Rich, creamy, and so easy to make in your Instant Pot, Greek yogurt is made with just 2 ingredients. And strain it overnight and you have a delicious cream cheese!
Course Ingredient, Kitchen essential
Cuisine Indian, International
Prep Time 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time 45 minutesminutes
Cooling & Incubation Time 9 hourshours30 minutesminutes
Sterilize your utensils and the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Remove all curry and chili smells and flavors. Gather the milk and yogurt (you are using as a starter).
Heat the Milk on the Stovetop
Heat the milk over medium heat in a saucepan. I use an enameled cast-iron dutch-oven because it tends to maintain a more even heat. Using an instant-read thermometer (see Notes below if you don’t have one) keep an eye on the temperature of the milk. Stir frequently to prevent scorching. For pourable, European-style yogurt, heat to 182ºF/84ºC and for very thick custard-style yogurt, heat to 192ºF/88ºC. Do not let the temperature go over 195ºF/90ºC or you will kill the beneficial bacteria.
Hold the desired temperature for 10 minutes. Turn down the heat to the lowest setting. Continue to stir often during this step so the milk heats evenly and to prevent the milk from sticking. Increase the temperature as needed.
Heat the Milk in the Instant Pot
Pour the milk into the Instant Pot inner pot and cover with the lid. Press the yogurt setting until it says boil and turn the pressure release valve to venting. Whisking the milk about every 10 minutes will help the milk come to temperature more quickly and evenly. The boil cycle will take about 45 to 60 minutes. For pourable, European-style yogurt, heat to 182ºF/84ºC and for very thick custard-style yogurt, heat to 192ºF/88ºC. Do not let the temperature go over 195ºF/90ºC.
If after one boil cycle the yogurt has not reached the desired temperature, turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Check the temperature after 5 minutes, continuing to stir occasionally to help with milk heat up evenly and prevent scorching.
Cooling the Milk
Cool the milk to 115ºF/46ºC. If you heated the milk on top of the stove, pour it into the Instant Pot. Allow the milk to cool naturally, checking the temperature at the 30-minute mark. Or to hurry the cooling process, pour cold water into a baking pan and place the pot of milk in it. Adding ice cubes to the water and stirring the milk occasionally will both hasten the cooling.
Depending on whether you allow the milk to cool naturally, chill in cold water, or add ice, this step can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 5 minutes. Important: check the temperature often because the milk should not go below 110ºF/43ºC.
Innoculation & Incubation
Spoon out 1 cup of milk in a small bowl and stir in the 2 tablespoons of starter. Gently whisk together to combine. Stir the inoculated milk back into the rest milk and mix gently but thoroughly. Pour the milk and yogurt mixture into the rest of the milk, and into the inner pot of the Instant Pot, if you heated the milk on the stove.
Turn the Instant Pot setting to yogurt "normal" mode, if you heated the milk on the stovetop. If you heated the milk in the Instant Pot, when the boil cycle is complete, it will automatically switch to yogurt mode. Close the lid and turn the pressure release valve to venting. Set the incubate time to 10 hours, but start checking at the 6 hour mark. In my experience, most batches take about 9 hours. Keep in mind that the yogurt will firm up overnight in the refrigerator and the longer the yogurt ferments, the more sour it will be.
You have Yogurt!
If your yogurt isn't thick enough you can strain it. Using the instructions in the "you have cream cheese" section, strain for up to 4 hours. You can strain it before allowing it to thicken and set in the refrigerator overnight, or strain it the next day. You will have more whey strained off if straining before the yogurt is chilled, thus less yogurt yield.
You should have 6 to 7 cups of yogurt and it will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you are happy with your yogurt, save 1/4 to 1/2 cup as a starter for the next batch of yogurt. You can keep it in the freezer if you won't be using it within 2 weeks. Add any flavorings and sweeteners to the yogurt after the overnight stay in the refrigerator.
You have Cream Cheese!
Using 4 layers of cheesecloth or coffee filters, line a large mesh strainer and place it on top of a deep bowl. Add the yogurt and cover it with the cheesecloth or, if using coffee filters, plastic wrap so it doesn't dry out. Strain for at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Drain off the accumulated whey occasionally. When the cream cheese is thick enough, give it a good stir and add salt to taste. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
Make sure the yogurt you are using as a starter is not near the expiration date. I made the mistake of this once, and my yogurt did not thicken well.
If you find your yogurt isn’t setting properly and you are using a homemade yogurt starter, you will need to use a new store-bought yogurt. The strains in the bacteria may be too weak to culture well for more than 3 or 4 batches.
If you have accidentally boiled your milk instead of bringing it to 182ºF/84ºC to 192ºF/88ºC, your yogurt will still be good; however, it will have a more “cooked” taste.
Without a thermometer: If you don’t have a kitchen thermometer, you CAN make yogurt without it. Heat the milk up until you see small bubbles forming around the edge of the pan. Maintain that temperature for 10 minutes. When cooling the milk to 115ºF/46ºC degrees, hold your hand over the milk before sticking a finger in. If it isn’t too hot, insert a finger; and if the water feels hot but you can still keep your fingerin it for 10 seconds or more, you are close to the 115ºF/46ºC degree target.
The advantage of using the Instant Pot to heat the milk is that you don’t have to babysit it to maintain the right temperature, and you use the same pot. The disadvantage is that it takes almost twice the time, and it may take two cycles to bring the milk up to temperature. I tend to be a bit of a control freak and prefer heating the milk on the stove. You decide which method works best for you.
Stirring your milk often, both in the heating and cooling phases, will help it come to temperature more quickly and evenly. Also, take the temperature after stirring the milk because it will be at a more even temperature throughout.
How to make the yogurt thicker without needing to drain as much whey:
Add a 1/4 cup cream into the milk before the heating step
Add dried milk powder before heating the milk. Add 2/3 cup of dried milk to 2 quarts of milk.
Keep the milk at 192ºF/88ºC for 20 minutes instead of the 10 minutes I recommend. The longer heating time allows the milk to evaporate and get thicker.
Ways to Use Whey
I have not tried this but I gather that you can use the leftover whey to use as a yogurt starter. Paula, of the blog Salad in a Jar, has used whey instead of yogurt as a starter successfully.
Make ricotta cheese: The yogurt maker manufacturer Luvele has a blog that is a great resource for all things yogurt. They have a recipe to make homemade ricotta with leftover whey.
Pet food: whey adds good nutrition and flavor. It is especially great on top of dry dog food.
In marinades to tenderize proteins.
In baking as a substitute for milk. Don’t forget pancakes!
In soup as a substitute for stock.
In smoothies and instead of milk for your cereal.
Soak grains, nuts, and seeds
If you are still with me and want more tips and tricks, please see my stovetop yogurt recipe.