Making vegan yogurt in an Instant Pot takes the guesswork out of a process that tends to depend on things beyond your control, like the weather. And it couldn't be easier. Here's my foolproof, two-ingredient recipe for a cultured vegan Instant Pot yogurt that's creamy, thick like Greek yogurt, tangy, probiotic and delicious.
I know so many of you, like me, love making your own vegan yogurt at home. A few years back I posted a probiotic cashew yogurt recipe that's easy, delicious, and beats the heck out of paying a small fortune to buy a tub of vegan yogurt at the supermarket. So many of you have made it since, loved it, and continue to make it.
But one thing that often emerges in comments is concerns about the varying times it takes for the yogurt to set. Even in the cozy atmosphere of an oven with the light turned on, it is not easy to predict when the yogurt will be ready. Because that time really depends to a great degree on factors outside your control: how cold or warm it is outside, which affects how cold or warm it is even inside your temperature-controlled home.
That's why, today, I want to share with you a recipe that takes all of that guesswork out of making vegan yogurt: my Instant Pot Vegan Yogurt.
This is such an easy recipe that you'll probably never go back to making yogurt the old-fashioned way again. All you need to do is blitz up the cashews with water, warm the cashew cream for a minute in the microwave until it's lukewarm, and then put it in the Instant Pot and forget about it.
I love this Instant Pot vegan yogurt and I've pretty much switched to making my yogurt this way now. It turns out thicker, for one, and it is perfectly tangy and creamy. If you try it, I wanna know, so be sure to leave a comment below.
Table of Contents
Why you'll love this Vegan Instant Pot Yogurt
- Creamy. It's smooth and delicious with a fluffy, delightful texture.
- Tangy, and you can control how tangy you make it.
- Thick, with the consistency of Greek yogurt. Perfect for snacking or for adding to recipes.
- Delicious. It tastes exactly as yogurt should, even better!
- Probiotic. This yogurt has live probiotic cultures so a serving of it each day will keep your tummy happy.
- Foolproof. There's no guesswork based on the weather and the temperature. The IP does all that for you.
- Needs just two ingredients. In addition to the cashews you will just need probiotic capsules or a couple of tablespoons of any other yogurt with live, active bacterial cultures.
Ingredients
- Raw cashews. Always make yogurt with raw, not roasted, cashews for good results. You can use cashew pieces, which are more economical than whole cashews, it makes no difference in this recipe as they are blended into a cream.
- Filtered water. You don't need to buy bottled water, although that is fine too, but water put through whatever filter you have at home would work. The purer the water is, and freer of chemicals, the easier it is for the microorganisms in the yogurt to flourish.
- Probiotic capsules: I use PB8 vegetarian capsules, which you can easily buy online. Make sure you open the capsule and stir in only the powder. Alternatively, you can use an existing yogurt with live bacterial cultures, if you have one at hand. You just need two tablespoons.
How to make vegan yogurt in the Instant Pot
There's barely a recipe here, but the instructions are important to follow along carefully, so please do so for the best results.
You will begin the process by soaking 2 cups of raw cashews or cashew pieces with 2 cups of filtered water for at least 30 minutes. I don't care how high-powered your blender is, soaking the cashews makes a really smooth yogurt, so do it. Do not drain the water.
Next put all of it in the blender and blitz into a really smooth, silky cream. Remove the cream to an oven-safe bowl that will fit inside the Instant Pot liner. I use a glass Pyrex bowl.
Warm the yogurt in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir, then warm for 30 more seconds. The yogurt will be slightly lukewarm (it should be no more than 110 degrees Fahrenheit/43 degrees Celsius), which will create a nice, cozy atmosphere for the bacteria to start growing.
Stir in the powder from two probiotic capsules (open each capsule and use the powder inside only). I always use the PB8 vegetarian brand, which I buy online. It works great.
You can also use a yogurt as your starter. Any vegan or non-vegan yogurt will do, but it has to have active live cultures so make sure you read the info on the container. A homemade probiotic yogurt is great too. Stir in the yogurt starter into the cashew cream instead of the probiotic capsule powder.
Once the powder or starter has been stirred into the yogurt, place it inside the steel liner of the Instant Pot. Click the lid on, and press the "yogurt" function. Set the time to 12 hours for a tangier yogurt, or 10 hours for a less tangy version. I usually do 12 hours.
The IP will begin to count up rather than count down, the way it usually does: in other words, it will begin counting the time from 0 seconds on and work its way up to 12 hours (or 10 hours if that's what you set it for).
When the IP indicates the yogurt is ready, open the lid and voila, amazing vegan yogurt. If you don't want the yogurt to get more tangy, refrigerate immediately.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, absolutely. Just use two tablespoons of the yogurt as a starter to begin your next batch. No need to use probiotic capsules each time.
Yes, you can use full-fat coconut milk to make this yogurt. You can also use soy milk but the yogurt will need a thickener in that case. You can stir a teaspoon of thickener like agar agar into the milk before you heat it.
That said, I much prefer the cashew yogurt, which tastes closest to the real thing and has the perfect for baking cakes and other desserts.
The yogurt should be refrigerated immediately after you remove it from the IP, especially if it's as tangy as you want it. If you leave it out at room temperature the yogurt will continue to ferment and get tangier.
On the flip side, if your yogurt isn't still as tangy as you want it to be (although it should be quite tangy after 12 hours in the IP), leave it on the counter for a couple more hours and taste to make sure it tastes as you want it to before you refrigerate.
You can freeze the yogurt or a small batch of the yogurt to use as your next starter.
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Refrigerate the yogurt for up to a week. By some accounts yogurt can be safely stored in the fridge for up to two weeks, but if you do take care to ensure it hasn't developed mold.
- Freeze: The yogurt can be frozen for up to two months in a freezer-safe container.
Recipes to make with vegan Instant Pot yogurt
This yogurt, with fresh berries or other fruit and a drizzle of maple syrup, is divine as a snack or dessert. Here are some more ideas for how you can use it.
Recipe card
Vegan Instant Pot Yogurt
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 2 cups filtered water
- 2 probiotic capsules (Use any vegetarian probiotic capsules, including PB8. Or use two tablespoons vegan yogurt with live, active cultures.)
Instructions
- Soak the cashews with the water for at least 30 minutes.
- Blend into a very smooth paste. Remove to an oven-safe bowl.
- Place the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then return and heat for 30 seconds more.
- Open the probiotic capsules and stir the powder into the cashew cream. If using yogurt starter instead, stir that in.
- Place the bowl inside the liner or inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Put the Instant Pot lid on and press the "yogurt" button. Set the timer to 12 hours for a tangy yogurt, or 10 hours for a less tangy one.
- Once the IP beeps and the indicator shows that the yogurt is ready, remove the yogurt from the liner. Refrigerate immediately to stop the yogurt from fermenting further.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Giulietta says
I've tried lessening the water but it still comes out runny. I've added xanthan to thicken it but is there another method to make it thicker?
I followed the recipe exactly the first time and it was thick like creamer and not very sour
The second time I added xanthan and followed everything.
The third time I lessened the water, added xanthan and cooked it for 22 hours as I enjoy a sour yoghurt. -This was the best version
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi, are you using the exact proportions of cashew to water in the recipe? The yogurt should definitely not be the consistency of creamer because even the blended cashews before fermentation make a thicker mixture than that. Also did you refrigerate the yogurt for a few hours? That will also help it thicken further.
KP says
Putting it in microwave twice for 30 seconds made it way too hot - am I missing an instruction? Maybe it should say microwave for 30 seconds and then check the temp? We are now working to cool the cashew down before we put in the probiotic.
ROBYN RUBENSTEIN says
I don't have a microwave - can I put on stove?
Vaishali Honawar says
No! No need to heat it in that case. Some readers have shared they just let the blender run a little longer to warm up the paste a little. Hope that helps!
Adrienne says
Planning to try this recipe today but just wondered whether running the Vitamix long enough for the cashew mixture to heat up might be a good substitute for heating in the microwave. Thank you!
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Adrienne, absolutely, that would work.
Deb says
I have been making greek yogurt successfully using a few tablespoons of existing yogurt plus milk... cold start, right in the instant pot's stainless steel liner, yogurt button (which runs for 8 hours).
Has anyone tried this method using this cashew base? If so, what were the results?
Kathie S says
My Instant Pot doesn't have a yogurt button, have read elsewhere I can use the Sous Vide button to maintain temp, but I don't know what temp or for how long. Any suggestions for where to start experimenting will be appreciated.
Vaishali Honawar says
Hi Kathie, I can't say for sure because I haven't tried the sous vide button on my Instant Pot to make yogurt. If you'd like to try, I would advise whisking the cashew milk and culture in a bowl or jar, then placing in the IP liner before setting the IP to 110 degrees F on sous vide. Set lid to vent, and let the yogurt ferment over 10 hours.
Yasmim says
can I just use almond milk or coconut milk instead of the cashews?
Vaishali Honawar says
You can, but the yogurt will not be thick.
Laurie Anne Ellington says
I don't have a yogurt button on my instant pot. How can I do it?
Vaishali says
Skip the Instant Pot and leave the yogurt overnight or 8-12 hours in a cold oven with the light turned on.
Nyssa says
For the serving size. It says 8 servings, how big is each serving (2/3 of a cup, 3/4 of a cup etc)
Vaishali says
Approximately 1/2 cup.
Leah says
Looking forward to trying this. We do not have a microwave. Is it necessary to warm the yogurt before adding the probiotic capsules?
Vaishali says
Hi Leah, just put it in the IP without warming. The warm yogurt gives the good bacteria a jump start but I have made yogurt without warming first and it turns out fine.
Sally says
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I've been making it regularly for a few weeks now and the yogurt is absolutely delicious and so creamy. It is really easy to make too and I just keep 2-3 tablespoons from each batch I make in the fridge and use it as the starter for the next batch. I blended some with a few strawberries the other day and it was amazing - everyone in my family loves it. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. I don't think I'll be going back to store bought yogurt again. 😀
Sally says
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I've been making it regularly for a few weeks now and the yogurt is absolutely delicious and so creamy. It is really easy to make too and I just keep 2-3 tablespoons from each batch I make in the fridge and use it as the starter for the next batch. I blended some with a few strawberries the other day and it was amazing - everyone in my family loves it. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe. I don't think I'll be going back to store bought yogurt again. 😀
Elsie says
How about if your instant pot doesn’t have a yogurt button?
Tia
Vaishali says
Just leave it overnight in a warm spot in your kitchen.
Diane says
Have you doubled or tripled this recipe? I’m going to try that to for more. Also, have you added vanilla for flavored yogurt? Add it when done?
Vaishali says
You can double the recipe, no problem. And yes, adding vanilla after the yogurt has set would be wonderful.
Barb says
After soaking and blending the cashews, I microwaved the cashews for 30 seconds, stirred , then added the 2 tablespoons of live yogurt cultures and microwaved for 30 seconds more. Eeek!! This means I heated the live yogurt cultures.
I decided to continue. I put the bowl with the cashew mixture into the Instant Pot for 12 hours. Will this "goof" still make a good batch of yogurt? (It's still incubating...)
If I don't hear from you, I will post my results.
Vaishali says
The microwave would very likely have killed the probiotic bacteria so there’s a good chance you won’t get yogurt.
Barb says
Thank you for the quick reply.
Haste makes waste... it's in the refrigerator now. It does have a few black dots, but taste seems good.
I will try again because I want to make my own dairy free yogurt!!! (without error)
I will email again after I do another batch following the directions intently!
Robyn says
Hi! My instant pot does not have a yogurt function. I saw that someone else asked this question and you said to leave the yogurt in a warm place overnight. Can you be more specific? In the IP? It’s the middle of summer here so the AC is running most of the day. Any suggestions or IP workaround appreciated.
Vaishali says
Hi, I have a post on making vegan cultured cashew yogurt where I explain more on this- it's linked above. Just leave the cold yogurt in the oven overnight with the light turned on.