I was skeptical about the Instant Pot yogurt recipe that is in the instapot manual, so I set out to test it and refine it. I am a big fan of the this multicooker. Watch my video below and read through the instructions below to learn how it all came out.
Read on to learn how to make yogurt in the instant pot.
How to make the Instant Pot yogurt recipe, step by step:
There are 3 steps in the instant pot yogurt recipe process. Heating the milk, cooling the milk, fermenting the milk.
A couple of decisions you have to make from the get go. What kind of milk should you use? Full fat or 2% works for me, the Fat Free milk isn’t great, in my opinion, but use what you got. You can use raw milk also, but I have not tried this yet. I am told not to use organic milk from the store, as it is ultra pasturized and the proteins wont line up properly to make the milk into yogurt.
I use glass canning jars to make yogurt, this works for me. If you want to make a lot of yogurt, you can make a big batch right in the pot. Clean the jars with hot soapy water, running through a dishwasher works well also.
Pour a cup of water in the bottom of the cooker. Place in the bottom the wired stand thing that came with your multicooker. This will keep the glass jars above the water. Pour milk into the glass jars. Close the lid and make sure the vent is set to ‘sealing’.
Press the ‘Steam’ button and using the plus and minus buttons on the control panel, set it to 1 minute. In a few seconds the Instant Pot will start the steaming process. It will take longer than one minute, so don’t stand there and watch it. Once the steam process is done, (about 15 min) the cooker goes into a keep warm mode. Turn off the cooker, but DO NOT open the lid. Don’t vent the steam either, allow for natural release. To do this, let the cooker sit for about 20 minutes, turn the vent to release any pressure, and open the lid. Remove the jars, place on grate to cool.
Cooling and Adding the Yogurt Starter To The Instant Pot
The heated milk now has to cool to 115F or lower. When you hit that temperature, you can add your yogurt starter. I like this Yogourmet brand starter. You can also get some really cool heirloom yogurt starters here.
Remove the wire grate and water from the pot. Place the jars back in the cooker, close the lid, and press the ‘Yogurt’ button. Using the + and – buttons, set the Instant Pot to ferment the yogurt for 6 hours. I have found that the longer you heat the yogurt mix, the thicker the finished product is. 6 hours works for me, see the instructions that come with your starter. Let me know what works for you in the comments below.
You can also make yogurt in a styrofoam container or a cardboard box, learn here.
Our how to make yogurt recipe is based on 1 quart of milk, which will fill up two 8 oz mason jars, which is what i use to make yogurt. You can use skim, part fat, and whole milk, it just depends on your preference. Whole Milk will taste better, but you know that. You can add powdered milk to the mix, which will make the yogurt thicker. Add too much and it gets like custard.