Homemade Instant Pot Vegan Yogurt. It would seem that it wouldn't be that difficult to find good yogurt without any additives, preservatives, chemicals, unnecessary sugar or other junk that I don't want. Although it is advertised as healthy, non fat yogurt is full of additives that, in my opinion, make it a less healthy alternative.
I like plain, thick yogurt that has not been modified in anyway, and the best way to accomplish that, is to make my own. To make your own creamy, fresh homemade vegan yogurt, you need two ingredients, soy milk and yogurt starter, and an Instant Pot. Easy peasy. It tastes delicious and after trying it, you too will be a believer... nothing is better than Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt. Yes, it takes 15 hours, but if you plan ahead, it is so very easy.
Tools Of The Trade Used In This Recipe:
I made this recipe in the Instant Pot 6 Quart Pressure Cooker using the yogurt setting. Check out my review of the Instant Pot, and see all the delicious recipes that I have made with this gadget that replaces 9 kitchen tools!
Instant Pot Yogurt
When you are looking for a quick healthy breakfast, yogurt or a yogurt smoothie is a perfect choice. The main health benefits of yogurt are that it contains probiotics and it is high in protein. Adding more probiotics to your diet can increase good bacteria in your digestive tract which improves your overall gut health, digestion and boosts your immune system. To learn more, you can read more about benefits of probiotics here.
According to the Mayo Clinic, probiotics found in yogurt can help to:
- improve the healthy bacteria ratio in the gastrointestinal tract’s environment
- treat or prevent diarrhea, especially following antibiotic treatment
- treat irritable bowel syndrome, or relieve symptoms
- reduce or prevent gastrointestinal infections, or increase recovery from them
- prevent and treat vaginal and urinary tract infections
Additionally, new studies have shown that store bought yogurt is much higher in sugar that previously thought. (source). You have endless options for serving your yogurt. You can add a variety of fruits and superfoods to enhance the nutritional value and flavor or, add it to smoothies, dressings and sauces. The best part about this yogurt is that it is completely homemade, so it has no added chemicals, preservatives and additives. It only requires two ingredients, and cooking it in the Instant Pot is a dream.
I have not really learned to utilize all the skills and talents of the Instant Pot. I have cooked soups, pasta, cobbler and found the results to be amazing. I still have several more buttons to explore, but this week, I have ventured into the world of homemade yogurt. It used to be complicated to make your own yogurt; not anymore. Just toss plain soy milk and your yogurt starter into the instant pot, set it for 15 hours, and forget it. The soy milk must be plain, like only soy beans and water. No other additives.
Yes, that easy. Be sure and turn the pressure release valve is turned off, or to the left, because you don't want additional moisture to accumulate during cooking of your yogurt. I set my yogurt for 15 hours at 5 pm, and it is ready in the morning. Because I like my yogurt thick, and Greek like, I then strain it to get rid of more water. You only need yogurt starter the first time. For subsequent yogurt batches, preserve ½ cup of your previous batch of yogurt, and add it to the soy milk to make a new batch. Couldn't be easier.
To strain the yogurt, I pour it into a nut milk bag, and let it hang above a bowl for 4-6 hours. The result is thick, creamy, tangy yogurt. I frequently add fruit, but it is delicious just plain. It is perfect for a meal, or as a base for dairy free recipes, dressings or sauces. This yogurt is vegan, gluten free, dairy free.
Recipe
Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt
Ingredients
- 64 oz plain soy milk
- 10 grams yogurt starter
- ½ cup fruit optional
Instructions
- Add soy milk and yogurt starter to Instant Pot and stir until starter is dissolved. Set Instant Pot to Yogurt setting for 15 hours. Turn pressure release value to off.
- When the yogurt is cooked, pour the yogurt into your nut milk bag, and let it drain over a bowl for 4-6 hours. If you like your yogurt super thick, leave it for 6 hours; if you like it thinner, leave it a shorter period of time.
- After the excess water is drained from yogurt, add fruit or nuts according to your personal preference.
Notes
Nutrition
Serve your yogurt with berries for added nutrition.
After 15 hours, this is your fresh, creamy yogurt.
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Anna says
Just opened my pot to find warm milk in it :/
Any ideas what I could've done differently and whether or not this milk is salvageable?
greenschemetv says
I don't know what could have gone wrong. If you bought the exact ingredients that were recommended, plain soy milk with no additives, and the yogurt starter as recommended, it seems that something didn't work with your IP, but honestly that is just a guess. It is essentially then as if your soy milk was sitting on the counter for 15 hours, so if you would drink it in that circumstance, it is probably fine. I wouldn't feed it to babies or kids though, just to be cautious. If it were me, I would run the IP yogurt cycle again, but again, it's only because it's soy milk.
Anna says
I ran it through the yoghurt cycle again for 8 hours and it worked! I'm now straining it in a nut bag and hoping it will taste delicious!
greenschemetv says
Good news! Honestly, homemade yogurt tastes nothing like store bought:)