Ms. Mofet's Instant Pot Greek Yogurt (pressure cooker)

[msmofet]

Ms. Mofet's Instant Pot Greek Yogurt (pressure cooker)


Yield: ≈6 cups Greek yogurt

1/2 Gallon Whole milk
6 oz. container Plain whole milk active culture yogurt (I use Brown Cow brand cream top)
(You can use a full gallon of milk with the same 6 oz. C. of plain yogurt)

Step one: Boil milk

Pour milk into inner pot.
Lock lid and set valve to sealing.
Select the Yogurt button and Adjust to More (Boil will appear in window).
It will take approximately 25 minutes to reach 180°F (For 1/2 gallon. A gallon will take longer). "Yogt" appears when cycle is complete.
Remove the lid (yogurt cycle doesn't come to pressure so it is safe to remove lid immediately). Do not let condensation from the lid drip into the milk.
Check temperature with instant read thermometer for 180°F.
If milk did not reach 180°F you can either run another boil cycle or select Sauté button, Adjust to More and allow to heat to 180°F. Check temperature frequently.
Once the milk reaches 180°F Select Yogurt button and Adjust to Boil and hold at temp for 5 minutes without lid.
Unplug the pot after the 5 minute hold.
Remove the inner pot and place on a wire rack.

Step two: Cool milk

Allow milk to cool to 115°F
To speed cooling, set the inner pot in a large sauce pan filled with cold water. Change water as soon as it becomes warm. Repeat till
milk temperature drops to 115°F (check temperature frequently with an instant read thermometer). This usually takes about 5 - 10 minutes. Without the cold water bath cooling will take about 40 minutes. Lift off and discard any milk "skin."
Step three: Add active culture starter
Place 6 oz. active culture yogurt into a medium bowl. This is your starter.
Ladle 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the starter. Mix well to achieve a smooth consistency without lumps. Add starter mixture back into pot with warm milk.
Return the inner pot to Instant Pot base.
Close the lid. Plug in the pot.
Vent can be set to venting or sealing.

Step four: Incubate

Select the Yogurt button. Adjust to NORMAL (8:00)

BE SURE IT IS ON "NORMAL" SETTING

(You may add time using the (+) button to reach 10 hours which produces a tarter and thicker yogurt).

BE SURE IT IS ON "NORMAL" SETTING

Walk away till cycle is complete.
In 8 hours (or 10 hours), your yogurt will be fully set and "Yogt" will appear on the display.

Step five: Strain yogurt to produce thick Greek yogurt

Place a steam basket into 6 qt. container. Then line the steam basket with a flour sack towel that has been folded into quarters. Place the yogurt is in a nut milk bag. Then place bag in steam basket on top of towel. Then pull towel up and cover container.

If you don't have a steam basket and large container with lid you can use a colander lined with several large coffee filters, a lint free tea towel or even circles cut from a clean white tea shirt.
Place colander over a deep bowl. You can cover by placing bowl in a plastic bag.

Place into fridge to strain for at least 8 hours or more. If yogurt is to thick you can always stir some whey back into yogurt.
Place strained yogurt in airtight container or individual jars.

You can sweeten with sugar (I warm some whey just enough to dissolve the sugar then stir into yogurt), honey or sugar substitute.
You can flavor with anything you would like (Flavors I have added are instant coffee, vanilla, maple, coconut)
The possibilities are limitless.

Or you can leave unsweetened and add a fruit compote or lemon curd.

Greek yogurt can also be used in place of sour cream.

Strained whey can be used to replace the liquid in bread recipes (makes outstanding no knead bread), baking recipes, biscuits and pancakes/waffles (which produce very light and fluffy pancakes/waffles). Can also be used to make smoothies.

Straining

Strained thick Greek yogurt

Strained whey

Strawberry compote and Lemon curd

 

[Sagittarius]

Ms. Mofet,

Amazing labors .. Fabulous.

I prepare my own Goat Cheese Ricotta however, I have never made Greek Yogurt ..

I purchase a kilo of Greek Yogurt via a restaurant food distributor who is a family friend of our´s ..

Could be quite interesting as a family Project with my mom, mom in law and 2 daughter in laws ..

Thank you for posting .. Have a great weekend ..

 

[msmofet]

Nice and thick. Won't fall off spoon.

 

[msmofet]

I now make cold start Instant Pot yogurt with Ultra Pasteurized Half and Half. You can only do cold start with an Ultra Pasteurized product. Whole milk HAS to be boiled. Using Ultra Pasteurized Half & Half or Heavy cream gives you a creamier yogurt with less carbs.

Instant Pot Cold Start Yogurt

3/4 gallon Ultra Pasteurized Half and Half
3 TBSP. Chobani Plain Greek Yogurt
Combine above.
Stir well.
Select Yogurt Mode, set for 8 hours.
That's it you're done, walk away.
When done incubating strain 12 hours.
Thick, creamy and mild.

 

[taxlady]

I'm surprised you get something nice with ultra-pasteurized cream. When I have tried to culture UHT treated milk with sour cream culture to make quark, it didn't culture properly. I have read that it has something to do with the milk protein strands curling up too tightly or too loosely from the high heat. It was a few years ago.

 

[GotGarlic]

Well, that was easy. I'm definitely going to make some and add my homemade strawberry jam, made with honey from our hives. Yum.

 

[msmofet]

Well, that was easy. I'm definitely going to make some and add my homemade strawberry jam, made with honey from our hives. Yum.

Let me know what you think. You can do 1/2 Half & Half & 1/2 Heavy Cream. It just HAS to be Ultra Pasteurized to use the cold start method. Cold start is SO EASY. No bringing to boil then cooling needed. After you strain you can add back some whey if it's to thick.

 

[GotGarlic]

I will. We always buy ultra-pasteurized half and half for DH's coffee, and I use it anytime I need milk (just dilute it some with water), so I'm used to getting it. Looking forward to this [emoji2]

 

[msmofet]

I will. We always buy ultra-pasteurized half and half for DH's coffee, and I use it anytime I need milk (just dilute it some with water), so I'm used to getting it. Looking forward to this [emoji2]

Use that strained whey for super fluffy waffles/pancakes, biscuits and when you make your bread. I also just started using the whey to make smoothies with super thick yogurt, malt powder, whey, half & half, frozen/fresh fruit and a bit of honey.

 

[skilletlicker]

So you are using nonfat yogurt as a starter. Your earlier recipe and I think all the others I found online specified whole fat and I couldn't understand why.

Have you tried using your previously homemade yogurt as a starting culture?

 

[taxlady]

So you are using nonfat yogurt as a starter. Your earlier recipe and I think all the others I found online specified whole fat and I couldn't understand why.

Have you tried using your previously homemade yogurt as a starting culture?

I used to make yogourt often. I used any kind of yogourt with live culture as a starter. That was only if I let my own yogourt run out. I found that using my own homemade yogourt as a culture would over generations of yogourts, produce a much nicer, "softer" tasting yogourt.

 

[msmofet]

So you are using nonfat yogurt as a starter. Your earlier recipe and I think all the others I found online specified whole fat and I couldn't understand why.

Have you tried using your previously homemade yogurt as a starting culture?

I used Brown Cow brand whole milk plain yogurt because I like the flavor. My new food store doesn't carry that brand so I have switched to Chobani. ANY started with active cultures will work. Some use a previous batch of yogurt as a starter, some use strained whey from a previous batch. I have seen people use a powdered active culture or probiotic pills starter. Bottom line is you can use whatever/whichever starter with active cultures to make your yogurt. I make yogurt every week since I got my Instant Pot several years ago. Never had a problem. I never strain BEFORE incubation. I don't see the need for that. Just mix the starter into your milk product well.
DO NOT stir yogurt after incubation until (I strain my yogurt as it chills) chilled completely or it will not set up properly and will be runny.
I have never used dry milk powder to thicken. I always strain and it comes out as thick as cream cheese. I just add back whey till it is the thickness I need for my needs (IE thinned a bit for eating as yogurt, thick as cream cheese to make a "cream cheese" and jelly sandwich or a smoothie/shake, thicker to use as sour cream, topping,dressing or dips etc.).
I just put some cold start on to incubate. It took me 5 minutes prep time.

 

[msmofet]

If you have an Instant Pot you can look into joining a Facebook Instant Pot community (there are several even devoted to Whole 30, Paleo, Keto and Vegan etc. IP cooking). There is also a community devoted just to Instant Pot Yogurt making and all aspects are covered.

When I first got my IP GotGarlic steered me in that direction and I learned a lot from them. Enough to move onto developing my own recipes and converting my old recipes for IP use.

 

[skilletlicker]

My first yogurt batch has been straining in the icebox for about an hour. Made with low-fat milk and Chobani nonfat yogurt as the starter. In the first stage, where it's not supposed to get over 180° I lost track for a bit. The temperature got up to mid 190s but doesn't seem to have ruined things.

I set vent to seal during the eight-hour stage but wish I'd let the extra water vapor vent instead. Moisture collecting on the inside of the lid and "raining" back onto the top of the yogurt seems counter-productive. After only one-hour, the thickening seems to be proceeding well though.

The flavor is very mild. Next time will let it incubate for 10 hours.

Saw a blogger suggestion to immediately freeze two tablespoons to use to start next batch. It seems like a good idea if freezing doesn't destroy the cultures.

 

[msmofet]

Looks good.

You don't have to use the Instant Pot lid to make yogurt. Because it doesn't come to pressure any lid can be used. You can even place a tea towel or dish towel over the top of the inner pot (to absorb moisture) and a dinner plate over the towel. The lid just needs to keep the heat in and at the right temperature to incubate.