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.
TL
I'm extremely curious about why my batch turned out fine when I did NOT heat the plain whole milk at all. I did add a can of eagle milk and a whole container of plain yogurt and incubated it for 8 hrs. It looked thick and didn't juggle much when done so I imagine it will be REALLY thick once it cools. lol
Kristen Chidsey
Hi TL! It may have been ultra-pasteurized (most organic milk is), but if not, I would not stand by saying it is safe to eat as the heating of the milk kills the bacteria.
TL
You mention not using flavored yogurt for starter but never say why or what will happen if it is used. Many have live bacteria in them so what's the deal with flavored vs. plain yogurt?
Kristen Chidsey
You certainly CAN use flavored yogurt, but it WILL flavor your final product, which most people do not think about. And if you are using flavored yogurt with fruit, it can interfere with the yogurt setting right.
Marcela
Hi, I followed the recipe thoroughly and flavor wise it came out delicious. However, the texture was weird, it didn't have that smooth silky texture to it and instead it looked and felt kinda sandy. Not curddly though. But I could see the separation between tiny little granules and the whey. I still used it because it didn't smell or taste bad it just had a weird texture. Any ideas of what that could be? I wish I had take pictures. Oh and I used simple truth organic whole Milk from Kroger and the starter was plain low fat mountain high yogurt
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Marcela! It may have been that you did not whisk the starter into the milk well before incubating. You can place the yogurt into a blender and blend until smooth to help.
Emily
My past three batches were utter failures. I used different whole milk varieties and varied the starters. I am using the failed yogurt in baking so I am not wasting, but what is happening. I notice that there are different instructions above in your description vs. the recipe. In the description, Step 2. you say that after using the "boil" setting, you turn the pot off when it beeps. In the recipe (Step 1) you say that you leave it on the "boil" setting for a full hour. Which is correct? Any thought about why I am suddenly getting failures? It is so disappointing.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Emily! I am sorry you are having so many issues. I would check to be sure you temperature is set to NORMAL not low, as that is the most common reason that yogurt does not turn out. As for the instructions, it states to turn off the Instant Pot ONCE it reaches 180 degrees in step 2 in the description: (Heat milk to 180°F. Use a thermometer to check the temp often and be sure to stir very often so milk does not scorch.
Once the milk reaches 180°F, turn off your pressure cooker.) I hope that clarifies things for you.
Michael Leafloor
How do you calculate the nutrition? If I used whole milk 3.25% what would it be? Great recipe mine turned out great.
I also freezed the organic yogurt I bought with live cultures as a starter for next time? Hope that is okay. I had to buy more than I anticipated to get live bacteria
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Michael! I am so glad you had success with this recipe. For 4 ounces of whole milk yogurt, it would be about 75 calories and 4 grams of fat. And yes, absolutely fine to freeze your yogurt. Just be sure to defrost in the fridge (not counter or microwave) before making your next batch of yogurt.
Cindy
I cooled my yogurt in ice water and it cooler to 86 degrees. Will it still be ok to put in instant pot on the yogurt feature or do I need to heat beck up to 110?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Cindy! I would warm it back up to 110 degrees for best results.
Gretchen
Ok. I followed exactly with whole milk and a plain full-fat yogurt starter. However, my 8 hours are up and my yogurt seems liquidy. Does it thicken in the fridge?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Gretchen! Yogurt can continue to thicken in the refrigerator if left alone for 8 hours. BUT be sure you incubated on NORMAL not LOW that is the most common reason why yogurt does not set up correctly.
Elissa
I just tried IP yogurt for the first time. I followed your directions pretty much exactly using 2% fresh milk and YoPlus (which has live cultures). After the boil cycle my instant thermometer read 170 so I kept it on saute for a few minutes before putting it out to cool. Got it down to 110 and then added the yogurt as directed and put it on the yogurt setting for 9.5 hours (it was 9pm so I didn't want it to be done too early!). It looked great upon first glance when I opened it up. And it has a nice tangy taste. But when I was moving it into a container to refrigerate, I realized it seems quite loose - like watery/chunky rather than smooth. After a few hours in the fridge, the consistency is not better although the taste is fine.
Do you think it's the low fat milk? Or the yogurt I used wasn't good enough (not much choice here in Hong Kong at the moment)? I've ordered a real starter...should have next week. Just unsure whether to try the low fat milk again or if I really need to go with whole. I don't want to waste the starter packets as there are only a few in the box and that's also hard to get here.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Elissa! It is hard for me to say whether or not the YoPlus was the issue or not, as I am not familiar with that brand.
My concern is that you said fresh milk--did you mean unpasteurized or raw milk? If so, that may be the issue. If not, whole milk will certainly result in thicker, richer yogurt, but 2% works.
With this next batch--be sure your instant pot is set to normal not low temperature on the yogurt setting. When you remove the yogurt from the instant pot, place in the fridge for 8 hours to help it thicken as well. If lumpy, it is fine to whisk before serving. I hope those tips help 🙂
Elissa
Thanks for the quick response! After almost 10 years in Hong Kong, I forget that some of what I get used to here is foreign! Many of the milk options are "milk drinks," meaning reconstituted. And many people by UHT milk since refrigeration during the transport process can be hit or miss and it's not uncommon to buy milk and find it spoiled. I try to buy the "fresh milk" from a regional dairy that my grocery store stocks, which is exactly what you usually get in the grocery store in the US anyway...but supplies can be limited here.
I did double check that I was setting the IP correctly after reading other comments. And I didn't find that the yogurt thickened much in the fridge.
I think I'll wait for my starter to arrive and go with whole milk next time. Then if it works well, I'll experiment with the low fat again, as I'd much rather have low fat yogurt!
Kristen Chidsey
Good to know Elissa! I think waiting for a starter and using whole milk is a great place to start.
Jessica
Does raw milk not work for this?
Kristen Chidsey
Many have shared with me that it does not, but I personally have not tried as I do not personally drink raw milk.
Brad
I use a similar process and it turns out great. I usually let it go 10-12 hours to get more of a sharp/tangy flavour. I also freeze the whey in ice cube trays and use 2 as my starter and start over after 6 generations.
Thanks for sharing your recipe with everyone 🙂
Kristen Chidsey
Great tip to freeze your whey! Many people have issues getting the why alone to work as a starter, but I appreciate you sharing the tip.
Mei
Hi! Love this recipe. Thorough instructions!
I have a steam function which I set for a minute to steam the milk! So handy!
My kids and I love this yogurt but hubby likes Greek yogurt so I half his portions. My question is: does the Greek thick yogurt made does not include the “good” bacteria (probiotics)? Can I save a bit of that for a starter?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Mei~ I am so glad you enjoy this recipe. As for Greek yogurt as starter--it works well!
Jordan
Thanks, it turned out great!!
Kristen Chidsey
Wonderful!
Steph
If I cut the recipe in half, do I also cut cook time in half to four hours, or leave it at eight hours? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Steph. The incubation time remains at 8 hours regardless of how much you make. Enjoy! 🙂
Steph
Wonderful, thank you!! I have exactly a tablespoon left of my yogurt that I bought from the store, so I'm excited for this!! Making it now...
Christine Shea
I use alot of information form your recipie and the recipient my instant came with. Thank you! Awesome!!!
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you have found my site to be reliable for instant pot recipes!
Lana
Thanks for all the details! Should I use the cold start / no boil method if I’m using ultra-pasteurized milk?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lana! You certainly can use my method for cold start. Unless I am using Ultra-Filtered and Ultra-Pasteurized Milk (like Fairlife) I still prefer this method--it is a bit thicker and tangier--and seems less finicky.
Mattie
The instructions say to test the temperature after the first cycle through the IP, making sure it’s 180°. Well, mine wasn’t. It was around 150°. There are no instructions on what to do if it’s not the correct temp. I just set it to go through another cycle and I’m hoping for the best.
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. I will add this directly to the recipe card for people to see if needed.
Mattie
Thank you! I think my insert was still wet from washing it and the water on the outside of the pot may have prevented the IP from working correctly. It did not take an hour for it to boil and be done, it went much quicker than that. Anyway, I did end up using the sauté function to bring it to 180° and ended up with beautiful, tasty yogurt! Next time, I’m going to make sure I wipe down my insert thoroughly before using it and hope it works as it should. Thanks so much for the recipe and your reply!
Kristen Chidsey
Happy to help! And yes, very important to dry the inset fully before using. I have learned the hard way on that myself 😉 Enjoy the yogurt!
Nancy
Can I make yogurt pip (pot in pot)? Placing the jars already filled with prepared yogurt inside the instant pot so that I don't have to scrub the pot when the yogurt is done. Should I put water inside the inner pot?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Nancy! Yes, you can make pot in pot. Place the prepared yogurt in glass jars on top of rack. Then add in 1 cup of water that is about 100-115 degrees below the rack (that is the temperature that yogurt incubates)