Instant Pot Plain Whole Milk Yogurt

I've been intrigued by the "Yogurt" button on our Instant Pot from the first day we got it. Does it really work? Does it taste good? How does it work? What is the consistency? Is it worth the time and effort? Are there long-term savings to be had?

Answers: Yes, Yes, Bacteria, Varies by time, Varies by person, Debatable.

Ingredients

• 1/2 gallon whole milk
• plain yogurt (it's fun how yogurt can make more yogurt...it's the gift that keeps giving!)

Methodology

Fill the instant pot with 2 cups of water and place the steamer tray inside.

Distribute milk into jars of choice, allowing 2 inches of space at the top.

Loosely cover jars with lids or aluminum foil to keep water out.

Put the lid on the instant pot, seal it, and set to Steam for 1 minute.

When the instant pot is done, let the jars cool until safe to handle. Remove them to let them cool to 110F.

This took a while, so you can start another recipe while waiting--I made some vegan char siu bao (post coming soon).

When the yogurt reaches 110F, add 1/2 tsp for every 8 oz of milk.

I estimated adding 2 cups per jar here, so I used 1 tsp per jar. No worries if measurements are not spot on.

Again, lightly cover the jars loosely with the lids or foil. Place them back on the steamer in the instant pot.

Set the instant pot on Yogurt for 8 hours to let the bacteria do its thing.

I think 8 hours is a good amount of time to start. If you like your yogurt more tart, you can go for a longer amount of time.

When the time is done, seal the jar completely and allow to chill in the fridge.

Results

It's pretty tasty, and I would make this again.

The yogurt is decently thick when scooping it out of the jar and into a bowl, but when I mix in lemon curd or apple cider jam, it starts to loosen into a consistency that's somewhere between yogurt and drinkable yogurt. It tastes like something that would be amazing if dumped into a soft-serve machine.

From reading around, if you drain the yogurt before chilling it by scooping it onto a cheesecloth to let hang around for a while, you'll have Greek yogurt. Very cool!

I'd like to try testing a non-dairy version next since the SO is lactose-intolerant and I don't normally buy cow's milk. Will be fun to try.