At first glance, this recipe may seem a bit complicated, but it’s actually very easy once you get the steps down. Once you’ve made a couple batches of this delicious, creamy, and smooth Greek Style yogurt, you’ll never want to buy the store-bought varieties again.
How to make greek yogurt in the Instant Pot
Note: You can use any plain, non-flavored yogurt with active cultures in place of the packaged yogurt starter used here. You can also save some of each batch you make to use as a starter for future batches. Simply freeze in ice cube trays, and then thaw completely when ready to make another batch.
Special Equipment Needed:
- Pressure cooker with ‘Yogurt’ function
- Yogurt Starter – either plain yogurt with active cultures or yogurt starter
- Instant Read Digital thermometer
- Cheesecloth
Healthy mix-in ideas for greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is so versatile you can mix most anything in it and have a sweet or savory snack. This list is far from exhaustive list as there are so many more things you can try.
- Fruit (try them all 🙂 Frozen blueberries are to die for
- PB2 (yum peanut butter yogurt and toast) or on a bagel and add a few banana slices
- Granola (the obvious mix-in)
- Pomegranate seeds for a sweet and tart “pop”
- Mix-in some Nutella and freeze it for a sweet treat
- Honey (1 tsp is one point and a delicious add-in)
- Chocolate pieces topped with graham crackers
- Pumpkin puree (I think I know what I am making for dessert)
- Kiwi Oh my 🙂
- Nuts (not your crazy uncles ) I like pistachios but try a few different ones Maybe even a few at a time. Cashews and peanuts anyone?
- Coconut flakes
- Dried ginger or even fresh shaved ginger try the ginger and honey together.
What are some savory mix-ins for yogurt?
- Pickled Beets
- Veggies (I liked fire-roasted tomatoes and a little garlic)
- Pesto
- Wasabi flavored veggies
- everything bagel seasoning (goes great with cucumbers and olives
- garlic or jalapeno stuffed olives
- Mashed potatoes a great topping with chives
- Diced cukes, finely chopped mint, a splash of lemon juice, and some salt and pepper to taste. We are getting fancy here 😉
- Shredded cheese, sriracha, and a little pepper
- Flatiron pepper company Dark&Smoky, shredded cheese, and some pretzels yum
- Squeeze a lemon add some dried dill weed and salt. Use the mixture as a sauce for fish or as a spread on sandwiches.
Vegetarian inspired recipes
Blackberry Lime Mojito
BLUE PLAN: 0 Points
GREEN PLAN: 3 Points
PURPLE PLAN: 0 Points
Instant Pot Greek Yogurt
- Total Time: 11 hours
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
½ gallon whole milk
2 packets of yogurt starter
Optional, To Serve: (as pictured)
Fresh strawberries and bananas, sliced
Granola
Instructions
Add milk to Instant Pot® and select the ‘Yogurt’ function. Select ‘Adjust’ until the screen says ‘boiL.” (See image)
Add lid and wait until the unit beeps to indicate it is finished boiling. The screen will say “YoGt” when done. (See image) Insert instant read thermometer into the milk to ensure it has reached at least 180°F (see images).
Turn unit off and remove pot to allow milk to cool. For quicker results, place pot in a tub of cold water or leave on the counter to cool naturally.
When an instant read thermometer reads 110°F, the milk is cool enough to add the yogurt starter. For best results, remove about a cup of the milk from the pot and stir the starter into that before pouring into the rest of milk in the pot.
Return pot to unit and cover with the lid (no need to seal for this function). Select the ‘Yogurt’ function again and make sure the setting is on “Normal’ (NOT “Low” – very important!) and adjust time for 8-10 hours. The longer the incubation period, the tangier the yogurt will be.
When the yogurt is done incubating, remove the lid and turn unit off. Line a strainer with some cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. Pour yogurt into the strainer and place in the refrigerator to strain for several hours to overnight. The longer the yogurt is allowed to strain, the thicker the yogurt will be.
Once yogurt is strained, discard the liquid whey (or save to use in smoothies) and transfer the yogurt to a bowl. If the yogurt texture is lumpy, process with an immersion blender or hand mixer until creamy and smooth.
Serve immediately topped with fresh fruit, granola, and a drizzle of honey, if desired, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several days.
Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 45-55
Super easy to follow recipe and my yogurt came out this morning, perfect (smooth and creamy). I sticked a spoon into the yogurt and it stood firmly in it…yayy! I strained the yogurt with a cheesecloth over a large mixing bowl for <4 hours in the fridge…does not like my Greek yogurt to be too thick. Hmmm, will have a bowl of Greek yogurt top with my home canned persimmon jam for breakfast in the morning…yummy, yummy,, yummy! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe.
★★★★★
I believe Greek yogurt must use skim milk–which works fine–not whole milk to be 0 points. Also, if you have a gas oven with a pilot light, this recipe is very easy to make heating the milk in a pan on the stovetop and incubating in the oven. I think this method is actually easier than doing it in the Instant Pot.