This Instant Pot yogurt method is simple, consistent, and incredibly creamy- no stove babysitting or special gear. Follow the exact temperatures and timing below, then customize thickness and tang to your taste.
Why This Method Works
Making yogurt in the Instant Pot couldn’t be easier- and here’s why we love it.
- Reliable recipe – Gentle heat cycle + precise incubation = reliable set every time.
- Simple ingredients – Two ingredients, pantry-friendly tools, and easy scaling.
- Make it your own – Greek-style, vanilla, low-sugar, or extra tangy.
Chef Tip
Yes, you need yogurt to make more yogurt. It sounds silly, but it is the same concept as needing a sourdough starter to make sourdough. Those lives cultures are needed to make yogurt, think of it as a yogurt starter.
Gather This
You only need TWO ingredients to make this Instant Pot yogurt. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Plain yogurt with active live cultures – You do have to buy a small thing of yogurt before you make your first batch. These “live cultures” are going to go to work to make your milk yogurt.
- Cold whole milk – This only works for traditional dairy products. Fair warning: If you want to make yogurt with a different type of milk, non-dairy milk such as oat, almond, or coconut, you might have a few additional ingredients or steps to take like thickening agents and live active cultures.
How to Make Instant Pot Yogurt (Step-by-Step)
This process does take a bit of time. Thankfully, it is not active time. You are able to walk away and do other things or, you can be like me, and let it work it’s magic overnight.
- Boil Cycle (scald milk): Add milk, lock the lid and press the → Yogurt button until Boil reads on the screen. Allow this to work for about 30 minutes then press Cancel.
- Cool to 110°F: Remove insert; cool for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Inoculate: Whisk the yogurt into the 110°F milk and return to the Instant Pot.
- Incubate: Lock the lid, seat valve to Sealing. Press → Yogurt, and set the temperature to Normal. Set the timer for 8 hours.
- Chill to set: Press Cancel, remove the lid, stir, and refrigerate 3 hours before serving.
- Flavor after chilling: Stir in vanilla, honey, or fruit once thick.
Make it Greek
This recipe is for regular yogurt, but if you want a thicker version like Greek yogurt, all you need to do is strain it. You can wrap it in a few pieces of layered cheesecloth in a strainer over a bowl in the fridge for two days.
Alternatively, you can put it in a coffee filter, over a strainer, over a bowl (covered with plastic wrap) for two days. The longer it strains, the thicker it will get.
Yogurt Toppings and Variations
There are endless ways, both sweet and savory, to top your yogurt. Here are some of our favorite yogurt toppings:
- Your favorite jam or fruit compote
- Roasted nuts
- Sliced, chopped, or whole fresh fruit
- Good quality maple syrup or honey
- Granola
- Your favorite nut butter
- Even more delicious yogurt toppings!
To make flavored yogurt, wait until it is strained and cooled before stirring in 1 tablespoon of flavored extract like vanilla, vanilla or lemon.
Ways to Use Instant Pot Yogurt
Some of my other favorite ways to use yogurt are in baking and cooking. My Greek yogurt salad dressing will blow your mind with it’s creamy goodness.
Skinny Beef Stroganoff will have you swearing it is full of mayo. And Almond Lemon Cake and Chocolate Dunkaroo Dip are lightened up classics.
More Breakfast Classics
Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day; here are some of our breakfast favorites.
Instant Pot Yogurt
Ingredients
- 8 cups cold whole milk
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt with active live cultures , whole, 2%, or skim will work
Instructions
- Pour the 8 cups cold whole milk into a 6-quart or an 8-quart insert. Close and lock the lid. Set your valve to sealing and press the “Yogurt” button until the screen reads “Boil.” Let it do its thing for 30 minutes and then hit cancel until it turns off.
- Grab some oven mitts or potholders and carefully remove the insert. Set it on a trivet, a folded over kitchen towel, or some other heat-safe surface.
- Allow the milk to cool for about an hour stirring occasionally. You are looking for the temperature of the milk to drop down to 110°F. This can be determined with a candy thermometer or an instant-read thermometer.
- Once the milk has reached 110°F, stir the 2 tablespoons plain yogurt with active live cultures into the milk still in the insert. Return the insert to the Instant Pot.
- Lock the lid in place. Set the valve to “Sealing.” Hit the yogurt button and set the temperature to “Normal.” The way you do this may vary by model. Set the timer for 8 hours.
- When the cycle is complete, press cancel, remove the lid, and remove the insert. Use a spoon or a spatula to give the yogurt a stir and then transfer into one large, air-tight container or some small, single-serve containers. Let the yogurt cool in the fridge for 3 hours before serving.
- If you want to add flavor or extract, do so after the yogurt has chilled and thickened.
- This should keep for roughly 2 weeks in the fridge.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
This was amazing! So easy to make and everyone in our house asked when I’m gonna make it again! Thank you!
thanks for the easy recipe! I have some extra milk that needs to get used up, so this is perfect.
I have an instant pot but don’t use it as often as I should. But that’s all going to change with this easy yogurt recipe. I had no idea you could even make yogurt in an instant pot, but it turns out so creamy and delicious. It could not be easier!
I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing!
Yum. I’m new to my instant pot and have mostly only made meats. I’m slowly branching out to other types of foods and this was unbelievably easy! Thanks.