Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt

Creamy, tangy, nutritious—and ridiculously easy.

Why buy expensive store-bought yogurt when you can make a better, healthier version at home while you sleep (literally)? This Instant Pot Yogurt is a game-changer for gut health, meal prepping, and leveling up your breakfast or snack routine. Plus, there’s something oddly empowering about fermenting your own food. Feels primal. Feels right.

Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt

Creamy, tangy, nutritious—and ridiculously easy.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 12 hours hrs

Servings: 2 Litres

Calories: 120

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 gallon 4 liters whole milk (or 2% if you’re feeling lighter—skip skim unless you enjoy sadness in a spoon)
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt with live active cultures This is your starter, your foundation, your bacterial best friend

Equipment

• 1 Instant Pot
• 1 Whisk
• 1 Yogurt Strainer (Optional)

Method

 

Getting Started – Part 1:

1. Add your starter (plain yogurt) into the Instant Pot with 1 cup of your 2L milk and whisk to mix well.
2. Slowly add the rest of your milk to the mix.
3. Place the lid on your Instant Pot and lock it into place with the vent closed.
4. Press the Yogurt button.
5. Your yogurt will now incubate for the next 8 hours.
6. For tangier yogurt, leave in the instant pot for a couple hours longer.

Cooling – Part 2:

1. Once your timer from your Instant Pot sounds off, remove the bowl, cover and refridgerate. (About 2 hrs)

Straining (Optional) – Part 3:

1. If you have a yogurt strainer (best option) or cheese cloth, pour chilled yogurt into the strainer and place in the fridge for another 2 hours (If you want Greek Style yogurt. Thicker yogurt = longer straining times.
2. Transfer yogurt into a sealable container and write down the date. (Important)

How to Serve – Part 4:

1. With berries and a drizzle of honey.

   Swirled with cinnamon and chopped nuts.

   In smoothies, dressings, or overnight oats.

   Straight from the jar with zero regrets.

Notes

Nutritional Value (per 1 cup serving):

• Calories: 120
• Protein: 8g
• Carbohydrates: 10g
• Fats: 5g
• Sugar: 9g (from milk—no added sugar)

Note: These values are for plain yogurt made with whole milk. Add-ins like honey, fruit, or granola will increase calories and carbs (and joy).

Chef’s Success Secrets

Starter Quality: Use high-quality plain yogurt with live cultures for your starter. Check the label – if you can’t pronounce the ingredients, your yogurt probably can’t either.

Timing Flexibility: Longer fermentation (up to 12 hours) creates tangier yogurt. Shorter fermentation (6 hours) keeps it mild. You’re the boss of your own yogurt destiny.

Storage Wisdom: Properly stored, this yogurt lasts 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator. Though I guarantee it won’t last that long once you taste it.

The Life Coach Moment

Making yogurt is like building any worthwhile habit – it requires initial effort, patience, and trust in the process. You can’t rush fermentation any more than you can rush personal growth. But when you nail it (and you will), the satisfaction is incredible. You’ve literally created something nourishing from simple ingredients and time.

Every batch teaches you something new about timing, and texture. Just like life, it’s about small adjustments and consistent effort. Plus, there’s something deeply satisfying about eating something you created with your own hands – it’s meditation you can taste.

So go forth, ferment with confidence, and remember: if you can make yogurt, you can tackle anything. Your kitchen confidence starts here, but it definitely doesn’t end here.

Happy fermenting, and may your yogurt be thick, your probiotics plentiful, and your kitchen confidence unshakeable!