Instant Pot Yoghurt Setting

Introducing you to the instant pot yoghurt setting and making the most simple instant pot homemade yoghurt. With just two ingredients and plenty of tips for storing and draining, you will love this guide to yoghurt in the instant pot.

Even better, this is the cold start instant pot yoghurt, meaning that you have no milk to boil first.

This is an updated post. We originally shared with about the instant pot yoghurt setting back in 2017.

Instant Pot Yoghurt Cold Start

I shared with you yesterday all about instant pot Greek yoghurt, and how the ingredients are incredibly simple, but I didn’t dive much into instant pot cold start yoghurt what it meant, or into more detail about the process of making yoghurt.

Today’s post dives a lot deeper into the process of making yoghurt in the instant pot, and why cold start should be your only method and talking you through the process of cooking your yoghurt and then draining it.

Note that this instant pot setting guide can be your guide and then you can mix and match it with different yoghurt flavours.

Such as adding some strawberries for strawberry yoghurt or added sweetened condensed milk to make caramel yoghurt.  

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What Does Cold Start Instant Pot Yoghurt Mean?

Cold start instant pot yoghurt basically means that you do not need to boil the milk prior to mixing it with yoghurt to make your homemade yoghurt.

It makes making yoghurt in the instant pot so much easier and you won’t feel after following this instant pot cold start yoghurt recipe that yoghurt is complicated. Because it really isn’t!

Is Cold Start Yoghurt Safe?

Yes, cold start yoghurt in the instant pot is 100% safe and this is because of two reasons:

We perform the water test first and this then gives the instant pot a deep sterilisation. It will then make it perfect for starting your yoghurt.

Secondly, we use long life milk. Long life milk also known as UHT, and it is specially taken to a high heat just before being loaded into containers. This means it fights off a lot more bacteria compared to regular milks and makes it a lot safer for yoghurt making.

Instant Pot Yoghurt Setting Venting Or Sealing?

No need to set the valve for sealing when you make yoghurt in the instant pot pressure cooker. Just place the lid on it and make sure the lid is locked in place.

Then simply leave the instant pot on venting as you set the yoghurt.

What Is The Temperature Of The Instant Pot Yoghurt Setting?

The instant pot works like an incubator and keeps your yoghurt at 45c/110f. Then it cooks your yoghurt for 8 hours, so think of it as a very slow cook.

Then just like when you use a sous vide, the longer the cook time the difference it will make to the end product.

Therefore, if you want a yoghurt that has more of a tangy kick to it you can increase the cook time to 9-10 hours rather than the recommended 8.

How To Use The Instant Pot Yoghurt Setting?

Now let’s jump into using the instant pot yoghurt setting.

First of all, you will have your water test completed, will have mixed your yoghurt and milk (scroll down for how to do this) and will be ready for the incubation period to start.

Well, you start by placing the lid down on the instant pot and leaving it on venting.

Then press the yoghurt button:

Then adjust the time to 8 hours or go up to 9 hours if you want a tangy yoghurt:

Then after the 8 hours it will beep and be replaced with a “end” screen on the instant pot:

This is your yoghurt setting process done, and it’s now the time to remove from the instant pot, add the silicone lid and transfer to the fridge.

However, the above is with the instant pot duo, so if you are doing the yoghurt setting on the instant pot with the duo plus, then its only very slightly different.

You will have to press the start button to get it going:

Then once it is started (works with all models) you will see on and then you know you can leave it for 8 hours.

And that is just how easy it is to use the yoghurt setting on the instant pot.

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Cold Start Yoghurt Instant Pot Ingredients

Yoghurt – For the yoghurt it can be any that has active cultures. If it doesn’t have active cultures, then it wont make yoghurt. I also recommend going with a yoghurt that is higher in protein than some of its cheaper alternatives as it produces much better yoghurt.

Milk – The second essential ingredient for making cold start yoghurt in the instant pot is some milk. I have found the easiest milk to use is semi skimmed UHT milk. Which translates in the USA as reduced fat long life milk.

Whisk – You’re also going to need a silicone whisk that you can use in the instant pot to whisk up the milk and yoghurt ahead of hitting the yoghurt setting.

Then for the kitchen gadgets that we have used in this cold start instant pot yoghurt recipe it has just been our Instant Pot. We have this one and it’s my favourite and great for a lot of foods that can make from scratch.

Plus, we recommend you head over to our instant pot recipes category as we have many electric pressure cooker recipes and have been using instant pots for 5 years.

How To Make Cold Start Yoghurt In Instant Pot?

• Prepare. Start by completing the instant pot water test. It’s a fantastic way for a thorough sterilisation of your instant pot before making the yoghurt.
• Load. Then load up your instant pot with the yoghurt along with a cup of milk. Then use your whisk to mix the milk into the yoghurt.
• Gradually. Then gradually add the rest of the milk and whisk until you have milk bubbles.
• Cook. Place the lid on the instant pot, set it to yoghurt and leave the yoghurt to cook in the instant pot for 8 hours.
• Fridge. Then when it beeps, place the yoghurt in the fridge overnight.
• Strain. The next day after it has been in the fridge overnight, strain and then serve.

And I am sure you can see now how simple and easy it is to make our instant pot cold start vanilla yoghurt recipe.

Instant Pot Yoghurt With Condensed Milk

My all time favourite way to make yoghurt in the instant pot is with condensed milk or more specifically sweetened condensed milk.

Those cans that you would normally use for instant pot caramel being used instead for a sweeter yoghurt.

All you do is swap one of the eight cups (240ml) of milk with a cup of sweetened condensed milk.

Then you make the yoghurt as usual and you have a sweetened flavour to it that will have you bingeing on the yoghurt until you make some more.

Draining Your Instant Pot Yoghurt

Then for the draining process. Which I consider to be essential in yoghurt making. As it gets rid of any excess water and instead your yoghurt can be rather runny.

All you do is grab a colander and place it over a bowl, then place kitchen towel into the colander.

Then pour over your chilled ready to eat yoghurt.

Then wait an hour and it will gradually remove excess water from your yoghurt, like you see below.

Then you can remove the yoghurt from the colander into yoghurt containers and you have creamy thick yoghurt.

Plus, if making a yoghurt with low fat natural yoghurt or fat free Greek yoghurt it will help thicken it.  

Instant Pot Yoghurt Leftovers

Another important part of making yoghurt in the instant pot, is to save a little of your yoghurt for your next batch.

Because leftover yoghurt freezes well, the easiest option is to load it into the freezer for another time.

What I recommend you do is use ice cubes. That way you can just get out what you need and then leave the rest in your freezer.

I used some thin ice cubes that were the perfect size.

Then grab one out of the freezer and transfer into a bowl, the day before you next plan on making some yoghurt.

Instant Pot Yoghurt Troubleshooting

• Instant Pot Cold Start Yoghurt Fairlife – Is the name given to a popular milk used in the US. As its not available here in the UK I recommend any UHT or long life milk.

• Instant Pot Cold Start Yoghurt Flavouring – You can of course do plenty of mixing and matching. I love to add in some lemon curd for a lemon yoghurt or toffee sauce for some strawberry jam for strawberry. And my daughter loves it with grated white chocolate and some sprinkles.

• Instant Pot Cold Start Yoghurt Lumpy – This usually happens to your yoghurt if you don’t whisk it enough and as it incubates it creates some extra lumps.

• Instant Pot Cold Start Yoghurt Runny – You can solve the problem of runny yoghurt simply by draining it with kitchen towel like I have mentioned above.

More Instant Pot Recipes From Scratch

• Instant Pot Black Beans
• Instant Pot Chickpeas
• Instant Pot Cream Of Mushroom Soup
• Instant Pot Green Lentils

Your cold start instant pot recipe is below, note you can print it out with or without photos, adjust servings, or click between metric and imperial depending on where you are in the world.

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