How to Make Yogurt in an Electric Pressure Cooker

Most multi-function electric pressure cookers, including the Instant Pot Duo, include a dedicated yogurt setting that holds the pot at a steady incubation temperature instead of pressure cooking or sautéing. That steady, hands-off heat is what actually makes yogurt at home practical — no stovetop thermometer-watching required.

The process has two stages: heating the milk to pasteurize it (or skipping that step with a shortcut method), then incubating it with a starter culture for several hours at a lower, steady temperature. Getting both stages right is the difference between thick, tangy yogurt and a thin, separated batch.

What you need

Milk (whole milk gives the thickest result; low-fat works but yields a thinner yogurt), 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt with live active cultures per quart of milk as your starter, and an electric pressure cooker with a yogurt setting. A thermometer helps for the boil method but isn't strictly required if your model shows the temperature on its display.

Use plain, unsweetened yogurt with live cultures as your starter — flavored or sweetened yogurt, and most non-dairy yogurts, don't culture milk reliably.

The boil method (thicker, more consistent result)

1. Pour milk into the inner pot and press the yogurt button, then adjust until the display shows 'boil' (on Instant Pot models this cycles the pot up to about 180°F). This step denatures the milk proteins, which is what gives boiled-method yogurt a noticeably thicker set than skipping it. 2. Once the cycle finishes, remove the pot and let the milk cool to 110-115°F — stirring occasionally speeds this up and prevents a skin from forming. Going in hotter than that kills the starter culture; going in cooler slows fermentation.

3. Whisk in your starter yogurt until fully combined, with no streaks. 4. Return the pot to the cooker, press the yogurt button again, and set the incubation time for 8 hours (see the time section below for adjusting tang and thickness). 5. When the cycle ends, chill the yogurt in the fridge for at least a few hours before eating — it thickens further as it cools.

The no-boil shortcut method

If you're using ultra-pasteurized milk (check the carton — most shelf-stable or 'ultra-filtered' milks already qualify), you can skip the boil step entirely: warm the milk to 110-115°F, whisk in the starter, and go straight to the 8-hour incubation cycle. Regular pasteurized milk can technically skip the boil too, but the resulting yogurt is noticeably thinner since the proteins haven't been restructured.

Incubation time: tang and thickness

8 hours is a reasonable starting point for mild, lightly tangy yogurt. Stretching incubation to 10-12 hours produces a noticeably tangier, slightly thicker result as the culture consumes more lactose — useful if you're aiming for a Greek-yogurt-style tartness before straining.

Don't go much past 12 hours; the culture runs out of lactose to ferment and the yogurt can start to separate or taste overly sour rather than improving further.

Straining for Greek-style yogurt

For thicker, Greek-style yogurt, line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth or a coffee filter, set it over a bowl, and pour the finished yogurt in. Let it drain in the fridge for 1-2 hours for a moderately thick result, or up to overnight for very thick, spreadable yogurt. The liquid that drains off is whey — it's useful in baking or smoothies rather than waste.