Easy Instant Pot Cold Start Yogurt

With only 2 ingredients, you can make yogurt right in your own home. Better tasting and less expensive than store bought yogurt, this easy instant pot cold start yogurt is so good, you will be making it again and again.

I love it when I can make my own food at home and save money. Especially when it is so easy.

This instant pot cold start yogurt is so easy that I wish I’d started making it years ago. Here, in Canada, it costs me about $5 to make 2 litres of fresh, homemade yogurt, which is about half the cost of buying it at the store.

In addition to being cheaper, it also tastes so much better. When making it at home you can control how tangy it is, as well as how thick it is, and you can be sure that it has no hidden ingredients, such as thickeners and sweeteners.

How to make easy instant pot cold start yogurt

Making cold start instant pot yogurt is so easy. There are really only 3 steps that you have to follow, and a few other steps that are optional.

It’s important to note, this recipe is for cold start yogurt using an instant pot that has a yogurt setting.

The required steps are:

• Mix the milk and 2 tablespoons of yogurt in the pot
• Turn the pot on the yogurt setting for 8 hours and let it incubate
• Chill the finished yogurt overnight to allow it to set

That’s it! That is all you have to do to make yogurt.

Optional steps include straining the yogurt to make it thicker, and sweetening the yogurt.

I prefer to keep my yogurt plain and unsweetened. That way my yogurt can be used in savoury dishes, such as my Cilantro Avocado Yogurt Dressing, or the yogurt dressing used in this Apple Cranberry Goat Cheese Salad.

One of my favourite ways to enjoy this yogurt is simply with berries, nuts, or granola. But this yogurt is also fantastic as a base for smoothies and smoothie bowls, such as this Cranberry smoothie bowl.

What kind of milk do I need for cold start yogurt?

To make cold start yogurt it is important that you use the right type of milk. You will need to use either ultra pasteurized milk or ultra filtered milk.

Ultra pasteurized milk (or U.H.T Pasteurized milk)has been heated to a high temperature to kill the bacteria. While all milk purchased at the grocery store (at least in Canada and the USA) will be pasteurized, most are not ultra pasteurized. So it is important to look for that declaration on the carton.

You can also use Ultra Filtered Milk. Ultra filtered milk is milk that has been pushed through a fine sieve. This process separates components of milk, such as fat, protein, calcium and lactose. After the filtration process some of the components are recombined to form the product. Generally the lactose is filtered out and the final product is higher in protein and calcium than regular milk.

How do I make homemade yogurt thicker?

There are a few things you can do to make your homemade yogurt thicker.

• Start with milk that has higher fat percentage
• Use ultra filtered milk instead of ultra pasteurized milk
• Strain the yogurt after it has chilled

Both milk that has a higher fat percentage, and milk that has a higher protein content (ultra filtered) will naturally yield a thicker yogurt.

However, if you want your yogurt even thicker, you can line a strainer with coffee filters, pour the chilled yogurt into the lined strainer and place it over a bowl. Allow it to strain for a few hours, or until your yogurt is your desired consistency.

Things to know & helpful tips

• How long does homemade yogurt keep? This yogurt should keep in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks if stored in an airtight container.
• How can I use homemade yogurt? Use it just like you would any store bought yogurt; snacks, smoothies, sauces and dressings. The options are endless.
• How do I make homemade yogurt sweeter? I prefer leaving my yogurt unsweetened and adding a bit of honey, maple syrup or pureed fruit when I serve it. If you want to sweeten the yogurt while it is incubating you can add a can of sweetened condensed milk when you mix the milk and yogurt.
• How do I make my homemade yogurt tangier? If you want your yogurt to have more bite, you can let it incubate a little longer. Try letting it incubate for 9 hours instead of 8, if you still want it tangier, you can let it go a little longer.
• How do I clean my instant pot before making yogurt? My favourite way to sterilize my pot is by simply wiping it out with plain white vinegar and allowing it to dry. You can also add 2 cups of water to the pot, set to high pressure for 2 minutes, then vent, dump the water and start the yogurt.
• What kind of yogurt do I need to start my first batch? Any type of plain yogurt will work as long as the label reads that it has active cultures. After you make your first batch of yogurt, you can use 2 tablespoons of your homemade yogurt for following batches.

Other recipes you might like

Cilantro avocado yogurt dressing

Chunky blue cheese dip

Apple cranberry & goat cheese salad (with yogurt dijon dressing)

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