Making your own homemade yogurt in your instant pot is one of the best ways to save money in the kitchen! The process is pretty easy too. Read on for my tutorial on how to make yogurt in your instant pot.
Why?
The reasons to make homemade yogurt are 3 fold for me!
Yogurt is a fairly cheap thing to buy at the store.
It’s a great source of good cheap protein like other diary products. When you are on a budget you need all the cheap sources of protein you can get. However, did you know, making your own yogurt at home is even cheaper! I have a cost comparison below.
The second reason I love making yogurt at home is for the probiotic benefits!
When you buy yogurt in the store, you don’t have any control over the cooking process. When you make it at home, you can cook it to your preferred flavor preference, or the probiotic preference.
I have a slight lactose intolerance so the best yogurt for me to have is yogurt that has been essentially cooked for 24 hours. However, since my son and husband are the ones that eat yogurt the most, I typically cook it for 14 hours.
No added sugars.
If you have read my Sugar Detox Tip ebook, you might be on a journey of eliminating processed sugars from your food.
Foods like yogurt at the store are typically filled with added sugars (especially the flavored yogurts). But making the yogurt at home, you can control this factor. Homemade yogurt is so delicious and creamy. Adding a little honey yourself, instead of buying heavily sweetened yogurts will be so much better for you in the long run.
I like have this kind of control over my own food. How it’s make, the flavors and quality control are more in my hands than say on the manufacturers.
Cost comparison
A 1/2 gallon of greek yogurt at the store runs about $5 at the time of writing this post. But a 1/2 gallon of milk is about $2. When you make yogurt at home all you need a 1/4 cup of yogurt (from the last container you have in your fridge) and 1/2 gallon of milk. Making a whole 1/2 gallon of yogurt only $2 compared to $5.
The math speaks for itself!
Why use an instant pot?
Okay, confession. I have actually never used any other method. However, what I hear is that making yogurt with a slow cooker, or on the stove involves quite a bit more. It takes longer, and you have to strain it off multiple times through the process with cheese cloths, etc.
Making it in the instant pot can only take up to 9 hours, compared to longer and more attentive methods.
The instant pot is a brilliant invention! It does it all for you, and all you have to do is let it do its thing.
Kitchen tools you will need:
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Mason Jars for storage
Spoon/Spatula
How to make your own yogurt in an instant pot
The first thing you will do is take off the gasket seal (the little rubber lining in the lid) in your instant pot lid. Otherwise your yogurt will taste like the last thing you cooked. Since you don’t need it for the process, just set it aside.
Next you are going to pour in 1/2 gallon of milk.
Turn on the “Sauté” function on the instant pot. I have the time on this function set to 30 minutes, but you usually don’t need that much.
Then you will stir the milk occasionally, letting it cook and get up to the temperature 180 degrees Fahrenheit. To test the temperature I put this candy thermometer in the pot while it’s cooking, and I keep an eye on it as I am stirring.
If you choose to keep your thermometer in the pot while it’s cooking, just be sure to lift it up when you check the temp so that it is just taking a temp reading of the milk itself, not the bottom of the pot which could be hotter than the milk (therefore giving you an inaccurate reading).
Once it has reached 180 degrees, turn off the instant pot and let the milk cool back down to 115 degrees. This can take up to 40 minutes.
Recheck the temp again with your thermometer. If it is at 115, it’s time to add the yogurt.
Take 1/4 cup yogurt from you previous container of yogurt and stir it into the heated milk.
Put the lid on the Instant Pot and press the “Yogurt” function.
Set the time on this function for at least 8 hours. You can set it for more if you need more of the lactose to be digested. I usually set mine for 14 hours or more.
When your yogurt is done, use your canning funnel and jars to store in the refrigerator. It should be good in the fridge for up to three weeks!
Important things to know
The first time I made yogurt in my instant pot, I was a little concerned. It looked more like cottage cheese than the yogurt I was used to. If yours does too, don’t worry! That is completely normal. Homemade yogurt will not have that same constancy of store bought yogurt. But just remember all the great benefits of making your own yogurt!
You will need an instant pot with a “yogurt” function. Not all Instant pots come with one, so be sure you use one that does.
After making your first batch of yogurt, the next time you need to make some, make sure to save another 1/4 cup. You can use that yogurt to make your next batch!
Enjoy your yogurt with….
Yogurt topped with fruits or nuts is a great way to have a gluten free breakfast.
Try having this crunchy granola on as a topping!
Enjoy it as a healthy snack along with these protein peanut butter cookies.
How to Make Instant Pot Yogurt
Equipment
- Instant pot
- Thermometer
- Canning funnel
- Mason Jars for storage
- Spoon/Spatula
Instructions
- The first thing you will do is take off the gasket seal (the little rubber lining in the lid) in your instant pot lid. Otherwise your yogurt will taste like the last thing you cooked. Since you don’t need it for the process, just set it aside.
- Next you are going to pour in 1/2 gallon of milk.
- Turn on the “Sauté” function on the instant pot. I have the time on this function set to 30 minutes, but you usually don’t need that much.
- Then you will stir the milk occasionally, letting it cook and get up to the temperature 180 degrees Fahrenheit. To test the temperature I put this candy thermometer in the pot while it’s cooking, and I keep an eye on it as I am stirring.
- If you choose to keep your thermometer in the pot while it’s cooking, just be sure to lift it up when you check the temp so that it is just taking a temp reading of the milk itself, not the bottom of the pot which could be hotter than the milk. Therefore giving you an inaccurate reading.
- One it has reached 180 degrees, turn off the instant pot and let the milk cool back down to 115 degrees. This can take up to 40 minutes.
- Recheck the temp again with your thermometer. If it is at 115, it’s time to add the yogurt.
- Take 1/4 cup yogurt from you previous container of yogurt and stir it into the heated milk.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot and press the “Yogurt” function.
- Set the time on this function for at least 8 hours. You can set it for more if you need more of the lactose to be digested. I usually set mine for 14 hours or more.
- When your yogurt is done, use your canning funnel and jars to store in the refrigerator. It should be good in the fridge for up to three weeks!
Have you tried to make your own yogurt?
If so what has worked for you, and what hasn’t?
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