by Stacie

If you have an Instant Pot in your kitchen, you’ve likely discovered the 1001 ways to make mealtime easier and more efficient. But have you ventured into Instant Pot yogurt making?

Making yogurt in the Instant Pot is even easier than making yogurt in a yogurt maker. Here’s how it’s done:

Step 1: Clean Your Instant Pot Just to be safe, clean your instant Pot first by steaming 1 cup of water for 1 minute with the vent sealed. Steaming kills off any bacteria that may be hanging around, even after washing your insert. While making yogurt is not a sensitive process, it’s always a good idea to use clean equipment, to avoid contaminating your culture.

Step 2: Heat the Milk Just like making yogurt on the stovetop or in a yogurt maker, you’ll need to heat the milk first. The beauty of the Instant Pot is that you don’t need to use a pot and your stovetop. The appliance does it all! Simply pour your favorite milk into the insert, seal the vent, and push the Yogurt button. Adjust to Boil to heat the milk. Heating the milk beforehand makes the finished yogurt nice and thick.

Step 3: Cool the Milk and Add Starter Make sure to cool the milk down to 110ºF before adding the yogurt starter, either a powdered starter culture or some yogurt from your previous batch.

Step 4: Make Yogurt! Once you’ve added the yogurt starter to your cooled milk, place the insert back into the appliance and press the Yogurt button again. The Instant Pot will maintain the proper temperature until the yogurt is set. Depending on the starter you use, it may take up to 12 hours for the yogurt to set. 

Step 5: Whisk Your Finished Yogurt (optional) Once the yogurt is finished culturing and pulls away from the side of the insert in a single mass, it’s done! If you make yogurt using non-homogenized milk, there is usually a cream layer on top. To smooth things out, give the finished yogurt a good whisk before refrigerating.

Step 6: Refrigerate Your Finished Yogurt Pour the finished yogurt into jars or single-serving containers and refrigerate for about 6 hours or overnight. This final step allows the yogurt to firm up even further.And that’s it! You’ve successfully made yogurt in your Instant Pot. One less appliance on the countertop means more room for fermenting!