Instant Pot Greek Yogurt Recipe (Thick and Creamy Yogurt)

Are you a Greek Yogurt lover? Do you know how to prepare this type of Yogurt? Well, this piece explains everything you need to know when preparing it using an Instant pot or a pressure cooker.

We know that different types of yogurts are available in different types and flavors. But what is Greek yogurt and how does it differ from regular yogurt? Well, Greek yogurt is made by straining natural yogurt in a muslin cloth or paper filter to remove the whey from the yogurt. This type of yogurt, therefore, is thicker than the plain yogurt, although it retains the distinctly sour taste of natural yogurt.

The instant pot Greek Yogurt is very easy to make. Instead of spending lots of money buying the creamy, smooth, thick yogurt, you can make yours at home using the instant pot or pressure cooker.

Preparation, Cooking, And Incubation Time

It does not take so long to prepare the yogurt. Thus you can make it overnight and use it at breakfast the following morning. The total time to cook the yogurt is approximately 9 hours, whereby preparation will take 5 minutes, cooking time will take about 50 minutes, and incubation will take approximately 8 hours.

Ingredients

The ingredients used to make Greek yogurt include:

• One gallon of whole milk, two percent or one percent or fat-free milk
• Two tablespoons of a yogurt starter that is made from whole milk and has live cultures

Materials

• Instant pot/pressure cooker
• Whisk made from stainless steel
• Digital thermometer
• An ice cube tray for holding the starter
• Tempering cup
• Stainless steel yogurt strainer

Important Notes

There are some critical factors that you should observe before you begin making the yogurt. These are:

• It is important to whisk the milk after every ten minutes while the yogurt is cooking so that the milk can acquire temperature faster.
• For you to yield thicker yogurt, you should let the milk reach 183-185 degrees Celsius and leave it at that temperature for several minutes.
• The boiling cycle of the yogurt takes approximately 45 minutes.
• After cooking, cooling will take approximately 10 minutes.
• This type of yogurt (Greek) is made using milk and an active culture then strained for about two hours.
• Whole milk is the best to use if you want to obtain creamy yogurt.
• Ensure that you save at least two ice cubes of the strained yogurt to use as a starter in future.

Procedure

1. Sterilization- Before cooking, it is important to sterilize the instant pot to get rid of any contaminants that may affect the quality of the yogurt. This is done by putting water in the pot and boiling it at high pressure and temperature. Then, the pressure is released by opening the valves then the pot is dried.
2. After sterilization, you can proceed to make yogurt but not under pressure. Thus, you pour the milk into the cold pot then cover with a glass lid and close the valves.
3. Push and adjust the yogurt button to boil then leave the milk to boil. Whisk it after every ten minutes.
4. When the timer goes off, remove the lead and measure the temperature. In case the temperature has not reached 180 degrees, whisk the milk continuously as you use the low function.
5. When 180 degrees are acquired, remove the cooking pot from the instant pot and place it on cold water and continue whisking from time to time until the temperature goes down to 110 degree.
6. Take some milk and mix with the starter then pour the mixture back into the pot while whisking thoroughly.
7. Put the cooking pot back to the instant pot, cover using an IP/Glass lid then press the yogurt button.
8. Incubate the yogurt for eight hours or less depending on your interest.
9. After incubation, remove the covered cooking pot and put it in a refrigerator for approximately 6-8 hours for it to cool.

How to make the yogurt become Greek yogurt

For the yogurt to become Greek, you should use a filter then strain the yogurt while in the refrigerator for about two hours. The whey you obtain should be clear. In case the whey is still cloudy, you can add another butter muslin or cheesecloth layer to the straining device to produce translucent whey.