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.
jem
Hi...I'd like to try this but have some questions about the starter. I hesitate to spend so much on a box of probiotic capsules especially since I understand that they don't last indefinitely. But, aside from that, I can't seem to find plain vegan yogurt without. The closest I can find at Whole Foods, is Kite Hills soy yogurt with flavoring like strawberry and also vanilla almond or coconut yogurt. Is it okay to use any of these with the West Soy soymilk?
Becky Striepe
Hey! Yeah, you can use flavored, but your finished product may have some mild notes of the flavor. I used Kite Hill Peach once in a pinch. It worked, but my yogurt was vaguely peachy tasting. Fine for some uses, though! Plain vegan yogurt works best, but in a pinch you can use flavors.
Annette
I'd like make vanilla flavored...with a little bit of sweetness for my kids...something similar to the Silk brand version. Any suggestions on how to do that?
TIA!
Becky Striepe
Sure! I'd stir in a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract and your favorite liquid sweetener, to taste, when it's all done fermenting.
Roger Day
Thanks for your insights and ND yogurt recipe. We just got an IP and want to make ND yogurt in it. My question: Do you have any experience/knowledge regarding use of a probiotic (capsule or powder) as yogurt starter rather than a small amount of existing ND yogurt? Could I use such a probiotic with the recipe posted here? Thanks for your reply and for all your recipes!
Becky Striepe
Yes! That should work fine. I haven't done it this way, but I have heard other folks say that it works fine. Enjoy your IP!
Annette
The Probiotic works great, and its super easy. i use capsule kind. I use this
Solgar Advanced 40 Plus Acidophilus Vegetable Capsules, 120 Count you can find it on Amazon for about $14 and I use 7 capsules for 64 ounces of the West Soy Milk recommended above. Good luck!
Roger Day
Thanks Annette. I'm experimenting with HOW MUCH probiotic to use as well as HOW LONG to cook in the IP. I use 64 oz Westsoy Organic (nothin' but soy) and powder from capsules of Amazing Flora Probiotic 30 Billion (veggie capsules). I've used 2 or 3 capsules with 64 oz soy milk. I've tried 14 hours and 15 hours cook time. Question: Any suggestions for how to alter these amounts so I get a THICKER as well as TANGIER yogurt? I cook this size batch in 8 narrow glass jars, lids on, in an 8-qrt IP. Thanks for any ideas, suggestions, criticisms!
Becky Striepe
For tangier, go longer! For thicker, you may need to add a thickener, like tapioca starch. No need to put the lids on the jars. Good luck!!
Roger Day
Thanks. Will try that!
Becky Striepe
Let me know what you land on!
Roger Day
Hi Becky . . . experiments continue.
Latest batch: 16 hours in my 8-qt IP using the Yogurt function. Ingredients as here: 64 oz Westoy plain plus probiotics (4 capsules of Amazing Flora Probiotic 30 Billion). Left lids off. The longer time did make yogurt tangier; also, it's a bit stiffer (longer time or more probiotic? Used three capsules last time).
Weird Result: For 7 of the 8 containers, results were identical - - great! For the 8th one, tho, there was a separation in the jar. Bottom half was liquid (whey-like) and the top half resembled in appearance like an old-fashioned natural sponge, full of gaps and fissures and so on. There are two pics of this at http://math.illinoisstate.edu/day/yogurt/yogurt1.jpg and at
http://math.illinoisstate.edu/day/yogurt/yogurt2.jpg.
Wonder if you have any insights about this weird result?
Thanks for your help and all your contributions to my family's good health and good eating!
Becky Striepe
Oh weird! That last jar you describe is exactly how mine turned out when I tried using milks with gums. I am not sure, but I'd love to know what caused that in your batch. And you're so welcome - I'm loving your feedback!
Annette
I use 7 capsules of the probiotic turns out perfectly every time. I cook foe 12 hours.
Ruth
I use 1, 50 billion probiotic capsule in 32 oz of Westsoy soy milk. Shake well, pour into 5 glass jars and place in the instant pot. No lids on until after processing and jars have cooled on the counter. I process for anywhere between 10 and 12 hours, depending on my activities in the morning. I make a batch every 5 days and it always comes out thick enough, though I will sometimes strain it through a coffee filter rubber-banded onto a tall glass if I need it thicker. I don't notice a difference in tanginess with longer processing but it is tangy enough for me. It's the best tasting soy yogurt I have found.
Becky Striepe
Using a coffee filter to strain is genius!
Lucy T
Thanks for this recipe, it works so well ! I really appreciate the super-clear instructions.
Interesting: I tested it with a carton of soy milk that had no gums of any kind but was fortified, (so some vitamins and minerals, water and organic soybeans were the only ingredients) and it didn’t get nearly as thick as the previous batch I had made with just plain soy milk. It did seem to culture and get to the thickness of a really nice and thick buttermilk though, so I’ve been using it in muffins and pancakes etc in place of buttermilk. (I know you can use plant milk plus some apple cider vinegar or lemon juice but this tastes better in my opinion.)
I will make both versions in future! ????
Becky Striepe
That is very cool! And so interesting about the fortified version!
linda
how about using homemade soymilk(from dry beans) to make yogurt?
thanks
Becky Striepe
That should work perfectly!
Jill, The Veggie Queen
I was not successful with my homemade soymilk but others have been able to do it, or so they say. I think that the most success occurs with soy milk from a soymilk maker.
I would try it and see.
Linsey
Do I put the mason jars in the inner pot or do I put the mason jars in without the inner pot?? I just want to make sure I do it right!! Thanks!
Becky Striepe
With the inner pot but not on the little wire rack insert.
Linsey
Ok, that's what I thought but just wanted to make sure before I gave it a go! Thanks
Becky Striepe
No worries! Better to ask than wish you'd asked!
Renee
Should I put my IP lid on 'sealing' or 'venting'?
Becky Striepe
I do sealing for yogurt.
Ruth
I have set the pot on both sealing and venting and the yogurt came out the same.
Becky Striepe
Ooh thank you for sharing this - it's a question I get a lot!
Sarah
Hi! I have a couple of quick questions before embarking on my own :) Can I make more than just the two pints at a time? I still have a ton of space left over in the IP and was wondering if I could double or triple this recipe and do 4 or 6 jars in the IP at the same time. Also, my 6 year old probably won't eat it unsweetened. What would you suggest regarding what type of sweetener to use and when to add it? Thanks so much!
Becky Striepe
Oh sure! If you can fit more jars, you can make more. I can only fit 2 jars into mine. My kid doesn't like it unsweetened either. We stir in maple syrup or jam for him just before serving, but whatever you like would work: sugar, brown sugar, agave, etc are all good!
Sarah
I just put it in the IP! My jars were super full so I separated into 3 pint sized jars, added vanilla bean, and raw cane sugar. I also read through the comments and put it for 11 hours to make it less tart. I hope it turns out!! Just to clarify, I am not supposed to add water to the IP correct? Thanks so much for your help!
Becky Striepe
Sounds amazing! No water and no rack in the IP. I know - it feels wrong at first!
Linda Weinberger
I just made the yogurt and it came good. I did it for 11 hours and a good consistency. It is tart so even less time might be less tart. I have not tasted it cold yet. This is the first time I made a non-dairy yogurt that I did not have to throw out. Before, I was using a yogurt maker, but it always worked with regular skim milk. Now that I stopped using dairy I finally found a recipe that works. I used the Instant pot, but I am going to try the recipe with my yogurt maker. I think the difference for me was the brand soymilk. I used what you suggested.
Becky Striepe
I'm so glad it worked for you! A little sugar will cut the tart as well, if you're cool with adding sugar. I'm glad to know that 11 hours works out okay. Sometimes 14 hours doesn't time out well for my routine!
Linda Weinberger
Becky,
I made the yogurt again in 9 hours. Much less tart but next time I'm going to do about 9-1/2 hours. I always like yogurt because it has calcium. Now, I realized the soymilk West Soy has no calcium. I guess all the commercial non dairy yogurts have added calcium. By the way, I did buy the book Vegan Under Pressure and can't wait to try some of the recipes. Thanks for the recommendation.
Linda.
Becky Striepe
Oh interesting! I hadn't thought about the calcium angle. I guess I count on leafy greens and the fortified soy milk in my coffee for that. Enjoy the book! It's one of the few that I keep in the kitchen, rather than the bookshelf, because I turn to it so often.
Rachel
Just a word about calcium in dairy yogurt: dairy is a moderate source of calcium, and our cultural bias towards dairy’s bone building benefits is actually due to marketing and not science. The animal protein found in dairy undoes all the benefits of the calcium consumed. Here’s why: Animal protein is sulfur based and raises the acidity of our blood and tissues when consumed. The body looks for an acid neutralizer to correct the pH in our system and pulls calcium from our bones to restore the pH. This process is much like taking a tums to neutralize stomach acid. In actuality, we excrete more calcium in our urin than we consumed in our milk, resulting in osteoporosis over time. This is why the only cultures on the planet to suffer osteoporosis are those which consume both meat and dairy—the combination is just too acidic. You’re not losing any dietary calcium in the end when you switch to plant-based yogurt, but are actually preventing calcium loss (Campbell, Colin T., The China Study).
Amy
Can you use other non dairy milks? My son likes almond milk but I do think know if you can get pure almond mild without all the stuff you mentioned. I just got my instant pot today so I am very new to this.
Becky Striepe
I have tried with almond milk that includes gums and it didn't go well, but JL Fields says she did have success with store-bought almond milk. I haven't done a ton of experimenting, though, because my family loves this soy yogurt so much. If you don't mind experimenting (and possibly having to dump the results), it's worth a try! I'd love to hear any success/fail stories you have, if you give it a go!
Laura Ross
I make soy yogurt all the time in quart sized Mason jars using Costco's Kirkland Plain Organic Soymilk that comes 12 to a carton for $14. It works great and is nice and thick. And because the soymilk has calcium and vitamin D added, so does the yogurt.
I usually set it for 12 hours but sometimes pull it out at 8. The longer you leave it, the more tart it is. Younger yogurt has more active bacteria, so it makes a better starter.
Becky Striepe
Interesting! I used 365, and it was awful! Maybe it's got different additives. If I make it to a Costco, I'll pick up a carton to try for sure!
shawna bay
Such a good point with the added calcium and vitamin D with the Costco brand!!
john
Has anyone try to use Costco’s Kirkland Plain Organic Soymilk recently and does it still work?
Becky Striepe
What are the ingredients?
Christine
Yep! I used a whole quart and mixed it with two heaping spoonfuls of Forager Vanilla Yogurt. It had a faint vanilla smell, but no vanilla flavor. It came out perfect and thick! Thicker than this picture used in this recipe. I may try a different milk though, I'm not a huge fan of soy yogurt. I have heard other good results from people using Kirkland brand.
Linda @ Veganosity
I've never made yogurt, I need to change that. Thanks for the tip on the instant pot.
Becky Striepe
You'll love it, Linda!
Vegan Heaven
I don't have an instant pot yet, but this is such a great idea, Becky!! I think I really need to get one soon. I already got a couple of other recipes I wanna try and I'd absolutely love to make this soy yogurt! :-)
Becky Striepe
You would love it! We got rid of our slow cooker, since it also slow cooks, to save space.
Vanessa @ VeganFamilyRecipes.com
What a wonderful idea! Definitely a recipe I need to try. Thanks so much for sharing!
Cadry
This is so great to know, Becky! I don't have an instant pot yet, but I've been considering it for a while. David eats yogurt daily, and at around $2 per container, it adds up!
Becky Striepe
Cadry, you'll love it! The yogurt is a nice money-saver, and so are the beans! Though I still by my white beans in a can, because aquafaba.
Suz
Do you think a few scrapes of vanilla bean would go in while making, or stir in afterwards?
Becky Striepe
Maybe during, to give it time to infuse? I haven't tried, though. I'd love to hear how it goes!
Shoshanah
With regard to using old yoghurt to start a new batch (regardless of whether the old one is commercially-produced or your own), the reason results are inconsistent is that yoghurt goes through stages of different strains of bacteria predominating. So the bacteria in the final product are not the strains you want to be dominant at the start of the process.
Lactic acid bacteria are common in the air though, so I start mine by leaving it exposed for a while before incubating.
Becky Striepe
Ooh thank you! That is super helpful.
Mary
Shoshanah, exactly what do you mean by leaving it exposed (just the commercial yogurt or the milk and yogurt mixture) and exposed as in open to air at room temp...and for how long? TIA
Deanna
May be a silly question.... I Just made the yogurt but used a vegan yogurt starter (because I had one). From now on can I just use the two tablespoons of yogurt from the previous batch I just made or do I need to purchase plain yogurt at the store?
I made mine directly in the pot without jars and then placed in a strainer. Looks pretty good right now.
Becky Striepe
Awesome! I've never tried making in the pot - that's good to know! My quart jar is too tall the pot, so sometimes I put off making yogurt until my pints are clean. Now, I don't have to! And yes! You can use this batch as the starter for the next.
Jill, The Veggie Queen
Deanna,
Sometimes using the yogurt that you just made will work as a starer and sometimes it is less than effective. I have heard about people freezing a few tablespoons right away to use later but I have not tired that.
Yogurt takes on a life of it's own. You can try using some from the batch that you made and see what happens. It's always interesting.
Mel @ avirtualvegan.com
SO easy! I really need to get an Instant Pot. AT about $4.99 per pot vegan yogurt is pretty expensive here. It would save me loads of $$$
Becky Striepe
Mel, you'll love it! And the Instant Pot Duo is a slow cooker, too, so you can sell or donate your slow cooker to save some kitchen space. We got rid of our slow cooker and rice cooker when we got the IP!
Kristina
14 hours is forever! hee! this reminds me of the homemade yogurt my mom made when I was a kid - I am excited to try this!
Becky Striepe
Haha it really is! When I first started making it, the name suddenly "Instant" Pot felt pretty ironic.
Aimee / Wallflower Kitchen
This is so good to know! I am trying to eat more probiotic food and want to try making my own yoghurt (I used to make it ages ago but used probiotic powder and other expensive ingredients...) this looks much more straight forward :-)
Becky Striepe
Aw I'm glad it was helpful! It's seriously so easy.
Jill, The Veggie Queen
Thank you so much for mentioning me and my book Vegan Under Pressure. The more we can get people to take control of their food the better.
Great post.
I make my yogurt in jars only because I find it less messy that way. as you likely know, I am an efficient (i.e. "lazy") cook which is why I use the Instant Pot and other pressure cookers.
Becky Striepe
You are so welcome. I'm a huge fan of your books! We have a small stack of favorite cookbooks that live in the kitchen, and Vegan Under Pressure is on top! Some weeks, I use it every day. Your cooking times/amounts for grains and veggies are so much better than in the IP manual, and your recipes are fantastic!
Jill, The Veggie Queen
Thank you so much Becky. Like you, I love to help people eat better and better tasting food.
Vegan Under Pressure was a labor of love.
Jenn
LOVE this! I have yet to use the yogurt function too and I always thought it would be so intimidating. But, clearly, it's super easy. WestSoy is the ONLY soy milk I buy and I've got about 4 boxes at anyone time in my pantry. LOL! I don't like to run out of stuff. :) I am SO trying this! Question - what would happen if I used 2 tbsp of flavored yogurt? Does it have to be plain?
And I need to get Jill's book. It's been on my wish list forever and I'm not sure what I'm waiting for. I have to take off at least 5 minutes for grains, beans, etc, that the Instant Pot booklet calls for and it's annoying.
Becky Striepe
That's a good question! Sometimes the flavor gets diluted so you don't taste it. I did one batch with kite hill peach as my starter, and the resulting pints did taste vaguely peachy. It was still good, but definitely not plain yogurt! Definitely get Jill's book! It's so good. I use it all the time!
Jenn
Ok, thanks! I've got some flavored yogurts in the fridge right now, so thought I might try it. :) I'll let you know what happens.
Becky Striepe
Please do! I feel like it depends on how strong the flavor is. Happy fermenting!