Keto Yogurt

I can only find regular whole milk at my store, not ultra-filtered. Will it still set up okay or does it need to be the ultra-filtered kind?

I batch this weekly, still dialing in the sweetener.

3.5 net carbs. Never buying store yogurt again.

Confession: started making this for myself and then my daughter got to the strawberry version before I could stop her. Now I’m doing double batches on Sundays. She’s been the yogurt texture critic in this house since she was four. Store-bought gets the ‘too slimy’ face every time. She just ate this without commentary. That’s the five-star review I trust most. Something about the ultra-filtered milk base, it’s clean in a way store-bought Greek yogurt just isn’t, and I think that’s what she’s responding to even if she’d call it ‘fine.’

Started straining mine through cheesecloth after the incubation, just two hours hanging over a bowl in the fridge, and it turns into something closer to labneh. The texture shift is honestly kind of startling the first time you do it. I also started adding a small spoon of lemon zest to the strained version and now I genuinely cannot go back to plain. The whey you drain off goes straight into my morning smoothies so nothing is wasted, and it drops the net carbs a little further since you’re removing some of the lactose. I tried it without straining again last week just to compare and it felt like a downgrade. Batch seven this month and the strained version is the only way I make it now.

Ran out of cream mid-batch and just used whole milk to finish. Tangier, a bit looser. I liked it better for stirring into things or using as a sauce base. For actual breakfast bowls where I want it to hold up under toppings, the cream version wins. So now I make two batches most weeks, one of each. Not something I planned. But the Instant Pot makes it easy enough that it doesn’t feel like a thing. One thing I figured out: straining the all-milk batch an extra two hours in cheesecloth in the fridge gets it close to Greek thickness without changing the taste at all. Would not have found that if I hadn’t run out.

Tip for anyone whose batches kept coming out thin: pull the liner off heat early and let it coast down to 112 on its own instead of hovering over it. Mine was running hot without realizing it and once I fixed that the texture got so much creamier.

Ran out of heavy cream, used all whole milk, expected disaster. It set thick and creamy. Lower calorie too. Now I don’t even know which version I want.

Tried whole milk first since I had it. Worked, but thinner than I wanted. Full heavy cream ratio is a different ballgame. Once you hit 112 degrees, get the cultures in and the lid back on fast. Mine set much firmer once I stopped leaving it open.

Made this twice now and love the process, but I can’t get consistent thickness. First batch came out thick and creamy. Second was noticeably thinner with the exact same milk. Only thing I can think of is the cool-down time before adding the cultures. Does temperature actually matter that much when whisking them in, or am I missing something?

I’ve been making yogurt with a sous vide circulator for years, since holding exact temp through full incubation makes a real difference in texture, and I want to try it with ultra-filtered milk. The 112-degree target for adding cultures is the same either way. What I can’t figure out: does the Instant Pot’s yogurt mode do anything beyond holding temp for those 8 hours? Would a water bath at 112 get the same result, or does the Instant Pot environment matter somehow?

I don’t have an Instant Pot, just a slow cooker. Would the 8-hour incubation work in there, or does it need that keep-warm setting?

First batch turned out thicker than anything from the store, no straining needed. Already planning a second. One question: does pushing incubation past 8 hours make it tangier, or does it mostly just firm up?

I’ve made this eight times and the heavy cream version ruins every store-bought option permanently.

Batch eight now, and I’ve settled into a version that works pretty consistently. Main thing I changed is bumping the culture to closer to a half cup (I use Siggi’s plain as the starter) and it sets in about 6 hours instead of 8, which matters when you’re starting it Sunday morning and want it ready before dinner. The heavy cream version is what I do when making it for myself, whole milk only when I’m stretching a bigger batch for the week. Either way, the 112 degree step is the thing I underestimated at first. Tried to rush it once when it was still at 120 and the texture never really set right. Cold mornings in February and there’s always a jar in the fridge now.

I had no idea homemade yogurt was this easy to make. Honestly thought it was one of those things that required special equipment or a ton of babysitting, but I just used my Instant Pot and it worked. The texture came out so thick and creamy, way better than the store stuff I’ve been buying. Already planning to try the strawberry flavoring next time.

The reason you heat the milk and hold at 180 is not to kill bacteria – that was done in the pasteurization process. It is to denature and break down the milk proteins which allows for a thicker, more set, yogurt texture. Absolutely necessary for thick, smooth, spoonable consistency.