Instant Pot Vanilla Yogurt: Easy & Healthy

This Instant Pot vanilla yogurt is extra creamy when made with the right starter culture, delicious, healthy, easy, naturally sweetened, can be made with either raw or pasteurized milk… I could go on.

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I adapted this recipe from a video I watched by Kate from Venison For Dinner. She was making honey vanilla yogurt using raw milk from her own family cow and I was inspired! Before this recipe, I had never tried making anything other than unsweetened yogurt. I was always worried about how added ingredients might affect the process. Not any more!

Our mini jersey cow freshened in December, and since then, I’ve been all about the homemade dairy recipes. And for good reason–we get at least 1.5 gallons of milk per day. That is less than what would come from a standard jersey, but 10-12 gallons per week is still a lot of milk to find things to do with!

I make this yogurt once a week or so. Our four boys enjoy a bowl for either breakfast or snack nearly every day. I absolutely love it plain or topped with granola. And I love knowing that it’s made with dairy from our own homestead!

Why make homemade yogurt?

Even if we didn’t have our own dairy cow, I would still a proponent of making homemade yogurt. It gives me control over knowing exactly what is in it and what process the milk has been through. It allows me to customize the fermentation time to fit our needs. I have heard that large scale manufacturers often only ferment yogurt for an hour or less, which is not enough time to get the full gut health benefits.

Another thing to consider is the cost factor. Although I personally am not currently buying milk from the grocery store right now, the fact of the matter is that a gallon of milk costs less than a gallon of yogurt. Making it at home allows you to swallow up those extra costs associated with buying already-made yogurt.

Can I make Instant Pot vanilla yogurt with raw milk?

There really is no difference in the process of making yogurt when using either raw or pasteurized milk. Many say that raw milk yogurt turns out thinner than pasteurized, but I have personally not found this to be the case. Our yogurt turns out thick and creamy every time, and I think the reason is because I use this high-quality freeze dried culture called ABY-2C. You certainly don’t have to use this culture; you can make yogurt using any high quality store-bought yogurt as starter. I just wouldn’t use a cheap brand like Dannon or Yoplait.

But, yes. You can make yogurt with raw milk just as well as you can with pasteurized!

Can I use sweetened yogurt as a starter?

You can, as long as the yogurt has live and active cultures. I would advise against using anything that has artificial sweeteners or ingredients listed, though. The more pure, the better! But if all you have is a sweetened variety, it should work just fine!

What do I need to make yogurt in the Instant Pot?

• An Instant Pot, of course.
• Nut milk bags or cheesecloth (unless you don’t care about straining and are okay with thin yogurt)
• Milk
• Freeze dried culture or yogurt with live and active cultures to use as starter
• Something to store it in like wide mouth quart jars

That is literally it! It’s so simple and doesn’t require a lot of fancy equipment.

Steps To Make Instant Pot Vanilla Yogurt

• Pour 6 quarts of milk into the Instant Pot insert. Since we use raw milk from our cow, I skim most of the cream off because I actually prefer the texture of the yogurt partially skimmed (plus I can use the cream for butter!). 
• Put the lid on and press the yogurt button. Then hit adjust until you get to the “boil” setting.
• Once the boil cycle is over (your pot should beep and blink at you), remove the lid and let the milk cool to 105-110 degrees F. Placing the pot in a sink of ice water speeds this process, if you’re in a bit of rush.
• Skim the “skin” that forms on top of the milk and whisk in 3/4 cup honey or maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of vanilla, and whatever yogurt culture you choose to use. This could be freeze dried culture (I use 1/8-1/16 tsp of the ABY-2C) or 2 tablespoons of any yogurt. Like I said above, just be mindful of the flavoring.
• Place insert back in the holder, put the lid on, and press the “Yogurt” button again. Then hit “Adjust” until time reads 8:00 (8 hours).
• Once the eight hours are up, strain the yogurt for anywhere between 20 minutes and 8 hours depending on how thick you want it (8 hours usually results in a cream cheese like texture for me, but this will also depend on your culture). I personally use nut milk bags (they come in handy for SO many things when you have a dairy cow!) but you can also use regular cheesecloth or a similar fabric.

Finishing and Storing Instant Pot Vanilla Yogurt

After the yogurt is strained, I like to dump it into a large bowl and whisk well to remove any clumps. This isn’t a requirement for making yogurt, but it produces a much smoother final product. Adding this extra step is well worth it, in my opinion!

When you’re done, pour the yogurt into wide mouth quart mason jars and store in the fridge. I like to label the tops of my jars with wet erase markers because it washes off easily. Your yogurt should stay good in the fridge for at least 2-3 weeks.

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