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I don’t always make it, but lately, yogurt has been a bit more expensive than normal, so I decided to make some recently. At current prices at my local store, $3.00 half-gallon of whole milk makes somewhere between $10-15 of yogurt (this will vary based upon where you live and shop.) It’s super easy to make it in your Instant Pot® with just a few steps!
(Note: the exact button and settings may vary based on which version of Instant Pot you have. Look in your user manual if you aren’t sure.)
Here’s how to do it:
- Put the milk in the Instant Pot® and press the Yogurt button until it says “Boil.” This process takes about 30 minutes or so and pasteurizes the milk to remove any potential bacteria.
- When it’s done, the screen will change from “Boil” to “Yogurt.” At this point, take off the lid and put the pot in a bowl of ice to cool the milk. You want it to cool to 115 degrees or below before adding any starter culture.
- Once the temp has cooled, add 1 Tbsp of yogurt to the milk and stir it in. This is your starter culture. It’s best to use fresh yogurt here if possible. (Note: you can freeze fresh yogurt in cubes to use for future batches.)
- Next, put it back in the Instant Pot and press the Yogurt button to the 12:00 time. Close the lid and let it do its thing. It likely is ready anytime after 8 hours, depending on how you like it. I decided mine was done after 8:27 because it was time for bed. 😂
- Put in the fridge to cool. To get Greek yogurt, you can take the extra step to strain it through cheesecloth or a reusable filter bag if you want lower/nonfat yogurt. Sometimes we do this, sometimes we don’t. The whey that drains out can be used in baked goods and more, or as some extra protein for your chickens or pets.
- Enjoy!
The yogurt makes great breakfast bowls or overnight oatmeal, smoothies, and more. We often make these freezer smoothie packs for the freezer, which makes it easy to throw together a breakfast smoothie!
We also often use yogurt in our meals in place of buying sour cream, and most often we make things like pizza, flatbreads, and bagels with it (1 cup flour, 3/4 cup yogurt, 2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt.) Time and temp will vary based on what you are making, but we LOVE this recipe.
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