Step 1

Pour the milk into the inner pot of the Instant Pot. Press the saute button to begin heating the milk, bringing it to a boil, stirring occasionally. This will take 10-15 minutes. When the milk begins to simmer, use an instant-read thermometer to begin checking the temperature of the milk until it temps at 180 degrees F. Lift the inner pot from the Instant Pot to a cooling rack or hot pad to begin the cooling process.

Step 2

Allow the milk to cool down to 110-115 degrees F. Stirring the milk often will help with this process. (I also speak softly to the yogurt at this point, smiling down upon it to calm my soul.)

Step 3

Use an instant-read thermometer to check the milk during the cooling-down process. This will take 15-20 minutes. Don't let the milk cool down below 110 degrees F!

Step 4

To me, this sounds as if you're giving the yogurt it's immunizations or something. It's really just the step of adding the live yogurt cultures aka the "starter yogurt". Place the starter yogurt into a medium mixing bowl; add 1/4 - 1/3 cup of the milk to the yogurt, whisking them together, then pour this mixture back into the pot of warm milk.

Step 5

This is my favorite step because it involves using a big, fluffy bath towel to snuggle your Instant Pot full of yogurt! Cover the Instant Pot with the lid, locking it into place. Make sure the Instant Pot is set to the sealing position. Wrap the towel around the Instant Pot, then place it in a cozy part of your kitchen on the counter or even in your oven; let the milk incubate for 8-10 hours to become yogurt.

Step 6

After you've incubated the yogurt for 8-10 hours, it's time to strain the yogurt if you want it to be a thicker consistency or if you prefer Greek yogurt. Place several coffee filters all around a large strainer or colander, at least two layers thick, overlapping them as needed to fully cover it; place the prepared colander/strainer over a large bowl. Now, carefully and slowly pour in the prepared yogurt. To use the nut milk bag to strain yogurt, place the bag into a bowl then pour the yogurt into the bag (an extra set of hands is so useful here!). Tie up the top of the bag using kitchen string, leaving a long tail. Tie the bag to an upper kitchen cabinet handle hanging over a bowl so the whey can drip down. Remember that letting the yogurt strain removes some of the why that will make it thicker in texture. Once the yogurt is the desired consistency that you prefer, store it in the fridge a glass bowl or large glass jars with tight fitting lids.