Making homemade yogurt in the Instant Pot has become a routine weekly task for me. With the cold start method, you don't have to heat up the milk, it takes 5 minutes to get it started, making it the easiest possible way to make yogurt. Best of all, it result is perfectly creamy, smooth and tangy yogurt.
Homemade yogurt is the perfect snack any time of day. Ever since I discovered the cold start method of making yogurt in the Instant Pot, it has made the process incredibly easy. If you make yogurt using the traditional method, it takes quite a while to heat up the milk, then to cool it to the proper temperature before adding the culture. And that's all before you even start the hours of incubation time! With this method, you just pour the cold milk right into the Instant Pot, add the live cultures and turn the Instant Pot Yogurt function on and let the machine do the rest for you. SO easy!
The yogurt turns out so thick and creamy. I never even have to strain it; there's hardly any whey at all. If you haven't tried making homemade yogurt, this is the recipe to try.
There are so many delicious ways to enjoy the yogurt. You can add different flavorings and sweeteners to it, like jam, fresh berries, fruit, honey, maple syrup, granola or nuts. It's also really nice to have on hand for baking and can be substituted for sour cream.
Video of the Easiest Way to Make Homemade Yogurt
Ingredients for Homemade Yogurt (Cold Start Method)
- 1 gallon whole milk, it needs to be ultrafiltered for the cold start method
- 4 Tablespoons yogurt with live cultures (I use Chobani Whole Milk Greek Yogurt or 1 small jar Oui vanilla yogurt)
- sweetened condensed milk, optional (to taste)
Products To Make Yogurt
This is an affiliate link to my Amazon Shop where I've conveniently linked all the products to make yogurt all in one place.
Products For Yogurt (Instant Pot, lid, storage containers and more)
What Kind of Milk Do You Need To Use For Homemade Yogurt?
In order to make cold start yogurt where you don't have to heat the milk, you need to use ultrafiltered milk.
Since the Fairlife milk is ultra filtered, it doesn't need to be boiled at all. Not only does this make the process of making yogurt much easier, it also comes out much creamier and thicker.
Note: Fairlife whole milk comes in a container that is slightly less than a half gallon. I use 2 containers when I make this yogurt. It will not yield a full gallon, but is close enough (104 oz instead of 128oz). The amount doesn't have to be exact. (When I make yogurt with regular milk, I use the full gallon.)
If you want to make yogurt with regular milk, you need to use another method to make yogurt, where you heat the milk first. Watch the detailed video and recipe HERE.
I have never tried making yogurt with other non-dairy milk (almond milk, cashew milk, etc.) so I have no idea if it works, how to adjust it, etc.
What Kind of Starter Do You Need To Add To the Milk When Making Yogurt
You can buy a yogurt culture, usually a powdered substance, but the easiest way to make yogurt is to use store bought yogurt that has live cultures in it. Make sure the yogurt has actual live cultures in it, not stabilizers and other weird ingredients. You can use store-bought yogurt (I like Chobani Whole Milk Greek Yogurt). Once you've made your own yogurt, you can use that to make yogurt and have a never ending supply. (As long as the yogurt is fresh.)
My kids love the texture and flavor of Oui yogurt, so I use that one sometimes too. The small jar is just the right amount of yogurt culture that you need to make yogurt. (Also doesn't have to be exactly 4 Tablespoons).
How to Make Homemade Yogurt (Cold Start Method)
- Pour the milk into the Instant Pot. (Cold, right out of the refrigerator)
- Add the yogurt and the sweetened condensed milk (if using) and whisk to combine.
- Turn on the Yogurt button and set it for a minimum of 6 hours, up to 12 hours. (I like to do this overnight.)
- To store, scoop out the yogurt and store in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
How To Sweeten Yogurt
If you don't use sweetened condensed milk but want to sweeten the yogurt, you can add honey, maple syrup, agave syrup or jam. You can also add vanilla extract, fresh fruit or berries (mango, peaches, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries are our family favorites.) Granola, coconut flakes, chocolate chips are also great toppings.
Traditional Method Yogurt Recipe & Video + FAQs
Homemade Yogurt in the Instant Pot (Cold Start Method)
Creamy, rich and tangy yogurt is so easy to make in the Instant Pot and is very cost effective too. Using the cold start method is the easiest and fastest way to make yogurt.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 6-8 hours
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 10 cups 1x
Ingredients
1 gallon ultra filtered whole milk
4 Tablespoons yogurt with live cultures (I use Chobani Whole Milk Greek Yogurt, or 1 jar Oui vanilla yogurt)
1 can sweetened condensed milk, optional
Instructions
- Pour the milk into the Instant Pot, add the yogurt and sweetened condensed milk, if using. Whisk to combine.
- Turn on Yogurt function, adjust set the time for a minimum of 6 hours, up to 12 hours. (I like doing this overnight.)
- When the yogurt is done, cool and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. There is no need to strain this type of yogurt.
This recipe was originally published on September 14, 2018. I have since updated it to clarify the recipe and add more details and tips.
This video and blog post is not sponsored and I am not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned.
In love with this recipe! Thank you! It is our new favorite))
Hi Olga, I printed the recipe to try it, I have been wanting to try it for a while but didn't know where to get the Fairlife milk. The other day I saw it at Walmart and remembered your recipe! I wanted to let you know when I used the print function to print, your font color is a light gray instead of a black, and its a little difficult to read. If you are able to change it that would be helpful. Thanks
I have the instant pot duo 6 qt. I want to make yogurt, and set the IP to yogurt. You say to turn on boil. How do I do that? The buttons are (top left, down: soup, meat, bean, poultry) (top right down: rice, multigrain, porridge, steam)
Across from left to right, top row: slow cook, pressure level, keep warm, yogurt
Bottom row: saute, delay start, cancel, pressure cook
To boil, use the Sauté function.
Push the yogurt function button several times until the screen says boil.
Hi Olya,
I just recently got an Instant Pot as a gift from mh husband. I would like to try making your yogurt recipe. I live in Europe and they mostly sell UHT (room-temperature) milk. Would it still work for this yogurt recipe?
Thanks!
I have never tried making yogurt with this type of milk, so I can't say whether it will work or not, but it's worth a try, of course.
How much condensed milk would you use?
That depends completely on personal preferences. You can leave it out completely, use 1/4 of a can, 1/2 a can or the entire can. It depends on how sweet you want it to be.
Hi Olga what are the active cultures I’m looking for in a starter? Does it have to be Greek yogurt or can it be regular yogurt?
Hi Salma,
If you use plain yogurt, not Greek yogurt, the yogurt will be much thinner and you will have more whey.
Some yogurts have stabilizers and additional ingredients in them, so you don't want to use that type of yogurt. It shouldn't have gelatin, cornstarch and things like that. It should say something like: Active cultures: L.bulgaricus, S. thermophilus or L. Acidophilus, Bifidus and L. Casei. Different types of yogurt have different strains of culture, they are live bacterial cultures that help transform milk into yogurt.
Thank you so much for perfect recipe!
Olga, The link to the Instant Pot Silicone Sealing Rings isn't working. Thanks.
I made the greek yogurt with the Fair life and Oui Yogurt and it came out perfect. Thank you so much for such a perfect recipe. I do have a question. I know you said you don't add the flavoring until the yogurt is done. If I wanted to add vanilla extract to the mix before cooking it would that do anything to the consistency of the yogurt?
Hi Jeannine! I'm so glad you enjoyed the yogurt. If you want to add vanilla extract to the mix, it will be great. It won't have any impact on the texture of the yogurt.
Hi Olga! Wondering if I half the recipe If cooking time remains the same ?
Hi Lida,
The timing remains the same, even if you halve the recipe.
Will any lactose free milk work? It cost me $10 alone just for the milk so wondering I can do an off brand next time as long as it's lactose free? Or is there something else that makes Fairlife the only option for the no boil method?
Yes, lactose free Fairlife milk will work, Sue.
I don't mean Fairlife...I want to use an off brand to save money. What is it about the Fairlife milk you use that makes it so you don't have to boil it first? Is it because it's lactose free? So will any lactose free milk work? Thank you!
The Fairlife milk does not need to be boiled because it is ultra pasteurized. Any milk that you use that has not been through the ultra pasteurization process cannot be used for this method and you will need to boil the milk first. Regular Milk has some bacteria that needs to be brought up to 180 degrees prior to making Yogurt. I have this exact process with all the details for that method in this recipe as well.
If I do the yogurt with regular milk, when should I add condensed milk?
At the same time as you add the yogurt.
Hi, Olga, thank you for your yogurt recipe. We are enjoying it. We are using regular whole milk so we have to boil it. Each time I have made it, I have pressed the yogurt button to boil. After approximately 20 minutes, the Insta pot beeps and says end. The milk has not boiled and reads at about 120 degrees. I reset the Insta pot to boil, but it continues to beep and say end. By then, I transfer the milk to a pot on the stove and boil it. Do you have any explanation as to why my Insta pot will not boil the milk?
Thank you so much for your input,
Michelle
Made It yesterday, sooo good! Thanks for the detailed instructions, we loved the result!
I'm happy to hear that it worked out well for you too, Laura:). Thank you for taking the time to write.
I don't think I will ever be buying yogurt anymore, this is delicious! Thank you 🙂
Thank you so much for the recipe. My kids loves parfait. This homemade yogurt is so good, so fluffy and tender!!! Wow !!! Not even compatible to store bought ones. For sweetener I used condensed milk ( perfect combination). The only one it takes long time to boil/pasteurize milk in instant pot. So I found out in my recipe booklet that you can do it on your stove top. Thanks again
I'm so happy to hear that you were so pleased with the recipe, Alla. It's great that you added sweetened condensed milk as a sweetener:).
Thank you for posting this! I just got an instant pot and am new to using it. I love greek yogurt by itself, with grilled meats, and even as part of cucumber soup (tarator) so this recipe is very useful for me. I had a few questions, maybe it is because I am so new to using the instant pot. If I wanted to make less yogurt with let's say a 1/2 gallon of milk, would the cooking time be the same? When boiling the milk, is there a general amount of time that it usually takes to boil to 180-185F? Thank you
Congratulations on getting a new Instant Pot, Rigina:).
If you want to make a smaller batch of yogurt, halve the ingredients, but keep the time the same.