Instant Pot Keto Yogurt

Canned coconut cream: This is my preference for the best fat macros. Coconut cream has a higher fat ratio than coconut milk. My go-to is the organic generic Sprouts brand. It has a really great price. I also used the Whole Foods 365 canned coconut cream and loved it. Same with the Thrive Market brand and Thai Kitchen. You can also use canned coconut milk.

Agar Agar Flakes: This is a gelatin made from seaweed (so vegan friendly!), and the best of all the thickeners I tried. It thickened the coconut milk yogurt perfectly and left it silky, smooth, and lump-free. Tapioca starch and arrowroot flour left it too gritty. I do not recommend substituting any other thickener for the best results. You can find the exact version I used here. Note: Do not use agar agar powder. Only agar agar flakes will work.

Probiotic Capsules: It is very important that you are getting CAPSULES that you can open and easily pour in the probiotic powder inside. You do not want probiotic pills, since you would have to crush those up and it would be too much of a hassle. I used these exact probiotic capsules that I got off Amazon and they worked great! They have 50 billion live cultures. I also used the Sprouts generic brand that was in the refrigerated section of vitamins, it was also 50 billion live cultures and worked great too!

Note: The daily probiotic I take is Seed (code TASTESLOVELY for 15% off), which is THE best probiotic on the market since it is the only one that delivers probiotics all the way to your colon. But, it is on the pricier side, so I like keeping Seed as my supplement and using a more cost-effective probiotic for this keto yogurt.

1. Set your Instant Pot to SAUTE. Add in the 2 cans of coconut cream and wait for them to come to a rolling boil uncovered (no need for the lid). This takes about 3-5 minutes.
2. Once boiling, press CANCEL on your instant pot. Add in the agar agar flakes and whisk vigorously to combine.
3. Let the mixture cool to 110ºF using an instant-read thermometer. If you don’t have an instant-read thermometer, you want the mixture warm enough to touch without it burning you. If it is too hot, it will kill the bacteria in the probiotic capsule. I set a timer for 30 minutes, which is how long it usually takes for it to cool enough.
4. Once cooled to 110ºF, open the 4 probiotic capsules and pour them into the coconut cream mixture in the instant pot. The coconut cream will already be slightly thickened from the agar agar flakes. Whisk again to fully combine the probiotic capsule powder.
5. Close your Instant Pot and press the YOGURT button. You may need to press it a few times until it says 24:00, meaning 24 hours. The yogurt is going to take between 18-24 hours. I like to set it for 24 hours so I have a long window to get the coconut yogurt the next day.
6. Somewhere between 18-24 hours, your coconut yogurt is done! Open the lid, and transfer the yogurt to jars or air-tight containers to cool. The keto yogurt will still be on the liquidy side. Coconut milk yogurt firms up *significantly* after cooling in the fridge, so don’t panic that it’s not “yogurt thick” in the warm stage. If it tastes like it has that yogurt tang, you’ve made yogurt!

Milk Alternative: You could also use any dairy-free (or dairy!) milk! I tried this with almond milk and cashew milk, and it works but I just don’t love the flavor. Coconut milk has its own natural sweetness, and it tastes really “off” when I used almond milk and cashew milk. Let me know in the comments if you make this keto yogurt with different milk and love how it turns out!

Serving: I like to transfer the coconut yogurt to half-pint mason jars or 4-ounce mason jars (both are freezer friendly!), then let them cool completely in the refrigerator. However, any airtight container will work.

Thickener: 1 tablespoon was my preferred amount for a keto yogurt that has a thickness right in between greek yogurt and regular yogurt. If you want it thicker, use more agar agar. Maybe 1.5 or 2 tablespoons. If you want it thinner like a kefir yogurt, use less. Maybe 1/2 a tablespoon. Have fun playing around with it and finding the perfect ratio to find the thickness that suits your preference.

Freezing: You can freeze this yogurt in any freezer-safe container! It will last in the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw overnight in the fridge and serve.

Flavored Yogurt: I love this coconut milk yogurt plain, so it is the most versatile for whatever I need it for. (I use this in place of sour cream!) But if you like flavored yogurt, feel free to puree strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc and fold it in, and then chill in the fridge. I would think 1/2 a cup of pureed fruit would work great.

Doubling the Recipe: You can easily double (or triple!) this keto yogurt recipe if you need to make a big batch. Especially great if you have freezer space.

Instant Pot Yogurt Function: I’ve learned that every instant pot has different yogurt functions. This is the exact instant pot that I used when testing this recipe and shown in the recipe video. It just has me press YOGURT and offers either BOIL (I skip this and use the SAUTE button instead) 18 hours or 24 hours. Others have reported that their instant pot starts the sequence with BOIL, then cools the mixture, then beeps when it’s time to add the probiotic capsules, etc. Please read the manual for your instant pot to familiarize yourself with its YOGURT function.

Instant Pot Duo/Pro Crisp: If you have a newer Instant Pot, like the Instant Pot Duo Crisp or Pro Crisp, it does not have a yogurt function. Instead, per reader experience, use the Sous Vide function at 110 degrees for about 18+ hours. The coconut milk yogurt will then thicken in the refrigerator.