MAKE IT YOURSELF

Recipes

Instant Pot: Yogurt

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been using some of this Shelter in Place time to learn some new skills, especially around food! It takes on a whole new meaning now though, given that from scratch food is often a more affordable way of living than buying pre-made, and the financial impact of COVID-19 is real. It also helps that given that we are not able to physically do our work, I have more time on my hands to experiment!

I have many beloved recipes that I’ve shared with clients over the years, and I look forward to sharing many of them here with you now that we have this blog up and running. To start it all off, I’ve chosen homemade yogurt as the inaugural recipe! Why? Well, because I’ve been intimidated by the idea of making my own yogurt for many years but recently I received a jar of some…and it was delicious! Just the motivation I needed to give it a try for myself. Needless to say, I feel silly thinking how long it took me to do this, given that it really is pretty easy–especially with an Instant Pot on hand! Give it a try and share with us how it turned out!

The recipe I followed and then adapted for more Greek-style yogurt was taken from @damndelicious. Thank you!! This recipe is specifically for an Instant Pot. I have not tried to make yogurt any other way, so if you don’t have one and have been inspired to make it on the stove top instead, please let me know how it turns out! I added a few steps to make it more like a Greek yogurt, but the gift jar I was given was just the original recipe. So, depending upon whether you like your yogurt runnier or thicker, you can stop at Step 5 or continue on to step 6-7.

Yield: 2 mason jars of Greek style Yogurt

Ingredients:

8 cups of 2% or whole milk (img 1)

¼ cup of whole milk yogurt (I used greek yogurt, but it doesn’t need to be) (img 3)

Step 1: Add the milk to a 6 qt. Instant Pot. Close and lock the lid. Select the Yogurt setting. Press the yogurt button twice until the screen says BOIL. This will take around an hour. (img 2)

Step 2: Take the insert out. The original recipe states to put it in a bowl of ice to cool, stirring occasionally. I just set it off on the counter to cool. It’ll take about 15-20 minutes to cool down to between 100-110 degrees. Although I do have an infrared thermometer now, originally, I just did the “pinky” test–if it was hot but comfortable to keep my pinky in there, I figured it was good!

Step 3: Take 1 cup of the boiled milk and whisk with the ¼ c yogurt in a separate bowl. Once incorporated, carefully add back in to the remaining milk, being careful not to scrape the bottom of the Instant Pot insert. (img 4)

Step 4: Return insert back to the Instant Pot. Select the yogurt setting and choose the 8 hour option.

Step 5: **If you like your yogurt runnier, simply transfer finished product to jars and refrigerate for 6-8 hrs.

Step 6: For thicker, Greek style yogurt: Layer 2 sheets of cheesecloth over a colander propped over something it can drain into. (I used another bowl with a small tupperware lid in the bottom of the bowl to elevate the colander). Pour the yogurt into the cheesecloth covered colander and gently fold the edges of the cheesecloth over the top of the yogurt. (imgs 5-7)

Step 7: Let drain for 4-8 hours (I let mine drain overnight). You might have to drain the whey-the yellowish liquid that drains out (img 8) that collects in the bottom of the bowl a few times in the first hour so that it doesn’t get so full it touches the bottom of the yogurt. When it reaches a thickness you like, scoop into mason jars and refrigerate (or eat…that’s what I did!) (img 9-11)

P.S. Remember that whey you drained off? It’s also usable for a variety of things! I have yet to experiment with it, but if you are feeling creative, check out this link to learn some uses for it!