How to Make the Best and Easiest Homemade Yogurt (Instant Pot Method)

When it comes to making the switch to a real food lifestyle, I’m a big believer in taking small, actionable steps.

No one comes to real food (that is, if you’ve grown up eating processed food) knowing how to make “all the things.” Most of us come to this lifestyle knowing next to nothing about cooking and nourishing ourselves. Each small step, whether that’s learning how to read an ingredient list or make yogurt or cook a whole chicken, empowers you take another step and then another. Small steps build momentum and, ultimately, a new lifestyle.

Now, I’m not saying you have to make everything at home in your own kitchen. Personally, I rely on store-bought options for most of our condiments, like: mayo, ketchup, and mustard. And I always purchase crackers in a package and usually stick with store-bought yogurt. I’m incredibly thankful that real food companies exist today, and these companies are making this lifestyle easier to enjoy in our current culture.

That said, I think it’s important to learn how to make these foods, even if we choose to purchase them.

Why?

Because when you know how to make these food, you also know exactly what ingredients should go into making these foods, which means you’re an informed consumer.

When you see an ingredient list on a yogurt container, you begin to question why so many chemical fillers are needed. The same goes for bread, salad dressing, crackers, mayo, and the list could go on.

Learning how to cook is essential. It’s empowering and also equips you with the knowledge needed to be wise about store-bought purchases.

Today, I’m going to show you how easy and simple it is to make homemade yogurt.

Recently, I’ve had a sudden desire to make homemade yogurt again. Mainly because I’ve been wanting to try the Instant Pot method.

Last month, I picked up a gallon of (raw) milk from the farmer’s market and pulled out the Instant Pot. I was amazed at how easy it was to make yogurt in the Instant Pot. Almost too easy. And the results were amazing. I’m talking about thick yogurt with the most pleasant taste.

I was skeptical at how easy this was, so I tested the Instant Pot method over and over again, using a variety of different milk (from local raw milk to various store-bought brands). I’m pleased to say that each attempt has produced very similar results. If you haven’t made yogurt before, you need to give Instant Pot yogurt a try. It’s seriously the best and easiest way to make your own yogurt.

Yogurt is a fermented milk product that’s made by culturing milk using (good) bacteria. Yogurt (the word) is of Turkish origin, dating back to at least 6BC. Yogurt, the product, transcends just one single origin. According to Cultures for Health, ” Yogurt can be found in nearly every culture that has kept animals for milk and it was likely discovered in similar ways in each region.”

Traditionally speaking, milk has been consumed in a way that’s either raw or fermented (such as cheese, kefir, soured, etc.). The milk used to make these traditional foods came from animals raised as nature intended (grazing on pasture).

Most of the yogurt sold today is far from the yogurt our ancestors enjoyed. This yogurt is filled with extras, from artificial sweeteners and colors to candies and cookies. Not to mention the lack of nutrients in the milk that’s being used to make this yogurt. Just like with so many of our foods, the problem isn’t yogurt (or bread or meat). The problem is how we’ve manipulated these foods by cutting corners and making them in the cheapest possible way.

When we consume yogurt that’s full of gut-friendly bacteria, that has been made using milk from healthy animals (grazing on pasture, without additional hormones, etc.), yogurt is an incredibly healthy food.

To make homemade yogurt, you only need two ingredients: milk and a yogurt starter.

When it comes to milk, you can use raw or pasteurized milk. However, you can NOT use ultra-pasteurized milk. Ultra-pasteurized milk is processed to such a degree that it doesn’t even need to be refrigerated. It’s dead milk (that’s why it will keep for months) and the good bacteria needed to make yogurt can’t thrive in this environment. Ultra-pasteurized milk is clearly labeled with these words (ultra-pasteurized) on the label.

If you can find a pasteurized milk that hasn’t been homogenized, even better. This means a layer of cream remains on top of the milk–the way nature intended. This layer of cream produces a super creamy and thick yogurt. All raw milk is non-homogenized, but only a few pasteurized options are also non-homogenized. You’ll be able to tell if a milk has been homogenized by reading the label. There are a few brands out there selling milk like this, including: Organic Valley (they also sell ultra-pasteurized milk, so reading the label is key), Natural by Nature, and a few others.

A starter is the culture (good bacteria) needed to turn the milk into yogurt. You can purchase a starter from companies like Cultures for Health or you can use plain yogurt. I recommend the latter since it’s easy to find yogurt.

Purchase plain yogurt (no flavorings) that contains active cultures (the ingredient list will include a list of active cultures, such as: Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidus, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus). The starter can be regular yogurt or Greek-style yogurt.

Once you make your own yogurt, you can use a small amount of this yogurt as the future starter. But when you’re just getting started, you’ll need to purchase a starter yogurt from the store.

Beyond these ingredients, you’ll need an Instant Pot to make today’s recipe. Not every Instant Pot is equipped to easily make yogurt.

I have two different Instant Pot models. My first Instant Pot is the Instant Pot DUO60 6 Qt 7-in-1. The second Instant pot (recently acquired) is the Instant Pot LUX60V3 V3 6 Qt 6-in-1. The 7-in-1 model includes a yogurt button which allows you to easily make yogurt. The second model, the 6-in-1 model, does not include the yogurt button. This is very important. If you have a yogurt button on the front of your Instant Pot, continue on. If not, you’ll need to follow slightly different (although the process is pretty much the same) instructions. I recommend this tutorial if you don’t have the yogurt button. 

The consistency of homemade yogurt can vary greatly. The final yogurt can be incredibly thick, gelatinous, or even thin and more like a drinkable yogurt. There are a couple of factors that determine the thickness of the yogurt: 

1. Yogurt can range in consistency because of the type of bacteria used to culture the milk (the active cultures/bacteria in your starter).
2. The thickness can vary based on whether or not the milk is homogenized. Non-homogenized milk has a layer of cream on top that produces thicker (and tastier) yogurt.

No matter what strands of bacteria your starter contains or whether your milk is homogenized or not, you can still achieve thick yogurt. There are a couple of ways to achieve thick yogurt:

1. Once your yogurt is ready (after the fermentation/culturing process), place it in the fridge and chill the yogurt for several hours. This helps the yogurt to set, thicken, and develop a wonderful flavor. With this method, you’ll end up with yogurt that’s similar in consistency to a store-bought yogurt.
2. If you want super thick, Greek-style yogurt, you’ll need to strain the finished yogurt in a towel that’s draped over a sieve or colander. This method will separate the yogurt from the whey (the liquid that remains after the fermentation/culturing process). Once the whey has been removed, you’ll be left with a super thick yogurt.

Homemade yogurt tastes as yogurt should: tangy. The longer you ferment/culture the yogurt, the tangier the yogurt tastes. I like to ferment my yogurt for 10 hours. I’ve found this results in the best flavor.

That said, plain yogurt can take some time to get used to, and some folks still prefer a flavored yogurt.

Here are a few ways to naturally flavor your homemade yogurt…

• Stir in frozen or fresh fruit just before serving, or a fruit jam.
• Add honey, maple syrup, and/or vanilla extract to the yogurt. You may need to add more sweetener at first and then over time, as your palate gets used to the tangy flavor of a fermented food like yogurt, slowly decrease the amount of sweetener needed.
• Add spices. Such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves.

Finally, before we make some yogurt together, let’s talk about how to use your future homemade yogurt.

Of course, there’s the obvious way: served in a bowl with fruit or granola (or on its own). Beyond this, use the yogurt in a variety of other ways:

• make healthy yogurt bowls
• make yogurt fruit dip
• make a high protein chocolate yogurt bowl
• make muffins or waffles
• blend it up with fruit to make a smoothie or pour that smoothie into popsicle molds
• make your own yogurt sticks
• make your own parfaits
• use yogurt to make coleslaw instead of mayo
• make homemade tzatziki to serve alongside Greek-inspired chicken
• make chicken salad, using yogurt in place of traditional mayo
• serve the yogurt on baked potatoes or quesadillas, in place of sour cream
• make a yogurt face mask for your skin