Foolproof Step-by-Step Guide on How to Make Instant Pot Yogurt. Make smooth, creamy & thick homemade yogurt with this Instant Pot Yogurt Recipe #12 – developed based on 12 experiments. Healthy, delicious, fun.

For the past 2 months, we have turned our Test Kitchen upside down with our Homemade Yogurt Experiments! After 12 trials of milk, yogurt starters, and hundreds tablespoons of homemade yogurt, we’re finally thrilled to invite you to join the culture party!! And continuing from our crazy Cheesecake #17 experiments, we’re naming this baby Instant Pot Yogurt #12. Join us to make Yogurt in Instant Pot! Making your own yogurt at home might sounds complicated & intimidating. But it’s actually quite simple! All you need is 2 ingredients – Milk & Yogurt Starter (we’ll discuss more about this below). First, let’s break down the whole yogurt making process in 5 simple steps. How to Make Instant Pot Yogurt in 5 Steps: Heat Milk to 180°F – 200°F Cool Milk to 105°F – 114°F Add Yogurt Starter to Milk Wait for Yogurt to set Plain Yogurt is done – refrigerate and strain if desired Sounds easy right? 😀

Choosing Yogurt Starters Yogurt starters can make or break your yogurt making game. So beware that not all yogurt works as yogurt starters! It’s critical for you to check the ingredients list of the store-bought yogurt when you’re shopping for a yogurt starter. It must have active bacterial cultures for it to work as the yogurt starter. A live culture usually contains at least 2 types of bacteria (L. bulgaricus and S. thermophilus). *Pro Tip: The homemade yogurt’s consistency and taste will change depending on the type of bacteria cultures in the yogurt starter. Sometimes, it does make a big difference! So, choose the brand you like best for the most consistent result.

Choosing Type of Milk Choosing the right type of milk is one of the most critical steps to succeed in making homemade yogurt because the type of milk will determine the thickness and creaminess of your homemade yogurt. After testing the Instant Pot Yogurt Recipe with 2% Milk, 3.25% Milk and 3.8% Milk, 3.8% Whole Milk with the highest milk fat content produced the thickest and creamiest homemade yogurt. For reference, we used the above Whole Foods 365 Organic 3.8% Whole Milk for this Instant Pot Yogurt Recipe. Time to make Yogurt in Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Yogurt #12 Foolproof Instant Pot Yogurt Recipe #12: Step-by-Step Guide on how to make smooth, thick & creamy homemade yogurt in Instant Pot based on 12 experiments. 4.96 from 64 votes Prep Time: 30 minutes Cook Time: 9 hours 30 minutes Total: 10 hours Servings: 10 Calories: 118 kcal Author: Amy + Jacky Print Ingredients 2 litres (½ gallon) Whole Milk 2 litres ( ½ gallon) Whole Milk

32 grams (a little more than 2 tbsp) Plain Greek Yogurt with Active Bacterial Cultures 32 grams (a little more than 2 tbsp) Plain Greek Yogurt with Active Bacterial Cultures Tools Instant Pot Pressure Cooker

Pyrex Measuring Cups

Food Thermometer

Silicone Spatula Don't Miss This! Jump to our Step By Step Photo Guide Instructions Optional Equipment Sterilization: Place 2 cups of cold water and trivet in Instant Pot. Place silicone spatula, Pyrex glass measuring cup, and measuring spoon in Instant Pot. Close the lid and move the Venting Knob to Sealing Position. Sterilize (Pressure Cook or Manual button) everything at High Pressure for 3 minutes + Natural Release. Or Sterilize on Stovetop: sterilize the equipment (including food thermometer) on stovetop by boiling them for 10 minutes. After sterilization, air dries the equipment on a clean rack.

Heat Milk to 180°F - 200°F to Denature the Protein: Pour 2L ( ½ gallon) of whole milk in inner pot. Close lid. Use the Yogurt More function to boil the milk to at least 180°F (it will say “BOIL” on the screen). This takes roughly 35 – 40 minutes. The Instant Pot screen will change to “YOGT” when the boiling is done.

Check Milk Temperature: Open the lid. Check the milk temperature immediately in a few spots to make sure the milk is over 180°F. Stir with a silicone spatula and check the temperature again to ensure the milk is over 180°F. * Pro Tip : If the milk is not over 180°F, close the lid and heat the milk with the "Slow Cook Less" function for another 15 minutes.

Prepare Yogurt Starter: After the milk is heated over 180°F, place 32g (a little more than 2 tbsp) Plain Greek Yogurt with Active Bacterial Cultures into the Pyrex glass measuring cup. Do not add the yogurt starter to the hot milk, as it will kill the bacterial cultures. * Pro Tip : If you sterilized the measuring cup, make sure it has cooled to the touch.

Cool Milk to 111°F: Leave the pot on counter-top and wait until the milk cools to 111°F. Or alternative method to quickly cool down the milk temperature: Fill a larger pot or kitchen sink with cold tap water. Partially submerge the inner pot with heated milk into the cold tap water. Stir the milk in a circular motion with a silicone spatula and frequently measure the temperature. It will take 2 – 4 minutes to cool the milk to 111°F. Remove the pot from cold water immediately. * Pro Tip : Try not to touch the bottom of the pot with the spatula as it may have some milk solid stuck to the bottom of the pot.

Add Yogurt Starter: Add ½ cup of 111°F milk to the Pyrex glass filled with yogurt starter. Gently mix it with the measuring spoon. Pour the yogurt milk mixture in the inner pot and give it a few gentle stirs with a silicone spatula.

Yogurt Incubation: Place inner pot back in the Instant Pot. Close lid. Use the Yogurt Normal Function to incubate the yogurt. Adjust the time to 8:00 – 12:00 depending on how tangy you like your yogurt (longer time = tangier). * Pro Tip : Don’t disrupt the fermentation process by moving the Instant Pot or opening the lid. You can open the lid for a taste test once the yogurt is set (after roughly 6 hours).

Stop Incubating Process: Once the yogurt has reached your desired tangy level, remove the inner pot of yogurt and place it in the fridge for a few hours to stop the incubating process. The yogurt will also thicken a little.

Serve: Plain yogurt is done. Serve by adding sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup. Add fruits, granola or your favorite toppings. The sky is limit! Enjoy~ * Pro Tip : If the yogurt is too runny, you can strain the yogurt with a yogurt strainer. ♥ Spread the Love by sharing this recipe, so others can enjoy it too! Thank you 🙂 Video Recipe Notes: *Whole Milk: We used Whole Foods 365 Organic 3.8% Whole Milk. *Yogurt Starter: We used Dannon/Danone 4% Plain Greek Yogurt with Active Bacterial Cultures. *Rate the Recipe: If you've tried the recipe, don't forget to Rate the Recipe in the Comments Section. Thank you! Nutrition Information: Serving: 200 g Calories: 118 kcal (6%) Carbohydrates: 7 g (2%) Protein: 20 g (40%) Fat: 1 g (2%) Saturated Fat: 1 g (6%) Cholesterol: 10 mg (3%) Sodium: 72 mg (3%) Potassium: 282 mg (8%) Sugar: 6 g (7%) Vitamin A: 8 IU Calcium: 220 mg (22%) Iron: 1 mg (6%) Tried this recipe? Mention @pressurecookrecipes or tag #AmyJacky!

Step by Step Guide: Instant Pot Yogurt Prepare ingredients for making yogurt in Instant Pot: 2 litres ( ½ gallon) Whole Milk (we used Whole Foods 365 Organic 3.8% Whole Milk)

gallon) Whole Milk (we used Whole Foods 365 Organic 3.8% Whole Milk) 32 grams (a little more than 2 tbsp) Plain Greek Yogurt with Active Bacterial Cultures (we used Dannon/Danone 4% Plain Greek Yogurt with Active Bacterial Cultures)

1 Optional Preparation – Equipment Sterilization Time Required: ~30 mins Option 1 – Sterilize with Instant Pot: Place 2 cups of cold water and a trivet in the Instant Pot.

Place silicone spatula, Pyrex glass measuring cup, and tablespoon measuring spoon in the Instant Pot.

Close the lid and move the Venting Knob to Sealing Position.

Sterilize everything at High Pressure (use the Manual/Pressure Cook button) for 3 minutes + Natural Release. Option 2 – Sterilize on Stovetop: Sterilize the equipment (including food thermometer) on stovetop by boiling them for 10 minutes. After sterilizing the equipment, air dry them on a clean rack.

2 Heat Milk to 180°F – 200°F to Denature Protein First, pour 2L (½ gallon) of 3.8% whole milk in the inner pot. Then, close the lid (venting knob position doesn’t matter). Now, use the Yogurt More function to boil the milk to at least 180°F. It will say “boil” on the screen. This process will take roughly 35 – 40 minutes. The Instant Pot screen will change to “yogt” when the boiling is done.

3 Check Milk Temperature When the screen says “yogt”, open the lid. First, check the milk temperature immediately in a few spots and make sure the milk is over 180°F. Then, stir with a silicone spatula and check the temperature again to make sure the milk is over 180°F. *Pro Tip 1: If the milk is not over 180°F, close the lid and heat the milk with the Slow Cook Less function for another 15 minutes. *Pro Tip 2: Skim away & discard the milk skin on top of the heated milk (as shown in below photo).

4 Prepare Yogurt Starter After the milk is heated over 180°F, place 32g (a little more than 2 tbsp) Plain Greek Yogurt with Active Bacterial Cultures into the Pyrex glass measuring cup. Do not add the yogurt starter to the hot milk, as it will kill the bacterial cultures. *Pro Tip: If you sterilized the measuring cup, make sure it has cooled to the touch.

5 Cool Milk to 111°F You can leave the pot on counter-top and wait until the milk cools to 111°F. Alternative method to quickly cool down the milk temperature (as shown in below photo): Fill a larger pot or kitchen sink with cold tap water.

Partially submerge the inner pot with heated milk into the cold tap water.

Stir the milk in a circular motion with a silicone spatula and frequently measure the temperature.

It will take 2 – 4 minutes to cool the milk to 111°F.

Remove the pot from cold water immediately. *Pro Tip: Try not to touch the bottom of the pot with the spatula as it may have some milk solid stuck to the bottom of the pot.

6 Add Yogurt Starter First, add ½ cup of 111°F milk to the Pyrex glass filled with yogurt starter, then gently mix it with the measuring spoon. Pour the yogurt milk mixture in the inner pot, then give it a few gentle stirs with silicone spatula.

7 Yogurt Incubation Now comes the exciting part! First place the inner pot back in the Instant Pot. Then, close the lid (Venting Knob position doesn’t matter). Yogurt Incubation: Instant Pot Function: Press the Yogurt Button & use the Yogurt Normal Function to incubate the yogurt.

Press the Yogurt Button & use the to incubate the yogurt. Time: Adjust the time to 8:00 – 12:00 depending on how tangy you like your yogurt *Pro Tip 1: longer incubating time = more tangy yogurt *Pro Tip 2: The timer will count up instead of count down when the incubating process begins (as shown in above photo). You can open the lid for a taste test once the yogurt is set (roughly 6 hours). *Pro Tip 3: Don’t disrupt the fermentation process by moving the Instant Pot or opening the lid. Wait until it is set (roughly 6 hours) before opening the lid.

8 Stop Incubating Process Once the yogurt has reached the desired tangy level, remove the inner pot of yogurt and place it in the fridge for a few hours to stop the incubating process. The yogurt will also thicken a little in the fridge.

9 Serve Instant Pot Yogurt You did it!! Your plain yogurt is done!! Don’t forget to pat yourself on the back – you have just made your very own homemade yogurt!! 😀 Serve by adding sweeteners such as honey or maple syrup. Add fruits, granola or your favorite toppings. The sky is limit. Enjoy your thick, creamy smooth yogurt! *Pro Tip: If the yogurt is too runny, you can strain the yogurt with a yogurt strainer. For More Instant Pot Yogurt Making Pro Tips & Findings: Homemade Yogurt Experiment

Instant Pot Yogurt FAQ What type of milk to use for making yogurt? The type of milk you use will determine the thickness and creaminess of your homemade yogurt. According to our test kitchen experiments, 3.8% Whole Milk with the highest milk fat content produced the thickest and creamiest yogurt. What's the best time to start the Instant Pot Yogurt process? The first 3 parts of the yogurt making process: heating the milk, cooling the milk, and adding yogurt starter to the milk take roughly 90 mins (you can reduce ~30 mins if you are skipping the equipment sterilization step). We like to start the process roughly 2 hours before we go to bed, so when we wake up, the magical fermentation process is done! 🙂 But if you don't need your Instant Pot for cooking during the day, you can start anytime as long as it's 10+ hours before you sleep. Or else you'll either have to stay up late, wake up early, or end up with ultra tangy yogurt. 😉 Why make yogurt in Instant Pot? Instant Pot Yogurt has better taste & consistency than the store-bought yogurt. They come out smooth, creamy, and thick. Plus, it helps you save money, while it's simple & fun to make!

Watch: How To Make Instant Pot Yogurt

Can’t see the cooking video? Watch it here.