Instant Pot Organic Yogurt

There are tons of recipes online for yogurt in the Instant Pot. Although, I haven’t found many that are easy and get straight to the point, so I wanted to create that for you! This is the easiest way to make Instant Pot Organic Yogurt! If you want to save this post for quick reference, Pin it!

As I said there are TONS of recipes out there, this is just the one I have used and what has been working for me! This Instant Pot Organic Yogurt is made with whole milk. In the future, I would like to veer away from regular and use nut-based milk like cashew or almond! But like I said, for now, this is what is working for me and I KNOW you will totally love it! If you are only wanting to use nut-based milk, check out Full of Plants blog post on Almond Yogurt!

Ok here we go!

Tools you’ll want to have on hand:

Digital Thermometer. You’ll need to use this a few times and it needs to be accurate, so I upgraded to this one from Amazon and I absolutely love it!

Greek Yogurt only- Fine mesh strainer with a cheesecloth (or a few coffee filters) or you can get this handy all in one stainer on Amazon! I like the all in one because only half of the yogurt will fit with the other suggestions and you have to do it twice…

Ingredients:

½ gallon Organic Whole Milk (you can use up to 1 Gal.)

5 oz (or small container) plain yogurt WITH active cultures (be sure the ingredients have “active cultures” in it or it won’t work!)

Directions:

Ensure the inner pot is nice and clean. Add milk then turn to boil (you might have to press twice) and put the lid on. This takes about 20-30 minutes for ½ gallon. p.s. only add sweetener/flavorings at the very end.
Remove any film from the top layer and gently whisk the milk, then ensure its temp is 180 degrees minimum. If not, turn to sauté on the ‘less’ setting and gently whisk for 2-3 minutes until it’s reached 180. Press cancel to turn it off.
Milk needs to cool to 105 degrees. Transfer the inner pot to the counter, or put in cold water in the sink to cool. This will take about 20-30 minutes, I like to whisk milk 2-3 times during this so the milk doesn’t start to set at the bottom. Again, ensure the temp is less than 105 or this next step won’t work.
Add your starter. This is the store-bought yogurt with the active cultures in it! If your milk is too hot, you will kill these necessary cultures! Slowly add in the starter and gently whisk all together.
Set to ‘yogurt’ for 8-14 hours (taste it at 8 hours, then decide from there if you want to keep it going). I do 10 to 11 hours, but this all depends on how tart you like it! Put the lid on and let it set! You don’t need to worry about the valve because this is not a pressurized process.
Once you are satisfied with the ‘tartness‘, cover and transfer to the fridge for at least 4 hours or let sit overnight.
Don’t forget to freeze a small dish so you have a starter for next time!

**Freezing some for my starter next time!**

Greek Yogurt:

You can leave the yogurt just as you have it, although it will be a little thinner. So I like to strain mine for a much thicker consistency or so they call it Greek Yogurt!

If you are wanting to keep the whey then do this over another bowl to store later otherwise, you can do this in your sink.
If you are not using the Greek Yogurt Strainer, you can use either a fine mesh strainer or a pasta strainer with small holes. Either one, you’ll want to line with cheesecloth or a few coffee filters will do too (just a little messier)!
Add your yogurt and let sit for 2-4 hours! This all depends on how thick you like it! You can leave it out, or in the fridge.
Discard or save the whey (you can store in the fridge for up to 2 months. Lookup ‘whey’ to get some more ideas on how to use it)
Transfer yogurt to a clean bowl, whisk and store in the refrigerator!

Now you’ve made Instant Pot Organic Yogurt! I know this seems like a lot to figure out, but honestly, after one or two tries you won’t even need the recipe again! You can also sweeten your yogurt afterward with honey, jelly, vanilla or maple syrup and top with fruit or granola.

I have found the easiest way to make this is starting it at night before you go to bed (finished by 9:30 or so) and in the morning, you can just put it straight in the fridge! Or vise versa, this is just what works for me.

Also, I am so sorry about the small lettering in the directions! This is not something I can change when numbering items. At least with this site’s theme. When I chose this theme, I was not anticipating on sharing recipes! If this is something that you would really like to have changed please let me know and I will find a way around it. Otherwise, it is small for now…

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