Description
Creamy and delicious, this homemade vanilla yogurt is easy to make. If you save a little every time it you will have yogurt starter for the next time you make yogurt.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 gallon milk
- 6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
- Yogurt starter of your choice (if you are using yogurt you bought at the store, I would use about 3 tablespoons
Instructions
- Pour 1 gallon of milk into the instant pot. Place the lid on, I prefer to have the glass instant pot lid since making yogurt does not require pressure, plus I like to see what’s going on). Hit the yogurt button and make sure the display says boil.
- Boil the milk until it reaches 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit. I use my digital meat thermometer to check the temperature. (Each time I have made this yogurt the boil setting times out and switches to the yogurt setting before the milk has reached 180 degrees. Just hit the yogurt button again until it says boil).
- Just before the milk reaches 180 degrees, get an ice water bath ready in the kitchen sink.
- Once the milk has reached 180 degrees remove the pot from the instant pot base and set the pot in your ice bath. Remove the lid. Whisk the milk to help it cool faster, while holding the thermometer in the milk. The milk actually cools down pretty quickly.
- When the milk has reached 110 degrees Fahrenheit, add your yogurt starter, or 3 tablespoons store bought yogurt. (If you are using yogurt starter, then the package will tell you how much to use. I used all 8 packets of the Cultures for Health Heirloom Yogurt Starter for this recipe. I used 2 packets of the Euro Cuisine All Natural Yogurt Starter, but I would probably only use one the next time as I felt it was too tangy for my taste).
- Whisk the milk and starter until it is well combined.
- Take a dish towel and set the towel on the counter, unfolded. Set the instant pot on the towel and try off the outside of the pot. Place the pot back into the instant pot base and replace the lid.
- Press the yogurt button. There will be a number displayed on the screen. Press the plus button until the timer says 8.
- Now you just let it do it’s thing for 8 hours. Try not to be tempted to remove the lid as this may cause it to take longer to become yogurt.
- Once the 8 hours is up, you should now have yogurt. Straining out the whey is the next step, which is important if you want a thick yogurt.
-
Take two strainers and place them in two large bowls. Now place cheese cloth in each strainer. Pour your yogurt in the two strainers, cover with plastic wrap and place the bowls in the refrigerator overnight.
- Once most of the whey has been strained out, dump the yogurt in a large bowl. Add pure maple syrup and vanilla.
- Use a hand mixer to mix the ingredients until smooth.
- Now your yogurt is ready to eat. Don’t forget to save 3 tablespoons and freeze it so you have yogurt starter the next time you want to make instant pot yogurt.
- Serve with your favorite fruit and/or granola.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 8-10 hours
- Category: Instant Pot, Snacks