This easy homemade yogurt recipe saves money, tastes better and is much better for you! I show you how to get the thickest, creamy, dreamy yogurt at home in this easy recipe.
When a friend upgraded their Instant Pot and gave me their older model, I knew right away I wanted to start making homemade yogurt. I was a little intimidated at first. I assumed I’d have to buy some sort of culture, and wasn’t so sure that way would save me money. Still, I wanted to make it for health reasons.
You can imagine how relieved I was when I found out you can just use a couple of tablespoons of store bought yogurt as your culture! In additional batches you simply reserve a bit of your homemade yogurt for the next batch and so on.
So if you’re at all intimidated to start, don’t be!
How to Make Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Boil 1/2 gallon of milk in Instant Pot by pressing the Yogurt button until it reads ‘boil’.
- Once it beeps, remove pot and allow to cool to 110 degrees F.
- Add culture (yogurt) and stir.
- Return to Instant Pot for 12 hours by pressing the Yogurt button again until it reads 12:00 (or 24 if you prefer).
- Reserve 1/4 cup for next batch!
Additional Step For The BEST Results
The first several times I made this yogurt, I followed the process above. It was great, it got me started, and it it got me hooked. However, my kids were not the biggest fans of the texture. It was definitely runnier than the yogurt we were used to from the store.
I happened to hear about a method some people use on an unrelated YouTube video; straining off the whey for extra thick and creamy yogurt.
What Is Whey?
You’ve seen whey any time you’ve bought yogurt from the store, or sour cream or cottage cheese for that matter. It’s the light yellowish liquid that separates and comes to the top of cultured dairy. Normally you just stir it in. Straining whey from yogurt actually makes it Greek yogurt. That’s why Greek yogurt is so much thicker than regular.
Unlike the store bought Greek yogurt I’ve had, this recipe doesn’t leave my mouth with that dry, residue feeling. It’s extra thick and creamy, but still delicious and healthier than store bought!
Let’s Walk Through The Method
Once you’ve boiled the milk…
check to see that it reached 200 F.
Let it cool to 110 and remove skin.
You can remove the skin by swirling/scooping it around and spoon.
Now take your existing yogurt…
and add a bit of warm milk to temper it and thin it out.
Stir it all together.
Pour the yogurt into the pot.
Give it a good stir.
Set your Instant Pot to 12 hours on the YOGURT function.
You can do as little as 8 hours or up to 24. I like 12 the best. All the health benefits without being overly tangy. By the way, it doesn’t matter if the vent is opened or closed.
After that, you strain the yogurt in a colander lined with a tea towel set over a bowl. I keep mine in the fridge while it’s draining, and I give it 3-5 hours to make sure it’s really thick and creamy.
Side note: If you’re worried about the timing of this, don’t sweat it. It doesn’t have to be exact. I usually start mine in the morning and let it go all day, store it unstrained in fridge overnight, then strain it in the fridge the next morning. I also will start mine at night, let it sit in the InstantPot overnight, start straining it in the morning, and have thick yogurt by afternoon snack time. Either way, you can definitely stick it in the fridge if you aren’t able to strain it right away. You can always strain it later.
What Do I Do With The Whey?
Don’t throw it out! There are tons of great uses for whey and it’s very good for you.
I often throw it in smoothies, and I really want to try lacto-fermenting vegetables with it, but my favorite thing to use it for is whey soda! If that sounds weird, check out my post. It’s like kombucha only tastier and easier.
As a last resort you can even water your garden with it, or add it to your compost. The cultures are very good for the soil.
How Much Yogurt Does It Make?
I used to use a half-gallon of milk at a time, which translates to the same amount of yogurt if you’re not straining off the whey. Once I started straining it though, I wanted to make bigger batches since you lose some volume without the whey.
Now I use a gallon of milk at a time (which is at my Instant Pot’s max capacity) and get a large Tupperware of thick yogurt- about 2 of the typical tubs of yogurt you’d get at the store.
Does It Really Save Money?
In short, yes!
Even if you get conventional, not-so-healthy yogurt, you’re looking at $5 a tub on average. Since my recipe makes about 2 tubs worth, that would be $10 at the store.
I pick up a gallon of pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized), non-homogenized milk from a local dairy for $4.50 a gallon. Which makes the cost of this homemade recipe HALF of what you’d pay for store bought, and it’s healthier.
Then there’s the fact that you get a quart or more of nutritious whey on top of everything.
Even if you could get yogurt cheaper somewhere, you can’t beat the quality and healthiness of homemade. I personally love making things with my hands and rest easy knowing every ingredient that goes into my recipes!
Ideas For Serving Easy Homemade Yogurt
- Add vanilla and maple syrup- to the whole batch after straining or to your own bowl
- Top with granola
- Make healthy parfaits
- Use it as a filling for crepes
- Add honey and top with berries
- Keep it unsweetened and serve alongside curry- so good!
- Use it in place of sour cream
Keep in mind that if you sweeten the whole batch, the next batch that you add your reserved yogurt to will have that sweetener. That’s why I prefer to add what I want to our bowls when serving.
Pin it for later!
I know you’ll love this homemade yogurt. Grab the printable recipe below.
Easy Homemade Yogurt (Better Than Store Bought!)
This easy homemade yogurt is thick, creamy, and healthier than store bought (not to mention cheaper!) However you flavor it, you'll make this recipe again and again.
Ingredients
- 1 gallon milk
- 1/4 cup already made yogurt (store bought is fine)
Instructions
- Add milk to Instant Pot and press Yogurt button until says 'boil'
- Once boiled (Instant Pot will beep), check to see that milk has reached 200 degrees F.
- Allow to cool to 110 degrees F.
- Put existing yogurt in a small bowl and ladle in a small amount of boiled and cooled milk to temper and thin it out. Stir until smooth.
- Pour tempered yogurt into pot of milk and return to Instant Pot.
- Press Yogurt button until it reads either 12 or 24 hours (your preference).
- Once yogurt is cultured and Instant Pot reads 'YOGT', strain the whey off the yogurt by placing into a tea towel-lined colander over a large bowl. You can do this in or out of the fridge (see full post for detailed directions and photos).
- After straining for 4-6 hours, check texture for desired thickness. Store in airtight container in fridge for 7-10 days.
Notes
Be sure to reserve a 1/4 cup of yogurt for your next batch if you plan to keep using a gallon of milk at a time. For a half-gallon of milk, you need 2 Tbs.
Sweeten to taste and add favorite toppings. I recommend reserving your 1/4 cup of yogurt before sweetening the batch, or just sweeten/flavor your individual bowl.
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