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.
Shawna Ellet
Ran into a problem the 4th and 5th time; the milk was not reaching 180 degrees. I had been sterilizing the pot and then immediately starting the yogurt recipe. I found out you need to start with a cold instapot and it was recommended to put icecubes in to cool it down quickly before starting the next step.
Kristen Chidsey
Thank you for that tip!
Alyce Kremer
I made this twice. Both times it came out great. The first time I used a powdered yogurt culture which required using only 1 quart milk. That didn't last long so next time I used 2 tablespoons of the yogurt with half gallon milk. I used raw milk both times. Second time I had more whey to drain off. I needed the whey and was glad to have it. Taste is marvelous.
Kristen Chidsey
Fabulous! Love hearing your success story Alyce!
Nakia
Hi! I made this for my kids and it turned out much tangier and less sweet then store bought yogurt! In fact they said they'd rather have store bought. What did I do wrong? I didn't pour off the whey or strain it. Is that the problem? The starter I used was plain Stonyfield Organic Yogurt.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Nakia! If you are used to vanilla-flavored yogurt, that may be why. I would try straining to see if that helps and then sweeten with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and a bit of honey or maple syrup.
Jen
Hello. I was so excited to make this but even after the 8 hours in the fridge, it was still a milk consistency. I followed this recipe exactly, using Fage unsweetened yogurt. Also double checked that my instant pot was on "normal" for the incubation time. I only used a tablespoon of the yogurt, was that correct? What can I do to fix this so it doesn't happen again? Thank you.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Jen! This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of yogurt as your starter, so that would have been your issues. You can repeat the process using the "yogurt" that never set.
Jen
Unfortunately, I got rid of the yogurt that wasn't. I only used 1 quart of milk not 1/2 gallon. Thought I read 2T per 1/2 gallon? Any other ideas?
Kristen Chidsey
That is correct then. What brand milk did you use and did you cool past 110 degrees?
Jen
I just used my local grocery store brand whole milk and yes, I believe it was a little bit cooler than 110. I used my instant read thermometer. I think it was about 107 or so. I really appreciate your help on this. I'm determined and will try again.
Kristen Chidsey
Don't give up. Try your store brand of plain yogurt as your starter and use a full 2 tablespoons. I have heard from 2 others that when using Fage their yogurt did not set up either. It should not be the issue, but worth a try! Keep us posted!
Nancy
Thank you for mentioning the need to sterilize your pot, but why would you pour boiling water into your Instant Pot®️ to sanitize it when you can just run it through a five minute pressure cycle? Plus, you can put your utensils, measuring spoon and measuring cup and container in there and sanitize them while you’re at it—as long as they’re heat safe, not plastic. I’ve watched so many yogurt-making videos where the instructor does not talk about sterilizing first and one where the instructor even holds the thermometer by the tip and then sticks it right into the milk. Unbelievable.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Nancy, that is a great point that you can just sanitize by running through the pressure cycle. Thank you for sharing.
Mandi
I’m excited to try this recipe since my last couple attempts have failed! Can you recommend a full fat store bought yogurt starter? I’ve used the Fage 5% with no success the last two goes at it
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Mandi. I would be sure that your yogurt is set to NORMAL not LOW when incubated, that may actually be the issue. Fage is a good starter. However, I typically use the store brand plain Greek yogurt--Walmart, Kroger, Publix, etc. I hope that helps! Let me know if I can offer further assistance so this can turn out for you!
Darrell
i have used strawberry and blueberry yogurt made brand chobani to make more they do have live actives in them but i just add the whole serving and i add a can of heavy cream to sweeten it and it comes out just fine then i freeze a serving to use the next time i want that flaver!
KAREN D ISAKSON
I was curious about the homemade yogurt and chose your system. I made it. This is a FANTASTIC recipe. I made the Greek style because I like the firm texture. The yogurt came out wonderful and so very smooth. I add a sweetener and powdered vanilla. I will continue to use this recipe.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you found this recipe and had success! Thank you for sharing!
Lindsay
Hi, I let my milk cool below 108 after boiling, my thermometer is reading 90. Do you recommend heating it back up?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Lindsay, I would gently heat (hitting boil again on yogurt function) and warm to at least 100 degrees for best results.
Daryl Shrider
So disappointed! I’m not one to give up, but I’m forced to let this one go. I have made this recipe 4 times. The first time failed, the 2nd time was a success, but then both the 3rd and 4th times failed. I’m certain for the last 3 times I followed the directions to a “T”. The yogurt I mixed in was plain, unsweetened with live cultures. My mixture just doesn’t thicken. After 8 hours I still have milk consistency. So.........as much as I hate to be a quitter, I won’t be going for a 5th try. Better luck to others.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Daryl! I am sorry that you had issues all but one time. My hunch is that your yogurt function was incubating on LOW instead of NORMAL for those 3 times. That would explain why it worked one time using the same milk. I hate that you are giving up, but I understand your frustration.
Tish Rodde
This happened to me too. Any idea how to override this problem to get the setting to medium?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Tish. You need to check it each time. If your setting is on low, hit yogurt and then hit adjust until normal is lit up.
Lisa
I had trouble at first then bought a good thermometer and it seems my instant pot temperature is around 10 degrees low. So I have to set my initial temperature to about 193 using "custom warm" and my incubation temperature to 117-120 using "custom yogurt" to get into the correct ranges using my pot.
Kristen Chidsey
That is good to know for people that have that feature.
Cheryl Ferguson
Can Cashew milk be used instaed of regular milk?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Cheryl. Unfortunately, this recipe does not work for cashew milk. I do have a recipe for Coconut Milk yogurt though.
Mary N
Wow! This was the first time I made homemade yogurt, and the taste is delightfully different...smooth, creamy, sweet, and lightly tangy. I used organic whole milk, and since I didn’t have a yogurt culture, used Fage 0% Plain Greek yogurt as my starter. I found the texture to be more like a cross between kefir and yogurt; perfect for drinking plain or as a smoothie. Thank you so much for a great recipe! I will definitely be making this again, regularly!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing you had success and are enjoying! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.
Becky
Have you tried this with either soy milk or almond milk?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Becky. Unfortunately, this recipe does not work with either. I do have a recipe for Coconut Milk yogurt though.
Mary N
Saw your post and thought I’d share: I have made soymilk yogurt many times for my vegan hubby, and the process is very simple, although somewhat different. (In fact, watching him enjoy his yogurt so much was the impetus for me trying this wonderful cow’s milk recipe, which is heavenly!)
Please note: the taste of soymilk yogurt is quite different than cow’s milk yogurt.
To make homemade soymilk yogurt, you need two ingredients: (1) One quart of pure soymilk, and (2) one probiotic capsule containing several strains of probiotics and at least 10 billion active (or live) bacteria. (Alternatively, a soymilk yogurt “culture” can be used instead of the probiotic culture.)
I can’t emphasize this enough: It’s absolutely imperative to use plain soymilk without any additives, flavorings, or sweeteners, like Westsoy organic plain soymilk. The yogurt will absolutely not set if the soymilk contains any other ingredients besides soybeans and water!)
The process is very simple, and there’s no need to heat the soymilk first.
Simply open the tab on 1 quart of soymilk. Empty the contents of one probiotic capsule into the soymilk, close the tab tightly, and shake (with one finger holding the tab closed) to mix the probiotic well into the soymilk.
I’m not one for “cleanup,” so I use small 8 ounce canning jars as individual serving containers. Simply pour about 5-6 ounces of the soymilk/probiotic mixture into (6) 8 Oz canning jars. (I leave about 1” headroom on top of the jars for my hubby to add his favorite toppings and mix-in’s: jam, berries, sliced almonds, hemp/chia/flax seeds, granola, maple syrup, extracts, sweeteners, etc.,) without having to move the yogurt into a larger container for consumption. (Of course, you can make the yogurt right in the inner pot of the Instant Pot, if you prefer.)
Then I stack the canning jars WITHOUT lids into the inner liner of the Instant Pot, put on the Instant Pot glass lid (or the pressure lid with the steam valve left open), press the yogurt button, and set the timer for 14 hours.
After the yogurt is set, carefully remove the lid to prevent condensation from dripping back onto the yogurt. Take the canning jars of yogurt out of the pressure cooker and let them “cool” for an hour on the counter before placing on the canning lids. (Waiting that hour for the yogurt to cool before putting on the lids prevents condensation from forming on the canning lids and dripping onto the yogurt.) Then refrigerate until ready to eat. (Hint: Save one container to use as a starter for your next batch.)
This recipe produces a fairly tangy yogurt, but if you don’t like “tangy,” reduce the time to 10-12 hours, depending on your desired taste.
Rebekah Russin
Can you tell me what type of yogurt goes withe nutrition information you provided? And does that nutrition information include any added sugar? Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rebekah this is for 4 ounces of yogurt using 2% milk. It does not include any added sugars--the sugar you are seeing are the natural ones from milk.
Rebekah Russin
Thank you! Should it be 13 grams of protein per 4 oz serving?
Kristen Chidsey
No, it should be 3. And it seems to say that. Not sure where you are seeing 13?
Vergel Voth
Hi I made this recipe yesterday wish I had planned a little better as yogurt was finished at 11:14 pm little past my bedtime so had to set alarm to place this in the frig.
Very easy recipe loved the information how to do first time using my instant pot and was very happy with the taste I did not add any sugar at all but did put in 2 T. Vanilla sorry no picture.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad it turned out for you Vergel---and good thinking to set an alarm. 🙂 Enjoy!
Debbie
What happens if your milk cools too much (77 degrees)? Will the yogurt still work or do I need to start over?
Kristen Chidsey
I would actually just slightly heat to 100- 110 degrees again. No need to start over.