Thick And Creamy Instant Pot Greek Yogurt

A white hand is holding a serving platter with six jars of instant pot Greek yogurt. One has strawberries on top and another has strawberry jam.

Thick And Creamy Instant Pot Greek Yogurt

This simple Instant Pot Greek Yogurt recipe yields creamy, delicious results. Enjoy it plain, or top with your favorite fruits, nuts, and honey

Course: Breakfast, Fermented Food

Cuisine: Middle Eastern

Keyword: Fermentation, Fermented

Prep Time: 35

Cook Time: 12

Straining Time: 2

Total Time: 14 35

Servings: people

Calories: 192kcal

Author: Gabby Campbell

Equipment

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1 Instant pot
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1 Digital thermometer
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1 Strainer
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Cheesecloth

Ingredients

▢ 2 quarts whole milk (see note 1) (2 litres)
▢ 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt

Instructions

Pour 2 quarts/2 litres of milk into the inner pot of the instant pot and secure the lid. It doesn't matter what position the venting knob is in because no pressure cooking is involved in this process.
Depending on your instant pot either press the yogurt button twice or hold it down until 'boil' appears. Leave the pot to heat the milk, which will take roughly 25-30 minutes.
Once the instant pot beeps, press cancel, remove the lid and check the temperature of the milk straight away with a digital food thermometer. It needs to be between 180ºF-190ºF (80º-90ºC).
If the milk is not quite at this temp, turn on the sauté mode for 3-4 minutes and check the temperature again very frequently. I hold the thermometer in the pot because it rarely takes more than a couple of minutes. Hit cancel as soon as the milk is at temp.
Remove the inner pot of the instant pot and set it aside on the stove top to cool to 115ºF (45ºC). This generally takes 45 minutes to an hour. To speed this up, fill your kitchen sink with 1-2 trays of ice cubes and fill about one-third full of water. Place the inner pot into the ice bath and check the temperature every 5 minutes. This cools rapidly and is generally at temp within ten minutes.
When the milk has cooled, remove half a cup and add it to a jug with 2 heaped tablespoons of plain Greek yogurt. Whisk together to form your starter mixture, then pour this back into the pot with the rest of the milk.
Put the inner pot back into the instant pot, put the lid on and press the yogurt button once or until 'yogurt normal' appears. Press the + or- button until the time says 12 then leave the yogurt to ferment. For a tangier yogurt - leave the mix to ferment for 14 hours.

Straining the Yogurt

Once the instant pot beeps, line a strainer with one to two layers of cheesecloth and sit it over a deep bowl. Pour the yogurt in, fold it over so the top is covered and place in the fridge for 1 – 2 hours to thicken (see note 2). For an even thicker yogurt, leave to strain overnight. This will produce something close to a labneh.
Spoon the strained yogurt into mason jars or any large jars you have on hand and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks.
Tip the whey into a clean jar and also keep this in the fridge to use for future fermenting projects.
Serve your homemade Greek yogurt alongside some fresh berries and granola, use it to make Tiramisu Overnight Oats or use in place of sour cream.

Video

Notes

1) The type of milk you use can make a difference to how thick your yogurt is. Whole milk with a high fat content will return the best results. Organic milk and biodynamic milk produce a thinner yogurt due to the ‘good bugs’ they contain. These tend to compete with the live cultures in the yogurt starter, which affects the overall viscosity.

2) I always place a weight on top of the yogurt while it strains in the fridge. This helps force out more of the whey to make your yogurt super creamy. Once the cheesecloth is folded over, place a saucer on top then add a jar full of water with the lid on.

Don't have cheesecloth? Line the strainer with a nut milk bag, disposable kitchen wipes or coffee filters. There are also yogurt strainers that are made specifically for this task.

REMEMBER: ALWAYS save 2 tbsp of your yogurt so you can make the next batch. If you don't, you won't have any of that probiotic goodness to inoculate the milk with.

Instant pot pro and just want the basic steps?

Pour 2 quarts/2 litres of milk into the instant pot.
Hit the yogurt function twice until boil appears then leave the milk to heat.
Once the IP beeps, use a digital thermometer to measure the temp. It needs to be 180ºF-190ºF (80º-90ºC).
Remove the inner pot and leave the milk to cool to 115ºF (45ºC)
Mix 2 Tbsp of Greek yogurt with ½ cup of the cooled milk then pour back into the milk.
Put the inner pot back into the IP, put the lid on, and press the yogurt button until 'yogurt normal' appears.
Set the timer to 12 hours.
When the IP beeps, set a strain over a deep bowl and line with cheesecloth. Pour the yogurt in, cover with the overhanging cheesecloth and strain for 1-2 hours.
Spoon into jars and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Keep the strained whey for future fermenting projects.

Nutrition