Easy Thick Creamy Instant Pot Greek Yogurt (from yogurt or whey)

Course: Yogurt

Cuisine: Greek

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 40

Cooling, Incubate, Straining: 16 6

Total Time: 16 56

Servings: servings

Calories: 258kcal

Author: Marvellina

Made the best thick and creamy Greek yogurt using Instant Pot using a regular yogurt (if making it for the first time) or using the whey you strained from making Greek yogurt as a starter, with this easy foolproof tutorial. You will have an endless supply of Greek yogurt forever!

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US Customary - Metric

Equipment

Ingredients

½ gallon cow's milk I recommend at least 2% for better texture

If making Greek yogurt for the first time:

¼ cup plain store-bought Greek yogurt with live active cultures unflavored

If you have leftover yogurt whey:

1 cup yogurt whey

Recommended tools:

Instructions

Sanitize Instant Pot (optional):

I don't always do this, but if I have cooked something with a strong aroma, like curry, I usually sanitize so that my Greek yogurt won't smell like curry :) If you have an extra set of ring seal, that will help to use that
Simply pour about 4 cups of water into the inner pot. Close the lid and turn the vent to "seal" position. Press "pressure cook" and set the timer to 5 minutes. Release pressure and discard the water

Heat the milk (first round):

Pour the milk into the inner pot of instant pot. Close the lid. Vent position doesn't matter here. Push the "yogurt" button until the screen reads "boil". It may take somewhere around 30-45 minutes. When it's done, the screen will show "yogt"

Measure the temperature:

Quickly measure the temperature using the thermometer. It should read 180 F. If it doesn't, you can press "cancel" and then press "saute" button to heat up the milk up to 180 F. Don't worry, it won't burn the milk. I've done this a dozen time. Just be sure you watch closely with the thermometer and "cancel" the saute mode once the temperature reaches 180 F. Measure in all different area to make sure it reaches 180 F. Skim off the "skin" on top of the milk if any

Cool it down to 105-110 F:

Fill up your kitchen sink with cold water, and gently submerge the inner pot into the water. This will cool down the milk pretty quickly. It takes about 6-8 minutes probably. It's great because you don't need an ice water bath

Add starter:

Once it reaches the temperature between 105-110 F, remove the inner pot from the water and use a clean cloth to wipe the bottom and the sides of the pot dry before you put it back into the instant pot cooker
Add the yogurt or the whey as a starter. Only do either one, not both. Stir or whisk to mix thoroughly, especially with yogurt as a starter

Incubate:

Close the lid. Venting position doesn't matter here. Push the "yogurt" button again and adjust until it reads "8:00" for 8 hours of incubation or adjust the time by using the "+/-" button. I usually do 8 hours. The longer you incubate, the sourer the yogurt will be. The timer will count up (not counting down). Try not to shake or move the instant pot around during incubation
The instant pot will beep again and show "yogt" when it's done incubating according to the time you set

Strain:

Prepare a large mixing bowl that can fit a large strainer on top. Line the strainer with about 3 large coffee filter, slightly overlapping as shown in the photo above
Unlock the lid of Instant pot. Very gently remove the inner pot out and pour everything through the lined strainer

Put in the refrigerator:

Carefully transfer everything into the fridge and let it strain for a few hours. I usually strain mine for at least 8-12 hours. The longer you strain, the thicker it is. So, it's up to you to find that consistency you like

Store the Greek yogurt:

Once it's done straining, use a clean spoon to scoop the thick Greek yogurt into a tub or container and they can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks

Keep the yogurt whey:

Pour the yogurt whey collected in the container underneath into large glass jars. They can be kept for about 3 weeks to 6 months in the refrigerator or can be kept frozen for months. It is best to use the whey as a starter on a weekly basis if possible. I did find that if I use the whey stored for more than 2 weeks, the Greek yogurt consistency is much runnier

Tips:

I do notice that over time, if I keep reusing my batch of homemade Greek yogurt as a starter, the "strength" of the starter does get "weaker". So I usually get a new store-bought plain Greek yogurt after about 4-5 times of making the Greek yogurt using my homemade batch.

Nutrition