Easy Homemade Yogurt - Instant Pot (Cold Start)

I'm here to profess my undying love for my Instant Pot.  I've made so many wonderful things with it, and it's hard to choose what has been my favorite so far.  Chicken that literally falls off the bone, pot roast that melts in your mouth, healthy bone broth, hearty soups, amazingly creamy yogurt... the list goes on and on.

Who knew homemade yogurt could be so easy and tasty to make!?  With the Instant Pot, there's no need to go through the tedious steps of heating the yogurt to 180, cooling it to 115 degrees, etc.  This is a cold start recipe, meaning you simply dump the cold ingredients into the pot, cover it, use the yogurt setting, and then chill it in the refrigerator!  I won't be using store-bought yogurt anymore!  I love the fact that I can control exactly what I put into my yogurt!





NOTES:

The Milk:  You need to use an ultra-pasteurized milk since you won't be heating the yogurt up to 180 degrees.  I use Fairlife Whole Milk.

The Starter:  If you're using store-bought yogurt, use yogurt that has live and active cultures in the ingredients.  Also, use a yogurt that you like the taste of on its own.  I used Fage 2% Greek yogurt for my very first batch.  If you're using some of your homemade yogurt as the starter, use it within 7 days of making it.

The Lid:  When making the yogurt, you will not be using any pressure, so you don't need to use the lid that comes with the Instant Pot.  The seal ring inside of the Instant Pot cover tends to smell like the meats that you've been cooking with in the past, even after washing it.  You do not want that smell or taste to come through in your yogurt!  For that reason, I cover my Instant Pot with a dinner plate with no problem.

Ingredients:
Yields 1/2 gallon

• 1/2 gallon ultra-pasteurized milk (I used Fairlife whole milk)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (Optional, for sweetening)
• 2 tbsp yogurt with live and active cultures
• Optional:  Honey, granola, fresh or frozen fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, jello powder, etc., for flavoring 

Directions:

Pour the ultra-pasteurized milk, condensed milk, and yogurt starter into your Instant Pot.  Whisk well, until all of the ingredients are dissolved together.  

Cover your Instant Pot with a dinner plate.  Press the yogurt setting on your Instant Pot, which will process the yogurt for 8 hours.  

After the 8 hours are up, remove the dinner plate.  place a paper towel on top of the top (to help catch condensation while cooling), and put the dinner plate back on top.  

Cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.  When the yogurt is finished cooling, give the pot a good stir.  

Serve and enjoy with any toppings of your choice.  Store in covered, sanitized storage containers in the fridge.  Homemade yogurt is good for 2 weeks when stored in the refrigerator.  

Enjoy!