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.
How To Make Greek Yogurt
- If you would like to make Greek yogurt instead of regular yogurt, follow all the instructions for homemade yogurt.
- Once the yogurt is prepared, place a large strainer lined with cheesecloth over a large mixing bowl.
- You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your strainer.
- Allow the yogurt to drain in the strainer overnight.
- Scoop out the thick yogurt into containers to store and discard the cheesecloth.
Make Instant Pot Yogurt Without The Yogurt Button Easily
Two ingredients are all it takes. Milk and a little bit of yogurt. Yes, I know what you are thinking, why are we using yogurt to make yogurt. You need the live and active cultures that are found in the yogurt. So a little dollop is all it takes. Just make sure to read your yogurt labels to ensure it is active culture yogurt.
Instant Pot
Making homemade yogurt does take time, but you will enjoy the wait. Trust me, it is the creamiest dream you will have ever tried when it comes to yogurt.
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Tip #3 Use Vanilla Beanpaste
Image courtesy of NielsenMassey.com
In order to get all those beautiful vanilla specks in every spoonful, you can use Pure Vanilla Bean paste to distribute the taste and aroma evenly. You can also use a real vanilla bean.
This ingredient is of course optional and you can definitely omit it.
Now comes the sweetening part:
What about fruit and other ingredients:
If you would like to add a fruit puree add it AFTER the yogurt is ready in the instant pot, mix, and refrigerate until chilled.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can use yogurt you just made as a STARTER for the next batch!!
You can also use this yogurt to make an amazing loaf of Instant Pot Sourdough Bread YUM!
How To Make Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt
![Instant Pot Cold Start Yogurt [No Boiling] Instant Pot Cold Start Yogurt [No Boiling]](https://www.proinstantpotclub.com/wp-content/uploads/instant-pot-cold-start-yogurt-no-boiling-this-old-gal.jpeg)
Step One: Clean your Instant Pot.
- This sounds like a no-brainer. But I am not talking about simply washing your Instant Pot–you need to sanitize your inner pot.
- You can prepare your inner pot for making yogurt by pouring boiling water in the inner pot and then discard the water.
- This step can be skipped, but it helps drastically in the flavor of your yogurt–especially if you have been making a lot of Instant Pot Chili.
Step Two: Heat your Milk in your Instant Pot.
- Pour ½ gallon milk into the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker, put the lid on the Instant Pot . Hit yogurt function and then the adjust button until it says Boil.
- When the Instant Pot beeps that it is done, remove the lid and test the temperature to be sure the milk has reached 180 degrees.
- I like to leave the inner pot in the Instant Pot for 5 minutes before removing it. This helps the yogurt thicken up a bit better.
Step Three: Cool the milk to approximately 105-115 degrees.
- Cooling the milk to this temperature takes about 1 hour if placed on the counter.
- I like to speed the process up by placing the inner pot into a large mixing bowl in ice water. This takes about 15-20 minutes.
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What Is A Starter Culture
A starter culture for milk is basically a milk product that is essentially rich in active lactic acid bacteria. This culture aids in souring of milk. The bacteria present in the culture changes lactose into lactic acid which causes the milk to sour, in other words, ferment.
Weve noticed that starter cultures are not easily available here in India, so we decided to experiment with packaged dahi itself. Were so pleased with the results and we just had to share it with you.
If you already set dahi at home for everyday use, you have a head start! Because you already have a starter culture to work with. We on the other hand, werent so lucky. Hence, we ventured out on a journey to figure out the best starter for our yogurt.
What To Add To And How To Sweeten Homemade Yogurt
- Fresh fruit sauces, such as strawberry, raspberry, or Blueberry Syrup
- Vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract mix in 1 tablespoon per batch and then ladle into storage containers.
- Honey or Maple syrup You can drizzle on as its dished into bowls or sweeten the whole batch at once. Start with 1/4 cup per batch and add 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach desired sweetness.
- Nuts, like pistachios, almonds, walnuts, or Candied Pecans
- Roasted Cocoa Nibs
- Coconut
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Dahi Curd Or Yogurt Whats The Difference
Curds, in western countries, often refers to the curdled milk solids that are obtained in the process of curdling/splitting of the milk, while making cheese. In India however, curd and dahi are the same thing.
Curd or dahi in most parts of India refers to the product obtained by fermenting warm milk by introducing live strains of bacteria. These live strains of bacteria are obtained from a starter culture . This starter culture is a small portion of dahi/curd that is used to make the next big batch of dahi. In India, curd is prepared from scratch everyday in most households and therefore, the bacterial strength may differ from one home to another. Commercially made dahi is more standardised as compared to homemade dahi, which people have been making here for years.
How To Make Yogurt Without A Yogurt Button
It is a bit harder to make yogurt without a yogurt button on a pressure cooker, but it is possible.
- It is a bit harder, but it is possible.
- Pour milk into the inner pot of pressure cooker.
- Turn on the Sear/Saute function.
- Heat milk to 180°F. Use a thermometer to check the temp often and be sure to stir very often so the milk does not scorch.
- Once the milk reaches 180°F, turn off your pressure cooker.
- Remove the inner pot and cool it to 108 degrees.
- Once your milk has reached 108 stir starter yogurt and whisk until incorporated.
- Put inner pot back in instant pot and place lid on the pressure cooker.
- Wrap in a large towel, or two regular towels and incubate for at least 8 hours or 10 hours.
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Bonus: How Make Thickened Yogurt
For thick Greek- or Icelandic-style yogurt, spoon the yogurt into a strainer lined with a kitchen towel, coffee filter, or cheesecloth and allow to drain in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. The liquid that drains off is protein-rich whey. The author of the yogurt recipe profiled here, Daniel Shumski, suggests using it in place of water in your favorite bread dough or pizza recipes. But you can also use it in place of buttermilk in my favorite biscuits, or stir it into smoothies.
Now that you know how to make yogurt in an Instant Pot, feel free to stir in some peach jam, toss on a myriad of savory toppings, or use it to dress a gorgeous platter of Instant Potcooked beets with dill and lime:
How To Make Instant Pot Cold Start Yogurt
The cold start method simply uses ultra filtered milk and a couple tablespoons of plain yogurt . No boil yogurt can only be done with ultra filtered milk, such as Fairlife brand.
The other bonus of cold start yogurt is no straining! After the yogurt cooks for 8-10 hours, it is so thick a spoon can stand straight up in it!
Although most organic milk brands are labeled ultra pasteurized, the results dont match up to Fairlife ultra filtered milk. This means Fairlife has more protein and less sugar.
Therefore, after the incubation time, Fairlife cold start yogurt will be very thick, and theres no need to strain.
Ultra pasteurized milk brands will result in thin and watery cold start yogurt. Although the yogurt may still be strained, you wont be left with much yogurt after the whey drains out.
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How Do I Make Yogurt In My Duo Gourmet Instant Pot
Instructions
How To Make Instant Pot Coconut Yogurt

The very first time I dabbled with the dairy-free lifestyle was back in 2014. When my daughter was born, she was pretty quickly diagnosed with a Milk and Soy Protein Intolerance , meaning that even the slightest bit of cheese or tofu eaten by me would come through my breastmilk and cause her incredible stomach upset. Thankfully, most babies grow out of MSPI relatively quicklyJuni was done with it by her six-month markand go on to happily eat grilled cheese sandwiches.
But that six months sans dairy really helped teach me something about my own bodyit really functions better when Im off the cow juice. Ever since I stopped eating dairy for Junis sake, Ive been very careful to limit my own intakeand that meant I started experimenting with dairy-free alternatives to my favorite dairy products. Thats how I discovered the amazing versatility of cashew cream. And thats why I started making my own dairy-free Instant Pot coconut yogurt.
Making yogurt in the Instant Pot is so incredibly fool-proof. If youve ever been intimidated by making your own yogurt before, the Instant Pot is your answer. It makes it so hands off and so simpleits honestly almost easier than just going to the store to buy premade coconut yogurt.
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Easy Instant Pot Yogurt With Flavor Variations
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This easy Instant Pot yogurt will be the best yogurt you will ever taste. Once you start making your own homemade yogurt you wont want to buy the store-bought stuff anymore! Its easy to make too!
The first time I made Instant Pot yogurt my mind was absolutely blown! It was so easy and so delicious. My family prefers this version of homemade yogurt to the store bought stuff. Its so much healthier than all of those flavored yogurts with preservatives and tons of sugar.
What Equipment Do You Need
This method requires an Instant Pot or other brand of electric pressure cooker with a yogurt setting. I know its also possible to make yogurt in the oven or a crock pot. These methods might even be just as easy! But this method is the one I use and its crazy reliable, so Im sticking with it for now!
The only other piece of equipment you need is an instant-read thermometer so you dont overheat or over-cool your milk. If you dont already have one, they are certainly a worthwhile investment. My ThermoPop digital thermometer was worth every penny.
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Perfect Condition To Set Yogurt Or Dahi
The whole science behind the fermentation process sounds quite simple however, to ensure that it works just right, you need to be able to control the entire process. You need to be able to control the:
- Time
- Temperature
- Quantity and quality of ingredients
Lucky for us, the Instant Pot takes care of both the time and temperature for setting the dahi. The Instant Pot acts as an enclosed controlled environment, with just the right temperature and an option to track time, making it much easier to control the fermentation process.
What Is Yogurt Starter Anyway
A yogurt starter is the collection of desirable, living bacteria that turns milk into yogurt. You have a few different options here.
- Any plain yogurt from the grocery store can be used as a starter, as long as it says active cultures on the carton. This will work, but only for a few batches, because the culture isnt strong enough to go on for more than two or three generations.
- Heirloom starters can also be purchased from a specialty retailer . It comes to you as a freeze-dried powder in small envelopes. Heirloom starter sounds fancy, but its just a starter that can culture batches of yogurt more or less indefinitely. This includes making a new batch every week or so to keep the culture healthy and robust. Usually theres a packet of starter for your initial batch, and one for a back-up if something goes awry. Freeze-dried heirloom starters keep in the freezer forever. When selecting an heirloom starter, make sure yours is thermophilic, which incubates at 110°F. Cultures that incubate at lower temperatures wont work in an Instant Pot.
- You can use fresh yogurt gifted to you by someone who has made their yogurt with an heirloom starter .
The flavor of your finished yogurt is going to depend a lot on the starter you use and the milk you use. Some starters make thicker or tangier yogurt than others. Think of this as an adventure! Consider how different the texture and flavor of assorted commercial yogurts aresame goes for homemade yogurt.
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Skyr Yogurt Is Fat Free
- I’m not against fat in my diet by any means, but if I want cheese every day, butter on my toast, lots of olive oil on my roasted veggies, and scoops of almond butter when I feel stressed then somethings gotta give. Fat-free yogurt it is! Which means everything I use it for, from dressings to smoothies, is also saving me extra fat grams.
How Can I Proof My Instant Pot Without Yogurt Button
If your Instant Pot does not have a Yogurt setting, you can try turning on the Keep Warm setting for just a couple of minutes to warm up the pot, then turning it off. Add the ball of dough and close the lid, allowing the residual heat to rise the dough.
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Super Easy Instant Pot Yogurt
Are you looking to make yogurt at home without all the work?
Would you believe me that all it takes to make it is just throwing 4 ingredients in a pot, closing the lid, pushing a button and walking away?
Because thats exactly what I did. AND IT WORKED.. As you can see
This Super Easy Instant Pot Yogurt will yield you a sweet, tangy, creamy and thick concoction that is healthier, cheaper, and super customizable to your taste buds.
Got your attention now?
The secret to this recipe is not only the instant pot but also the ingredients I used.
My Yogurt Didnt Set Why Is It Runny

Even with making homemade yogurt every week, there are still times now and again my yogurt doesnt set and is runny. I used to just throw out the batch, shed a little tear, and start again.
However, Ive now figured out how to avoid it in the first place and a possible way to fix it!
Congratulations! Youre A Total Granola Who Makes Their Own Yogurt!
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