Hub 05 · Kombucha, Kefir & Yogurt
Do you need a dedicated yogurt maker?
If your Instant Pot has a Yogurt button, no. Both hold milk at one temperature for hours, and one of them is already in your kitchen.
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.
Use the Instant Pot if
It has a Yogurt function
Free, makes a large batch in one pot, and that pot doubles as the vessel you heat the milk in. It also strains easily afterwards, which small jars do not.
Buy a yogurt maker if
You want portioned jars
Seven small jars is a genuinely different product from one big tub, and it is what some households actually want. It also leaves the multi-cooker free for dinner.
| Instant Pot | Yogurt maker | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost, if you own one | Nothing | A new appliance |
| Batch size | Several quarts in the inner pot | Usually 1-2 quarts, or seven small jars |
| Heating the milk first | In the same pot | In a separate pan |
| Straining for Greek style | Easy from one container | Hard from small jars |
| Temperature control | Preset; adjustable on some models | Fixed, or adjustable on better models |
| Counter space | Already there | Another box to store |
| Ties up the appliance | Yes, for hours | No |
Check your model first
Not every Instant Pot has the Yogurt function. Look at the control panel before assuming — this is the single most important thing to establish, and it costs nothing to check.
If it does, you have a thermostatically controlled incubator with a several-quart capacity, which is more machine than most dedicated yogurt makers.
The two arguments for the dedicated machine
Portioning. Small jars are not just an aesthetic. A jar per person per day is a different eating pattern from a tub in the fridge, and if that is how your household eats yogurt, the jars are the product.
Not tying up the multi-cooker. Incubation takes hours. If the Instant Pot is your main cooking appliance, a batch of yogurt occupying it all afternoon is a real cost.
What neither machine does
Neither heats and holds milk at pasteurizing temperature and then cools it for you as a single automated process — you still manage that step, whichever route you take. And neither improves a tired culture or thin milk, which are what actually decide the result.
The full picture on machine features that matter is in best yogurt makers.
The free version
A warm oven with only the light on holds a useful incubation temperature, and a vacuum flask holds heat for hours. Both work. What they lack is precision, and precision is the whole product a thermostatic machine sells.
Frequently asked
Questions
+Do you need a yogurt maker if you have an Instant Pot?
Not if your model has a Yogurt function. It holds incubation temperature for hours, makes a much larger batch, and the same pot heats the milk beforehand. Check the control panel — not every model includes it.
+Is a dedicated yogurt maker worth it?
It is worth it for portioned jars, and for not tying up your main cooking appliance for an afternoon. It is not worth it purely for a better result — the culture and the milk decide that.
+Can you make yogurt without any machine?
Yes. A warm oven with the light on, a vacuum flask, or a covered pot wrapped in towels all hold a workable incubation temperature. What a machine adds is consistency, not capability.
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