Homemade Greek Yogurt
Homemade Greek Yogurt is easier than you think and oh so good! The Instant Pot makes the whole thing easy and can be and you’re left with thick and creamy yogurt just waiting for your favorite mixins!
Are you ready to create your own homemade Greek yogurt right in your kitchen? There’s something incredibly satisfying about making your own creamy and thick yogurt, especially when you can flavor it however you’d like. This is my 5th batch I’ve made in a week and my family adores it. I’ve always loved yogurt, but this is the creamiest, dreamiest stuff I’ve ever had. Not only that, but it’s ridiculously easy to make using my Instant Pot, an appliance I already use 2/3 times a week for dinner. Being someone that loves multi-functional kitchen tools, this recipe is a match made in heaven for my family’s yogurt-loving habits.
The process to make a batch of yogurt is pretty simple: you start with 2 cups of milk, heat it, add a little bit of yogurt which serves as a “starter culture.” And then cook it at a low temperature for several hours. Then it is strained and cooled until ready to mix with your favorite ingredients!
Ingredients:
- Whole milk* (I prefer Organic Whole Milk but use what you like.)
- Heavy cream (optional)
- Plain yogurt (that contains live cultures)
Mix-in Options:
- Fruit Jam
- Strawberry Compote
- Vanilla extract and maple syrup
- Lemon curd
- Granola
Equipment:
-
Instant Pot
- Candy thermometer
- Cheesecloth, coffee filter, or paper towels for straining
- Large bowl
Instructions
- Pour the milk and cream (if using,) into your Instant Pot. Put the lid on and press the “Yogurt” button. Press “adjust” until “boil” comes up on the screen. Let it be until machine beeps and “YOGT” pops up on the screen (about 26 minutes.)
- If you have candy or deep fry thermometer you can pop it in and make sure that the milk is heated to 180F. (I checked mine and it was, but it’s a good idea to just make sure your machine is calibrated properly.) If it’s not at 180F you can put on the sauté function until it reaches temperature.
- Lift the inner pot and place it on a wire rack until it cools to between 110-115F. If you don’t touch it, this took 35 minutes for me, but I usually whisk it up to speed up the cooling process.
- When the temperature of the milk reaches 110-115 degrees F, stir the regular yogurt into a cup of the warm milk, and then add it back to the rest. Stir to combine.
- Replace the inner pot, cover, and press the “Yogurt” button again. Make sure it’s set to “normal,” and then adjust the time as needed. Anything from 8-18 hours has worked for me. I like to leave it overnight.
- After the incubation period is over, cover the inner pot and pop into the fridge until cold, 4 hours or more.
- The next morning, strain the yogurt using cheesecloth, a coffee filter, or a paper towel inside of a mesh strainer for 1-4 hours or until yogurt is your desired consistency. Save the leftover whey if you want for smoothies/baking.
- Sweeten/flavor as desired!
Tips and Tricks for Success:
- Use a little bit of store-bought yogurt with live active cultures for the best results.
- Maintain a consistent temperature throughout the yogurt-making process to ensure proper fermentation.
- Experiment with different flavors and mix ins!
- For extra thick greek yogurt, replace some yogurt with heavy cream!
A few notes:I don’t shy away from fat in my cooking and baking, so I always prefer whole organic milk yogurt. What I really love is super rich and creamy European-style yogurt, and if you do too you can make this with a little heavy cream as well, (which is to die for.) If you prefer lower fat yogurt, you can use 2% milk or a mix of skim milk and milk with more fat.
I always strain my yogurt for 1-4 hours to get that super thick and creamy greek yogurt consistency. I’ve been saving the liquid (whey) which is full of protein and nutrients, to add to our smoothies!
And finally: I have only made this with an instant pot, but with a thermometer you could probably attempt it without out. The key is keeping the yogurt at about 115F to incubate for 6+ hours. I read about some people using a food dehydrator for this, or wrapping it in a blanket and keeping it under an oven light. With the instant pot it’s just so easy and doesn’t require much work at all, so I really suggest using that if you have one!
Homemade Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 quarts whole milk*
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (optional)
- 2 tablespoons plain yogurt (that contains live and active cultures)
Instructions
- Pour the milk and cream into your Instant Pot. Put the lid on* and press the "Yogurt" button. Press "adjust" until "boil" comes up on the screen. Let it be until machine beeps and "yogt" pops up on the screen (about 26 minutes.)
- If you have candy or deep fry thermometer you can pop it in and make sure that the milk is heated to 180F. (I checked mine and it was, but it's a good idea to just make sure your machine is calibrated properly.) If it's not at 180F you can put on the sauté function until it reaches temperature.
- Lift the inner pot and place it on a wire rack until it cools to between 110-115F. If you don't touch it, this took 35 minutes for me, but I usually whisk it up to speed up the cooling process.
- When milk reaches 110-115F, stir the yogurt into a cup of the warm milk, and then add it back to the rest. Stir to combine.
- Replace the inner pot, cover, and press the "Yogurt" button again. Make sure it's set to "normal," and then adjust the time as needed. Anything from 8-18 hours has worked for me. I like to leave it overnight.
- After the incubation period is over, cover the inner pot and pop into the fridge until cold, 4 hours or more.
- Strain the yougrt using cheesecloth, a coffee filter, or a paper towel inside of a mesh strainer for 1-4 hours or until yogurt is your desired consistency. Save the liquid whey if you want for smoothies/baking.
- Sweeten/flavor as desired!
Notes
*The silicone ring in the lid of the liquid pot tends to retain the flavors/aromas of what you have cooked in there. If this is the case for yours, you can either order replacement rings to have a designated one for desserts/yogurt, or just use the lid of a different pot or even just a plate while making your yogurt.
Recipe adapted from "Dinner in an Instant" by Melissa Clark
I am so tempted to get an Instant Pot because I make yogurt. At least, I used to make it. I did it in my crock pot and that worked fine, but the last step was wrapping the WHOLE pot–yes, including the outer part and the cord–in the oven overnight. That was awkward, and heavy! After lots of research, I found that the less yogurt starter I used, the thicker the result. I used 1 tsp! I usually made half into greek yogurt. Now I buy plain, whole milk and make greek yogurt from that. That saves me about $5! I like the inclusion of cream in your recipe: one of the cups of greek yogurt I bought listed cream in the ingredients, so I added some to my strained yogurt, but I like the idea of incorporating it at the beginning of making yogurt. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I am SO excited about this because we love really rich creamy yogurt and the best kids are SO expensive. Definitely going to be giving this a try!