Thick Instant Pot Greek Yogurt Recipe is so simple to make. This creamy and smooth Greek Yogurt will save you so much money. Make some yogurt in 9 easy steps!
Instant Pot Greek Yogurt
Instant Pot Greek Yogurt (photo by Beth Braznell)
Once! One time is all it takes and you will never buy yogurt again.
Instant Pot Greek Yogurt will have you jumping for joy.
Directions for the Instant Pot Ultra, Instant Pot Smart, Instant Pot DUO and DUO Plus are all found on the COMPLETE RECIPE CARD following the pictorial narrative.
Directions for the Instant Pot Smart DUO60 and Instant Pot Smart DUO60 are identical. For Yogurt made in a GoWise 8 Quart Pressure Cooker, please see my GoWISE USA Greek Yogurt Recipe.
I am Lactose Intolerant, Can I use Lactose Free Milk?
My friend Marilee says ” Yogurt bacteria convert lactose into lactic acid, which makes yogurt tangy. Use regular milk and incubate 19-24 hours… voila lactose free! And tangy !!”
She’s got an M.D. after her name, so she knows stuff!
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Greek Yogurt
What Ingredients do you need to make Instant Pot Greek Yogurt?
Only two ingredients are needed and an Instant Pot, to make incredible Instant Pot Greek Yogurt.
- Milk – Whole Milk yields the thickest yogurt
- Yogurt Starter – any brand of yogurt with just milk and live cultures
- Instant Pot – all models, but the LUX, have the Yogurt Feature
Only a few steps and some patience and knowledge, will get you there fast.
Tips for making Yogurt in an Instant Pot?
It’s really important to stir the milk before taking the temperature, to avoid hot spots and an inaccurate reading. This could be one of the reasons you are having a failure, assuming that is what is happening.
Another reason for failure has to do with the setting of the time for the yogurt to incubate. It is important you understand about the buttons and how they work.
Start by sterilizing your Instant Pot cooking pot. Pour 3 cups of water into the cooking pot and run it through the Steam Cycle for about 5 minutes. {Full Directions are at the end of this Article.}
It is important to start with a cold pot, so that your milk won’t scorch on the bottom and have trouble getting up to temperature. Allow the Instant Pot Pressure Cooker itself to cool down naturally or pop it in the fridge for a few minutes.
Can I use Ultra Pasteurized Milk?
Type of Milk and or Starter (culture) plays a role. Ultra Pasteurized Milk is heated to 280 degrees, which kills about 99.9 percent of the bacteria needed to properly culture yogurt, so therefore, it doesn’t generally set up well. Milk labeled “Organic” is most likely Ultra Pasteurized.
The “Starter” you use for the yogurt is very important too. The first time making yogurt, purchase a high quality container of yogurt containing milk and live active cultures; nothing more, nothing less.
Some recipes call for powdered milk; it’s a crutch and if prepared properly, you never need anything more than Milk and Yogurt Starter.
Can you freeze Yogurt to use as a Starter?
Yes you can!
Homemade Yogurt Starter
After the first time making yogurt, you will have your own “Starter,” so make sure you save a little bit from each batch.
The starter can be frozen. Only freeze enough for a couple of weeks.
After a couple of weeks, or at the most, 3 weeks, freeze more Starter from the current batch, so that each batch is no more than 3 weeks old.
You should never need to purchase “Starter” again so long as the frozen starter is used within a few weeks.
These King Size Ice Cube Trays (for starter) are the perfect size to hold 2 Tablespoons of starter. They are perfect for Scotch on the Rocks! 😉
Yogurt is great in place of sour cream. Greek yogurt is higher in protein and lower in sugar because of the straining.
Can I use my Whey for the Starter?
Yes, you can use Whey for the Starter.
You can even freeze the Whey to use as your Starter.
What can I do with the Leftover Whey?
Your Whey can be used for my Instant Pot Yogurt Whey Dutch Oven Crusty Bread recipe!
Instant Pot Yogurt Whey Dutch Oven Crusty Bread in less than 5 hours!
Yogurt Whey Indian Chapati a/k/a Roti (Flatbread)
Pressure Cooker Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding
I suggest making a really good and plain yogurt and adding in flavoring and sweeteners, before you eat. Many people save the whey for bread making so you probably don’t want flavored or sweetened Whey!
Can I make Noosa Yoghurt in my Instant Pot?
You sure can!
For a delicious Noosa like recipe, try my Instant Pot Homemade Noosa Honey Yogurt Copycat recipe.
How do I sweeten my Instant Pot Greek Yogurt?
Here are some wonderful and sweet add-ins:
Pressure Cooker Fresh Berry Compote (Stewed Fruit)
Pressure Cooker Fresh Strawberry Compote
Pressure Cooker Easy Key Lime Curd
Homemade Orange Ginger Pecan Granola
Pressure Cooker Easy Lemon Curd
Pressure Cooker Dannon Dutch Apple Yogurt Compote
Pressure Cooker Fresh Peach Crisp Compote
Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Apple Butter
Pressure Cooker Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
How long does it take to make Instant Pot Greek Yogurt?
- Whisking the milk every 10 minutes during the boil cycle will help the milk come up to temperature quicker.
- Getting milk to 183-185 degrees and holding there for a few minutes, will yield a thicker yogurt.
- Boil Cycle will take about 45 minutes.
- Cool Down will take about 10 minutes.
- Incubation Time – From 5 hours to 10 hours.
- Most people incubate for 9 hours.
Do I have to thaw my Yogurt Starter?
Yes!
Remove Frozen Starter Cube from Freezer
Remove one cube from the freezer, prior to starting making your Instant Pot Greek Yogurt.
It should be defrosted enough to temper into the warm milk.
Do I have to make a Whole Gallon of Milk?
No.
If you want to make Half a Gallon of Milk, just cut the entire recipe in half.
The Milk will heat through quicker too!
Add Fresh Milk to the Instant Pot DUO
If you feel you want to use flavoring, like Vanilla Extract or Vanilla Beans prior to incubation, add it to the milk when you add your starter.
However, as mentioned above, it is really better to add flavorings prior to eating.
How do I make Yogurt in my Instant Pot?
Please click the giant PINK BUTTON below to go to Page 2 (Detailed Printable Recipe follows the Step by Step Tutorial).
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Does it matter if you store yogurt in containers with metal lids or plastic lids?
Hi Jill. I believe I read in one of your yogurt recipes that the yogurt is not made under pressure, therefore, the sealing ring should be removed from the lid. Is this correct? Thanks a bunch!
Hi Pam. You can leave it in or take it out as it does not matter. Jill
I am planning on making this tonight and wanted to clarify the “starter”. As this will be my first attempt i do not have a starter. Someone referenced store bought Greek yogurt. Just wanted to clarify that this would work and/or if there any other suggestions for the starter
Hi Lynn. I like to use Fage for the starter. Thereafter, I freeze some of my own yogurt to use as the starter. Jill
So I use to make homemade yogurt in my crockpot & it was awesome but wanted to try it in my IP now that I have one. It turns out well except that it is not completely smooth – it has little “lumps” or granulars of yogurt in it – they are like the size of a sugar granular that hasn’t disolved. I never had this with my crockpot method so it’s new to me. Any ideas what I should modify to fix this? I followed this recipe exactly & used a brand new carton (just opened) of fresh fage yogurt that I have had much sucess with in the past. My son is on the autism spectrum with sensory issues and he won’t eat the yogurt with the little “lumps” in it – I even whisk it and they are still there, Other than the little “lumps” it sets up great and has an awesome flavor. Could I maybe not use the yogurt button on my IP and try a lower temp for longer time?
Hi Stef. It is possible that some milk burned to the bottom of the pot and was whisked into the milk. If you start with a cool pot whisk a few times during the boil cycle, you should not have this problem. Jill
I had this same peoblem and I started with a cold pot and whisked 4 times during cycle 🙁
I have made IP yogurt successfully with other recipes. I tried your recipe and followed your exact directions. Using whole milk, the yogurt came out quite thick and no need to strain to make Greek yogurt. I served with your IP Lemon Curd. Both recipes are a hit with the family. Thank you!
Hi Mei~
Thank you for the kind words. I am glad you had better success with my recipe. Enjoy your yogurt! JIll
I made this and it was a smashing success! I used organic milk and yogurt for a starter and it was the smoothest and creamiest yogurt I’ve ever had. No tart taste to it. I am currently straining it for Greek yogurt and expect that is will get better by tomorrow. Thanks for such a great tutorial. It was very helpful!
Hi txgrandma. Thanks for your wonderful words and I am thrilled that my method has worked so nicely for you! Enjoy. Jill
Thank you for all you do!
I wanted to add that you can use whey from a previous batch so no more wasting yogurt as starter. I found that the best ration is 4 tbsp of whey (as long as it has live culture) per gallon of milk. Thus, if you use whey as starter double the dosage from your recipe to get it right. The whey can be frozen. This works for me.
Is 1/3 cup whey too much
I just made this and put two tablespoons of starter yogurt into milk, will this ruin it?
I used one half gallon of whole milk.
Hi Darlene. Your yogurt will be fine. 🙂 Enjoy. Jill
Do you need to use the Bluetooth instant Pot or any instant pot with a yogurt funcrion?
How long do you estimate the yogurt is ” good” for? I used 1 gallon of whole milk. Just my 2 people in my house, so wondering when I need to consider freezing it. Thanks. Recipe worked for me on my first attempt!
How long should the yogurt be “good” in the fridge. I used whole milk. The recipe worked for me this first time. Thanks!
How much milk do you use? It doesn’t say. I bought whole milk, as I need the fat but never the sugar. I add the splenda after the 8 hours of it on the yogurt setting? I bought fage plain yogurt for my starter but if I make a whole gallon of milk, do I use 4 tablespoons of fage?
Better than any store bought yogurt I’ve ever had. I eat it almost every day and more economical than buying at the store.
I luv luv making Jill’s yogurt. I will never buy commercial yogurt again. Thanks Jill.
Hi Rhonda~
Thanks. 🙂 Jill
Ugh
I accidently hit the yogurt button twice. How do I reset?
I turned it off, now it wants to boil again. I know that’s not right.
I prefer to use organic milk but most organic milk is ultra pasteurized in my area. Do I need to adjust the amount of starter or anything in my recipe for it to turn out well?
Thank you, Jill I have searched and searched for instructions for Making yogurt with my instant pot. This is the first one that is very clear about each and every step. The photos are also appreciated. I just spent all day yesterday trying to follow someone else’s directions, and ended up with about a cup of solid that looked a little like cottage cheese. I will try again, but believe that I will go back to my old recipe that takes about 30 minutes of work, then wrap it in towels and forget it for about 12 hours, and it is ready to finish up in the same manner that you describe. I do strain mine as I like the thicker, creamer texture. However, the good thing is that I have found your site (and bookmarked it for future reference. So, thankyou, thank you, thank you!!!
Hi Harlean~
Thanks so much for the lovely words. I try to be very clear. I am glad you found my site. Jill
I have a Power Pressure XL pot. No you garb button. Can I make yogart?
Is it possible to put the milk in glass container inside the instant pot for the whole process?
Not directly pour the milk into the instant pot.
Wondering if it’s possible to make this in the power pressure XL machine?
” However, I recommend that you wait until after incubation”
So after incubation – before you put it in the refrigerator to set – is when you would add sugar or vanilla? Would you just pour it on top and stir the yogurt then to get it mixed properly?
Hi Wayne. I would sweeten prior to eating. Jill
Are there instructions, or is it even possible, to make yogurt if you have the IP that doesn’t have the Yogurt function?
Help, please. My yogurt came out wonderfully but the euro strainer, even with coffee filter insert, still produces milky/cloudy whey. I wanted to use the whey for baking your bread, but it is my understanding that I need the whey to be clear. True? (I LOVE your delicious, easy to follow recipes!)
Hi Pat~
Cloudy whey is fine for the Bread. No worries. Thank you too! 🙂 Jill
A bunch of condensation from the lid fell into my heated milk, did I just ruin the yogurt process? I continued on and it is now incubating. This is my first time making yogurt so I hope I didn’t mess it up. Thank you for the wonderful and thorough instructions!
Hi Delaine~
Your yogurt will be fine. As long as your pot is on Normal and not less, all will be well. Have fun. Jill
It sounds like you had your pot on Less, instead of Normal. When making yogurt, the pot needs to be set to “Normal,” in order for the recipe to work. Jill