Instant Pot Coconut Yogurt

4.50 from 470 votes

Instant Pot Coconut Yogurt

Making Instant Pot Coconut Yogurt is fool-proof and way cheaper than buying yogurt at the store. Plus, you have full control over the thickness, flavor, and probiotic levels!

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

Total Time1 1

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: General

Servings: ½ cup servings (makes about 1 quart)

Calories: 103kcal

Author: Cassie Johnston

Ingredients

1 quart full-fat canned or boxed coconut milk I get best results from this coconut cream, but any full fat coconut milk will work
¼ cup maple syrup do not sub in honey—it has its own bacteria that will fight the yogurt culture
3 tablespoons plain yogurt with live active cultures dairy, soy, coconut, almond—all fine OR one packet of freeze dried yogurt culture (I like this one)
OPTIONAL THICKENER: 1 to 2 teaspoons unflavored grass-fed beef gelatin OR ½ to 1 teaspoon powdered agar agar

Instructions

Pour the coconut milk and maple syrup into the pot of the Instant Pot. Whisk well, then press the “Yogurt” button, and then adjust the setting until you see “boil.” Let the Instant Pot run through the process (it’s getting the milk up to a temperature of around 185°F), whisking occasionally. No need to place the lid on the Instant Pot during this stage.
When the Instant Pot beeps that it is finished, allow the milk to cool until it is between 100ºF and 110ºF. This can take upwards of an hour.
If using starter yogurt: When the milk is at the correct temperature, ladle out about ½ cup of the warm milk into a small bowl, and whisk with the 3 tablespoons plain starter yogurt until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the Instant Pot and whisk well.
If using freeze-dried yogurt culture: When the milk is at the correct temperature, sprinkle on one packet of the starter culture and then whisk very well to combine.
If using a thickener, sprinkle on top of the warm milk, and then whisk very well to combine.
Close the lid of the Instant Pot (no need to seal), and press the “Yogurt” button. Adjust the setting until you see the time display. Set for the desired amount of fermentation time. Eight hours is bare minimum, but I *much* prefer yogurt that has been fermented closer to 24-36 hours. This results in a naturally thick and tangy yogurt—very like regular Greek yogurt. Plus, it has more probiotics! (See notes for more info about time and temp)
When the fermenting time is up, transfer the yogurt to a glass storage container (I use a wide mouth quart jar) and keep in the fridge. It will thicken up considerably as it cools.

Video

Notes

If you like thicker, Greek-style yogurt, I recommend using either the gelatin or the agar agar. However, if you want to leave those our, the longer you ferment, the thicker the yogurt gets naturally.
If you do use the thickeners, the upper range will get you a thicker, Greek-style yogurt, while the lower will just thicken to a “normal” yogurt consistency.
Since coconut milk doesn’t have the same kind of sugars that cow’s milk has, the added maple syrup is to give the bacteria a jump-start meal—they eat almost all the sugars and the resulting yogurt isn’t sweetened at all.
My favorite starter (linked in the post and the recipe above) contains skim milk powder. If you're looking for a completely dairy-free way to start your batch of coconut yogurt, you'll want to use a different starter or a dairy-free yogurt with live active cultures.
Some people recommend using opened probiotic capsules as yogurt starter, and it can work—depending on your probiotic. Proceed with caution though, as some can make yogurt taste really not good.
When you spoon your yogurt into a container for storage, make sure to reserve a little bit for the next batch of yogurt in a small jar (I just fill one of these quarter-pints). That way, you’ll never be without yogurt starter.
I love my Thermapen for yogurt-making (and honestly, everything else in the kitchen), but if you don’t have a thermometer, it’s not a big deal. Another trick is to place a (clean!) finger in the milk—when you can hold your finger in the milk while counting to ten, it’s cool enough to pitch in the yogurt starter.
Some folk in the comments mentioned that their Instant Pot only maintained the desired yogurt fermentation temperature (around 110°F) when set for up to 8 hours. Set for longer than 8 hours, their IP used a lower temperature (around 88°F). Our IP doesn't adjust the temperature in this way, so please check your owner's manual before choosing your time setting!

Nutrition