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instant pot homemade yogurt in a glass bowl drizzled with honey
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How to Make Homemade Yogurt in an Instant Pot

How to Make Homemade Yogurt in an Instant Pot provides the recipe and full instructions to make creamy or thick, strained Greek yogurt using a pressure cooker. For the cold start method, you will need a starter with live cultures, Fairlife milk, and jars to store your yogurt. This DIY tutorial can't get any easier!
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Greek
Keyword homemade yogurt, how to make instant pot yogurt, instant pot yogurt
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 16 hours
Total Time 16 hours 10 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 133kcal
Author Brandi Crawford

Ingredients

  • 52 oz ultra-pasteurized milk I used Fairlife
  • 2 tablespoons plain yogurt with active cultures I used Fage. Do not open the yogurt until you are ready to add it to the Instant Pot. The cultures will need to be active, and air exposure will kill them.

Instructions

  • Add the milk and 2 tablespoons of yogurt to the Instant Pot. Whisk until both are combined.
  • Place a glass lid on the Instant Pot or you can remove the seal from the rim of the Instant Pot lid. I remove the seal to ensure no other food smells penetrate the yogurt.
  • Place the Instant Pot on the Yogurt function and be sure it's set to 8 hours. You can set it for up to 10 hours if you like tangy yogurt. The longer you set the yogurt, the longer it ferments, the tangier it will taste. Some models will require you to make sure the pot is also in "Normal Mode." I did 8 hours.
  • No need to seal the pot. The yogurt does not "pressure cook."
  • When the pot indicates it has finished (it will display "Yogt") remove the lid and seal the pot with a glass lid, silicone lid, foil, or plastic wrap. I used a silicone lid. Do not stir.
  • Refrigerate for 4-8 hours. I did 8 hours.
  • Remove the yogurt and serve with your favorite toppings. The yogurt should be really creamy, if you like thick yogurt, you can strain the whey from the yogurt using this yogurt strainer. This will result in really thick yogurt.
  • The yogurt will not taste sweet at all. You will have to sweeten it with toppings and/or sweeteners if you like sweet yogurt.

Video

Notes

Makes about 32oz of yogurt. 
Be sure your Instant Pot inner pot has been thoroughly cleaned first.
Select milk that has already been boiled first for this cold-start method. This is why Fairlife milk has been used and suggested in this recipe.
I like to start a batch right before bed, so that I can wake up and it's done and ready to go into the fridge for the day.

How Long Is Instant Pot Yogurt Good/How Long Will it Last

Homemade yogurt will last up to 2 weeks stored in the refrigerator. You can freeze 2 tablespoons of yogurt as a starter to make a new batch of yogurt.

Does Instant Pot Yogurt Need to Be Strained?

This will depend on how you like your yogurt and what you are going for. If you want a really thick Greek-style yogurt, then you should strain it. Greek yogurt is typically my preferred yogurt style, but I actually choose not to strain mine. I prefer the slightly thick, creamy texture. Strain the yogurt after chilling it.
If you do strain your yogurt and find it's too thick, you can add some of the strained whey to the mixture and stir. It should loosen it some.

Instant Pot Yogurt Toppings:

You can load this up with any of your favorites. These are mine.

Nutrition

Serving: 4oz | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 7g