Another item I made this week and didn’t take a picture of. Next Time! Since I plan to make this at least every month now, I should have pictures soon (I hope!). I mainly wanted to write down my process, so I could make sure that I do it right next time too!
The first time I made Homemade Yogurt (ever!) in my instant pot only turned out ok. It wasn’t thick enough. I figured out my problem. The Instant Pot “boil” feature doesn’t heat the milk hot enough. It needed to be hotter. This last time (second time!) I made it, I made sure it got to the right temperature and boom! Perfect Yogurt!
I added fresh strawberries blended up this time and a little powdered sugar and OH.MY!!! It tastes like DESSERT! The kids and I are eating it up – it is soooo good! This is coming from someone that is not a big fan of yogurt (my kids love yogurt though)… This is so good, we will be making it at least once a month here! Right now, Strawberries are only $.99lb, so I will be making the blended strawberry mix and freezing it for future yogurt batches. YUM!!
Seriously, this GIANT batch of yogurt only cost me about $3 and has soooo much less sugar that the stuff you get in the store!
Ingredients
Yogurt:
- 1 gallon milk
- 1/4 cup yogurt starter (or plain yogurt from the store)
Strawberry Flavoring
- 4 cups of fresh or frozen strawberries
- 2 tbsp (or 2 packets) plain gelatin
- 1/2 cup cold water
- Powdered Sugar
Directions:
Pour the gallon of milk into your Instant Pot. Press the “Yogurt” Button and then the “Adjust” button so it says boil. Allow to boil until done. This only gets my milk to about 165. I then use the saute button to reach the desired temperature of 185. It will not take long on saute to reach that temperature. Once you reach that temperature, remove the pot and allow to cool to 110 degrees. To speed this up, I place it in my sink surrounded by ice. I whisk occasionally, and it doesn’t take too long to cool down. Once cooled to 110, add in the 1/4 plain yogurt – either from the store or from another batch you made. Then place in the Instant pot and use the Yogurt setting for 8-10 hours. The longer you allow to sit, the tarter and thicker it will become. Once done, I like to skim off all the whey/liquid on the top. Not necessary, but I like my yogurt a bit thicker. Then allow the yogurt to cool and place in the refrigerator before stirring.
While Yogurt is sitting in the instant pot, make the strawberry flavoring. I blend up the 4 cups of fresh (or frozen) strawberries. I add the plain gelatin to 1/2 cup cold water. After the gelatin has set for about 5 or so minutes, I add it to the blended strawberries. Allow to sit in the fridge while your yogurt cools.
Once the yogurt has cooled, Stir the strawberries in. Add in Powdered Sugar to get the sweetness to your liking. I used less than a cup for the entire gallon, and it worked great! You might like more or less. Sooooo good!
Eat and enjoy. We all think it tastes like dessert around here – like an unfrozen strawberry milkshake! Mmmmm… Delicious!
