Living in the US, I used to buy yogurt from the store like most people here. It was too creamy for my Indian taste buds. I would always wonder, have they added something to it?? Sure enough…most of the yogurts in the market have gelatin added to make them seem creamier than they really are. Huh…so now what? There are yogurt brands which do claim to be gelatin free and live probiotic and organic.
I was living with them, but only until I started making homemade yogurt. You will never go back to the store bought one after having fresh homemade yogurt. And you might also save some bucks!
When preparing yogurt without the instant pot, it was hard to get it right each time. Especially in the winter when the weather is cold. Sometimes it would not get set properly, would be a bit runny and sticky. But with the instant pot, you take some of the possible uncertainties out.
That said, you can still prepare homemade yogurt if you don’t have Instant Pot. After you have mixed in the starter, place the bowl in an oven with the light on. That has also given me very good results.
This recipe is to make yogurt with the pot-in-pot method. I prefer this, so I can just remove the bowl and refrigerate it. Use whole milk to make yogurt, and you will get a better result. I also prefer to use organic milk, not just for this recipe, but in general. The reasons for that can easily be a separate post.
Try this easy yogurt recipe and Enjoy the taste of real yogurt.
Update: There is another new method to make yogurt in the instant pot, called cold-ingredients or no-boil method. This method does not need boiling and cooling of milk, but requires a specific type of milk which is ultra filtered (Fairlife).
Instant Pot Homemade Yogurt (Pot-in-pot / PIP)
Ingredients
- 4 cups Whole Milk
- 3 tablespoon Starter culture, or any yogurt with live culture
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- Place the wire rack in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour in 1 cup of water and place the milk in a glass bowl on the rack. Close the Instant Pot and set it to “Steam” mode for 1 minutes with vent in sealing position.
- Remove the yogurt culture and keep it at room temperature.
- After the instant pot timer goes off, release the pressure naturally.
- Open the instant pot and let the milk cool down to about 110°F or 43°C, anything in the range from 108-115°F works as well. Approximately it will take an hour to cool down to this temperature. (I used a digital thermometer to check the temperature, until I got used to checking with my finger).
- Mix the yogurt culture and start the instant pot again in “Yogurt” mode. This will automatically set the timer to 8 hours.
- When the timer beeps, yogurt should be ready. Enjoy the yogurt as a side with your meal or as a snack topped with fruit or granola.
Notes
- (Optional) Sanitizing the instant pot to remove any odors: If you do a lot of cooking with spices, you may want to add this step. Add 2 cups of water with a few drops of lemon juice and put the instant pot in steam mode.
- Have the yogurt culture at room temperature when you are ready to mix.
- The temperature when you mix in the starter with the milk is very important. Initially it can be hard to get it right, so you can use a digital thermometer to check the temperature.
- Don’t keep the yogurt in the instant pot for long after the timer beeps, as it might be more sour. Unless you prefer sour yogurt.
I do not have a yogurt button on my pot. Is there another setting?
Hi Kim – I have not tried without the yogurt button. But there are some recipes for that. You can also make yogurt by keeping in the oven with the lights on. Hope that helps!
Hey! I tried this recipe, but my yogurt came out to be really gooey/stringy. Tasted pretty good though! What can I do to correct the texture?
Hi Shambhavi – Sorry to hear the yogurt did not turn out well. I have seen this happen for 2 reasons -1. the starter is not as fresh. Try to use a new box of yogurt with active live cultures as starter 2. The milk was warmer than needed when the culture was added. I hope that helps! I have been using Brown Cow yogurt (shipped by Amazon on prime now) as culture recently and that has worked well.
Can i use store bought whole milk yogurt as starter culture?
Hi Supriya – You can use store bought yogurt with active live cultures. I would also recommend to use a newly opened box when using as a starter.
This method is so easy, and according to my yogurt-eating spouse, it turned out great! He asked to learn :). I hope he sticks with it so that we can stop buying and contributing to plastic trash. I’m going to try the same method with plant-based milk as well and see how that turns out.
So easy to follow your recipe. I did not have a thermometer so just waited for an hour before mixing the culture and starting the process. I now have nice thick and sour yoghurt (just the way I like). Thank you!
Can I use a metal container instead of a glass one?
Cover inner pot with lid or foil so steam does not condense into yogurt.
Hi Lynn – That is a great suggestion. It will work well for the yogurt.
Thank you for the foil tip! Wasn’t sure what to use as I only have plastic covers 🙂
The idea of using the steam function to sanitize the pot is genius! I’ve rinsed with boiling water before and it’s such a pain (literally, if you mess it up). I don’t have a glass bowl that fits in my IP so I used 2 cup Mason jars instead, and sanitized them in the pot. I store my yogurt in them as well, so it also saves me cleaning a bowl.
Hi, I tried to use a mason jar as well but mine broke. Any ideas why? I did try to sterilize the mason jar before using in the IP.
Hi! Just a question so when you are doing the second step … do you still leave that 1 cup water that you had put in the initial step to steam ? Do you still leave the water in yogurt mode as well?
Hi Meera,
I’ll be trying this out on the weekend. Quick question, how long does the yoghurt keep fresh after making it in the pot? Is a week good?
Thanks!
Hi Kiara – yes, it will be good for 4-5 days. I starts getting a bit sour after that. Still good to use, especially to make kadhi 🙂
Hi Suhasini – yes, I leave the water in the pot when in yogurt mode. I would love to hear how your yogurt turned out.
Hi, I made yogurt in my 6 qt ultra.,I tried whole
Milk,boiled milk at high temperature and once it’s cooled (105F to 115F) and incubated on the yogurt setting medium for 8hours,I feel very sourness what should I do to reduce the sour taste? Can I limit the time for incubation 6 hours and temperature also low?
Hi Eliza – yes, you can reduce the incubation time on yogurt setting to 4-6 hours to reduce the sourness. Thank you for sharing back your experience!