Craving a creamy, gut-nourishing treat that’s a breeze to make? This Instant Pot yogurt recipe is your ticket to deliciousness—simple, scrumptious, and brimming with health benefits. Designed for your Instant Pot’s Yogurt Setting, it’s a holistic triumph that feeds your body and soul. Let’s dive into a quart of probiotic-packed goodness that’ll have your taste buds dancing and your gut cheering!

Yogurt’s Superpowers

Yogurt is more than a tasty treat—it’s a probiotic powerhouse rooted in an ancestral art that’s been nourishing humans for thousands of years. Fermentation, the magic behind yogurt, is a time-honored tradition across cultures—from the nomadic tribes of the Middle East to South Asian kitchens—where it preserved milk, made it safer, and unlocked a treasure trove of health benefits. Live active cultures, like Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus, settle into your gut, balancing your microbiome to supercharge digestion, bolster immunity, and even lift your mood through the gut-brain connection. They break down food, tame inflammation, and make nutrients like calcium and B vitamins more absorbable, giving you that radiant glow from the inside out. The 24-hour incubation in this recipe lets those bacteria fully digest lactose, the milk sugar that can trouble sensitive tummies, making this yogurt a game-changer for lactose-intolerant folks. By eating yogurt, you’re channeling the wisdom of our ancestors for a healthier, happier you.

Why Make Your Own?

Making your own yogurt puts you in the driver’s seat. You control the quality—think pure, organic, grass-fed milk, free from the junk in store-bought versions. No additives, no sugars, no sneaky thickeners, just wholesome goodness. Plus, commercial yogurt’s quick culturing—often just 4–8 hours—leaves too much lactose and skimps on beneficial bacteria. Our 24-hour fermentation maxes out those probiotics and breaks down lactose, making it a gut-friendly win, especially for sensitive tummies. Best of all, it’s way cheaper than store-bought, saving you bucks while boosting your gut! With the Wise & Wild Way, you’re crafting a superior yogurt that’s as pure and powerful as it gets.

Servings: Makes 1 quart

Ingredients

• 1 quart organic, grass-fed A2 cow’s milk (raw milk is the gold standard if you can find it)
• Optional: Swap for goat’s milk for a tangier flavor, though it’ll be less thick
• ½ cup organic Greek-style yogurt with live active cultures (your starter for probiotic magic)

Tools

• Instant Pot with Yogurt Setting (optional: Instant Pot glass lid for easy monitoring)
• Cooking thermometer (a deep-fry thermometer with a clip is your best friend here)
• Skimmer (for any milk film that tries to crash the party)
• Quart-sized mason jar with 2-part lid

Directions

1. Pour the milk into the Instant Pot’s metal bowl and secure the lid in place.
2. For pasteurized milk (cow’s or goat’s): Set your Instant Pot to the Yogurt Setting, adjust to “Boil” or “High” at 181°F, and hit Start to bring the milk to a boil. For raw milk (cow’s or goat’s): Only heat to 110°F, then skip to step 4.
3. When the boil cycle beeps done, turn off the Instant Pot and carefully remove the metal bowl. Set it on the counter to cool to about 110°F—this takes around 20 minutes, or faster with an ice bath (see Bonus Tips).
4. Clip a thermometer to the bowl and verify the milk is at 110°F. If a film has formed on the milk’s surface, skim it off with the skimmer.
5. Stir in the ½ cup Greek yogurt with live cultures, mixing until it’s fully blended with the milk.
6. Return the bowl to the Instant Pot, set the Yogurt Setting to “Medium” heat (107°F), and adjust the time to 24 hours (24:00) to ensure lactose is fully digested by all those beneficial bacteria.
7. Secure the lid, press Start, and let it incubate. The timer will show elapsed time, hitting 0:00 when done.
8. After 24 hours, your yogurt should be slightly set with a jelly-like texture. Let it cool at room temperature for a couple of hours, then pop it in the fridge to finish setting.
9. Transfer to a quart-sized mason jar with a 2-part lid and chill before digging in. It keeps in the fridge for 2–3 weeks.

Enjoy: Savor it plain for a pure, creamy delight, or jazz it up with fresh fruit, a drizzle of honey, a pinch of stevia, or your favorite toppings for a dessert that feels indulgent but loves you back.

Reminder Tip: For raw milk or raw goat’s milk, if you heat, don’t heat above 110°F—higher temps kill the live enzymes that make it so nutrient-rich.

Bonus Tips: The Wise & Wild Way

• Speed up cooling by placing the metal bowl in an ice bath in the sink to hit 110°F faster—perfect for impatient yogurt lovers!
• Save ½ cup of your homemade yogurt as a starter for your next batch—keep the cycle going!
• Yogurt is more than just a snack. Use yogurt and its whey for fermenting foods, making them more digestible and nutrients more bioavailable.
• Keep yogurt on hand as a staple in your Wise & Wild Way of cooking!
• Transform your homemade yogurt into thick, creamy Greek yogurt by straining the whey, or whip up tasty dips for a gut-loving twist. Want to go further? Check out my yogurt cheese and whey recipe

Join the Wise & Wild Way

As your holistic health wingwoman, I’m here to guide you in nourishing your body and spirit with the Wise & Wild Way. Click here for my Instant Pot yogurt recipe and check here for my fave kitchen supplies/resources to make crafting in the kitchen easy.

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To your gut—and a life that tastes as good as it feels!