Making your own creamy greek yogurt might seem tough, but with the instant pot, it’s actually pretty easy! This recipe/tutorial will walk you through everything you need to know to make your own gorgeously thick and creamy greek yogurt.

Making your own yogurt just seems like one of those things reserved for the Pioneer Annies of the world, but it’s actually not that difficult at all. You can do it at home with just an instant pot, a thermometer, a colander, coffee filters, and a large bowl. The only thing I had to buy for this project was the coffee filters — everything else is just normal kitchen stuff at our house. 

Now, this is where I warn you. While this takes only about 15 minutes of hands-on time, it actually takes almost 24 hours total. You have to check in periodically, so if you’re planning to make this, you want to make sure you’re around at the important times, which I’ll cover below. The first time you do it, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re around all day. It’s no coincidence that I learned to do this during 2020. However, I make most of our yogurt now, even with a outside-of-the-house job, two kids, and a dog. You can definitely make this work in real life!

Ingredients

Homemade yogurt uses only two ingredients: milk and a yogurt starter.

• Yogurt: You can use any cow’s milk you’d like. I think the best results come from whole milk — it makes a gorgeously creamy yogurt that is so much better than store-bought yogurt. However, you can even make non-fat yogurt using skim milk. If you use skim milk, your will need to double the amount of the starter, and your final product may be a little lumpier than if you used milk with a higher fat content.
• Yogurt Starter: The yogurt starter is simply a few tablespoons of plain yogurt. For your first batch, you can buy regular yogurt from the grocery store, but do make sure that it has live cultures. You can check this on the label — it will either say “live cultures” or “active cultures.” Each time after your first batch, you can use a few leftover tablespoons from your homemade yogurt!

Instructions (Please Read ALL Before Starting!)

Normally, this is the section of a recipe I’d skip. After all, I know how to mix ingredients, roll dough, brown meat, etc. This time, though, I recommend reading through all the steps to make sure that you know where you’re going with this. 

I’ve also included some rough times for each step to help you plan. You really only have to be involved at the beginning and end of each step, so during some of those longer times, you can feel free to leave your yogurt to do its own thing!

Step 2 | Cool (1-1.5 hours)

When your milk has hit the 180°-200° range, you’ll remove the inner pot of the instant pot. Put it on the counter to cool. 

This is the part that requires a the most tending. You need the milk to cool enough, but not too much. The temperature you’re looking for is between 100° and 117°. I check every 15 minutes or so to make sure that I don’t miss the window. 

Step 3 | Skim and Add Starter (5 minutes)

Once your milk has cooled to 100°-116°, you’ll need to skim it. There will be a thin layer of milk skin on top that you can use a slotted spoon to remove. Just toss the skin. You don’t need it.

When the skin is gone, you’re going to create your starter. You’ll need 4 tbsps of yogurt in a small bowl. You’re going to add 1 cup of milk to the yogurt and whisk it together. This mixture is your starter culture. 

Next, pour your starter into the rest of the milk and whisk it in until it’s completely incorporated. This will get the culturing process started!

The longer the incubation period, the tangier yogurt you get. For a stronger flavor, choose 12 hours. For a very mild flavor, choose 4. My family prefers the milder flavor, so I only do 4 hours, but you can experiment and find where the sweet spot is for your family. That’s the best part of making your own yogurt — you get to customize your final result so much!

Once you’ve chosen how long you want to incubate, you can leave your yogurt alone until the instant pot beeps. Feel free to run those errands!

When the pot beeps, you’ll check to see if the yogurt is done. You can tell if it’s ready by sticking a spoon in it. If the spoon stands up on its own, your yogurt is good to go!

Step 5 | Strain (2-8 hours)

The difference between greek and regular yogurt is this step: we’re going to separate the actual yogurt from the whey that’s mixed into it. 

For the separation step, you can buy a proper greek yogurt maker, or you can do what I do and get a little creative. I turn a small bowl over and put it inside a larger bowl, then balance my colander on top of the small bowl. This keeps the colander above the liquid whey that strains out and collects in the bottom. Then, I line the colander with coffee filters. This makes sure that no yogurt gets into the whey. You can also use layers of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag for this.

Once you’re set up, you’re going to spoon your yogurt into the colander. Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge. 

This is what it looks like when you start.

How long you leave the yogurt in the fridge depends on how thick you want the final product. The longer you leave it, the thicker yogurt you will have. I typically leave mine in the fridge overnight, and the finished yogurt is the consistency of cream cheese.

Here’s what the finished product looks like. You can really see how thick it is at the edges!

How to Use Your Greek Yogurt

Homemade greek yogurt is super versatile. Here are few ways you can use your yogurt: 

1. Plain with Honey or Maple Syrup: Serve fresh Greek yogurt plain with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for a simple and delicious treat.
2. Smoothies: Use Greek yogurt as a base for smoothies by blending it with your favorite fruits, vegetables, and a splash of juice or milk for a creamy and nutritious drink.
3. Toppings for Pancakes or Waffles: Use plain Greek yogurt as a topping for pancakes or waffles instead of whipped cream or syrup. Add a dollop of yogurt along with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey for a healthier alternative.
4. Salad Dressings and Dips: Use Greek yogurt as a base for creamy salad dressings or dips. Combine it with herbs, spices, and lemon juice to create a delicious dressing for salads or a dip for vegetables and crackers.
5. Tzatziki Sauce: Make homemade tzatziki sauce by combining Greek yogurt with grated cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, and dill. Serve it with grilled meats, gyros, or as a dip for pita bread.
6. Baking: Use Greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream or buttermilk in baking recipes. It adds moisture and richness to cakes, muffins, and bread while keeping them light and fluffy.

Uses for Leftover Whey

Don’t throw away all the liquid whey you strained out of your yogurt. It’s full of nutrition. The Spruce Eats has a definitive list of ideas of using it — did you know you can use it to make homemade soda? So cool!