This homemade Instant Pot yogurt recipe is the easiest way to make yogurt. Top this delicious creamy yogurt with crunchy granola and fresh fruit for a healthy and delicious snack or breakfast.
Here at the farmhouse, we use the Instant Pot for everything from hard boiling eggs to making homemade applesauce.
My favorite thing to make with an Instant Pot? Yogurt!
This recipe is so easy to make, is pretty hands off, and the minimal effort gives you amazing results! Once you have made your fresh yogurt, top it with crunchy homemade granola, a drizzle of honey and some fresh berries. It is absolutely delicious.
You can also use this yogurt in other recipes like strawberry yogurt popsicles, Greek yogurt cream cheese, and lemon sourdough pound cake. There are so many ways to use this recipe, and your family is sure to love it!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy -There is very little hands-on time with this recipe. The Instant Pot does all the work and keeps it at a steady temperature for however long you desire.
Delicious – There is nothing quite like a healthy bowl of delicious yogurt, drizzled with honey, and sprinkled with berries.
Inexpensive – You can make a full gallon of yogurt for about the same price as one quart at the store. Plus, I love that we have control over the quality of the ingredients.
Ingredients
Milk – Whole, 2%, skim, and even non-dairy milk like almond milk and coconut milk will work. Whole milk will give you a thicker and creamier yogurt compared to skim milk, and I think that it yields the best results. I also like to make raw milk yogurt, too.
Yogurt Culture – You can use a store-bought yogurt from the grocery store that has live cultures, yogurt starter cultures, or your own yogurt from a previous batch. If you are using yogurt from a previous batch, eventually you will want to start with new cultures again. Typically, I recommend about 4-5 times before starting with new cultures. While you technically can continue to reuse a yogurt starter indefinitely, I find that the results are not consistent and I like to start with a fresh culture after a handful of uses. I like to use these cultures from Cultures for Health.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Instant Pot Yogurt
Step 1: Pour a half gallon of milk into the Instant Pot, and press the “sauté” button.
Step 2: Whisking constantly, allow the milk to rise to 180 degrees. I use a small pocket thermometer to test the temp.
Press “cancel” to turn it off. Allow the milk to cool back down to 115 degrees.
Step 3: Whisk in 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. You can either use store bought, or start with a starter culture.
Step 4: Set Instant Pot for 8-24 hours on the yogurt setting. The longer you ferment the yogurt, the more sour it will become. If you have some issues digesting dairy, I recommend fermenting for 24 hours. Otherwise, 8 hours works just fine and isn’t too sour.
Step 5: When the timer goes off the yogurt is ready.
Step 6: Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate.
Tips
- Instant Pot models will vary. I have found using the sauté and yogurt function together work best for me. You can always refer to the model’s manual to see if there is an alternative option.
- If using yogurt from a previous batch of yogurt, only use about 4-5 times before replacing the culture entirely and using store-bought yogurt to culture your homemade yogurt.
- Don’t use the silicone ring in the Instant Pot, since it tends to harbor smells.
- Reserve some starter yogurt for the next batch of yogurt.
- If using store-bought yogurt as a starter, do not use yogurt that does not contain active cultures or yogurt that is flavored or sweetened.
Recipe FAQs
Milk is heated to destroy bacteria that are present in milk and could compete with the yogurt cultures, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus. If you see these on the label of the yogurt, you will know it has live cultures in it.
Heating changes the structure of the proteins in milk that gel, causing the finished yogurt to have a thick consistency.
You don’t have to heat the milk, but if you want to eat the finished yogurt with a bowl and spoon, it is a good idea. There is a way to make raw milk yogurt with the help of gelatin and some different cultures, not covered in this post.
As far as fermenting time goes, for bowls of yogurt I like to ferment 8 hours. Any longer and my kids say it’s too sour. For smoothies, they can tolerate the 24-hour tangy yogurt. I sweeten it up by blending it with frozen bananas and strawberries.
While you can use store-bought yogurt to make homemade yogurt, I find that commercial freeze-dried starter cultures give better, more consistent results.
If properly stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator, it will last 10-14 days. When my yogurt is all done, I store it in a half gallon mason jar with a plastic lid.
To make a Greek-style yogurt, place a strainer over a bowl and line the strainer with cheese cloth or a tea towel. Transfer the yogurt to the strainer, then allow the whey to strain from the yogurt until the desired thickness is achieved.
More Instant Pot Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Raw Milk Yogurt in the Instant Pot
- The Best Instant Pot Bone Broth
- Beef Carnitas – Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, Or Oven
- How to Make A Whole Chicken In The Instant Pot
- Easy Instant Pot Pot Roast Recipe
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
The Easiest Instant Pot Yogurt Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon milk, we prefer whole milk
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt , or you can use a yogurt starter culture
Instructions
- Pour a half gallon of milk into the Instant Pot, and press the "sauté" button. Whisking constantly, allow the milk to rise to 180 degrees. I use a small pocket thermometer to test the temp.
- Press "cancel" to turn it off.
- Allow the milk to cool back down to 115 degrees.
- Whisk in 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. You can either use store bought, or start with a starter culture.
- Set Instant Pot for 8-24 hours on the yogurt setting.
- When the timer goes off the yogurt is ready.
- Transfer to a storage container and refrigerate.
Notes
- Instant Pot models will vary. I have found using the sauté and yogurt function together work best for me. You can always refer to the model’s manual to see if there is an alternative option.
- If using yogurt from a previous batch of yogurt, only use about 4-5 times before replacing the culture entirely and using store-bought yogurt to culture your homemade yogurt.
- Don’t use the silicone ring in the Instant Pot, since it tends to harbor smells.
- Reserve some starter yogurt for the next batch of yogurt.
- If using store-bought yogurt as a starter, do not use yogurt that does not contain active cultures or yogurt that is flavored or sweetened.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi! So I attempted to make my first batch of Greek yogurt in the instant pot, and it just seems to be slightly warmed up milk. A little bit of tang, but nothing like I thought it would be at all. Even let it be in the instant pot for 14 1/2 hours. I wanted to let it go for the full 24 hours for a gaps diet protocol, but I heard it would be too runny and sour tasting. Is there something that maybe I overlooked or does the instant pot not stay warm enough for it to culture? All I did was hit the yogurt button after I had heated it up and let it cool down to about 110°. Then I walked away. Do I need to hit more for a higher temp or anything? I can’t strain either because it’s just liquid so there’s be nothing to strain:)
Thanks!!
Oh and PS: I didn’t take the silicone ring out and I think there is a slight chicken broth flavor LOL any saving it?
Hi Lisa just wondering have you ever tried to make Greek Yogurt? I am also curious as to why you picked the Medium Flavor “Traditional” Yogurt & not another kind? Was it for health reasons or are you just not a huge fan of Greek Style Yogurt….please let me know I start my yogurt journey next week when I receive my instant pot.
Thanks!
Shannon M.
Does it matter if using organic milk or can I use any kind of milk….trying to be cost effective.
I’m scared to make it how do I know if bad…..I don’t want to poison my kiddos!
Any milk will work!
I live in Mexico and where I am, I can only get lowfat homogenized “fresh supermarket milk” or UHT. With the UHT milk, I’ve had great success, it has never failed so far makes a nice thick yoghurt every time. Using UHT isn’t ideal, but at least I can ferment it and that makes me feel a bit better about it…
I make my yogurt in the instant pot and instead of using sauté button
Add gallon of milk; hit more until it says boil; it’s not really boiling
Just heats milk to 180 degrees…after it’s done cancel the warm setting to off. Let it cool to about 99 deg.
After cooled take milk yogurt and mix with 4-5 oz of plain store bought yogurt and beat together instead small bowl. Then add back into pot and then time it for 8 hours, once done take inside pot to fridge.
When ferment for 24 does the yogurt smell sour, like spoiled milk?
It smells sour, but not like spoiled milk. The cultures keep it from going sour in that way.
I’m allergic to milk. Do you know of a good recipe to make coconut yogurt?
Culture’s for Health has one, and they have a dairy-free vegan starter as well!
Hey!
I’ve been following you for a while now and just got up the courage to make this instant pot yogurt. It turned out so much better than I thought it would after fermenting for 10hrs. My question is, how do you thicken up the yogurt? Mine was still a bit runny and not the normal store bought yogurt consistency. Or is runny the normal for homemade?
Thanks!
Did you just get it out of the pot recently? Because it thickens up after a few hours in the fridge! 🙂
I also didn’t care for how runny the yogurt was, even after cooling in the fridge. My solution was to buy a nut milk bag. I put the yogurt in the bag and hang it over a bowl. You can let it strain to your desired thickness. The bonus is that you also wind up with whey for lacto-fermenting if that’s something that interests you. Here’s a link to the bag I bought. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075HHKJF4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
i tried heating the milk in my instant pot and it separated. I still added the starter and let it ferment for 8 hours. The result was very grainy yogurt. Second attempt: I brought the milk up to 180 degrees on the stove. Again, when I got to about 160 degrees it started to separate into curds and whey. I am wondering 2 things: shall I only take it up to 110 degrees and add the starter? OR wait til the cow has been milking longer? She just freshened a week ago….some people think it is too high in sugar. I am not sure that would change the problem. Isn’t the curdling process about the proteins?
Push the yogurt button then the adjust button until it says “boil”. It will bring the yogurt up to the correct temp without you having to check it. It will beep and then you can either leave it in the IP to cool (it will take a LONG time) or you can take out the pot and put in a bowl of ice water. I usually do this and it takes around 5 minutes to cool down to 110. Then you place it back in the IP and push the yogurt button for the desired time.
Ive been making yogurt for awhile… i think if the milk heats up too fast and/or without stirring it will separate. Try heating slower and stirring softly most of the time. Maybe that will help.
I have the yogurt boil setting on my instant pot but it never gets the milk up to 180f so i just do that part on saute like Lisa.
Can you please answer a question for me, I was wanting to know when you make the oatmeal using 2 cups of oats add the milk and stir then cover. My question is I will be using 2% milk and will it be alright leaving it out all night? I’m worried about spoiling …. please respond …. Thank you for doing your blog I throughly enjoy it….
Hey Becky! Since you are using store milk, maybe just use water instead of the milk. It should be ok, but I’m not 100% sure with pasteurized milk. You could also use coconut milk.
For the oatmeal recipe, you can use coconut milk or water, if you don’t have organic raw milk.
How do you make yogurt in an Insta Pot without the yogurt setting ?
Unfortunately you will need one with the yogurt setting.
There’s recipes that say without a yogurt button you just wrap in a thick towel to trap heat in after it reaches 110-115 degrees and let sit for 8 hours. I’m going to try that because I don’t have one with the yogurt button.
Who knew you could do this? Wow, it looks so easy and so good! This makes me want to add an instapot to my kitchen!
You will love it Julie! So super simple. 🙂
SAME HERE! Hard to believe I don’t already HAVE an instant pot….sigh….I just don’t like all the “gadgets” and prefer ways my ancestors cooked….HOWEVER, I may be getting an instant pot afterall!
Hi I saute milk cooled it down it formed skin so milk cooled to 112 skin broke got it all out aded yogurt starter. Put instant pot on yogurt mode and it went to boil and would not change it got to 180. Question is will that stop the yogurt starter from working?
It may have killed the starter if it got all the way back up to 180. Sorry.
If I did the same thing and accidentally boiled, can i cool down and just add another starter?
Yes!
The yoghurt function has two settings. You likely set it to boil, which is what I use instead of the sauté for this recipe. As it automatically shuts off when the yoghurt reaches boiling.