How To Make Greek Yogurt In Instant Pot

Foolproof Instant Pot Greek Yogurt

How to make yogurt in the Instant Pot (greek yogurt or regular yogurt)

When I purchased my Instant Pot a few years ago I didnt think twice about having the Yogurt function included because I knew I would never make homemade yogurt. Bacteria, fermentation, boil, cool, incubateso much potential room for errorno thanks. However, I finally got up the nerve to give it a try and Im so glad I did!

How Much Yogurt Starter

You will aim for 1 tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt with active live cultures for every quart of organic milk. For each half-gallon of milk, whisk in 2 tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt;

You can use homemade yogurt from your previous batch, but make sure it was freeze or a least it was saved in a separate container with an airtight lid.

Can You Store Fresh Cultures

At that time as we were coming back home for one of the holidays, I wanted to bring some for my mum but was not sure if transporting it in a glass bottle would work, and because of our 5 extra days stopover, I was also not sure if the yogurt will not go old.

So I have gone onto the internet to search how can you dry the culture and found out, that ladies have used soaked pads, which they dehydrated in a dehydrator and then kept in the freezer. I made a few of those and it actually worked. Back in Europe, I just had to redo the yogurt a few times until I was sure it is properly made and gave the culture to my mum.;

She uses it until now, gave it to all of her friends, and just in case one of them runs out, they just exchange the cultures again and again.;

I have since stopped making it daily because none of my family wanted them anymore and I could not keep eating it just to keep the culture alive. So again did few dehydrated pads, which are kept in the freezer for when I need them. Or the easiest, just go and visit my mum and take some from her.

And why am I writing this now?

This process reminds me of something similar to what Instant pot makes.;

When I have got the Instant Pot for Christmas, yogurt was the first thing I have tried to make. Normally you should get the best bio yogurt with live cultures you can find for the best outcome and thats exactly what I would suggest doing.

Tips On How To Make Yogurt In The Instant Pot

Read through the entire post and follow all of the recipe instructions. This is the type of recipe where the directions sound so specific and its all for a reason!

If you are making this for the first time purchase a starter culture. After youve made the yogurt for a few times and have a feel for it you can start saving a tablespoon of yogurt to make new batches, but wait to do that until youve got the hang of making yogurt.

Clean all your utensils and cookware;and anything else you are going to use with hot soapy water, or place in the dishwasher. Generally speaking whenever you are fermenting food you want to make sure your cookware and utensils are sanitary so you dont encourage the growth of bad bacteria. We also remove the inner seal from the Instant Pot lid because it has a tendency to hold on to odors, and they will definitely transfer to the yogurt.

Use an instant read thermometer to make sure you have the correct temperature when heating up the milk and cooling it down so you dont accidentally kill the starter culture by placing it in liquid too hot. If you dont have an instant read thermometer make sure the milk is warm, but not hot by pickup up a couple of drops and putting them on your inner wrist. If it feels very warm its likely too warm for the bacteria.

Tools we used to make this recipe:

Instant Pot

Tips And Tricks For Instant Pot Yogurt

Sterilize the Instant Pot. This helps to remove any odors from prior Instant Pot meals. You dont want your yogurt tasting like my Competition Chili con Carne recipe, would you?

Placing the;cooking pot;in fridge after sterilizing will help to prevent the;milk from scorching during the boil cycle.

During the boil cycle, stir the milk before taking the temperature, to avoid hot spots and insure an inaccurate reading.

You will get thicker yogurt when the milk;reaches 182-185 degrees.

Cooling down the milk in a sink full of cool water is preferred over an ice bath.

Check that your Instant Pot is on the Normal setting during incubation not Less.

Yogurt needs several hours in the fridge to set up, so dont be tempted to stir.

The starter can be frozen. Only freeze enough for a couple of weeks.;You should never need to purchase Starter again so long as the frozen starter is used within a few weeks.

Yogurt is great in place of sour cream. Greek yogurt is higher in protein and lower in sugar because of the straining.

After Chilling in the Fridge, the Spoon will Stand Upright

The Instant Pot Yogurt will be thick at this point and ready to eat.

Fresh fruit, Agave and a sprinkle of Orange Ginger Pecan Granola makes a delicious Parfait.

Straining Yogurt Makes it Greek Style

Yogurt that has not been strained is just regular yogurt.;Strained yogurt is called Greek Yogurt.

Read Also: How To Meal Prep With Instant Pot

Pro Tip: How To Strain Greek Yogurt

Now when you finish making the recipe, you will have yogurt. From all the reading, what makes it Greek Yogurt is the straining of the whey out of the yogurt. Both ways were good for me, but I preferred to strain to get a thicker yogurt. It just felt creamier, and in my mind, had a richer taste.; Any yogurt experts out there? Anything else to add as to the difference between yogurt and Greek yogurt? Please share if so!

For the straining, I used cheesecloth. I folded it and lined a strainer, letting the whey drip out. I did this for about 4 hours. You could also use coffee filters. Cheaper than cheesecloth and will do the same job. The;Euro Cuisine GY50 Greek Yogurt Strainer;is a bit fancy and will definitely do the job. But if you have a simple strainer basket, it works fine. There are all kinds of special yogurt strainers out there, but I already had this, and it worked fine.

Incubating Instant Pot Yogurt

Incubating the yogurt for 8-10 hours will give you a tart, but not overly sour yogurt.
For a milder tasting yogurt, try incubating for 6-8 hours. For a more tart yogurt, incubate longer.

The longer incubation time, the more beneficial bacteria in the yogurt is produced.

It is a good idea to start the yogurt process in the evening. While you are sleeping, the yogurt can incubate.

Pro Tip: For yogurt that is lower in carbohydrates, incubate for 12-14 hours and then strain the yogurt for 4-12 hours. This will greatly reduce the sugar from the milk.

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The Caspian Sea Yogurt

The first time I have started making yogurt at home was when we moved to Doba, Qatar. There was not really a big choice and especially to me they all were either filled up with additional carbs or very sour to my taste.

At that time existed a group of ladies, which were exchanging different varieties of healthy ingredients, which were not freely available in town. Either someone always brought a full suitcase from overseas, or they just made homemade goodies at home and then shared them with each other.;

That was the first time I have got to use kombucha, Kefir Grains, tried raw cocoa nibs, and as well the fresh yogurt culture directly from Caucas.;

The Caspian Sea Yogurt as it is called in Japan but also called Matzoon was brought and taken care of by one of the ladies and it is known as yogurt containing the best cultures from the whole world, because of the healthy nature of the whole Caucasus and its Klima.;

Caspian Sea Yogurt;is as famous and popular as from all of the types of Honey is Manuka Honey from New Zeland.;

How To Make Greek Yogurt In The Instant Pot

Easy Instant Pot greek yogurt recipe you will love!

STEP 1. Add ORGANIC or any ultra-pasteurized milk and PLAIN Greek yogurt with live cultures to the instant pot.

STEP 2. Whisk yogurt and milk together in the Instant Pot line. You can also whisk the yogurt starter with 1 cup of milk in a small bowl then pour it into the rest of the milk you are using to make the homemade yogurt.

STEP 3. Place a glass lid that fits on the pot or use a piece of kitchen paper towel and a plate to cover the pot.

STEP 4. Press the YOGURT button and the + or – button to choose 8-12 hours. Make sure the yogurt setting says NORMAL. .

If you set it for 8 hours, the yogurt will be less tangy than 12 hours. I like to set 10 hours when making a haft gallon of milk and 12 hours when making a gallon of milk, and I havent found any difference with tanginess.

STEP 5. When the yogurt is done, the screen of the instant pot says YOGURT. Remove the plate and discard the kitchen paper towel. At this point, you can transfer the inner pot to the fridge and strain letter or start the straining process immediately.;

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What Kind Of Yogurt To Add To The Milk When Making Yogurt

Make sure the yogurt has actual live cultures in it, not stabilizers and other weird ingredients. You can use store-bought yogurt . There are also cultures that you can buy and once youve made your own yogurt, you can use that to make yogurt and have a never ending supply.

When I make yogurt using the ultra filtered milk, I use one jar of Vanilla Oui yogurt.;

Homemade Instant Pot Greek Yogurt

I love Greek yogurt. My kids love it, too, and for whatever reason, they like it plain and tangy, which I call a mom win since I dont have to add loads of sugar and things to get them to eat it. As a bonus, Greek yogurt is fantastic in so many different things, and when I make it at home, I get the added benefit of having all the yogurt whey to do things with as well!;

If you have an Instant Pot, its a cinch to make your own yogurt from scratch as well. It only requires two ingredients and time, and you can make as much as your Instant Pot can hold. If you have one of the pots with the Yogurt setting, its a simple matter of figuring out your preferred level of incubation after some trial and error. Then you can keep making your own yogurt over and over again!;

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Why Make Yogurt With An Instant Pot

Yogurt technically isnt cooked. Its incubatedwhich means it’s held at a constant warm temperature . This encourages desirable, heat-happy bacteria to be fruitful and multiply.

An Instant Pots programming keeps the temperature right in that target zone, eliminating a bunch of potential issueslike stringy yogurt caused by too-warm temperatures.

New to the Instant Pot? Check out our post How To Use an Instant Pot: A First-Timers Guide.

Instant Pot Cold Start Greek Yogurt

Don’t forget to share it!

Instant pot cold start yogurt is so easy to make with only 2 ingredients you get the thicker and creamier yogurt you ever have.

Instant pot cold start yogurt is what I make regularly.

Since my son has tried my homemade yogurt, he doesn’t want more yogurt,;from the store, and I will not blame him, because the taste is richer and creamier. Both of my kids love plain greek yogurt as much as I do.

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Why Make Your Own Yogurt

Making yogurt can be intimidating, I get it. But once you try it, youll never go back to store-bought. Homemade Greek yogurt has a much cleaner, fresher taste and costs a fraction of the price. Youre also able to control the quality of ingredients and know exactly what is in your yogurt.

Yes, it takes a full day to make but the work is being done for you while you sleep, work and play. You only need 5-10 minutes of hands-on time while your Instant Pot and fridge do the rest.

Instant Pot Keto Cold Start Greek Yogurt

Categories Breakfast, Recipes, Soup-Sauces-Dips

Home » Recipes » Instant Pot Keto Cold Start Greek Yogurt

Perfectly easy to make this homemade Instant Pot Keto Cold Start Greek Yogurt is done in no time using your one and only Instant Pot. Soft, rich, creamy extremely tasty, and a big part of our Low Carb living, this gluten-free, diabetic-friendly, and healthy Greek yogurt could be used for cooking, baking, breakfast, dinners, whatever you desire to.

With Instant Pot, you do not ever have to be worried about not boiling it, not cooking it, trying to look for a yogurt starter, or spending endless amounts;on the healthiest greek yogurts on the market.;

Also Check: How To Convert Slow Cooker Recipe To Instant Pot

Flavoring Instant Pot Yogurt

If you want to flavor your homemade yogurt with Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Beans, it can be added when the yogurt starter is added.

Sugar and sweeteners are best added after the yogurt has chilled.

Pro Tip: The bacteria in the yogurt needs to work without fighting with any sugar.

Cooled Down Milk with Starter

The milk will look bubbly, which is fine. The milk is ready to incubate to become yogurt in the Instant Pot.

Push the Yogurt Button, then Adjust to the Time You Prefer

This;glass lid is nice to use since the yogurt is not under pressure.;The regular lid works well too!

Making Instant Pot Yogurt Without The Button Or Ninja Foodi Yogurt

INSTANT POT: Homemade Plain (Greek) Yogurt

These directions work for making Ninja Foodi yogurt and Instant Pot yogurt without the button

Pour in the milk and heat until it is 180-190 degrees using the keep warm setting. This can take around 30-45 minutes.

Once hot to 180 remove and place on a cooling rack. Then you will let it cool to 115 degrees.

Remove 1 cup and mix with 3-4 tablespoons yogurt. Then mix well and then incorporate with the remaining mixture.

Place back in the Instant Pot. Place a towel over the top and then place your Instant Pot lid on top of the towel.

Let it sit for 8 hours, the pressure cooker will be off at this time. But with the towel, it will act as an incubator to transform into yogurt.

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Five: Whisk In A Yogurt Starter

Use either prepared yogurt or a yogurt starter and whisk into your prepared milk.
It is important to note that if using prepared yogurt you need to be sure it is plain yogurt with live and active cultures.

If your starter is sweetened or does not have live cultures, making yogurt at home will NOT work!

Ingredients In Greek Yogurt

Milk For me, I found the best kind of milk to work with was the;Horizon Organic Whole Milk brand, whole milk.
Yogurt I favored the tangy taste that I got from the Chobani whole milk Greek yogurt. We tried Fage, Dannon, and Chobani starters. Whichever one you decide to use MUST HAVE active live yogurt cultures in the ingredient list. Those little cultures are your starter, and without them, you will not be making yogurt.

Fruit Pureed fruit can add lots of flavor to greek yogurt. Use your favorite fresh berries or a blend of fresh fruit.
Granola This optional topping has a nice crunch!

What Kind Of Milk Should I Use

The milk mixture you use is important. Whole milk will produce a thicker and creamier yogurt and is preferred. Skim milk just doesnt have the fat content that whole milk does and will need additional ingredients. Ive only made yogurt with this kind of dairy, so I cant give details on anything else.

Make Frozen Greek Yogurt

Once I had the yogurt I loved, then what else could I do with it? I love fruit in my yogurt, so I whipped up some fruit purees and started adding. Im now experimenting with some no-bake cakes and a few other things.

I decided a great way to use some of my yogurt to make these yogurt pops. And here is the thing, remember, they are frozen. You dont take an ice cube out of the freezer and bite it in half, do you? Take these out of the freezer and let them soften a few minutes before trying to eat. The key is to keep them thin and not make huge pops. The image you see of the pops is a half-filled baking cup. These are on the verge of too thick.

I also learned that the;Wilton Silicone Baking Cups;are so much better to work with than paper cupcake liners. The paper liners were hard to get off the frozen pop. Once they thawed enough to remove all the paper, then I could just put them in a bowl and eat with a spoon. I made granola for my yogurt pops, but any granola you love will work for this recipe.

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