Instant Pot directions say never run it without water. So, for safety reasons, I'd always use water. With that said, I have done it without yogurt since the temp is so low and there is no pressure cooking involved. 🙂 I love the yogurt this makes. So good.
Yogurt mode on most Instant Pots (IP) is around 113F. You will still need to sanitize the milk at 180-190F for 30 minutes as I show in the video. If your IP has an Ultra mode or adjustable hotter mode, do that first. Or do it on stove top if it does not. It should be hot, not boiling. Then let it fully cool to 110-115F (no colder, no hotter) before you inoculate it with your feeder yogurt or a good yogurt culture. My IP has a Yogurt mode that is adjustable. Some are adjustable, some are not. Anywhere between 110 - 115 will work. Lower temperatures will give you thinner yogurt. 114 is a good temperature not just with Instant Pot, but other yogurt machines from what I've read (I haven't tried many). I'd stick with 113-114. I'm extremely interested in how it goes. Please let us know. And please keep in mind that 8-9 hours is realistically the minimum time for decent yogurt. The longer you leave it incubating, the deeper the flavor and "tang". 11 hours is perfect for me to create that French potted style yogurt (like Oui).
I'm not a food safety professional, but I usually go for 2-3 weeks if kept in the fridge. It's homemade without all the preservatives and such, so it isn't going to last months like some store-bought ones will. I've kept some of mine that long and it seems fine to me, but again, I'm not an expert in food safety.
A slow cooker (like a crock pot) probably doesn't get the temp low enough. They typically run about 200F while the yogurt setting on the Instant Pot is about 110F. 200 would cook it vs. just providing the environment for the microorganisms to grow and make yogurt.
I've done both and haven't noticed a difference. I know the instruction book says never use it without two cups of water (I have the 6qt), but I've done Yogurt mode without it. Probably not the right way, but I've done both without any issues. I would say to avoid issues with your warranty or sometimes getting a burn error, a cup or two of water is safest.
Just what I was looking for. Thank you!
Awesome. Glad it helped.
Hi Vinnie..great video! Can you run the pot without water??...thanks
Instant Pot directions say never run it without water. So, for safety reasons, I'd always use water. With that said, I have done it without yogurt since the temp is so low and there is no pressure cooking involved. 🙂 I love the yogurt this makes. So good.
Did your sink run out?
My instant pot does not have a yogurt setting but does have a Sous Vide setting. What temp should it be set at for the final 9 hours?
Yogurt mode on most Instant Pots (IP) is around 113F. You will still need to sanitize the milk at 180-190F for 30 minutes as I show in the video. If your IP has an Ultra mode or adjustable hotter mode, do that first. Or do it on stove top if it does not. It should be hot, not boiling. Then let it fully cool to 110-115F (no colder, no hotter) before you inoculate it with your feeder yogurt or a good yogurt culture.
My IP has a Yogurt mode that is adjustable. Some are adjustable, some are not. Anywhere between 110 - 115 will work. Lower temperatures will give you thinner yogurt. 114 is a good temperature not just with Instant Pot, but other yogurt machines from what I've read (I haven't tried many). I'd stick with 113-114. I'm extremely interested in how it goes. Please let us know.
And please keep in mind that 8-9 hours is realistically the minimum time for decent yogurt. The longer you leave it incubating, the deeper the flavor and "tang". 11 hours is perfect for me to create that French potted style yogurt (like Oui).
Could you please clarify how long yogurt remains safe to eat before it expires? Thank you for this great tutorial.
I'm not a food safety professional, but I usually go for 2-3 weeks if kept in the fridge. It's homemade without all the preservatives and such, so it isn't going to last months like some store-bought ones will. I've kept some of mine that long and it seems fine to me, but again, I'm not an expert in food safety.
Could the jars be heated in a slow cooker instead? What temperature is needed?
A slow cooker (like a crock pot) probably doesn't get the temp low enough. They typically run about 200F while the yogurt setting on the Instant Pot is about 110F. 200 would cook it vs. just providing the environment for the microorganisms to grow and make yogurt.
dont need to add water to the instant pot? just put them in dry?
I've done both and haven't noticed a difference. I know the instruction book says never use it without two cups of water (I have the 6qt), but I've done Yogurt mode without it. Probably not the right way, but I've done both without any issues. I would say to avoid issues with your warranty or sometimes getting a burn error, a cup or two of water is safest.