried making with heavy whipping cream--but I would imagine that what you experienced was the fat separating from the whey--as the fat in heavy whipping cream is very dense. I would either, whisk the whey and cream together or strain. I hope that helps.
Julia
Thanks Kristen! I'll try both. =)
Tom
Hi. Tried the recipe with organic whole milk and organic stoneyfield plain yogurt. Followed the process precisely, but at the end, I have, well, milk. There is no thickness to the material at all. Thoughts?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tom! I am sorry your yogurt did not turn out. It may have been that you heated the milk too high or did not cool enough before adding your starter. OR your instant pot may have been set to low temperature not normal for incubation. If your milk smells fine, repeat the process, adding additional starter.
Catherine Fowler
My husband isn’t lactose-intolerant, but has a problem with a certain protein in regular dairy milk. There’s a brand of milk called “A2” that he can drink without problems. I followed the instructions in this tutorial exactly using the A2 milk and goat cheese yogurt starter and it worked out tremendously!
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you for sharing your success Catherine! I know it will help others!
Brittany
Made this yesterday and followed the recipe exactly- even with a thermometer and cleaning the pot. Used organic whole milk and organic plain Greek yogurt as the starter. Mine came out quite runny, like potato soup. Definitely didn’t get the right consistency. We just tried it this morning. Not inedible- the taste is good... I think my boys said it tastes like milk. I suppose that makes sense? This is my first time making homemade yogurt with the IP. Thanks for the recipe. Any tips would be helpful!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Brittany--be sure your is set to normal and not low. Press yogurt button and then adjust button until the screen reads 8:00. (The pressure should also read normal--if it reads less, hit adjust again until normal is lit up.)
Adrianne Porcelli
How much does this make ? Hoping to stain for Greek style. Thanks !
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Adrianne! This makes 2 quarts of yogurt. However, when you strain for Greek yogurt, the volume will decrease. How much depends on what fat percentage of milk you use (lower fat milk will drain off more whey than full fat milk.) Enjoy!
Linda
I followed the recipe exactly yet what I found at the end is the liquid milk i started with, perhaps because I used goat milk.
Ndn
Kristen Chidsey
Yes, this recipe is not designed for goat's milk. That would be the reason your yogurt did not work.
Emily
Question: mine came out really liquidy. Is that normal/ok?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Emily! There could be a couple of reasons this occurs. It may have been that your yogurt was set to low not normal temperature. If you used skim milk, this is much looser. Or it may have been that your starter was bad. If your yogurt smells okay, you can repeat the process using the same thin yogurt, being sure to add more starter. It also may set up after 8 hours in the fridge.
Cindy Caiman
When do you put the syrup in if you want to sweeten your batch?
Kristen Chidsey
After your yogurt has set up for an additional 8 hours in the refrigerator.
Jon
Hi Kristen,
I follow a Vietnamese cooking page on FB and many members add a can of condensed milk for some sweetness when they make their yogurt in the IP. Have you heard of this or tried it?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jon! Yes, I have seen a lot of people add in sweetened condensed milk to their yogurt for sweetness. To do so, add 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk to your milk to the boil cycle.
Allison
I'm planning to try this for the first time, but my family is not huge yogurt eaters so I'm hesitant to make a big batch at once. Would I have to do anything different if I wanted to only use 4 cups of milk?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Allison, follow the recipe exactly as written, and use 1 tablespoon of starter. I hope you enjoy!