Hub 05 · Kombucha, Kefir & Yogurt
Best yogurt makers
A yogurt maker holds one temperature for several hours. That is the entire function, which is why the one you already own may well be the right answer.
We earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. We have not tested this equipment. Here is what we did instead.
Quick picks
Tap a row for the full write-up · Prices open on Amazon
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Instant Pot with a yogurt function If there is an Instant Pot in your kitchen with a Yogurt button, you already own a yogurt maker. | A machine you already own | |
| 02 | Euro Cuisine YM80 yogurt maker Seven small glass jars in a heated base with a timer dial. | Single-serving jars | |
| 03 | Yogurt maker with adjustable temperature An adjustable thermostat is the only feature that meaningfully separates yogurt makers. | More than one culture |
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A yogurt maker is a heated box that holds milk at incubation temperature for several hours. That is genuinely all it does, and it is why our first pick is a machine many kitchens already contain rather than a new purchase.
If you own an Instant Pot with a Yogurt function, you own a yogurt maker. Do not buy a second appliance to do the same thing.
The only feature that changes what it can make
Adjustable temperature. Cultures differ: the thermophilic ones used for standard yogurt want a warm incubation, while mesophilic cultures work much cooler. A fixed-temperature machine can only make one style.
Everything else — jar count, digital versus dial, timer sophistication — is convenience. If you only ever want plain yogurt, a fixed-temperature model is perfectly adequate and cheaper.
Jars or one container?
Individual jars give portioned yogurt with no scooping from a communal tub, and they are pleasant. They are also seven small things to wash, and you cannot strain yogurt for a Greek-style result inside them.
A single container makes straining trivial — line a sieve, pour it in, wait. If thick strained yogurt is what you actually eat, this matters more than the portioning does.
Do you need a machine at all?
No, and this is worth saying plainly on a page that recommends buying them. Yogurt incubates perfectly well in a warm oven with the light on, in a vacuum flask, or in a covered pot wrapped in towels in a warm spot. People made yogurt for a very long time before there was an appliance for it.
What a machine buys is consistency. A flask cools slowly and unevenly; a thermostatic box does not. If your first few oven-incubated batches come out inconsistently, that is the problem a machine solves.
What actually decides your yogurt
The culture and the milk, not the machine. A fresh culture and whole milk make a noticeably better result than an old culture in a better appliance. Machines are interchangeable in a way ingredients are not.
Kefir, by contrast, needs no machine at all — it ferments at room temperature, which is one of several reasons it is the easier of the two to start with. That comparison is in kombucha versus kefir.
Every pick, in order
The full write-ups
Pick 01 · A machine you already own
Instant Pot with a yogurt function
Instant Pot
If there is an Instant Pot in your kitchen with a Yogurt button, you already own a yogurt maker. It holds incubation temperature for hours and makes a full batch in the inner pot. Do not buy a second appliance.
Function
Yogurt mode on models that include it
Capacity
The full inner pot -- several quarts
Control
Timed incubation; some models allow adjustment
Check
Not every Instant Pot model has the yogurt function
Specs compiled from: Manufacturer product listing and product name
What is good
- Free if you already own the machine
- Makes a large batch in one vessel, easy to strain afterwards
- The pot doubles as the pasteurizing vessel, so it is one dish
What is not
- Only some models have the function -- check yours before assuming
- Ties up the appliance for hours
- A big single batch is more commitment than seven small jars
Pick 02 · Single-serving jars
Euro Cuisine YM80 yogurt maker
Euro Cuisine
Seven small glass jars in a heated base with a timer dial. It does one thing at one temperature. If you want portioned yogurt and no thinking, that constraint is the point rather than a limitation.
Capacity
Seven glass jars, per the product listing
Control
Timer dial; fixed incubation temperature
Material
Glass jars with plastic lids
Extras
Jars sold separately as replacements
Specs compiled from: Manufacturer product listing and product name
What is good
- Portioned jars mean no scooping from a communal tub
- Fixed temperature removes the main variable
- Cheap enough to be an impulse purchase
What is not
- No temperature control, so it makes one style of yogurt
- Seven small jars are a lot of washing up
- Cannot strain for Greek-style yogurt in the jars
Pick 03 · More than one culture
Yogurt maker with adjustable temperature
Type pick
An adjustable thermostat is the only feature that meaningfully separates yogurt makers. Different cultures -- including the mesophilic ones that work at room temperature -- want different temperatures, and a fixed-temperature box can only make one of them.
Control
Adjustable temperature and timer
Capacity
Usually a single 1-2 quart container
Use
Suits multiple culture types
Check
Confirm the stated temperature range covers your culture
Specs compiled from: Product-type description; capacity and material as listed by sellers
What is good
- The one feature that actually changes what the machine can make
- A single larger container is easier to strain than seven jars
- Usable for other cultured dairy, not just yogurt
What is not
- Costs more than a fixed-temperature model
- Overkill if you only ever make one style
- Digital controls are the part that fails first
How we picked
We have not tested any of this equipment. What we did instead: compiled the published specifications from each manufacturer’s own listing, checked them against the task a beginner is actually trying to do, read the care instructions, and named the thing we would skip. Where a pick is a product type rather than a brand, it is because the category is sold mostly unbranded and the type is the real decision.
Frequently asked
Questions
+Do I need a yogurt maker?
No. A warm oven with the light on, a vacuum flask, or a pot wrapped in towels all incubate yogurt. A machine buys consistency, which matters if your improvised batches come out unevenly.
+Can an Instant Pot make yogurt?
Models with a Yogurt function can — check yours, because not every model has it. It holds incubation temperature for hours and makes a full batch in the inner pot, which is also easy to strain afterwards.
+What temperature does yogurt incubate at?
It depends on the culture, which is exactly why an adjustable thermostat is the only feature that changes what a machine can make. Follow the temperature range stated for the specific culture you are using.
+How do you make Greek-style yogurt?
Strain finished yogurt through a fine sieve lined with cloth until it reaches the thickness you want. This is far easier from a single large container than from a set of small jars.
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