You only need two ingredients to turn soy milk into Instant Pot yogurt. It could not be easier. Join me, as I spill all of my yogurt-making tricks!
When I got my Instant Pot last year, one thing I was sure I'd never use was the yogurt function. We have so many good vegan yogurts on store shelves, why bother making my own? Oh how wrong I was!
Y'all, I make soy yogurt on a weekly basis now. It is SO much cheaper than store-bought, and my homemade soy yogurt is free of additives. But my favorite thing about it is that it's unsweetened.
Why make Instant Pot soy yogurt?
Store-bought soy yogurts - even most marked "plain" - are all so sweet. I can't handle it. And I like sweet food!
But when you're cooking with yogurt, maybe you're trying to make something savory or maybe you just want to mix in some strawberry jam without turning your breakfast bowl from a little bit sweet to tooth-meltingly sugary.
When you make your own soy yogurt from scratch, it can be truly unsweetened, so you have a lot more control over the sweetness when you're cooking with it.
About this recipe
My recipe is based on my adventures with the soy yogurt recipe in Vegan Under Pressure by Jill Nussinow. At first, I was hesitant to post my recipe, since in some ways it's so much like the one in the book.
But after answering tons of questions from friends, family, and readers about how to make yogurt in the Instant Pot, I felt like it might be worthwhile to share what I'd learned.
There are dozens of amazing pressure cooker recipes in Vegan Under Pressure, and I encourage you to grab a copy. I refer to it several times a week for full recipes and for her bean, grain, and veggie cooking times, which are way more accurate than the booklet that came with my Instant Pot.
The recipe below is what I landed on after a lot of tinkering with cooking times and some technique changes that make it less messy.
I've also included two variations:
- a variation from my friend Erin at Kitchen Gadget Vegan. She does a soy-coconut mix that her family loves.
- instructions for how to make this with probiotic capsules instead of store-bought yogurt
Choose the right soy milk
The key to making soy yogurt in the Instant Pot is exactly what Nussinow says in her book: you have got to use soy milk that's only soybeans and water (sweetener and salt are okay). No gums. No gels. No thickeners. Trust me.
I didn't believe this at first, and I tried using the gum-thickener-gel-ful soy milk from our fridge, and the yogurt it produced was sticky a nightmare floating in a jar of water.
I don't throw food away lightly, and I threw this out after just a couple of bites. There was no way to stir the floaty part and watery part together. It was a total lost cause.
There are two common brands that fit the bill: Eden Foods and Westsoy. I have some ethical issues with Eden Foods, so I go for Westsoy Organic, and it works like a charm. If you can't find it in the store, you can order online.
The great thing about Westsoy is that it doesn't need to be refrigerated, because of how it's packaged.
Trader Joe's also stocks thickener-free soy milk. It comes in shelf-stable boxes and is very affordable.
The starter
A yogurt starter is just what you use to get probiotics into your soy milk. For this recipe, you have two options:
- a small amount of vegan yogurt
- probiotic capsules.
If you're using vegan yogurt, I recommend choosing plain or vanilla. Sometimes, fruity flavors can come through in your finished batch, even though you're only using a couple of tablespoons as your starter.
Prefer probiotic capsules? Easy peasy. Just make sure that you use vegetarian or vegan gelcaps.
You want the kind of probiotic capsules that you can open up and pour powder out of. Solid pills that would need to be crushed up won't work well in this recipe.
I've had great success using Jarro-Dophilus EPS capsules in this recipe. I made the yogurt in the new photos using these capsules, and my seven-year-old loves it!
When you stir the probiotic powder in, it's not going to fully dissolve, and that's okay! See the photo below -- lots of powder floating on top of my jars before they went into the pot. The yogurt turns out just fine.
The cost
One 32 ounce box of soy milk makes two pints of soy yogurt in the Instant Pot. The Westsoy that I linked to shakes out to about $4 per box. That's $2 per pint of homemade, additive free, organic, unsweetened soy yogurt. See? Worth it!
Cooking time
I've seen cooking times for Instant Pot yogurt that vary anywhere from 8 hours to 24. That's a big range, and it took me a lot of batches to hone in on the ideal time.
Fourteen hours seems to be the magic time for making Instant Pot yogurt. You can go as low as 10 hours, but for that perfectly-tangy soy yogurt that's thick enough to eat with a spoon, 14 is ideal.
If you're using probiotic capsules, I'd say 14 to 16 hours is a good range, depending on how tangy you like it.
Timing is everything!
There's nothing instant about making Instant Pot yogurt.
Making that 14 hour cooking time work for you is all about planning. Don't make the mistake I did a few times, starting your batch of yogurt in the morning.
If you do that, your Instant Pot will be tied up all day. It won't be there for you when you want to make rice and steam broccoli for your supper.
Instead, start your yogurt in the evening, so it will be ready for the morning. If you normally get up and have breakfast at 7am, start that yogurt at 5pm. Fourteen hours later, it's ready for breakfast, like magic!
There's nothing like starting the day with a bowl of fresh yogurt that you made yourself. And since most of the cooking happens while you're asleep, it makes the 14 hours seem a little bit more instant.
Thickening homemade soy yogurt
Homemade soy yogurt with no added thickeners is not going to be as thick as the soy yogurts that you're used to eating. That's just science. You have three options:
- Add a thickener. I do not like working with thickeners, so if that's what you want to do, I'd suggest looking at the Vegan Under Pressure recipe. Jill has directions there, if you want to go that route.
- Strain it. You can strain the yogurt through a few layers of cheesecloth to get rid of some excess whey and make a thicker yogurt. This takes longer, and you end up with a little more than half of what you started with, so I don't do it. But you can!
- Embrace it. This yogurt isn't Greek yogurt, but it is freaking delicious. You can eat it with a spoon or treat it like a thick yogurt drink.
My favorite way to eat it is with strawberry jam mixed in. Darrol Henry prefers his with maple syrup. It's also great in any recipe that calls for yogurt or as a replacement for sour cream.
📖 Recipe
How to Make Soy Yogurt in the Instant Pot
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 32 ounce box soy milk Choose a brand that’s ONLY soybeans and water – see above.
- 2 tablespoons plain vegan yogurt of your choice Don’t worry – the small amount of gums in this won’t mess with the final yogurt’s texture! (see note for probiotic capsules option)
Instructions
- Divide the soy milk between two wide mouth pint jars. Add a tablespoon of yogurt into each jar, stirring well.
- Carefully place the jars into the bottom of your Instant Pot (not on the rack – for some reason, it won’t make yogurt if you do that). Lock the lid, make sure the vent is sealed, and press the Yogurt button. Set it for 14 hours.
- In the morning, you’ll have yogurt! Stir before serving, since it does tend to separate. Your soy yogurt will keep for about 5 days in the fridge.
Marilyn
I was unable to find any soy yogurt without a bunch of additives, so can I just use some dairy-based yogurt as my starter?
Becky Striepe
It's fine if the yogurt has additives. Just the soymilk has to be free of gums.
Marilyn
Ok, thanks! Will look at them again to see if I find one that is usable.
Rylee
What is the reason for the soymilk needing to be free of gums? Will the yogurt not turn out?
Becky Striepe
Something happens with the gums during the fermenting process that makes the yogurt turn out like a nightmare. It ends up with a thick, gummy blob floating on top of thin, watery liquid, and no amount of stirring will combine them into anything like yogurt.
Anonymous
Trader Joe’s sells unsweetened soy beverage. It’s just soybeans and water and costs less than $2!
Becky Striepe
Ooh this is a great tip! Thank you!
Dorothy Milosevic
I’m going to try this tonight. My husband has made some homemade soya milk. I’ve tried making soya yoghurt previously without much success. After reading your recipe, I can see some differences:
1. Time, I was just leaving it for 8 hours
2. I was putting the jar on the metal rack (trivet) with a small amount of water at the bottom.
3. I’ve been putting the lid loosely over the jar, in order to stop water dripping back into the yoghurt from the lid. However, if there’s no water in the pot, then that problem won’t arise.
There was a lot of whey on the surface of my best , but unsatisfactory effort. I strained it through muslin and it became quite curdy, rather like cottage cheese.
So today, I won’t put water in the pot, no rack (trivet). My questions are:
Should I put a lid on the jar?
Should I stir mid-way to mix the whey back in?
Any other comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thank you
Becky Striepe
Skipping the rack is going to make a huge difference for you! I can't wait to hear how your yogurt turns out! Leave the lids off of the jars, and no need to stir halfway. Just stir when the fermenting time is done. If you want, you can pour off some of the excess whey for thicker yogurt, but I just stir it all in, so I get more finished product. That part is totally your call!
Sima Basargin
Great recipe... will definitely use this in the future! Though I was wondering if this receipe would allow me to replace the soy milk with other non-dairy milks.
I really wanted to try this with oat milk, but other recipes would have you boil the oat milk and other milks before starting the fermenting process.
Becky Striepe
Fermenting is tricky, so I'm not sure how it would work with other milks. If you do experiment with oat milk, just make sure the one you choose is free of gums, and let us know how things shake out!
Maxine
Your recipe looks amazing and super easy. Since I can no longer buy soy yogurt, I'm definitely going to try making my own. I have not bought an Instant Pot yet and, before I do, I'd like to know if this recipe will work in a 3-quart Instant Pot and will two pint jars fit in it. Thank you in advance for your response (and/or anyone else who might respond with the answer) and thank you for your amazing vegan recipes!!!
Becky Striepe
Ooh I'm not sure that 2 pint jars will fit into a 3-quart. Mine is 6, and they fit with a bit of room to spare, but not a ton. You could always do it in batches over two nights, if need be, though I know that's not an ideal situation. You can also skip the jars and mix the soymilk and yogurt right in the pot itself. I just like to use the jars, because that means less cleanup.
Natalie
Hi Becky, I don't own an Instant pot only a slow cooker and oven. Any chance I can still make my own yoghurt? I used to make a lot of the Easiyo packaged flavours before I became vegan...still have the plastic Easiyo container if I could use it for this soy yoghurt? Any ideas would be appreciated. ?Natalie
Becky Striepe
Hey Natalie! You can definitely make soy yogurt without an Instant Pot, but it's not something I've done personally. Is the Easiyo a yogurt maker? You could try using this recipe in the Easiyo, but I can't make any promises, since I haven't tried it. I don't see why it wouldn't work. What the Instant Pot yogurt function does is keep the contents at a yogurt-friendly temp, which I'm guessing is how other yogurt makers also function. If you do try it and it works, I hope you'll come back and let us know!
Penelope
I own the Duo 6 Quart Instant Pot.
I used EDENSOY unsweetened and Daiya Plain yogurt.
1. Edensoy and 1T Daiya in two pint glasses placed on the bottom of the stainless pot (no trivet) and in a sealed position. Pressed yogurt and 14 hours. The float valve never came up and after 10 hours there was nothing but warm edensoy in there. What happened?
2. Same ingredients as above. Pressed Yogurt on the Instant pot and according to the directions with the Instant Pot, leave setting on venting. 14 hours later, just lukewarm Edensoy in there. Did not thicken at all. Why did nothing happen.
3. Same ingredients as above. Put sealed setting. Pressure cooking setting. Float came up after a few minutes. Would not allow more than 3 hours, 59 minutes on this setting. At the end of this time still just liquid. What gives?
4. Same ingredients as above. Put Edensoy and 1T yogurt directly into the pot (no pint jars). Pressed yogurt. Sealed (Float never came up). 10 hours later just the liquid in the pot.
What am I doing wrong?
Edensoy (32oz)in Canada is $4.50. Daiya plain yogurt on sale is $1.50. And I have wasted four boxes of Edensoy and one Daiya plain yogurt and I have nothing to show for it.
Suggestions???? Comments????
Becky Striepe
Oh dear -- it sounds like you did everything correctly. You definitely don't want to use Pressure Cook, and it's fine that the float valve didn't come up. Yogurt doesn't cook at pressure, so that valve doesn't float up. Did you put 1 tbsp yogurt in each pint glass, or divide 1 tbsp between them? It should be 1 in each. But even if you didn't, it should have thickened some.
I am stumped here! This is the exact method we use every week. I'm sorry that you're having issues!
Alex
I wonder if the Daiya yogurt didn't have any live cultures. I used KiteHill plain almond yogurt and a box of soy milk and my yogurt came out perfect. Maybe try a different brand of yogurt?
Jennifer
I'm so grateful that this recipe was posted. I wanted to add a few of my own data points:
First, I've tried the probiotic capsule route a couple of times, on the basis of another highly rated online recipe. It never worked: the yogurt always came out with pink mold on it.
By contrast, this recipe came out perfectly the very first time I used it! I used Trader Joe's unsweetened soy milk and Kite Hill plain yogurt. I had a lot of the Kite Hill leftover, so out of curiosity, I decided to freeze it in a couple of small containers, portioned out for future use, to see if the remainder could work as a starter for future soy yogurt batches.
Yesterday, I decided to do a little experiment. In a couple of jars, I put the frozen and thawed Kite Hill, together with soy milk. I'm pleased to report that those came out great! The Kite Hill was frozen for a little over a week. I'll be curious to see how long the remaining Kite Hill in the freezer will work as a starter.
The second part of the experiment: in a third jar, I used the previous batch of homemade soy yogurt as starter. I'd read in the comments that some people hadn't had luck. But in the probiotic-capsule-based recipe that I hadn't had luck with, the recipe author suggested keeping a half cup of the yogurt to use as a starter on the next quart batch -- quite a bit more than is used here. So I decided that in that (pint) jar, I'd add a quarter cup of my homemade soy yogurt. Good news: not only did it function well as a starter, but the flavor was a little tangier, and the consistency a little thicker, than the first batch! So it looks like you *can* use some of the homemade yogurt as a starter, rather than always buying more store-bought yogurt for a starter! But you might need to use more of it than you would from the store-bought yogurt.
I have an Instant Pot Ultra and used the medium yogurt setting, for 15 hours, to bring out a bit of tang.
Thank you so much for the recipe, and thanks to all the commenters for sharing more info about their experience with the recipe.
Becky Striepe
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for this thoughtful comment! This is all amazing information, and I appreciate you taking the time to experiment with this recipe and share your results!
John Gabriel Otvos
I too am looking for a decent recipe that doesn't toss all the fibre out that store-bought and most recipes for soymilk do. I realize that the soymilk I've been making for 5 years has solids, which, settle to the bottom of the jar, needing a good shaking to become suspended again. A whole foods plant based lifestyle means no processing, as in removing the essential fibre simply for texture. I'm unsure of this recipe accommodates that process of keeping the fibre.
mk
Let us know what happens when you try it.
Barb
Jennifer - Thank you for your experimentation and sharing of results! I just added 1/2 cup of my time intensive homemade soy yogurt to 32 oz of Trader Joe’s Soy Beverage. Blended the mixture with my hand blender and poured into three 14 oz jars. Put into Instant Pot and selected Yogurt setting for 15 hours. Time: Under 10 min. (My approach has been: soy milk made using soy powder + Cultures for Health Vegan Yogurt Starter + agar powder slurry for thickening - bring to 190 deg and hold for 5-10 min, cool to 110 deg. Time: 50-60 min) I’ll weigh back in after I get the results tomorrow. :-)
Barb
The yogurt was a great success! It’s not as firm as the soy yogurt I make using the heated method with agar powder, but the flavor has more tang, which I love. This approach is so easy and the soy yogurt comes out so great! I will be sharing this post with all my family and friends who have an Instant Pot. Thank you, Becky, for sharing your method!
Kavita
This recipe is spot on, and a total game changer. I can’t believe how easy and delicious it is. My favorite is fresh fruit and chia - the fruit adds sweetness, and the chia thickens the yogurt. I use Trader Joe’s soy milk, which is soybeans and water and 2 bucks. Becky, you are my hero.
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Kavita! And that is a great tip about TJs soymilk. That is even cheaper than the one I normally buy. I need to head to TJs and stock up!
Amanda
I used a mason jar, and in it I put 16oz of unopened soy milk (contains only soy and filtered water) bought from 99 Ranch Market and 1 tablespoon of store bought Silk unsweetened soy yogurt as my starter. I set the instant pot to yogurt for 14.5 hours, the result is super sour and tofu pudding in texture, not yogurt. I did eat out of the Silk yogurt for two days so maybe bad bacteria got in? Is the half hour extra too much? Should I just immediately make a new batch using my batch 1 as starter and hope it'll turn out better in texture and taste? I would appreciate it if you could give me some pointers. Thank you!
Becky Striepe
If it's too sour for your taste, I'd back off on the time. You might go down to 12 or even 10 hours and see if you like it better that way. The longer you go, the more sour it will be.
Cyndi
Oh my goodness! I just got my instant pot (actually a 6-quart Yedi), and the second thing I made in it was your soy yogurt recipe. I used Westsoy Unsweetened (which I've been drinking for decades) and So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt, Vanilla (could not find unsweetened but this one is not very sweet) as my starter.
Followed your recipe exactly, and it came out so perfect I could cry. Okay, that's a little dramatic but you don't know how happy I am to be able to have yummy healthy organic nonGMO soy yogurt since giving up dairy. Although, of course you do! :)
It's delish on granola, in my daily smoothies, on oatmeal, etc. I keep letting my dairy-loving friends sample it and they are all surprised at how much wonderful it is. I'm making converts over here, thanks to your recipe! Thank you!
Becky Striepe
Oh I love to hear this, Cyndi! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave such a thoughtful comment. Enjoy the yogurt!
Katie
Thank you so much for this simple and delicious recipe! I like this yogurt so much more than store bought - being able to control the sweetness and tang is key! I can see this becoming a regular staple in my meal prep routine.
I used five 8 oz jars instead of pint jars and set the time to 13 hours; this yielded good results.
Becky Striepe
Ooh making single-serve jars is such a great idea! I need to pick up a pack of smaller jars and do that next time.
Janet
I too have 8oz jars...how much starter yogurt did you add to each jar?
Katie
I used 2 tsp of soy yogurt per 8 oz. jar.
wendy hoy
Your yogurt recipe is perfect and thank you! Do you have any suggestions on what to do with the yogurt besides having it for breakfast?
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Wendy! I also use it in place of sour cream on things like chili or baked potatoes. What I love about making my own is that it's truly unsweet, so you can use it in sweet or savory applications! :)
Alice West
This unsweetened, unflavored soy yogurt makes a perfect dairy sour cream substitute. I use is on my potatoes.
Becky Striepe
Ooh I love that!
Anonymous
For once, a recipe on Pinterest that really is as good and easy as the introduction says! Thank you! :)
Becky Striepe
Thank you!
kimi
Can you use 2 spoonfuls of your homemade yogurt to start your next batch? Or keep the original storebought yogurt to start your next batch a few days later?
Becky Striepe
I haven't tried using homemade yogurt to start a new batch, but other commenters have said that may not work as well. You can definitely use the storebought to start the next batch a few days later! I wouldn't keep an open yogurt for longer than 3 days, but in that window, you should be a-OK.
Estela
You can!! I use 1/2 cup to a box of soy milk each time. Just make sure everything is clean.
Becky Striepe
Oh this is great to know!! Thank you so much for chiming in, Estela!
Jamie
Thanks so much for this recipe! My soy yogurt was perfect after 14 hours (I did add a tiny bit of maple syrup to feed the bacteria) and it has been hard not to scarf it all up at once. I've never liked plain yogurt until now. I love it so much.
I was wondering if you think the time should change if I make the yogurt in half-pint jars instead of pint ones. I thought the yogurt might keep better if I don't keep opening and closing the lid on the pint jars. Also half a pint is a pretty good serving size.
Becky Striepe
Ooh that's a good idea to use smaller jars! The time should be fine as-is, but you can always start at 12, taste, and add an hour or two if it isn't as tart as you like.
Thank you so much for taking the time to rate and comment - it means a lot to me when people do that!
marcy
Just got my instant, and tried your recipe. I love the simplicity and 2 ingredients.
now that I have made yogurt can I use my own yogurt instead of buying packaged yogurt.
thanks
Marcy
Rhoda Mae
Why do you put the yogurt in the mason jars and not directly in the pot? I just got an instant pot and am not very familiar with it. I also noticed that you did not warm the milk to 115 degrees before putting it in the jars/pot. Is that step not necessary?
I've made a lot of soy yogurt in the past in the oven (using oven light only as warmth) with a mason jar. I never used yogurt as a starter, but used probiotic capsules (emptying the capsule contents in the milk) and a small amount of honey. The downside to the oven is that the oven is unusable for 24 hours.
Becky Striepe
I put it in the jars so I don't have to wash anything when the yogurt is done, because I store it in the same jars I use to make it. :) Warming the milk is not necessary when you use this method in the Instant Pot. You can use a yogurt starter instead, if you prefer - there are some comments from other folks who have done that successfully.
I hope this helps clarify!
Crystal
Hi,
So you are putting the Mason jars directly in the instant pot without any water on the bottom? The directions that came with the IP say to add water, but they are boiling the milk beforehand. Just thought I’d check before messing it all up! Thanks
Becky Striepe
No water needed in this recipe! I was worried about that, too, the first time, but it works perfectly!
Sean Macleish
How does it "cook" after you the press the yogurt button and set the time? Does it get warm at all because when I have touched the outside of my 3 QT IP, I feel nothing. Just want to make sure I am not missing a step.
Becky Striepe
You're not missing a step! It holds it at a temperature that's ideal for yogurt, which isn't very hot.
Jane
Can I use almond milk instead of soy?
Becky Striepe
I haven't tried it with almond, so I'm not sure. If you do give it a try, I'd love if you left a comment about how it went! I'm sure other folks would want that information, too.
Zona
Yes, many people do that.