Instant Pot Greek Yogurt Recipe - Lactose Free Option (2024)

This homemade Instant Pot greek yogurt recipe is so good and so easy, you’ll never want store-bought again.

Not only is this recipe for my Instant Pot Greek Yogurt is super easy and practically hands-off, it’s basically everything you never knew you needed! I originally posted this in 2019, and it’s still something I make at least once a month and one of my most read posts in the 10 years of this blog!

Instant Pot Greek Yogurt Recipe - Lactose Free Option (1)

I use greek yogurt in loads of different recipes including overnight oats, naan bread and smoothies.

My daughter Everly loves it.

So I was thrilled when I realized that not only does my Instant Pot have a yogurt setting, but that its a super simple process that can be customized to your own tastes.

I’m going to use the cold method here (more on that shortly) and you’ll be shocked at how easy Instant Pot Greek yogurt is. It can even be made lactose-free!

Instant Pot Greek Yogurt Recipe - Lactose Free Option (2)

INSTANT POT COLD METHOD GREEK YOGURT

There are two different ways to make yogurt with your Instant Pot.

One involves boiling the milk and then regulating the temperature. The other is kind of a ‘set it and forget it’ kinda recipe and you know that’s what I’m all about!

This is commonly referred to as the cold method or no boil method, and there are some very important factors involved in order to have your yogurt turn out.

Firstly, you need to choose a lactose-free, ultrafiltered or ultra-pasteurized milk.

This is the most important step in the whole recipe, and a make or break situation.

In Canada, we can get Fairlife and Natrel, which are both lactose-free, ultrafiltered milk that comes in a variety of percentages. I’ve used both, and found no difference between them, other than the Fairlife bottle measures to exactly the amount needed for the recipe which is handy dandy!

*FUN FACT* Because the filtration process, this type of milk is higher calcium and protein and lower in sugar!

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WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

An Instant Pot that has the Yogurt Setting like this 6Qrt or 8 Qrt
YOGURT STARTER*:This is just a 2 tbsp of your favourite greek yogurt. It’s extremely important to choose one that states it has active bacterial cultures in the ingredients. I’ve used Oikos, Olympic, Liberte and they’ve all worked fantastic. Choose a yogurt you already like the taste of. Once you make your own, you can use it as your starter!
Ultra-Filtered/Pasteurized lactose-free Milk of choice – I chose Fairlife Skim for this recipe but have used 2% and 3% previously.
A method to strain the yogurt in order to make it a rich, thick greek yogurt texture. You can use a strainer like this, I have the Euro Cuisine Yogurt Strainer one, or even a nut milking bag but choose something that can hold a decent capacity and can fit over a bowl to catch the excess whey!
OPTIONAL: sweetener such as sweetened condensed milk (this can be skipped if you prefer your yogurt with no sweetness or like to sweeten per tastes).
NOTE: using sweetened condensed milk does have lactose in it.

*For all future yogurt making you can freeze the yogurt you used in ice cube trays to use as future starters, or you can freeze some of the yogurt you make to use as the starter. Two ice cubes worth of frozen yogurt starter is perfect for the next pot (bring to room temp first)

HOW TO MAKE GREEK YOGURT IN YOUR INSTANT POT

The basics of Instant Pot Yogurt are so simple: Milk, starter and set it.

I prefer mine to go for 8 hours and 30 minutes for the perfect tangy treat, but you can generally set it for a minimum of 8 hours and a max of 10 should you like. I find the 8 hours and 30 minutes has a good tang (and I do like sour things!) so feel free to experiment!

Simply mix your starter, the milk and the sweetener if using and give it a good wisk to make sure it’s all completely incorporated.

Making a Half Recipe of Instant Pot Greek Yogurt

Halving this recipe is no problem, I’ve done it loads of times! I simply use the same amount of starter, but half the milk/sweetener. Easy!

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Sweetened Instant Pot Yogurt

If you likeyour Greek yogurt sweetened like me, then this is where the sweetened condensed milk comes in. I prefer half a tin for a full batch of yogurt as I like mine just lightly sweetened. Again, more experimenting for your own tastes, but you can always sweeten afterwards with honey or maple syrup, fruit jams etc.

*If lactose is a concern for you, then you will want to skip the sweetened condensed milk. Some people have luck with Natural Bliss Coffee Creamer to sweeten their yogurt, but it isn’t something I’ve tried. I would simply leave the sweetener out and sweeten to taste after the yogurt has set.

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Set it and forget it

Using the Yogurt setting on your Instant Pot, set the timer for how long you want to let your yogurt “brew”; I prefer 8 hours and 30 minutes.

You will also need to make sure your Yogurt setting is set to “Normal” for this method.

Chill and Strain

After your time is up, your yogurt will be warm and need overnight to chill and finish setting. I strain at the same time using my Euro Cuisine Yogurt Strainer which is 100% worth it in my option, but you could also use a nut milking bag or many layers of cheesecloth.

When your Instant Pot timer first goes off, your yogurt should be set up enough that you can still a spoon in it and it will hold straight up and down.

Enjoy

I love this easy greek yogurt on its own, in homemade tzatziki (unsweetened of course) and with my Quinoa Granola Recipe on top with some dried fruit.

It’s also amazing in smoothies, yogurt popsicles, in baking and don’t forget to freeze in ice cubes to carry forward some of your yogurt to be used as a starter!

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours 30 minutes

Additional Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 16 hours 35 minutes

Super rich, tangy, lactose free and low fat Gree Yogurt you can make in your Instant Pot.

Ingredients

2 tbsp Greek Yogurt
52oz of Ultrafiltered Milk
1/2 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (optional)

Instructions

Wisk yogurt and milk together in the Instant Pot liner.
Add sweetened condensed milk if choosing to sweeten. 1/2 can will just barely sweetened while still being plenty tangy. Choose as much or as little as you like.
Close Instant Pot lid (no need to seal because it will not be coming to pressure. Choose YOGURT setting and make sure it is on NORMAL.
Set time between 8-9 hours. 8 for less tangy, 9 for lots of tang. I choose 8.5 for balance.
Go to bed, and wake up with yogurt ready to chill!
When the timer goes off, you can either transfer the Instant Pot liner directly to the fridge for regular creamy yogurt and let chill for 8 hours OR
Transfer the yogurt into your straining device of choice and chill in the fridge while straining.

Notes

I like to set my Instant Pot before bed, and then put in the strainer in the morning and have it chill through the day. The strainer only needs about 4-5 hours to strain enough whey out to be greek style yogurt, and then you can transfer into the storage of your choice ( I use mason jars) and store up to 10 days (trust me, it won't last that long!)

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FAQs

Can you use lactose-free milk to make Greek yogurt? ›

Store-bought, lactose-free milk has nearly the same taste, texture and nutrient profile as regular milk. Conveniently, it can be swapped for regular milk in any of the Luvele yogurt maker recipes. We were definitely surprised with the thick and creamy results.

Does 0 sugar mean no lactose? ›

And zero sugar means zero lactose, or at least close to it. (Current labeling laws say that if a food contains less than 0.5 grams of carbohydrate or sugar per serving, these can be listed as zero on the nutrition facts label).

Is lactose-free yogurt really lactose-free? ›

So, when a product says that it is lactose free, it usually means that it is still a dairy product (i.e. cow's milk), but that it has the enzyme lactase added to the product. Lactose-free dairy products may include milk, cream cheese, sour cream, yogurt, kefir and butter.

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Can I eat yogurt if I'm lactose intolerant? ›

A milk allergy causes an allergic reaction from the protein in milk whereas lactose intolerance is caused by the body not producing enough of the enzyme lactase which is needed to breakdown lactose. Thankfully yogurt is one of the dairy products you likely can enjoy if you're lactose intolerant.

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Can lactose intolerance go away? ›

There is no treatment that can help your body make more lactase. But you can manage your symptoms by changing your diet. In the past, people who were lactose intolerant were told to avoid dairy products. Today, health experts suggest you try different dairy foods and see which ones cause fewer symptoms.

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Which milk is best for making Greek yogurt? ›

You can use nearly any type of dairy milk to make Greek yogurt, but for best results, we recommend using whole pasteurized milk. Avoid ultra-pasteurized or UHT milk when making yogurt.

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Can lactose free milk be fermented? ›

This can be achieved by adding a small amount of glucose or another suitable sugar to the lactose-free milk before incubating it with the starter culture. The added sugar provides the bacteria with the necessary energy to ferment the milk and create yogurt.

Get More Info ›

What type of milk is best for making yogurt? ›

I prefer whole milk, both for yogurt and, well, life, but you can use 2%, 1%, or skim, as well. They all work. Some folks like to bulk up leaner milks with some dry nonfat milk powder (roughly from 1/3 to 3/4 cup powder per quart of milk) to thicken it, especially in the absence of luscious dairy fat.

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What milk is used for Greek yogurt? ›

Old-fashioned Greek yogurt is made with goat's milk while American yogurt, and many of the American-made “Greek-style” products, are made from cow's milk. (“Greek-style” yogurts may also contain thickening agents like condensed milk or gelatin.) All yogurt starts out the same, with milk and live cultures.

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