Homemade Yogurt In The Crock-Pot Or Intant Pot

Homemade Yogurt is super simple, tasty and full of healthy probiotics. It’s the perfect snack to grab and go, plus this recipe only takes two ingredients and a Crock-Pot or an Instant Pot.

Food from scratch is really a passion of mine.

So many people think cooking and eating from scratch is hard. That making healthy traditional foods like homemade bone broth, sourdough, etc. is so time consuming and not practical in our busy lifestyle today.

Not true. So many of these recipes take no time to put together and then you wait and let it do it’s magic, like this recipe.

The best thing about this homemade yogurt recipe is it seriously takes two minutes hands on time and you get to control the quality of the ingredients that go into it.

No more high fructose corn syrup. If its a little bland for your liking, try adding a little bit of honey to it or some fresh strawberries. Those are definitely good options.

Homemade yogurt is not only easy but it is sooooo much cheaper than buying yogurt at the store.

The first round costs the most since you have to buy the starter yogurt. After that the yogurt only cost $2-3 for about a half gallon all depending on how expensive your milk is.

Is that a deal or what?

Now the prep time is great. It only takes 2 minutes to get everything together. But the hardest part is being patient for your yummy yogurt to make itself but after you try this recipe, I am positive it will be worth the wait. 

Ok, back to the yogurt!

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Tips For Making Homemade Yogurt

• Feel free to use whole milk for a thicker and tastier yogurt, but stay away from UHT milk because it is processed at such a high heat that none of the good bacteria remains.
• If you want more flavor add honey, fruit, granola, sugar to add more to your homemade yogurt.
• Remember that you need to allow your yogurt to culture, meaning it needs to have good bacteria to protect against the bad.
• To make a thicker consistency get a bowl, strainer, and coffee filters (or cheese cloth).
  • Put the coffee filters in the strainer and place over the bowl (make sure the strainer isn’t close to touching bottom of bowl).
  • Add yogurt a cup or 2 at a time and wait for the whey to come out. Be careful not to leave it to long because it can become the consistency of cottage cheese
  • Now you will have thicker yogurt and whey!* 
• If you are using the Instant Pot, use a new silicon ring or totally omit it. The silicon can harbor smells and possibly make the yogurt taste like however your ring smells. 
• You can use homemade yogurt as a starter for the next batch of yogurt. I would suggest getting a new starter after a few batches to make sure the culture stays prolific.

Ingredients And Tools You May Need:

1/2 gallon of milk – I use whole -the fattier the milk the better the thicker and more delicious this recipe turns out.

1/2 cup yogurt – you could also use a yogurt starter culture.

Crock Pot or Instant Pot – a 2 quart size or larger.

Measuring cups

Half gallon mason jar for storage.

Fix-ins such as honey, vanilla, fruit, granola, etc.

What milk should you use to make homemade yogurt?

You can definitely use non-fat, 2% or whole milk for this recipe but remember that a higher fat content will give your homemade yogurt a thicker and creamer taste.

I always try to get organic grass-fed milk whenever possible because it has more omega-3s. If you want to use raw milk, try making it with this tutorial instead.

Try them all if you’d like or whatever you prefer.

I will say, avoid milk that has been Ultra High temperature pasteurized because UHT tends to break down the proteins needed to set the milk into the yogurt. 

Is yogurt good for you?

Absolutely. Yogurt is rich in nutrients that your body may need. It can also boost your health when you consume it on a regular basis.

Since it is full of good bacteria, it can benefit your digestive system and help with weight control. It has even been shown to reduce your risk for type 2 diabetes (source).

To make yogurt healthier, sweeten a natural sweetener like honey or maple syrup. Better yet, eat it plain or add fruit.

Why is my homemade yogurt is watery?

If you culture your yogurt for too long, a high temperature or with an unreliable starter, it can cause your yogurt to separate or turn really clumpy. Obviously, something you don’t want.

But fear not! if it turns lumpy, strain the yogurt to remove the whey and then beat the yogurt solids until it becomes smooth. 

Some natural separation of whey after yogurt has been in the fridge for awhile is normal. It happens with the store-bought stuff as well. If it is just slightly watery, drain off the liquid or mix it in. If it is very watery it could be the reasons above or you can find how to thicken your yogurt below.

How long does yogurt last?

Homemade yogurt is good for about 2 weeks if you store it in the refrigerator. If you desire to re-culture, make sure to use the yogurt within a 7 day period. 

How do you make yogurt from fresh milk?

When you use raw milk, heat one cup of it to 112 F. Then mix 1.5 – 2 teaspoons of starter culture to the milk. Once its mix continue with the milk recipe below. You can find the whole tutorial here.

How do you make homemade yogurt thicker?

A fun tip is to add gelatin. A little bit of gelatin really adds a surprisingly creamy and thick. Don’t add too much and you will have yogurt jello!

Start by adding one teaspoon per quart of milk to a little bit of milk in a bowl and let it bloom. Then add the mixture to the heated milk in the crock pot or instant pot. 

You can also strain out some of the whey using cheesecloth or a coffee filter to make it thicker. Don’t allow it to go tpo long or you will have something that resembles more of cheese than yogurt.

How To Make Yogurt

How To Make Yogurt In The Crock Pot

1. Pour 1/2 gallon of milk in the Crock Pot and heat on low for 2.5 hours
2. After 2.5 hours have elapsed turn off Crock Pot and leave it with the lid on for 2.5-3 hours
3. After that take out 1-2 cups of milk out and place in a small bowl.
4. Add yogurt and mix well.
5. Add yogurt milk mixture back in the crock pot and stir. 
6. Cover with lid, and cover with a couple thick towels for 8 to 12 hours.

This seems like long time to let milk sit out. No worries the yogurt needs to culture and the good bacteria in yogurt protects the milk from bad bacteria.

How To Make Yogurt In The Instant Pot

1. Add Milk to a 6 quart Instant Pot, close and lock lid (make sure to remove the silicon seal or use a new one as it can harbor smells).
2. Select Yogurt setting and adjust the pressure to boil. This process can take up to an hour. Or you could set the Instant Pot to sautés and bring the milk up to 180 degrees.
3. After, carefully cool the Instant Pot insert in a bowl of ice water or on the counter. Next, make sure to stir occasionally, until the milk reaches 105-110 degrees F. You don’t want it to get any cooler than this or that good bacteria may not culture well.
   • This should take 15-20 minutes in ice water or about an hour on the counter.
   • If it get’s too cool you can pop it back into the Instant Pot and place it on sauté until it reaches the correct temperature.
4. Set aside 1 cup of milk.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt and the reserved cup of milk.
6. Stir the mixture back into the the milk in the insert.
7. Return the insert into the Instant Pot. Select the yogurt setting again and it will automatically set the time for 8-12 hours.
8. Finally, transfer to storage containers, cover and chill the yogurt until its cold which can take 6 -8 hours or up to 10 days.

You have yogurt! At this point you will have to see if you like the consistency or not, because it can be kinda runny.

The Best Fix- Ins

• I like to add a little bit of homemade vanilla extract.
• Honey, maple syrup, or on an extra special occasion a sprinkle of brown sugar
• Fresh or frozen fruit (raspberries are my favorite).
• Homemade granola
• Spoonful of almond date butter or sunflower seed butter.

It is really up to you and what your mind can imagine up!

Find More Delicious and Simple Recipes:

• How To Make Raw Milk Yogurt
• Homemade Buttermilk Recipe (Buttermilk Substitute)
• Tropical Oatmeal Smoothie Recipe
• Easy Blackberry Cobbler Recipe

Homemade Yogurt Recipe

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back, commented on the post, and give it 5 stars! Please and thank you.

This post was originally published in October 2011. Updated January 2020.