Since I bought an Instant Pot pressure cooker I use it more and more frequently. The Instant Pot created by two engineers from the City of Ottawa is becoming very popular. There are several models on the market and this is the Ultra model that I chose for its increased versatility. It is called the Ultra 10 in 1. This appliance cooks with or without pressure and has several practical functions for several cooking tasks.
Making yogurt in the Instant Pot is much easier to prepare than with the traditional method. Many years ago, long before yogurt became very popular, I often made homemade yogurt but as it required a lot of monitoring to heat and cool the milk I came to buy commercial yogurt.
Since I have the Instant Pot, I began to make yogurt again and we love its milder less acidic taste than the supermarket yogurt. It’s also a good way to save money on the grocery bill. On the other hand, you save less by preparing the Cold Yogurt Recipe because you have to use more expensive lactose-free milk.
To make this yogurt you will need a thermometer to check the temperature of the milk that needs to cool before adding the culture and letting it ferment. If you choose the cold milk recipe it is not necessary to have a thermometer (my impressions on this recipe below).
If just like me you want to simplify the method further you can use a Thermoworks Chef Alarm thermometer that sounds the alarm not only for high temperatures but also for low temperatures! The company is located in the United States and delivers to Canada.
I had been coveting for a long time and I finally got one on the website of the company that is the only one to sell the original product. It was about time that I decided because I hardly see the little black bars on my Taylor thermometer that served me well for several years. So, exit the monitoring every 5 minutes, when the milk cools and reaches 115 F an alarm sounds and it remains only to sow it with the yogurt and proceed to the fermentation. The thermoworks thermometer also serves as a timer and can be used to prepare jellies, jams, candies, frying etc … I can’t wait to try it when I make crabapple jelly.
Factors that influences texture and taste
The method, the recipe, the kind of milk, the ferment used as well as the dripping are all elements that are taken into account in the preparation of the yogurt. Just like this or that type of cheese, the appreciation of a type of yogurt is a personal matter. By trying my different recipes with differents kinds of ferments and milks you will discover the recipe, the milk and the ferment that you will prefer.
If you prefer yogurt with less acidic taste
- Use 3.25% milk (substituting cream for a part of the milk also sweetens the taste)
- Prefer some yogurt instead of some sachets
- Drain the yogurt to remove the whey which gives a tangy taste to yogurt.
- The longer the fermentation, the more the yogurt will have a tangy (sour) taste.
The ferment
As a starter you can use plain commercial yogurt, homemade yogurt or a powdered yogurt starter. The latter ferment result in a much more acidulous and bitter yogurt. To determine which type of yogurt you prefer do not hesitate to try different brands. When using your homemade yogurt as a starter it is best if it has not been refrigerated for more than a week.
Yogurt cheese
To make yogurt cheese simply put a few layers of cheese cloth in a sieve, drop the yogurt and let it drain to the desired consistency.
3 recipes for making yogurt
Here are three recipes for making yogurt. The first two recipes require heating and cooling the milk while it is not necessary to heat the milk with the third. You will save less money with the cold method because lactose free milk is more expensive. The taste preferences vary from person to person and that’s why I suggest you try the three recipes. My husband and I definitely prefer the taste of yogurt made with heated milk rather than the one fermented with the cold milk with or without draining the yogurt. As a starter we use two of our favorite commercial yogurt.
We tested our recipes with different milks and we prefer the taste of yogurt prepared with 3.25% milk (not the pure filter, finely filtered or lactose free) and plain yogurt. Most of the time we enjoy our yogurt mixed at the last minute with homemade berry sauces and sometimes jams.
Since we read Anne Mendelson Milk’s excellent book “Milk”: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages, we prepare our yogurt with the heated with milk and commercial yogurt recipe and drain it. We also like the recipe that contains milk powder and gelatin. It’s a recipe from my friend Jos Atkins who taught me how to make yogurt many years ago.
Instant Pot Yogurt
In the inner pot of the pressure cooker, pour the milk and cream. Whisk in powdered milk and gelatin. Close the pressure cooker, select the yogurt function, set to boil (high) and press the start button. An alarm sounds when the milk has finished heating.
Remove the inner pot from the pressure cooker and cool the milk to cool to 115 ° F (46 ° C ) This operation can take from 15 to 30 minutes (This is where the Thermoworks is useful). If necessary, check the temperature at every 5 Minutes minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of cooled milk with yogurt. Mix in remaining cooled milk.
Put a sieve on the inner pot and filter the milk ( this step remove solid particles formed while milk was heating).
Put the inner pot in the pressure cooker, cover, select “Yogurt”, put 6 to 8 hours (the longer the time the sour the yogurt will be). Personally 5 h 30 suffices in my Instant Pot 10 in 1.
For the Instant Pot 10 in 1: select medium for a velvety and custom yogurt (113 ° F) for a firmer yogurt.
For others Instant pot: select normal.
Press the start button to start the fermentation. When cooking is finished the term ‘yo 9t’ appears on the screen.
Refrigerate the yogurt directly in the bowl of the Instant Pot or in bowls ready to serve for 6 hours. For my part I like to drain 30 to 45 minutes in a cheesecloth before refrigerating; this step extracts the whey and we obtain a yogurt with a milder taste.
Yogurt can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. It is normal for the yogurt to become thinner when stirred.
Ingredients
Directions
In the inner pot of the pressure cooker, pour the milk and cream. Whisk in powdered milk and gelatin. Close the pressure cooker, select the yogurt function, set to boil (high) and press the start button. An alarm sounds when the milk has finished heating.
Remove the inner pot from the pressure cooker and cool the milk to cool to 115 ° F (46 ° C ) This operation can take from 15 to 30 minutes (This is where the Thermoworks is useful). If necessary, check the temperature at every 5 Minutes minutes.
In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of cooled milk with yogurt. Mix in remaining cooled milk.
Put a sieve on the inner pot and filter the milk ( this step remove solid particles formed while milk was heating).
Put the inner pot in the pressure cooker, cover, select “Yogurt”, put 6 to 8 hours (the longer the time the sour the yogurt will be). Personally 5 h 30 suffices in my Instant Pot 10 in 1.
For the Instant Pot 10 in 1: select medium for a velvety and custom yogurt (113 ° F) for a firmer yogurt.
For others Instant pot: select normal.
Press the start button to start the fermentation. When cooking is finished the term ‘yo 9t’ appears on the screen.
Refrigerate the yogurt directly in the bowl of the Instant Pot or in bowls ready to serve for 6 hours. For my part I like to drain 30 to 45 minutes in a cheesecloth before refrigerating; this step extracts the whey and we obtain a yogurt with a milder taste.
Yogurt can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. It is normal for the yogurt to become thinner when stirred.
Yogurt without gelatine and powdered milk
In the inner pot of the pressure cooker, pour the milk. Close the pressure cooker, select the yogurt function, set to boil (high) and press the start button. An alarm sounds when the milk has finished heating.
Remove the inner pot from the pressure cooker and cool the milk to cool to 115 ° F (46 ° C ) This operation can take from 15 à 30 minutes . (This is where the Thermoworks is useful). If necessary, check the temperature at every 5 Minutes .
In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of cooled milk with yogurt. Mix in remaining cooled milk.
Put a sieve on the inner pot and filter the milk ( this step remove solid particles formed while milk was heating).
Put the inner pot in the pressure cooker, cover, select “Yogurt”, put 6 to 8 hours (the longer the time the sour the yogurt will be). Personally 5 h 30 suffices in my Instant Pot 10 in 1.
For the Instant Pot 10 in 1: select medium for a velvety and custom yogurt (113 ° F) for a firmer yogurt.
For others Instant pot: select normal.
Press the start button to start the fermentation. When cooking is finished the term ‘yo 9t’ appears on the screen.
Refrigerate the yogurt directly in the bowl of the Instant Pot or in bowls ready to serve for 6 hours. If you like a thicker yogurt I recommend that you drain the yogurt. For my part I like to drain 30 to 45 minutes in a cheesecloth before refrigerating; this step extracts the whey and we obtain a yogurt with a milder taste.
Yogurt can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. It is normal for the yogurt to become thinner when stirred.
Ingredients
Directions
In the inner pot of the pressure cooker, pour the milk. Close the pressure cooker, select the yogurt function, set to boil (high) and press the start button. An alarm sounds when the milk has finished heating.
Remove the inner pot from the pressure cooker and cool the milk to cool to 115 ° F (46 ° C ) This operation can take from 15 à 30 minutes . (This is where the Thermoworks is useful). If necessary, check the temperature at every 5 Minutes .
In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of cooled milk with yogurt. Mix in remaining cooled milk.
Put a sieve on the inner pot and filter the milk ( this step remove solid particles formed while milk was heating).
Put the inner pot in the pressure cooker, cover, select “Yogurt”, put 6 to 8 hours (the longer the time the sour the yogurt will be). Personally 5 h 30 suffices in my Instant Pot 10 in 1.
For the Instant Pot 10 in 1: select medium for a velvety and custom yogurt (113 ° F) for a firmer yogurt.
For others Instant pot: select normal.
Press the start button to start the fermentation. When cooking is finished the term ‘yo 9t’ appears on the screen.
Refrigerate the yogurt directly in the bowl of the Instant Pot or in bowls ready to serve for 6 hours. If you like a thicker yogurt I recommend that you drain the yogurt. For my part I like to drain 30 to 45 minutes in a cheesecloth before refrigerating; this step extracts the whey and we obtain a yogurt with a milder taste.
Yogurt can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. It is normal for the yogurt to become thinner when stirred.
Instant Pot cold start Yogurt
Pour the milk in the inner pot, add yogurt or culture and mix well with a whip.
Put the inner pot in the pressure cooker, cover, select “Yogurt”, put 8 to 10 hours (with the longer the time the yogurt will taste more sour).
For Instant Pot 10 in1: select medium yogurt then medium.
For other Instant pot: select normal.
Press the start button to begin the fermentation. When cooking is finished the term ‘yo 9t’ appears on the screen.
Refrigerate the yogurt for 6 hours directly in the bowl of the Instant Pot or in ready to serve bowls. If you prefer a thicker yogurt, simply strain it in a large sieve or strainer lined with cheesecloth for 30 to 60 minutes. Draining extracts the whey and produces a milder taste yogurt. It is normal for the yogurt to become thinner when stirred. The yogurt can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Directions
Pour the milk in the inner pot, add yogurt or culture and mix well with a whip.
Put the inner pot in the pressure cooker, cover, select “Yogurt”, put 8 to 10 hours (with the longer the time the yogurt will taste more sour).
For Instant Pot 10 in1: select medium yogurt then medium.
For other Instant pot: select normal.
Press the start button to begin the fermentation. When cooking is finished the term ‘yo 9t’ appears on the screen.
Refrigerate the yogurt for 6 hours directly in the bowl of the Instant Pot or in ready to serve bowls. If you prefer a thicker yogurt, simply strain it in a large sieve or strainer lined with cheesecloth for 30 to 60 minutes. Draining extracts the whey and produces a milder taste yogurt. It is normal for the yogurt to become thinner when stirred. The yogurt can be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
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