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My daughter and I love our homemade Instant Pot yogurt. I have a go to method, but I was intrigued when I read about an easier way using Fairlife milk on one of the Instant Pot Facebook groups. They also refer to it as “no cook Instant Pot yogurt.”
My daughter is lactose intolerant so we use Fairlife milk already. The commenters claimed this method eliminated steps in the process and yielded super thick yogurt without straining.
An easier method with thicker yogurt and no straining using a product I always have in the fridge?
I was all in.
So I tried it last night.
How to make Fairlife Instant Pot Yogurt
I made sure my Instant Pot was super clean and dry first. People are always warning about possible debris or bacteria messing up the yogurt-ing.
I followed the directions people have given all over this very popular Facebook group:
I poured in the 52 ounce container of full fat Fairlife milk.
Then I stirred in a tablespoon of 2% Fage plain Greek yogurt.
(I usually do full fat yogurt, but I only wanted a small container since I was making my own yogurt and full fat was only available in giant tubs.)
Then I put the lid on and hit the yogurt button.
That’s all you’re supposed to do with this method.
I went to bed.
No Cook Yogurt Results
The yogurt looked thick and lovely when I opened the Instant Pot in the morning. I was excited!
I put on the Instant Pot silicone lid and stuck it in the fridge.
I came back about five hours later and the yogurt was completely chilled.
I had high hopes when I saw how little whey was on top – there was no straining needed. I hate straining, even with a yogurt strainer.
It was so thick my spoon stood up in the yogurt!
The Taste Test
My daughter was excited to dig into the bowl of Instant Pot yogurt and strawberries I handed her.
“Ma? This doesn’t taste good. It’s different than usual. I don’t like it.”
I thought she was crazy! It was so thick! The spoon stood in it!
So I tasted it.
Oh.
She was right.
While it was thick and creamy, it had no flavor. It was missing the yogurt tang.
We aren’t fans.
If you like a very mild yogurt, this is for you.
I think I’ll try again giving it more than eight hours. If that doesn’t work I’ll go back to my usual Instant Pot yogurt recipe.
Have you tried Fairlife Instant Pot yogurt? What was your experience?
Funny u should say that. I made it last night for the first time and totally agree with u. Tasteless!
Yes it is tasteless & has tangy taste. That is a “virgin” yogurt. Is up to you to add what you like as a sweetener (honey, stevia, agave, etc), vanilla, cinnamon, you own homemade strawberry jam, etc. It will be your own yogurt creation.
no whey? The whey contributes greatly to the tang. I also wonder about the “lower sugar” claim- Lactobacillus and Bifidus — just two of the many types of lactic acid microorganisms — convert lactose sugars in milk into lactic acid. As you know, acid has a tangy taste (vinegar is acetic acid, lemon juice is citric acid.) This milk takes out the sugar and lactose – so the basis of the “tang” is gone before you start.
I made yogurt with Fairlie milk before I had an instant pot and it came oUT great, but I used about 4 or 5 tablespoons of Greek yogurt starter. Wonder if that makes a difference.
Was ot tangy?
Mine came out great I incubate for 13 to 15 hours
I always heard that straining made it more tart. I’m going to try tonight with Fairlife and see how it turns out.
Not really…it’s more the longer you ferment it makes it more tangy and the longer you strain makes it more thick.
The first time I made FL yogurt I had the same result, BUT, if you let it run 10 hours instead of 8 it is nice and tangy. Longer incubation yields more tartness / tang.
I use Fairlife and get about 2-3 cups of whey. I use fat free Fairlife. We love it.
If you use whole milk you have full fat yogurt. The little spoon full of starter is not where the fat comes from. That’s where the necessary bacteria come from.
The longer you incubate the more tang. We loved it! I did it for 8 hours and I also added Nestle Natural Bliss sweet cream to give it a bit of sweetness. We, as a family, eat yogurt ALL the time. It is a staple in our home. Making this costs the same as my brand I buy at the store, however, yields more then the large tub I buy. My husband states he likes this better than our usually $7 tub we buy . . . this will be our go-to yogurt from now on! PS I did not strain mine either, for tartness you incubate it longer, for the thickness you strain it.
We totally loved it, but we add a can of sweetened condensed milk and we like a sweeter, less tart yogurt.
I also use sweeten condensed milk and it is so good!
Are you familiar with Jeffery at pressureluckcooking.com? He shows how to make yogurt both ways in the instant pot. In the creamy version he also puts in sweetened condensed milk, and says to leave it in the pot for at least 8 hours. His Greek yogurt he did for 10 hours. He is also on YouTube and Facebook.
Jeff is my favorite, his video and recipe for cold start yogurt is the one I used the first time and still use. I’ve never put the sweet and condensed milk in because I’m prediabetic but I bet it’s good.
Do you still strain it?
I love my cold start. I prefer it to tangy.
I prefer a milder taste so the Fairlife yogurt is perfect for me. And so easy! I did strain the whey off mine and it thickened almost as much as cream cheese!
You have to incubate it longer. I did for 12 hours and it was perfect.
I’ve made it with Fairlife skim, 2% and whole milk and love them all. I incubate for eight hours and strain for eight hours. I do not want a tangy yogurt but I do like it thick. I flavor mine by adding in vanilla paste at the start. I always freeze two tablespoons from each batch to use as my starter for the next batch. My favorite way to eat it is mix in a tablespoon of strawberries I have frozen.
Making my own yogurt saves me the expense of FAGE 0 Total which cost $6.99 at my local grocery store and I was using two a week. I will say Greek FAGE is the only yogurt I will eat so to make something similar is perfect for me – love my instant pot!
I incubated for 24 hours and was not too tangy. Just add fruit and nuts to mine when serving.
I make it all the time. In addition to your receipt I add a small can of sweetened condensed milk and 2 tsp of very good vanilla. I don’t eat yogurt but my husband and coworkers love it. I did 8.5 hrs
I use Fairlife 2% pour 1/4 of the bottle in pot add 2 heaping tbs of Dannon plain yogurt whisk it together add 1 can sweetened condensed milk whisk good add 3 tsp vanilla and rest of the Fairlife whisk good push the yogurt button and 8 hours later remove cover with a paper towel over pan and lid put in fridge for a few hours comes out nice and think and delicious
I just started making yogurt. I use 4 1/2 cups of Fairlife (I use fat free), 1 T of yogurt for the starter, 2 T + 2t Stevia and about a teaspoon of vanilla.I can’t imagine adding all the calories from sweetened condensed milk! I do the “pot in pot” method using left over jars from Yoplait’s Oui yogurt (expensive!!!) and cook it for 9 hours. It has the same taste and texture as the french style .. not thick like greek yogurt, not thin like pudding; sort of a cross between a mousse and a cheesecake and it’s just the right amount of tart. You can cook longer to make it tarter. Delicious!
Add a can of sweetened condensed milk.