Here’s how to make yogurt using your Instant Pot.
You will need:
An Instant Pot with a Yogurt Button
A thermometer
A whisk
2 quarts of cow milk
1/2 cup of live culture plain yogurt
Measuring cups
A fine strainer, I use a Greek yogurt strainer. You can find them on Amazon.
A container for your completed yogurt
Instructions:
Add whole milk to your instant pot, I used a half gallon of milk that was getting old.
Instant Pots have a Two Stage yogurt making setting. The first time you push the yogurt button the IP will heat up very hot. It will run at this hot temp for as long as you time it to do so. This setting prepares the milk. This is the first stage.
Then there is the second stage.
When you push the yogurt button the second time, the IP will only heat up to 110*F or so in order to incubate the yogurt. This is the setting where you will let it run for 8 hours for this recipe.
Press the yogurt button on the Instant Pot. The Instant Pot will heat your milk to almost boiling. Depending on your IP model, it will take from 20-30 minutes to do this.
If you have to manually set your IP and the yogurt button doesn’t give you a specific number of minutes, you can push the yogurt button and set the timer. After 10 minutes take the temperature of your milk. If it’s not hot enough, set it for more minutes. Once it reaches 180 degrees F you can turn off the IP. It’s ok if it goes above 180* F.
Now let the milk cool. You want it to cool to 110 degrees F. You will need to take the milk’s temperature several times so you can catch it when it gets to 110* F.
Once it is the right temp, you will mix the 1/2 cup of live culture yogurt with a cup of the warm milk, then whisk that cup of milk and yogurt back into the pot of warm milk. Whisk very, very well.
Cover the IP but leave the pressure valve open. Or, you can use a glass lid on your IP.
Push the yogurt button again, set the timer for 8 hours and let it cook.
After 8 hours your yogurt will be ready. Put in it a strainer and in the refrigerator overnight or for another 8 hours.
Once your yogurt is strained you’ll have a pan of whey. Whey has lots of uses, but I won’t go into them here in this post, I’ll make another post sometimes about that. You can put it in the trash, down the drain or even in your compost pile.
Store your yogurt in the fridge and enjoy!
