Excerpted from Daniel Shumski’s How to Instant Pot, on sale now!
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If you’ve never made yogurt at home, you’re in for a treat. It’s a rewarding process that gives you an appreciation for the role that bacteria play in our lives—and it yields delicious, versatile yogurt you can enjoy without any additives or artificial ingredients. There are so many ways to make yogurt—varying levels of fat, various degrees of straining to thicken it, various types of milks as raw ingredients. Here, I give you three kinds and encourage you to experiment. Make a luscious full-fat yogurt that gets its body from the dairy fat naturally included. Try a part-skim yogurt that is strained to produce a thicker, Greek-style yogurt. Finally, a skim-milk yogurt has powdered milk added to bulk up its body. Don’t be put off by the long preparation time; for most of that time, the yogurt is unattended while the Instant Pot does its thing.
Note that the small amount of yogurt in the ingredients is used for its live bacteria, which will convert the milk into yogurt. Look for a yogurt with as few ingredients as possible, ideally just milk and bacteria. Additives and thickeners may interfere with the results.
1. Whole Milk Yogurt
TOTAL TIME: 12 hours 30 minutes (including cooling time)
ACTIVE TIME: 10 minutes
YIELD: Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients
- 2 quarts whole milk
- 2 tablespoons whole-milk, 2%, or skim yogurt with active (live) cultures
Instructions
- Place the milk in the inner pot. Close and lock the lid. Set the valve to Sealing. Press the Yogurt button and then press the Yogurt or Adjust button until the display reads “Boil.”
- Allow about 30 minutes for the program to finish. When it has finished, press Cancel until the display reads “Off.” Use oven mitts to remove the inner pot (be careful—it’s hot!) and place it on a trivet or other heat-resistant surface. Allow the milk to cool, stirring occasionally, until the temperature drops to 110°F as measured on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour. (If you do not have a thermometer, use a small spoon to drip a few drops of the milk on the inside of your wrist. It should feel just above body temperature—very slightly warm but not hot. Err on the side of too cool, since too much heat will kill the necessary bacteria in the yogurt in the next step.)
- Add the yogurt to the inner pot and stir thoroughly.
- Return the inner pot to the Instant Pot. Press the Yogurt button and use the Yogurt or Adjust button to select the middle temperature (“Normal”). Use the − or + button to set the time to 8 hours. Close and lock the lid. Set the valve to Sealing.
- When the cycle ends, press Cancel and remove the lid. Stir the yogurt and then use a large spoon to scoop it into a container with a lid or single-serving containers with lids. Place the covered container(s) in the refrigerator to cool, about 3 hours, before serving. Whole Milk Yogurt will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks.
2. 2% Greek Yogurt
TOTAL TIME: 13 hours 30 minutes (including cooling time)
ACTIVE TIME: 15 minutes
YIELD: Makes about 6 cups
Ingredients
- 2 quarts 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons whole-milk, 2%, or skim yogurt with active (live) cultures
Instructions
- Follow the recipe for Whole Milk Yogurt using the 2% milk. In step 3, add the yogurt as directed. In step 5, when the 8-hour cycle ends, remove the lid and set a large strainer lined with a clean tea towel, several layers of cheesecloth, or coffee filters over a large bowl. Spoon the yogurt into the strainer and drain until thickened, at least 1 hour but no more than 2 hours. Refrigerate as directed.
Variation: For an even thicker, Icelandic-style yogurt, strain the yogurt in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
3. Nonfat Yogurt
TOTAL TIME: 12 hours 30 minutes (including cooling time)
ACTIVE TIME: 10 minutes
YIELD: Makes about 8 cups
Ingredients
- 2 quarts skim (nonfat) milk
- 2 tablespoons whole-milk, 2%, or skim yogurt with active (live) cultures
- 1 cup powdered skim milk
Instructions
- Follow the recipe for Whole Milk Yogurt using the skim milk. In step 3, add the yogurt and powdered skim milk and whisk thoroughly until the powdered milk is dissolved. Continue with the recipe as directed.
Tip: The liquid leftover from straining is whey and is rich in protein. Substitute it for water in pizza or bread dough, or incorporate it into smoothies.
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