Creamy Instant Pot Yogurt

Creating your own creamy, delicious Instant Pot Yogurt at home is surprisingly simple, incredibly rewarding, and wonderfully budget-friendly. Forget store-bought versions filled with added sugars and preservatives; with just two basic ingredients and your trusty Instant Pot, you can whip up a fresh batch that’s perfect for breakfast, snacks, or even baking. This comprehensive guide will walk you through every step, ensuring you achieve perfect, wholesome homemade yogurt every time.

A small glass jar filled with creamy homemade Instant Pot yogurt, garnished with fresh berries and granola, set on a rustic gray board.

Why Make Instant Pot Yogurt at Home? The Magic of Your Pressure Cooker

The Instant Pot has revolutionized home cooking, proving its versatility extends far beyond stews and roasts. When it comes to making homemade yogurt, it truly shines, transforming a once complex process into a virtually hands-off experience. The built-in “Yogurt” function on many models provides the precise temperature control needed for both boiling and incubating, which are critical steps for successful yogurt making. This means no more babysitting a pot on the stove or struggling to maintain a consistent temperature in your oven.

Beyond the convenience, making Instant Pot yogurt offers several compelling benefits:

Budget-Friendly: Commercial yogurt can be expensive, especially for organic or specialized varieties. Making it at home significantly cuts down on costs, requiring only milk and a small amount of starter yogurt.
Control Ingredients: You dictate what goes into your yogurt. No added sugars, artificial flavors, thickeners, or preservatives. This is perfect for those with dietary restrictions or who prefer a cleaner diet.
Freshness and Flavor: Enjoy yogurt at its peak freshness. The flavor of homemade yogurt is often richer and more nuanced than store-bought options.
Customize to Your Liking: Adjust the fat content, thickness, and flavor profile to suit your personal preferences. Want thick Greek yogurt? Simply strain it. Prefer it less tart? Adjust the incubation time.
Sustainable: Reduce plastic waste from single-serving yogurt cups.

The process leverages the power of active cultures, beneficial bacteria that ferment the lactose in milk, turning it into thick, tangy yogurt. The beauty is, you only need to buy a store-bought plain yogurt with live active cultures once. After that, you can use a few tablespoons of your homemade yogurt to culture subsequent batches, creating a continuous, self-sustaining supply!

Essential Ingredients for Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt

You’ll be amazed that such a creamy, delightful food requires so few ingredients. For this easy yogurt recipe, you only need two core components:

Milk: The foundation of your yogurt.
- Whole Milk: Recommended for the creamiest, thickest yogurt with the richest flavor. It contains more fat, which contributes to a luxurious texture.
- Reduced-Fat (2%) or Skim Milk: Can be used, but will result in a thinner yogurt. If using skim milk, you might consider adding a tablespoon of powdered milk per cup of liquid milk to slightly increase the protein content, which can help with thickness.
- Ultra-Pasteurized (UHT) Milk: While regular pasteurized milk is ideal, UHT milk can work. However, UHT milk has already been heated to very high temperatures, which can sometimes result in a slightly different texture or a longer incubation time. You might be able to skip the initial “boil” step if using UHT milk, but heating it to 180°F is still recommended to ensure protein denaturation for a thicker final product.
- Non-Dairy Milks: Making non-dairy yogurt in an Instant Pot is possible but often requires additional thickeners (like agar-agar or tapioca starch) and specific non-dairy starter cultures. This recipe focuses on dairy milk.
Yogurt with Live Active Cultures (Starter Yogurt): This is your inoculum, providing the necessary bacteria to transform the milk.
- Ensure the label explicitly states “live active cultures.” Brands that contain specific probiotic strains are excellent choices.
- Use plain, unflavored yogurt. Flavored yogurts contain sugars and other additives that can interfere with the fermentation process.
- A small amount, typically 2-3 tablespoons, is all you need to start a gallon of milk.

The interior of an Instant Pot with milk being poured into its stainless steel insert, ready for homemade yogurt preparation.

Step-by-Step Guide to Instant Pot Yogurt Making

Follow these detailed instructions to create consistently perfect Instant Pot yogurt:

Preparation and Boiling the Milk

1. Cleanliness is Key: Before you begin, ensure your Instant Pot inner pot and lid, along with any utensils you’ll be using, are sparkling clean. Any lingering odors or residues from previous meals can affect the taste of your yogurt. A trick is to use a separate sealing ring specifically for yogurt and other non-savory dishes.
2. Add Milk to Pot: Carefully pour your chosen milk (e.g., ½ gallon whole milk) into the stainless steel insert of your Instant Pot.
3. Initiate the Boil Cycle: Secure the lid on your Instant Pot. Press the YOGURT button repeatedly until the display shows “boil.” This setting will heat the milk to the ideal temperature for sterilization and protein denaturation. The Instant Pot will then automatically begin its half-hour boiling cycle.
4. Verify Temperature: Once the “boil” cycle completes (the display might show “yogt” or beep), carefully remove the lid. Using a reliable kitchen thermometer, check the temperature of the milk. It should read at least 180°F (approximately 82°C). This step is crucial for killing any undesirable bacteria that could compete with your yogurt cultures and for denaturing milk proteins, which helps create a thicker yogurt.

Cooling and Adding the Starter

5. Cool the Milk: Carefully remove the hot inner pot containing the milk from your Instant Pot base. Now comes the cooling phase. You can either let it cool naturally at room temperature, which can take a couple of hours, or speed up the process by placing the inner pot into an ice-water bath in your sink. Stir the milk occasionally for faster, more even cooling. You must cool the milk down to between 105°F and 115°F (40°C-46°C). This temperature range is critical for the active cultures to thrive; milk that is too hot will kill them, and milk that is too cold will prevent them from activating properly.
6. Temper the Yogurt Starter: While the milk is cooling, take your plain yogurt starter out of the fridge. In a small bowl, combine the 3 tablespoons of yogurt with about ¼ cup of the cooled milk (once it’s reached the target temperature). Stir gently until smooth. This “tempers” the starter, bringing it closer to the milk’s temperature and ensuring it blends seamlessly without clumping when added to the larger batch.
7. Introduce the Starter: Once the milk in the Instant Pot insert is within the 105-115°F range, add the tempered yogurt mixture. Stir it in thoroughly but gently, ensuring the cultures are evenly distributed throughout the milk.

Incubation and Chilling

8. Prepare for Incubation: If you used an ice-water bath for cooling, make sure to wipe the bottom and sides of the Instant Pot insert completely dry before placing it back into the Instant Pot base. Any moisture can interfere with the appliance’s sensors.
9. Start Incubation: Place the lid back on the Instant Pot (you don’t need to seal it, just set it on top). Press the YOGURT button again. This time, you will likely see a default incubation time, usually 8:00 (for 8 hours). You can adjust this time using the “+” or “-” buttons if your Instant Pot has them. For a milder yogurt, 8 hours is usually sufficient. For a tangier, thicker yogurt, you can go up to 10-12 hours. The Instant Pot will maintain a warm, consistent temperature ideal for the cultures to ferment the milk. Note that during incubation, the display will count UP, unlike pressure cooking which counts down.
10. Chill and Store: Once the incubation cycle is complete, the Instant Pot will beep. Carefully remove the inner pot. At this stage, the yogurt will be warm and still quite liquid. It’s crucial not to stir it yet. Let the yogurt cool down to room temperature on your counter, then transfer it to airtight containers or individual jars. Place them in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4-6 hours, or preferably overnight. Chilling stops the fermentation process and allows the yogurt to thicken further, resulting in that delightful creamy consistency.

What if My Instant Pot Doesn’t Have a Yogurt Button?

Don’t worry if your Instant Pot model lacks a dedicated “Yogurt” button! You can still make delicious homemade yogurt by manually controlling the heating and incubation temperatures. Here’s how:

1. Heat the Milk: Pour the milk into your Instant Pot inner pot. Use the “Saute” function on normal or medium setting to bring the milk to a boil (180°F or 82°C). Stir frequently to prevent scorching at the bottom. Alternatively, you can heat the milk on the stovetop in a separate pot.
2. Maintain Warmth for Sterilization (Optional, if not boiling directly): If your goal is just to warm the milk without boiling, you could use the “Keep Warm” setting for about 40-45 minutes, but for yogurt, boiling to 180°F is highly recommended. The “Saute” method is more direct.
3. Cool the Milk: Remove the pot from the Instant Pot base and cool the milk to 105-115°F (40-46°C). Use an ice-water bath to speed this up, or allow it to cool naturally. Remember to wipe the pot dry if using an ice bath before returning it to the Instant Pot.
4. Incubate Manually: Once the milk is at the correct temperature and you’ve stirred in your starter yogurt, place the pot back into the Instant Pot base. Close the lid (not locked). Use the “Keep Warm” setting on its lowest possible temperature. Modern Instant Pot models usually have a low temperature setting for “Keep Warm” that might hover around the ideal incubation temperature. You can test this with a thermometer if unsure.
5. Monitor & Check: Allow it to incubate for 8-12 hours. Since there’s no “Yogurt” display, you’ll need to monitor the time yourself. After 8 hours, check for firmness and tanginess. Proceed with chilling as in the regular instructions.

Expert Tips for Perfect Instant Pot Yogurt

Achieving creamy, delicious DIY yogurt consistently is easy with these insider tips:

Seal Ring Sanity: The silicone sealing ring in your Instant Pot can absorb odors from savory dishes. If your ring smells like chili or curry, your yogurt might too! Invest in a separate seal ring specifically for yogurt and desserts to prevent unwanted flavors.
Active Cultures are Non-Negotiable: Always double-check your starter yogurt’s packaging to ensure it contains “live active cultures.” Without them, your milk won’t ferment into yogurt.
Save Your Starter: Once you’ve made a successful batch, save a few tablespoons of your fresh homemade yogurt to use as a starter for your next batch! This is not only economical but also ensures a consistent culture. You can even freeze small portions of homemade yogurt to use as a starter later.
Thermometer is Your Best Friend: A reliable kitchen thermometer is crucial. It ensures the milk reaches at least 180°F (82°C) during the initial boil to kill off any unwanted bacteria and denature proteins, and then cools precisely to 105-115°F (40-46°C) before adding the starter. These temperatures are absolutely critical for activating the cultures without killing them.
Cooling is Critical: Make absolutely sure the milk cools to 105-115°F (40-46°C) BEFORE you add the yogurt starter. Higher temperatures will kill the delicate active cultures, resulting in runny, unfermented milk.
Incubation Display: While the yogurt incubates, observe your Instant Pot’s display. It will typically count up the hours, which is different from the countdown timer used for pressure cooking.
Fat Content Matters: The type of milk you use will directly impact the final consistency. Lower fat milk (2% or skim) will yield thinner yogurt, while whole milk produces a rich, thick product.
Don’t Stir After Incubation: Resist the urge to stir the yogurt immediately after the incubation cycle. It will still be somewhat delicate and stirring prematurely can result in a thinner consistency. Let it cool and chill first.
For Greek Yogurt: If you prefer a thick, rich Greek-style yogurt, simply strain your finished yogurt. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place it over a bowl. Pour the yogurt in and let it drain in the refrigerator overnight. The liquid collected in the bowl is whey, which can be used in smoothies, baking, or even fermented beverages.
Sweeten After: Do not add sweeteners (sugar, honey, maple syrup) or flavorings before or during the incubation process. They can interfere with the bacterial fermentation. Always add them to your finished, chilled yogurt.

Recipe FAQs: Your Instant Pot Yogurt Questions Answered

How can I sweeten homemade Instant Pot yogurt?

I highly recommend not adding any sweeteners until after the yogurt is fully incubated and chilled. Sweeteners can affect the fermentation process. Once your yogurt is ready, you can stir in honey, maple syrup, fruit jams, sweet sauces, vanilla extract, a pinch of stevia, or any other flavorings you desire. This allows you to customize each serving to your exact preference.

What’s the best way to store homemade yogurt?

Proper storage is key to extending the shelf life of your homemade yogurt. I recommend storing it in clean, airtight containers with lids. Small glass jars with lids are excellent for individual servings and meal prep. For kids, you can even find reusable squeeze tubes (available on Amazon) that are perfect for yogurt on the go. Always keep dairy products, including homemade yogurt, in the refrigerator.

How long does homemade Instant Pot yogurt last in the fridge?

When stored correctly in airtight containers in the refrigerator, homemade Instant Pot yogurt typically lasts for about 1 to 1.5 weeks. Always use your senses: if it smells off, has visible mold, or has an unusual texture, it’s best to discard it.

My yogurt came out too thin, what went wrong?

Several factors can lead to thin yogurt. The most common reasons include: 1) The milk wasn’t heated to 180°F (denaturing proteins helps thicken). 2) The milk wasn’t cooled to the correct temperature (too hot kills cultures, too cold makes them inactive). 3) The starter yogurt didn’t have live active cultures, or not enough was used. 4) The incubation time was too short. Using whole milk will also yield a naturally thicker yogurt than skim milk.

Can I use powdered milk for a thicker yogurt?

Yes, absolutely! Adding 1/4 to 1/2 cup of non-fat dry milk powder per half-gallon of liquid milk can significantly increase the protein content, resulting in a noticeably thicker and creamier yogurt. Stir it into the cold milk before starting the boiling cycle.

Four small glass jars of Instant Pot yogurt with various toppings like berries, nuts, and honey, displayed on a wooden board.

Serving Suggestions and Culinary Uses for Homemade Yogurt

Homemade Instant Pot yogurt is incredibly versatile! Enjoy it plain for its natural tangy flavor, or dress it up to create a variety of delicious meals and snacks:

Breakfast Delight: Serve with fresh fruit (berries, bananas, peaches), a sprinkle of crunchy granola, a drizzle of honey or maple syrup, or a spoonful of your favorite fruit jam.
Smoothies: It’s the perfect base for healthy and refreshing smoothies. Blend with your favorite fruits, a handful of spinach, and a splash of milk or juice.
Savory Applications: Use it as a base for creamy dips (like tzatziki), salad dressings, or as a cooling counterpoint to spicy dishes. It can also be a substitute for sour cream in many recipes.
Baking: Incorporate yogurt into muffins, quick breads, cakes, and pancakes for added moisture and a tender crumb. It works wonders in recipes like banana bread or lemon poppy seed muffins.
Desserts: Layer with fruit and granola for a simple parfait, or use it to make lighter versions of cheesecakes or frozen yogurt.

More Instant Pot Recipes to Explore

Once you discover the magic of your Instant Pot for yogurt, you’ll want to explore all the other incredible dishes it can create. From quick breakfasts to easy dinners, your pressure cooker is a true kitchen workhorse. Don’t forget to check out these other fantastic Instant Pot recipes:

Instant Pot Oatmeal

Instant Pot Jam

Instant Pot Breakfast Egg Casserole

Instant Pot Hard Boiled Eggs

For even more innovative recipes utilizing your digital pressure cooker, feel free to browse our Instant Pot Category. If you’re new to the world of Instant Pot cooking, be sure to check out my Instant Pot Guide for Beginners, packed with all the essential information to help you get started with confidence. And if you ever encounter the dreaded “BURN” message on your IP, my Instant Pot Burn Message post will provide clarity on why it happens and how to save your dish!

Decorative divider line with a spoon and whisk icon.

Making Instant Pot Yogurt is a game-changer for anyone looking for a healthier, more economical, and customizable alternative to store-bought options. With just a few simple steps and your Instant Pot, you’ll be enjoying fresh, creamy yogurt that rivals the best you can buy. Give this recipe a try and experience the satisfaction of homemade goodness!

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe and decide to make it, I would love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below. Your feedback helps others discover and enjoy this fantastic recipe too!

Instant Pot Yogurt

Author:
Anna

This Instant Pot Yogurt recipe is easy, budget-friendly, and absolutely delicious! Serve it with fruit, granola, or use to make desserts or muffins and breads.

Prep Time
5 mins

Cook Time
9 hrs

Total Time
9 hrs 5 mins

Course
Breakfast

Cuisine
American

Servings
8 cups

Calories
149 kcal

Ingredients

½ gallon milk (8 cups, whole milk recommended)
3 tablespoons plain yogurt (with live active cultures)

Instructions

Pour the milk into the Instant Pot inner pot.
Close the lid. Press the YOGURT button, then press “Adjust” until the display shows “boil”. The Instant Pot will heat the milk for approximately 30 minutes. It will indicate “yogt” when done.
Once the cooking cycle is complete, carefully remove the lid. Use a kitchen thermometer to check the temperature of the milk. It should read at least 180 degrees F (82°C).
Remove the inner pot with milk and set it aside to cool. You can significantly speed up this cooling process by placing the pot in an ice-water bath in your sink. Cool the milk to between 105 degrees F and 115 degrees F (40°C-46°C).
In a small bowl, place the 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt. Add ¼ cup of the cooled milk from your Instant Pot and stir until smooth and well combined. Add this mixture to the remaining milk in the Instant Pot and stir gently to ensure the starter cultures are evenly distributed.
If you used an ice-water bath, ensure the bottom and sides of the inner pot are completely dry before returning it to the Instant Pot base.
Place the inner pot back into your Instant Pot. Close the lid (do not seal). Press the YOGURT button until it displays your desired incubation time (e.g., 8:00 for 8 hours). The Instant Pot will automatically set to its normal temperature for incubation.
Once the incubation cycle is complete, remove the pot with yogurt and set it aside to cool to room temperature. Do not stir it at this stage. Once completely cooled, transfer the yogurt to clean jars or airtight containers with lids and refrigerate to chill thoroughly for at least 4-6 hours, or overnight, before serving.

Notes

For Greek Yogurt: If you desire a thicker, Greek-style yogurt, line a colander with several layers of cheesecloth and place it over a large bowl. Pour the finished, chilled yogurt into the cheesecloth and let it drain in the refrigerator overnight. The longer it drains, the thicker it will become.
Nutrition Disclaimer: The nutritional values provided are estimates and can vary based on the specific products (e.g., type of milk, yogurt starter) you use. Always use a calorie counter or nutritional calculator you are familiar with for precise information.
Total Time: Please note that the “Total Time” listed does not include the additional chilling time in the refrigerator, which is essential for the yogurt to set properly.

Nutrition