Instant Pot Yogurt
Updated: Mar 29, 2022
As a yogurt aficionado, I’m really not sure why I held out on making this for so long. It was EASY as yogurt! two kitchen gadgets make this recipe especially simple to prepare - an instant pot and a digital instant read kitchen thermometer. But if you don’t have an instant pot, you can easily use a large thermos (you’ll want to fill it with warm water prior to adding the yogurt mixture so that the temperature is just right for incubation. Pour the water out and dry thermos before adding the yogurt mixture).
I started by heating whole milk in a large pot, being careful not to allow it to boil or form a skin. I stirred periodically to make sure I was getting an accurate temperature. Once the milk reached 180 degrees Fahrenheit, I removed the pot from the heat and placed it into a large bowl filled with ice (an ice bath is optional, but if you’re pressed for time, this speeds up the process).
Next, I continued to stir periodically to cool the mixture down, while monitoring the temperature until it was down to 110.
At this point, I whisked in the prepared yogurt, just until combined. *Make sure to pick a prepared yogurt that you enjoy the taste of as this will affect the flavor of your yogurt. Once you become a yogurt pro, you can use your own home-made yogurt for this part!
Finally - into the instant pot it went. I hit the YOGURT button, set it for 12 hours, and the rest was history (or really good yogurt!)
Recipe
(yield: about 8 cups)
Ingredients
1/2 gallon whole milk
4 TBSP plain yogurt (use one that you like)
Directions
Place milk in a large pot and heat over moderate heat until it reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit (you can use a candy or digital thermometer). Stir occasionally to prevent skin from forming.
Remove pot from heat and allow milk to cool to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. *You can place pot into an ice bath to speed up cooling process.
Add yogurt to cooled milk, stirring to combine. Pour mixture into metal bowl of instant pot, cover with lid, and press YOGURT setting (approximately 10-12 hours). *Do not disturb during incubation.
Once incubated, cover yogurt and refrigerate. *for a thicker greek style yogurt, place yogurt into a colander lined with cheese cloth. Set over a bowl and let drain in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.
