To make homemade Instant Pot yogurt all you need is 2 ingredients, an electric pressure cooker with a “yogurt” button, and time. I also give you directions to turn your plain yogurt into Greek yogurt, how to sweeten it, and delicious fruity stir-in options.

Instant Pot Yogurt served with granola, raspberries, and chia seeds.

Have you been craving delicious, creamy homemade yogurt?

Well, I have you covered with this super simple homemade Instant Pot yogurt!

Not only does making your yogurt cost less, but it also gives you a delicious product.

If you love all things yogurt, try making your own!

What I love the most about making my plain yogurt is that I can flavor it any way I want! One of my favorite ways is to top it with leftover Cranberry Orange Sauce with Ginger. Talk about using up those leftovers!

Also, you can flavor this yogurt with vanilla bean paste, almond extract, or any other fruit-flavored extract.

a bottle of milk and a cup of yogurt sitting on a table.

Table of Contents

Ingredients and equipment to make Instant Pot yogurt

Organic whole milk – While you can make homemade yogurt with skim or non-dairy milk, I prefer organic whole milk as it results in a creamy, full-flavored yogurt.
Plain yogurt with live cultures – The key to making yogurt is using an active culture as a starter. If you have a yogurt starter, feel free to use the proportions that came with it, as they will vary. If using store-bought yogurt, check the label and ensure it says “contains live cultures.”
Instant read thermometer – This will help you avoid overheating your milk, which will kill the live cultures in the yogurt.
Cheesecloth – If you want to turn your yogurt into Greek yogurt, you’ll want to strain your yogurt overnight in cheesecloth. This helps so that liquid can easily drain out of your yogurt.

Instant Pot FAQ

An Instant Pot is an electric multi-cooker that can be used to sauté, as a slow cooker, and of course, pressure cook.

There are a lot of horror stories about using old-fashioned stovetop pressure cookers but these are much safer and WAY easier to use.

They use high-pressurized steam to help cook meat and vegetables at a much quicker rate than traditional stovetop or slow cooker options.

Instant Pots are VERY easy to use and very safe. Don’t worry if you’re new to the electric pressure cooker world. You will absolutely LOVE it!

Instant Pot is a brand name electric pressure cooker. Since most people recognize the name “Instant Pot” and think of an electric pressure cooker it’s often easier to just title a recipe with IP in the name.

I have also used the crockpot version electric pressure cooker with equally delicious results.

This is the same as most people calling a plastic bandage a Band-aid or a tissue a Kleenex. Over time the brand names become synonymous with a type of product.

When a recipe calls to let your Instant Pot “natural release” it means your pressure cooker will naturally (and very slowly) release the pressure.

Many recipes call for the pressure cooker to naturally release for a period of time because this helps the recipe cook just a little longer.

Since the pressure cooker will be slowly losing pressure you do not have to do anything; it will eventually lose all its pressure and the lid will unlock.

When a recipe calls for quick release, this means you will manually be letting the pressure out of the Instant Pot.

You will have to turn the vent to the “venting” position and a bunch of hot steam will come out of the vent. It is very important that you do not put your hand in the steam as it is VERY HOT.

This will then immediately unlock the lid and the food can be served.

Instant Pot	Silicone Lid	Replacement Rings
Instant Pot Duo Electric Pressure Cooker	Instant Pot Silicone Lid	Instant Pot 2-Pack Sealing Ring
Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now

Instant Pot

Instant Pot Duo Electric Pressure Cooker

Buy Now

Silicone Lid

Instant Pot Silicone Lid

Buy Now

Replacement Rings

Instant Pot 2-Pack Sealing Ring

Buy Now

How to make yogurt in the Instant Pot

Making homemade yogurt is not hard but requires time and a few pieces of special equipment.

Add the milk to the pot and attach the lid with the valve in the “Venting” position.
Press the “Yogurt” button twice or until the screen displays “Boil”
Allow the Instant Pot to boil the milk to remove any dangerous bacteria. Once the Instant Pot has finished, it will beep.
Remove the lid and add a thermometer to the pot. The temperature should be at least 180 degrees F. If not, replace the lid and complete the boil cycle again.
If the milk is at least 180 degrees F, allow it to sit until it reaches 100-110 degrees F. In the Instant Pot, this should take about one hour. To speed up the process, set the instant pot in a bowl of ice water and stir with a clean, sanitized spoon until the milk is at the correct temperature.
Add the yogurt and whisk to combine once the milk is 100-110 degrees F.
Once the yogurt has been incorporated, return the insert to the Instant Pot, attach the lid, and set the setting to “Yogurt” by pressing the button once. It should default to 8 hours, but if it doesn’t, use the plus and minus buttons to adjust the time accordingly.
Allow the Instant Pot to incubate for 8 hours. Once finished, remove the insert from the Instant Pot and allow it to cool to room temperature for about 2 hours.
Carefully spoon any excess whey (the yellow liquid) from the top of the yogurt and then whisk the yogurt vigorously until smooth.
Transfer the yogurt to an airtight container and store it in the fridge until ready to enjoy.
Discard after 7 days.

A hand spooning out a bite of Instant Pot Yogurt.

Making Greek-style yogurt

Place a cheesecloth into a fine-mesh strainer set over a large bowl to make Greek yogurt.

Add the yogurt to the strainer and allow it to sit in the fridge for 1-2 hours or until your desired thickness.

Doing this helps take water out of the yogurt and leaves you with a thick and creamy Greek-style yogurt.

Besides eating your Greek yogurt plain, you can also use it in sweet and savory recipes!

Savory Greek yogurt recipes:

Sweet Greek yogurt recipes:

Instant Pot Yogurt served in a bowl with raspberries and granola.

Adding sweetness

This recipe will give you 2 pints of plain, unsweetened, and unflavored yogurt.

However, I know that is not always everyone’s favorite style of yogurt.

To make vanilla yogurt, add vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste. I like to use about two tablespoons per batch for optimal vanilla flavor.

For a sweeter yogurt, I use sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, agave, or even flavored simple syrups like my Copycat Starbucks Brown Sugar Syrup, Strawberry Basil Simple Syrup, or Homemade Gingerbread Syrup.

If fruit yogurt is your thing, you can always stir in homemade jams, giving you fruity flavor and sweetness. My favorite fruity spreads are my Vanilla Bean Strawberry Jam and Vanilla Honey Peach Butter.

Instant Pot Yogurt topped with granola and fruit.

Topping your yogurt

I like to eat my homemade yogurt with fresh fruit and granola. It’s the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy!

However, you can use it as you would any other yogurt. It’s great in baked goods and savory dishes.

Here are a few recipes to use your yogurt:

Biggest tips for making homemade Instant Pot yogurt:

Please make sure the ring on your Instant Pot is not smelly!

When you make strongly scented dishes, the smell will “stick” to the rubber ring around the top of the pressure cooker.

For dishes like this, I HIGHLY recommend buying a brand new silicone ring. This ensures your yogurt will not pick up any flavors or scents from the Instant Pot.

As much as I love Instant Pot Turkey Chili, I don’t want those flavors in my yogurt.

Also, make sure to let your milk cool to the appropriate temperature because if it is too hot, it will kill the live cultures in your yogurt, and then the yogurt you make will not set up.

Storing homemade yogurt

You’ll want to store your homemade Instant Pot yogurt in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

This recipe makes 2 pints to store in single-serve or large containers.

Homemade yogurt is best consumed within seven days.

More breakfast recipes

Want to create a cozy bowl of yogurt? Try my Banana Bread Granola.
This jam is sweet, fruity, and packed with a vanilla punch! Try my Vanilla Bean Strawberry Jam.
Do you love cocoa nibs? Try my Coconut Oil and Cocoa Nib Granola.
One of my most popular recipes! Try my Vanilla Honey Peach Butter.