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Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt is an easy and delicious recipe that you can enjoy in a variety of ways. Some of the ways that I use the yogurt is yogurt with fruit or granola, in smoothies, baking, and any recipes that call for yogurt. I will also use it as sour cream. This recipe is so versatile. You can have the yogurt on the thinner side like traditional store-bought yogurt or more like Greek yogurt which I prefer since I like adding honey or maple syrup as a sweetener.
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The only type of yogurt that I have ever eaten was the traditional flavored yogurt you would find at your local grocery store. I ate yogurt, but I wasn’t fond of it. The first time I ever tried plain yogurt was when I went to Japan. It was tart, to say the least. I was like nope I am never trying that again. Forward a couple of years when I visited my husband’s family and what was a side at breakfast? That is right. That plain yogurt except it had bananas and maple syrup on top. I can honestly say I was not looking forward to it. I was going to eat it but I was not looking forward to it.
I have a habit of saving the thing I love the most for last. So, I decided to eat the yogurt first and let me tell you I liked it. The maple syrup and bananas with the yogurt were such a great combination. So, my husband and I came home and we bought plain yogurt at the store. The kids also enjoyed this.
Instant Pot
I got an instant pot for Christmas and it had a yogurt option. Are you serious?? So, my next mission was to start making yogurt at home. One. It saved money. You get so much product for a cheaper price when you make it yourself. A gallon of milk cost me about $1.59 (sometimes less). That means I can make a little less than a half-gallon of yogurt for $.79. Secondly, I know exactly what I put it in.
To sweeten or not to sweeten the Instant Pot Yogurt, that is the question.
When researching recipes online I found a lot of people add sweeteners to the homemade yogurt as soon as it is done. I do not do that. I add the sweetener when I portion out what are eating for that day. This way if I want to add it to other recipes or use it as sour cream then it doesn’t taste sweet.
This recipe is very easy to make and you can double it easily and make a gallon of homemade yogurt at a time. I usually make a half gallon and then make it again when I need it. That way it is always fresh.
Instant Pot Yogurt Ingredients:
1/2 gallon of Whole Milk
4 Tablespoons of starter yogurt (This can be from a previous batch or a plain yogurt from the store. Make sure that it is plain yogurt. Both of these contain live cultures)
Directions:
Pour your milk into the instant pot. Push the sauté button and heat your milk to 180°. You will want to keep stirring it so it does not stick on the bottom or burn. Once the milk gets to 180°, turn off the instant pot and let the milk cool down to 108°. I usually take the pot out of the instant pot to help cool down faster. You can sit it in cool water to cool faster, but I like being able to do other things while I wait for this to cool
After it cools to 108°, you can place the pot back into the instant pot and add the starter yogurt. Stir it in then set the yogurt setting. I set it for 8 hours, but you can set it for longer if you want a tangier yogurt or yogurt with less lactose in it. I usually do this at night, so it is turned off by the time that I wake up or get to it.
Take the yogurt out of the instant pot and strain it with a cheesecloth. I used this cheesecloth. I let it sit in the cheesecloth until it is the consistency of Greek yogurt. I do this because when I add honey, maple syrup, or fresh/frozen fruit it will make the consistency thinner. After it is to the consistency that you want, place it in a glass airtight storage container. The yogurt can last up to 2 weeks. I have a family of 8 at home so it never lasts that long.
Tips
- Make it close to bedtime that way it does its thing while you sleep
- Sweeten later so you can add to different recipes
- Store in a glass container
- Save the whey and use it in other recipes
- Use it in other recipes (smoothies, baking, whenever a recipe calls for yogurt)
Variation
- Use fresh/frozen fruit
- Maple syrup/honey
- Granola
- Nuts
- Coconut
- Chocolate chips
- Lemon cream
- Cinnamon
Get my Free EBOOK on my TOP FIVE Homemade YOGURT RECIPES. These are my go-to recipes when serving it up at breakfast or a snack. My husband takes this to eat for breakfast at work. It holds up and transports easily.
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Instant Pot Yogurt
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- Cheesecloth
- Thermometer
Ingredients
- 1/2 Gallon Whole Milk
- 4 tbsp Culture Starter This can be from your previous batch or plain yogurt. Do not use flavored yogurt
Instructions
- Pour your milk into the instant pot. Push the sauté button and heat your milk to 180degrees. You will want to keep stirring it so it does not stick on the bottom or burn. Once the milk gets to 180°, turn off the instant pot and let the milk cool down to 108°. I usually take the pot out of the instant pot to help cool down faster. You can sit it in cool water to cool faster, but I like being able to do other things while I wait for this to cool.After it cools to 108°, you can place the pot back into the instant pot and add the starter yogurt. Stir it in then set the yogurt setting. I set it for 8 hours,but you can set it for longer if you want a tangier yogurt or yogurt with less lactose in it. I usually do this at night, so it is turned off by the time that I wake up or get to it. Take the yogurt out of the instant pot and strain it with a cheesecloth. I used this cheesecloth. I let it sit in the cheesecloth until it is the consistency of Greek yogurt. I do this because when I add honey, maple syrup, or fresh/frozen fruit it will make the consistency thinner. After it is to the consistency that you want, place it in a glass airtight storage container. The yogurt can last up to 2 weeks. I have a family of 8 at home so it never lasts that long.
