How to Make Creamy Instant Pot Yogurt at Home

If your family enjoys yogurt as much as mine, this homemade Instant Pot yogurt recipe will be a game-changer. There are a few key steps to successful yogurt-making, and this post explains them clearly so you can get consistently great results.

Making homemade yogurt is simple once you get the hang of it. You’ll be surprised at how much you save compared to buying regular or Greek yogurt from the store, and you’ll have full control over the ingredients.

Yogurt is one of my favorite kitchen staples — versatile for sweet and savory dishes. I enjoy it plain, lightly sweetened, layered into parfaits, or blended into smoothies.

I use homemade yogurt in many recipes on Big Flavors, such as stuffed peppadews, mayo-free deviled eggs, cereal parfaits, buffalo chickpea dip, Persian mast-o-khiar, and Indian raita.

🧡 Why we love this recipe

• You control the ingredients and quality.
• A gallon of yogurt needs just a gallon of milk and a small amount of starter yogurt from your previous batch (or store-bought for the first batch) and a few hours of mostly hands-off time.
• When you use yogurt regularly, making your own is much more economical than buying it.
• It’s easy to make thicker, Greek-style yogurt by straining the finished product.

📝 Ingredients and supplies

Everything you need to make Instant Pot yogurt (see the recipe card below for amounts and full directions):

Only two ingredients are essential: milk and a small amount of plain yogurt to use as a starter. If this is your first time, use a store-bought yogurt with live active cultures listed on the label (examples include Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus). After your first batch, reserve a little homemade yogurt to start the next batch — then your only ongoing cost is milk.

Useful tools:

• Instant Pot with a Yogurt function.
• Water — for sanitizing the insert.
• Thermometer — an instant-read or multi-probe thermometer to monitor milk temperature.
• Whisk.
• Lid, plastic wrap, or beeswax wrap to cover the yogurt while it chills; a silicone lid for the insert works well.
• Ladle or large spoon for transferring finished yogurt into smaller jars.

✅ How to make this recipe

1. Sterilize the Instant Pot insert.
2. Heat the milk to 180–185°F (boiling stage).
3. Cool the milk to 95–110°F.
4. Whisk in the yogurt starter.
5. Incubate for 8–10 hours.
6. Refrigerate at least 6 hours (overnight is best).

See the recipe card below for detailed steps and timing.

📌 Tips for yogurt-making success

After years of making yogurt this way, here are the most useful tips:

• Any Instant Pot with a Yogurt function will work, including the Instant Pot Ultra.
• Always use a starter yogurt that lists live and active cultures on the label.
• Use silicone oven mitts when handling the hot insert for a secure grip.
• A multi-probe thermometer with a pot clip is convenient because it monitors temperature without repeated checking; a quality instant-read thermometer also works well.

• If a skin forms while the milk cools, you can remove or whisk it in — it won’t harm the yogurt but can create lumps if left intact.
• To incorporate the starter more easily, temper it by whisking a small amount of warm milk into the starter before adding it to the full pot.
• Cooling times vary by volume and equipment. An ice bath can speed cooling, but the milk still needs time to reach the proper incubation range.
• After refrigeration, reserve about 1/4 cup of yogurt in a jar to use as the starter for your next batch.
• For smaller batches, use 1/2 gallon of milk and 2 tablespoons of starter and follow the same process; heating and cooling are faster with less volume.
• A silicone lid for the insert is handy for sealing the yogurt before refrigerating.

💡 Ways to use the strained yogurt liquid (whey)

When you strain yogurt to make Greek-style yogurt, save the liquid (whey). It’s useful in many recipes and keeps in the fridge.

Ideas for whey:

• Substitute for egg whites in some cocktails — roughly 1 ounce of whey per egg white.
• Use in pancake batter as a buttermilk substitute or in place of some of the liquid in baked goods.

🍴 Variations and flavored yogurt

This method produces plain, unflavored yogurt. Add flavorings only after the yogurt has set and chilled.

• Sweeten with honey, maple syrup, agave, or another preferred sweetener and mix well.
• For vanilla yogurt, stir in vanilla paste or extract and sweetener to taste.
• For fruit-flavored yogurt, fold in preserves or blended fresh fruit. For “fruit on the bottom” style, spoon fruit into the jar before adding yogurt.

Whole milk yields the creamiest yogurt, but lower-fat milk works too; expect a slightly thinner texture and milder flavor. This method is not suitable for plant-based milks.

🍽️ Favorite ways to use homemade yogurt

I often strain half a batch so we have both regular and Greek-style yogurt on hand. Common uses include:

• As a substitute for sour cream on tacos, taquitos, nachos, baked potatoes, or pierogi.
• Mixed with lime zest and juice to make crema for Mexican-inspired dishes.

Parfait ideas:

• Fresh fruit, granola or nuts, and honey.
• Banana, dark chocolate, and banana chips for a “chunky monkey” parfait.
• Persian-style parfaits with dried fruit and rose petals.
• Tropical fruit and chocolate combinations.
• Samoa cereal parfaits inspired by the Girl Scout cookie.
• Pie-spiced granola parfaits.

📖 Recipe

Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt

This Instant Pot method produces reliable homemade yogurt with minimal hands-on time. A great way to save money and customize the flavor and texture.

Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen – Ashley Covelli

16 Cups

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 9 hrs 15 mins

Total Time: 10 hrs 30 mins

Ingredients

• 1 gallon milk
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt (with live active cultures) — to use as starter

Instructions

1. Sterilize the Instant Pot: Add 3 cups of cold water to the insert, close and lock the lid, seal the steam vent, select the sterilize function on low, set 5 minutes, and start. For a gallon of milk this cycle and heat-up usually takes around 30 minutes.
2. When the cycle finishes, quick release pressure, carefully remove the insert, pour out the hot water, and let the insert cool. To speed cooling, transfer the insert to the refrigerator once it is cool to the touch for at least 10 minutes.
3. Pour milk into the sanitized, chilled insert. Close and lock the lid, seal the steam vent, select the Yogurt function, set it to High, and start so the display reads “Boil.” For a gallon, this typically takes about 45 minutes.
4. When the cycle finishes and the display reads “Yogt,” remove the lid and whisk the milk. Check the temperature — it should be 180–185°F. If it hasn’t reached that, use Sauté on High and whisk while monitoring the temperature until it reaches 180°F.
5. Turn the Instant Pot off and transfer the insert to a counter or rack. Let the milk cool to 95–110°F (this can take about 90 minutes for a gallon). You can use an ice bath to speed this step if needed.
6. Whisk in your reserved starter yogurt (temper the starter by mixing a bit of warm milk into it first if desired) and return the insert to the base. Select the Yogurt function on Normal and set the incubation time: 8 hours for a milder yogurt, 10 hours for tangier yogurt. Start the cycle.
7. After incubation, carefully remove the insert, cover it (do not stir), and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight to fully set.
8. After chilling, reserve about 1/4 cup of yogurt for your next batch. Transfer yogurt into jars if desired.
9. To make Greek-style yogurt, strain the chilled yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined strainer or reusable mesh bag over a bowl for about 2 hours or until it reaches your preferred thickness.

Notes

• This method works with any Instant Pot that offers a Yogurt function.
• Confirm your starter yogurt lists live active cultures on the label.
• A multi-probe thermometer with a pot clip makes temperature monitoring easier, but a good instant-read thermometer will also do the job.
• If a skin forms on the cooling milk, remove it or whisk it in; leaving it may cause lumps.
• Saving a small amount of each batch as starter reduces future cost to just the milk.
• For a half-gallon batch, use 2 tablespoons of starter and follow the same process; timing for heating/cooling will be shorter.
• Save whey from straining — it’s useful in pancakes, cocktails, and other recipes.

Useful products

• Instant Pot (with Yogurt function)
• Instant-read thermometer or multi-probe thermometer
• Whisk
• Silicone lid or cover for the insert
• Cheesecloth or fine mesh for straining

Nutrition information

Amount per serving — Calories: 104 (values approximate)

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