Instant Pot Yogurt with 2 ingredients. Also how to make yogurt without a yogurt button, Greek yogurt, vanilla yogurt, cream cheese and what to do with leftover whey.
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Instant Pot Yogurt Recipe
Over the past few months, I have made yogurt in Instant Pot at least 10 times. Homemade Instant Pot yogurt comes out just as store bought.
You can strain it further into a super creamy and thick Greek yogurt. Then you can turn some of Greek yogurt into a cream cheese (yes!). And then make the tallest and fluffiest pancakes with leftover whey.
Don’t have a yogurt function on your pressure cooker? No worries, you can make Instant Pot yogurt without a yogurt button. Also turn some into vanilla yogurt. We’ve got it all figured out for you!
Looking for more ideas? Check out my most popular collection of 30 healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Ingredients You Will Need
You need only 2 ingredients:
- 1 gallon of 2% or 3.25% milk.
- 1/4 cup store bought plain yogurt with active bacterial cultures.
How to Make Yogurt in Instant Pot
If you are new to the whole Instant Pot game, check out my Instant Pot guide. If you don’t own one yet but are thinking about buying one, I explain which Instant Pot to buy in my humble opinion.
1. Heat the Milk to 180 degrees F
- Pour milk into the inner pot of your electric pressure cooker.
- Close the lid and set pressure release valve to Venting.
- Press Yogurt button until display reads Boil.
- Milk will take about an hour to heat up and when it’s finished, Instant Pot will beep, turn off and display will say Yogurt.
- Open the lid and using a food thermometer check milk’s temperature. It should be 180 degrees F and higher.
- If it’s not, press Saute button and give the pressure cooker 5-10 minutes to heat the milk further. Check again.
2. Cool the Milk to 110 degrees F
- Remove inner pot with milk and let it cool down either on a counter (3-4 hours) or in a sink filled with cold water (15 minutes) until food thermometer reads 110 degrees F and lower.
- Remove the milk skin on top.
3. Add Store Bought Yogurt
- Add 1/4 cup plain store bought yogurt with active bacterial culture.
- Whisk yogurt milk mixture without touching the bottom (disturbing sticky milk).
4. Let Yogurt Incubate
- Close the lid and leave pressure release valve in any position.
- Press Yogurt button until time counter is displayed and adjust time to 10 hours with + or – buttons.
- After 10 hours, Instant Pot will shut off.
- Insert a spoon in the yogurt and if it’s standing, your yogurt is almost ready.
5. Chill Yogurt and Enjoy!
- Remove only inner pot with a batch of yogurt.
- Chill in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
- To make yogurt completely smooth, whisk it without touching the bottom.
- Divide between glass jars or make Greek yogurt, vanilla yogurt, cream cheese and yogurt whey pancakes (see below).
FAQs and Tips
Can I cut recipe in half? Sure, same instructions.
Can I use almond, coconut, soy etc. milk? No.
Can I use skim milk? No. That will be one untasty yogurt. I have also heard it doesn’t set as well because there is no fat.
Do I have to sanitize the pot and utensils? No, I never did just like with kombucha recipe. Never had an issue.
How much yogurt yields 1 gallon of milk? 8 cups or 64 oz.
My pressure cooker lid smells. Will it affect the yogurt taste?
It won’t but for a peace of mind remove the silicone ring when making yogurt. You need it only for pressure cooking and yogurt is made not using this method.
Do not use any kind of flavored yogurt. Recipe will not work.
Freeze 1/4 cup freshly made yogurt as a starter for next time. In case you are not planning to make yogurt again soon.
My yogurt didn’t set. What did I do wrong?
If you follow the recipe to a T, it shouldn’t happen. Most important points are:
- Yogurt starter with live and active cultures.
- Boil milk to 180 F and higher.
- Cool to 110 F and lower and ONLY THEN add yogurt starter.
I have heard about cold start method. Why you don’t do that?
OK, for cold start method you should use Fairlife ultra pasteurized milk only. After a thorough research, I came to a conclusion it is unhealthy because it contains additives with many nutrients destroyed during extremely high temperatures. Not to mention it’s not available organic and is produced by Coca-Cola company. Got it? It just can’t be good. You can read more.
Is making homemade yogurt in pressure cooker worth it?
Yes and no. Depends how much that jug of milk and the type of yogurt you make cost in your area. For example, in Canada 1 gallon of organic milk costs $9, which yields 8 cups (64 oz) of Greek yogurt, that costs $24 to buy. Plus organic cream cheese I can make which is not sold in Canada, not to mention all that whey you can use instead of buttermilk when making pancakes.
Instant Pot Yogurt without Yogurt Button
Timing is everything with this method.
- In an Instant Pot without yogurt button, add milk, close the lid and set pressure release valve to Venting.
- Press Saute and heat up milk to 180 degrees F or higher. Open the lid and check with a food thermometer periodically.
- In the meanwhile, fill up sink with cold water enough to reach almost the top of the Instant Pot insert.
- Remove inner stainless steel pot with milk and place in a sink and let milk cool until food thermometer reads 110 F and lower. Takes about 15 minutes. Don’t walk away.
- In the meanwhile, press Cancel on Instant Pot and keep lid on to keep it warm. It will become an incubator for yogurt.
- Move pot from the sink to the counter.
- Remove milk skin on top and add store-bought yogurt. Whisk to combine without touching the bottom (disturbing sticky milk).
- Place inner pot inside the Instant Pot, close with the lid, wrap it in large beach towel and leave on a counter overnight.
Tip: Instant Pot should be off and milk still lukewarm, that will ensure proper incubation and favourable environment for live cultures to grow.
How to Make Greek Yogurt
- Line large mesh strainer with cheesecloth folded 4 times or single layer of coffee filters.
- Place on top of a bowl making sure there is enough space for draining the whey.
- Add desired amount of yogurt.
- Strain for 4 hours.
- Greek style yogurt will be thicker along the walls.
- Just stir after adding to a jar.
Tip: Don’t know what to do with all that whey liquid? How about the world’s fluffiest healthy pancakes?!
How to Make Cream Cheese
Cream cheese is longer strained Greek yogurt.
Follow instructions for Instant Pot Greek yogurt and strain desired amount overnight. Then transfer to a glass container and mix with a pinch of salt. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
How to Make Vanilla Yogurt
Whisk 1 cup of finished yogurt with 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract. Adjust to taste and store like other yogurt.
Use Instant Pot Yogurt in These Recipes
- Strawberry yogurt recipe – the best 5 minute healthy dessert EVER!
- Greek yogurt guacamole – guacamole with a protein punch and tang.
- Greek yogurt tartar sauce – so good and guilt free with seafood.
- Avocado Greek yogurt dip – with spicy buffalo hot sauce.
- Healthy spinach dip recipe – as creamy as the classic without loads of mayo.
Did you know we have entire Youtube channel dedicated to healthy Instant Pot recipes and tips? My goal is to help you become confident with your Instant Pot by demonstrating each delicious foolproof recipe in step-by-step videos.
Make sure to subscribe and hit the Bell icon not to miss new videos.
PrintInstant Pot Yogurt
Instant Pot Yogurt with 2 ingredients. Also how to make yogurt without a yogurt button, Greek yogurt, vanilla yogurt, cream cheese and what to do with leftover whey.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Total Time: 10 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 16 cups 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: North American
Ingredients
- 1 gallon milk*
- 1/4 cup plain yogurt**
Instructions
How to Make Instant Pot Yogurt
- In Instant Pot with a yogurt function, add milk, close the lid and set pressure release valve to Venting.
- Press Yogurt button until display reads Boil.
- Milk will take about an hour to heat up and when it’s finished, Instant Pot will beep, turn off and display will say Yogurt.
- Open the lid and using a food thermometer check milk’s temperature. It should be 180 F and higher. If it’s not, press Saute button and give the pressure cooker 5-10 minutes to heat the milk further. Check again.
- Remove inner pot with milk and let it cool down either on a counter (3-4 hours) or in a sink filled with cold water (15 minutes) until food thermometer reads 110 F and lower. Remove the milk skin on top.
- Add yogurt and whisk to combine without touching the bottom (disturbing sticky milk).
- Close the lid and leave pressure release valve in either position.
- Press Yogurt button until time counter is displayed and adjust time to 10 hours with + or – buttons.
- After 10 hours, Instant Pot will shut off.
- Insert a spoon in the yogurt and if it’s standing, your yogurt is ready.
- Remove the inner pot and chill in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
- To make yogurt completely smooth, whisk it without touching the bottom.
- Divide between glass jars or make Greek yogurt, vanilla yogurt, cream cheese and yogurt whey pancakes.
Store: Refrigerate for up to 10 days. Don’t forget to reserve 1/4 cup yogurt starter for next batch (freeze in ice cubes).
How to Make Instant Pot Yogurt without Yogurt Button
Timing is everything with this method.
- In an Instant Pot without yogurt button, add milk, close the lid and set pressure release valve to Venting.
- Press Saute and heat up milk to 180 degrees F or higher. Open the lid and check with a food thermometer periodically.
- In the meanwhile, fill up sink with cold water enough to reach almost the top of the Instant Pot insert.
- Remove inner stainless steel pot with milk and place in a sink and let milk cool until food thermometer reads 110 F and lower. Takes about 15 minutes. Don’t walk away.
- In the meanwhile, press Cancel on Instant Pot and keep lid on to keep it warm. It will become an incubator for yogurt.
- Move pot from the sink to the counter.
- Remove milk skin on top and add store-bought yogurt. Whisk to combine without touching the bottom (disturbing sticky milk).
- Place inner pot inside the Instant Pot, close with the lid, wrap it in large beach towel and leave on a counter overnight. Instant Pot should be off and milk still lukewarm, that will ensure proper incubation and favourable environment for live cultures to grow.
- In the morning, insert spoon in the yogurt. If it’s standing, your yogurt is ready.
- Remove the inner pot and chill in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight.
- To make yogurt completely smooth, whisk it without touching the bottom.
How to Make Instant Pot Greek Yogurt
- Line large mesh strainer with cheesecloth folded 4 times or single layer of coffee filters, place on top of a bowl making sure there is enough space for draining the whey and add desired amount of yogurt.
- Strain for 4 hours or until desired consistency.
How to Make Cream Cheese
- Cream cheese is longer strained Greek yogurt. Follow instructions for Instant Pot Greek yogurt and strain desired amount overnight.
- Transfer to a glass container and mix with a pinch of salt. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
How to Make Instant Pot Vanilla Yogurt
Whisk 1 cup of regular or Greek yogurt with 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey and 1 tsp pure vanilla extract. Adjust to taste and store like other yogurt.
How to Make Whey Yogurt Pancakes
Don’t know what to do with all that whey? Make my healthy pancakes.
Notes
*You can use any refrigerated cow’s milk. I used 3.25% organic because it yields creamy yogurt and is organic.:)
**Use ONLY yogurt with live and active bacterial cultures. They might have a different name. No dairy-free yogurt alternatives.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
hi again, can one use Whey from a previous batch of strained yogurt as the active culture or no? if yes, how fresh does it have to be? also how much would I use?
I believe you have to use yogurt and not whey.
Hi, I’m wondering if I can use a cone coffee filter with filter holder instead of mesh strainer? Will the yogurt still drain enough for Greek yogurt and cream cheese?
Yes I think so. It will be just small amount or you have to do it in batches.
Hi. I just tried making yogurt for the first time. I used a gallon of skim milk and a quarter cup of yogurt. After ten hours with the yogurt function, the yogurt is not firm enough to hold up a spoon. I turned the yogurt function back on and am giving it another 90 minutes. Any other suggestions? Thanks! 🙂
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Yes that’s a good idea. Add more yogurt too. I wonder if it’s a skim milk issue…
I just read you are on VI! Me too , Victoria!
I am, more North from you. 🙂
Hi there fellow Canadian. Being Canadian as you are, I’m more familiar with the metric system. So how much does the yield of 64 oz Greek yogurt produce in grams or kg? It would be easier to compare to commercial products we have on the shelf. Also how many L or mL is a Gallon? Can you consider including these units in future recipes?
Hi Jennifer. So, 1 jug of milk is 1 gallon = 3.74 litres. 1 oz = 28 grams. So, average tub of yogurt in Canada is 500 mg or ml, which is about 17 oz. So you will get almost 4 tubs of yogurt. We are using 3rd party app for recipes and right now they do not offer metric which is very unfortunate. Hopefully it will change soon. Enjoy!
Loved this recipe and the help with my instant pot that does not have a “yogurt button”. It worked great! I did not make the greek yogurt option.The taste is amazing! I did use ultra-filtered skim milk and then added about a 1/4 coffee cream. It came out rich, creamy and the best yogurt I have ever tasted! Thank you! Looking forward to trying greek yogurt and cream cheese.
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You are very welcome Wendy!
I made the yogurt without the yogurt button (wrapping the instant pot in towels overnight), and it worked perfectly! Thanks so much for the great instructions!!
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Has anyone done this at elevation? I followed the recipe exactly and at 10 hours it is still no where near being yogurt . Help ;(
What yogurt did you sue as a starter? And have you changed anything in the recipe? Has nothing to do with elevation as yogurt is not pressure cooked.
Just a plain yogurt with active cultures and an organic milk ?
Hm I wonder if incubation T is not warm enough. Maybe IP was off or not on proper T? Was pot warm outside and inside? I would add more yogurt and turn it on again.
I mean I went from boil with the yogurt button to then 10:00 After I did the cool down and whisk in ? I ended up having to throw it it was like snotty . Will try 1 more time and see what happens
I believe you. Sounds everything right. Try different brand of yogurt as a starter. Should be plain and more natural or organic. Those are good quality and have more cultures. Also make sure IP is on after 10 and countdown is going down. Also try more yogurt as a starter. Good luck!
Hello!
I just want to make sure so I don’t mess this up. Do you chill for the 6 hours and then strain for Greek yogurt? So excited to try this recipe. I have homemade peach preserves to make some peach yogurt for a mix in!
Hi Brooke. Yes, that’s correct. 6 hours are to finalize regular yogurt. And then extra 4 hours to strain more for thicker Greek yogurt. Your peach preserves sound more than amazeballs! Enjoy!
I have some yogurt starter cultures. Do I just add the cultures at the same time you said to add the yogurt?
I am not sure, sorry. I have never tried that.
Hi there! My pot has the SousVide setting so when my milk wasn’t quite to temp I switched over to that and set it at 180 F. Also to get thicker yogurt you can add about 1/4 cup dried skim milk powder. I don’t know why it works, but it does. No additives and it adds calcium. I used to do that when I used the old “countertop” method of making yogurt. Lol. If it’s Calgary in the winter you can cool the pot outside for about 10 minutes before inoculating it. Thank you for the great blog, and I love eating clean too!
Thanks for sharing your tips and you are welcome, Nan.
So for the one without Yogurt button is it 10 hours incubation time? I plan to start mone early one morning so I wont be able to leave it overnight.
10 hours yes.
Just to clarify… Can I use Fat free greek yogurt? Also must it be plain, or can I use vanilla sugar-free? Thank you!
Fat free is ok but has to be plain. Use 3 tbsp per 1/2 gallon of milk. Nonfat yogurt will have quite a bit more liquid on the top than yogurt made with full or reduced fat milk. Just drain it.
Can you explain why you cannot whisk the bottom of the milk to disturb sticky milk? What is sticky milk?
Milk usually sticks to the bottom of the pot. If you whisk that you will have small pieces of that sticky stuff in your milk and yogurt.
Hello, I would like to make cream cheese. Do I make the Greek yogurt first, and then strain that again overnight? Or do I strain my instant pot yogurt only once but overnight?
Thanks!
#2 just strain yogurt overnight or very long haha
While this is straining do I leave it on the counter or the refrigerator? It’s basically milk so I figured probably refrigerator, but that won’t mess anything up right?
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Sorry, I meant straining.
Oh, ok. I fixed it. 🙂
Yes, fridge while straining. No, won’t mess anything because your yogurt is ready.
This turned out perfect. I had my family do a blind taste test of this yogurt versus my regular brand of plain 2% yogurt and the homemade instant pot yogurt was preferred 3 out of 3 times. I won’t be buying yogurt anymore!
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Homemade is best.:) So happy to hear!
Awesome recipe. Worked so easy I halted the recipe to 4 cups.
Question how can I make sour cream?
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So happy to hear, Leslie. Unfortunately sour cream is made with heavy cream.
I do not understand your recipe for making yogurt without yogurt button. You say use steps 1-6 as in the recipe with the yogurt button. That is ghe whole recipe. You mention to follow step 7 with a towell. In the previous recipe there is no step 7. Someghing is not right.
I see why. Sorry about that. I rewrote the recipe to make more clear. 🙂
I made the yogurt yesterday but it only needed 8 hours! Turned out fantastic!! Now about that cream cheese recipe! How much of my just made Greek yogurt do I need to make 16 ozs? Approximately
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Happy to hear! Oh my, I haven’t measured but I would say twice the amount since it is straining for a while.
Hi Olena,
You say to use plain yogurt. Is Greek yogurt ok to use? It has live and active cultures.
Also, you mention using a food thermometer. Does meat thermometer qualify? It’s the only one I have.
Yes and yes. That’s what I used a few times.
My first few batches I always used the saute setting to heat the milk. I didn’t know you could set the yogurt button to boil. I used whole milk and mine turned out fine.
Love this recipe.
★★★★★
Yes you can use saute. Only problem is it probably scirches on the bottom or burns. Whatever you call it.:) Maybe it does.:)
I’ve made yogurt with skim milk plenty of times using a food dehydrator.
I see no reason why you can’t make non-fat yogurt in an instant pot.
Thank you SO much for sharing this recipe! My daughters thought plain was too tangy but we added some pure maple syrup and vanilla extract and IT’S PERFECT!! I can’t wait to make cream cheese and frozen yogurt!
★★★★★
You are very welcome, Kelly Anne. Happy to hear Instant Pot yogurt was a success for you.:)
I just bought a 8 qt. Instant Pot, it’s a 6 in 1 so it doesn’t have a yogurt function. I felt it was a good price at $69.99, but am wondering if I should upgrade to get the yogurt function and any other functions that might be worth the extra money (I haven’t even opened the box) I saw you have the recipe for one that doesn’t have a yogurt function, but am wondering what function you would put it on to bring the milk up to 180 degrees. As you can see I am really new at this and any suggestions would be helpful.
Malina
Hi Malina. To be honest, I use only one button Pressure Cook and sometime Saute. All other button are just pre-programmed with timer and cook the same way.
As for yogurt, it’s simple. You heat the milk with Saute button. Covered or uncovered which is slower.
Great detailed recipe, Thank you. can I boil the milk outside and then pour it into glass container and put that container inside instant pot? Follow the procedure to incubate for 10 hours. Will that work? the reason for this is, I only want less quantity. thank you
Hi Cindy. Yes, for sure. But why don’t you do the same just like I do in the pot with lesser quantity?! It’s OK to cook less in the pressure cooker – same cooking time and results.
I just made my second 1 gallon batch of organic whole milk Greek yogurt and it is the best yogurt I’ve ever eaten. Thank you for the detailed easy to follow instructions. I purchased a Greek yogurt strainer pouch by “Kleynhuis” on Amazon, before I made the first batch and it works very well so I wanted to pass that on.
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You are very welcome, Peggy! Thanks for sharing your hack.
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve just gotten on the instant pot yogurt bandwagon and made a batch yesterday with the ULtra filtered milk…not super crazy about it (and frankly not that much cheaper than buying the Greek yogurt!) so I’ve just started a batch with your recipe. Thanks for the detailed instructions!
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You are very welcome, Lisa!
Made this recipe twice now. The second time with the first batch of yoghurt I made and it was thicker and creamer. Absolutely delicious and so easy. Will never buy store bought again.
Was confused about the measurements at first as there are two variations of what is a gallon and it seemed like a gallon was too much for the instant pot so I did 1/2 gallon of milk (8 cups)and two tablespoons yoghurt first time and I think about 1/4 cup yoghurt second time. Not sure if it was the increased amount of yoghurt or the fact it was from the first batch that made it more creamy and thicker.
I also made some Greek yoghurt from first batch. Fantastic recipe..thankyou! ☺
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Awesome! I think more yogurt makes it more creamy. And also maybe you did different time?! Idk it’s real food so sometimes things turn out not exactly the same each time. 🙂 Enjoy!
Cold Start is not just Fairlife. Fairlife is a brand of ultra filtered UHT milk, but ANY UHT milk can be used for the cold start method. It’s the UHT that makes the milk sterile and shelf stable.
All the Organic milk at my store is UHT, which is why I don’t buy it. It affects the taste. But I may try it for cold start yogurt. Even the non-homgonized grassmilk is UHT pasteurized.
I definitely didn’t dove into the coldstart science deep yet lol. I’m in Canada, so not sure how ours is different…
I just got a recipe and you don’t have to heat it up. I used microfiltered milk – it’s by Neilson called Trutaste. I’m not sure if you have it in BC but we do on the other other side in NS. It worked out well and has less steps then this recipe. Maybe if I have more time I’ll try out yours and see what the difference is.
Once you make a batch can you use that yogurt to make more or do you have to buy the cultured yogurt every time you make it?
It is called cold start method and I won’t be drinking ultra filtered milk anytime soon. Here is more info about this unhealthy milk http://blog.primalpastures.com/uncategorized/coca-colas-fairlife-milk-isnt-fair/ . I would rather buy good organic yogurt if I don’t have time to heat up milk. And actually I do it often.
Yes, you can save and even freeze some yogurt for next batch. No need to buy every time.
Hiya,
I tried your recipe last night, my instant pot has been acting a bit weird lately, so not sure if its the pot or me. When i go to the step where i set it for 10 hours, i have 2 options, the first one the pressure is set to less, but if you hit the yogurt button again it is set at normal. What is yours set to?
thanks for the recipe and the help.
Hi Diana. I’m sorry my reply is so late but I needed a vacation.:) For the future, my IP does the same. I use it with Less and the 1st push of the button. It doesn’t really matter because it is not going to build pressure but rather keep yogurt at a low T for 10 hours.
Turned out perfectly and really appreciate the FAQ section- I had been worried about the smell from sealing ring affecting flavor. I can’t wait to try the pancakes with yogurt whey!
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Yay! I put FAQ section together because let’s face making yogurt isn’t like cooking a pot of soup. However, after 1-2 times it’s so straightforward, you will remember the recipe. Yes, despite all the “scaries” online I haven’t found my sweeter food having savoury taste. It’s not that bad!
Made instant pot yogurt last night following the recipe. Then strained into a Greek yogurt. The best yogurt ever!!! Thank you!!!!
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