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.
Violeta
Can you tell us if we need to turn the steam knob to seal or is it just a matter of closing the lid?
Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
You only need to worry about closing the lid. Since incubating yogurt does not require any pressure to be reached, the position of the steam knob does not matter 🙂
Teri Byrne
Homemade yoghurt has changed my life for the better! And better for the environment too!
No more 100 plastic tubs to go in the landfill 🙌🏽 YAY — WIN WIN—
Thank you so much!!
Teri
Oregon
Kristen Chidsey
You are incredibly welcome!
Merry Hagenston
Wow, I'm no longer intimidated with the idea of making my own yogurt, AND in the instant pot! Will using a nut milk not work? My daughter has a food sensitivity to dairy and I would love to make this for her.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Merry! I am so glad this step by step process for making yogurt. Unfortunately, it does not work for nut milk. I do have a recipe for Instant Pot Coconut Milk Yogurt.
Merry
Well, thank you! Checking it out next!
Suny
I don't do dairy so my ? is would this work with almond and/or coconut milk? Have you tried it?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Suny! I have a recipe for Instant Pot Coconut Milk Yogurt. Hope you enjoy!
Tonya
Can I make a smaller amount of yogurt, say 1 quart? If I reduce the amount of milk and starter and maintain the time and temperatures.
Kristen Chidsey
Yes absolutely Tonya!
Naomi
Came out perfect! I cooked up some strawberries for half and apples for the other half! My kids are stealing all my hard work though! Added a smidge of vanilla and about 2tbsp of sugar after it was set and strained. Ended up with 12 in reused oui yogurt cups.
Kristen Chidsey
Oh I love your additions to the yogurt. I can't blame your kids for digging in as it sounds delicious!
Lisa Goodman
Hi. Watched your video about making dairy yogurt. Trying to find your video on making non dairy yogurt. Where can I find it?
Thanks!
Kristen Chidsey
You can find my video for non-dairy yogurt here and the recipe for non-dairy yogurt here.
Debbie
Love this recipe! My neighbor directed me to your site. I do have a question. Is there a problem with making a double batch in a 6 quart versus an 8 quart pot?
Kristen Chidsey
This recipe can be doubled in a 6 quart 🙂 enjoy!!! And so glad you found my site 🙂
Barbara Fiscus
I have used this recipe a few times and each time, my yogurt turns out a little runny--not the stiffer consistency of the store-bought stuff. While it tastes okay, my husband is turned off by the texture. It's not a difficult recipe so I'm not sure what, if anything, I am doing wrong. My milk is never up to 180 when the timer stops, so I heat it the rest of the way using one of the other functions (this time, I used soup). Then I take it out and put it in another pot with ice cubes. I skim the skin, add 2 Tbsp active culture yogurt and set on Yogurt for 8 hours. Any ideas? Thanks.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Barbara! Have you tried to strain the yogurt? That helps to thicken and then I sometimes blend in blender to smooth out the consistency. I hope that helps!
Michael
My yogurt is very soupy and non-consistent after the 8 hour incubation period in my Instant Pot. Will it firm in the fridge, or did I just waste a half-gallon of milk? My food thermometer's on the fritz, so I couldn't confirm some of those crucial temps.
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Michael. Did you incubate on normal temperature not low? If you incubated on low, I would toss for food safety concerns. If you incubated on normal, you can use the soupy yogurt to try a second batch, being sure to add in new starter. It is hard to get yogurt perfect without an accurate thermometer.
David Smith
Can you add flavors to the yogurt by adding a jello mix once your yogurt is complete?
Kristen Chidsey
I have not tried that myself, so I am not sure how it would work. If you give it a try let us know. My thought is that it would work
Cubby
Can you use Almond milk to make yogurt in InstaPot?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Cubby! I have not been able to replicate Almond milk yogurt successfully--however, I do have a recipe for Coconut Milk Yogurt.
Josephene
I have followed your instructions (as well as others’s) and I can’t understand why my yield is so much smaller. For 8 cups of milk (2% fat), I get 6 cups yogurt, each time.
Kristen Chidsey
If you are straining your yogurt afterward you will lose volume.
Arianna
Fantastic procedure , thank you for sharing .. curious though.. since we are not technically using the “pressure” function of the instapot.. can we pass the max line with milk ? I have a 10quart and wanted to do 8L of milk .. but it’s maxed at 7L .. any thoughts ?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Arianna, you can pass the max line 🙂
Barbara
Can other none dairy milks be used?
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Barabara--I have a recipe for Coconut Milk Yogurt--it is a different process using non-dairy milk.
Shawna Ellet
If your Instant Pot is not reaching the 180°F temp the first time on the boil cycle, try the following tips:
Bring your milk out 30 minutes before starting.
Start with a cold pot - put some ice cubes in to cool it quickly.
Whisk every 10 minutes during the boil cycle.