Look out Instant Pot Greek Yogurt! There’s a new kid in town! Insanely thick, smooth, creamy Icelandic, Instant Pot Skyr Yogurt that can be made with skim milk! Read on to discover the secret ingredient that makes this all possible!
I’ve made a TON of yogurt in the past 2 years, yet still, that moment when you take the lid off and see that beautiful, thick creamy yogurt . . . it never gets old, right? If you can relate, I’ve got something super awesome and new for you! Skyr! Have you heard of it? Well let me tell you all about my new obsession!
Skyr (pronounced skeer) originated in Iceland, is made using nonfat milk, and is technically a type of cheese. Which might seem strange, but keep reading!
Siggi’s is the most common brand of Skyr you’ll find at your local grocery stores, but it can be tricky to find, it’s pricey, and quite honestly, it was a bit more tart than I was used to. Still, I was intrigued. Could I make a fat-free yogurt at home that was smooth, creamy, and worth my time?
In the past, my attempts at making fat-free yogurt left me with a grainy, off tasting yogurt with 3 times more whey than yogurt. Well, no more!
Before we get to the recipe, I’ll quick break down why I make it, and why you might want to as well. Here we go!
FAT FREE
I’m not against fat in my diet by any means, but if I want cheese everyday, butter on my toast, lots of olive oil on my roasted veggies, and scoops of almond butter when I feel stressed – somethings gotta give. So fat-free yogurt it is! Which means everything I use it for from dressings to smoothies, is also saving me extra fat grams.
NUTRITION
If you compare the label of Skyr yogurt to Greek yogurt, skyr packs in more protein with less sugar. Which sure makes drizzling Raspberry Infused Honey all over it a super awesome idea! Look at the color! Look at those thick, curvy lines! That is breakfast people! My kids were fighting over the leftovers because they thought it was whipped cream 😊
COST
Siggi’s and other Skyr yogurt brands are close to the most expensive yogurt on the shelf. But if you make it at home, you’ll get 6-8 cups (depending on how much you strain it) of yogurt for $4 or less. Now that’s a steal compared to store prices that range from $1-$2 per 5 oz cup.
THICK AND CREAMY
Fat free store-bought yogurt uses thickening agents to make it creamy. Not so with homemade Skyr thanks to one magic ingredient – rennet. Yes, that is usually an ingredient you see when making cheese, but it also makes very thick, fat free yogurt! I mean seriously, look at that picture. Again, that is not dessert my friends, that there is breakfast. Shout out to that glossy dreamy Healthy-ier Chocolate Syrup, hey there beautiful 😍
VERSATILITY
Because of how thick it is, Skyr yogurt works perfectly for dressings, dips, and even frosting! Skyr Yogurt Cream Cheese is one of my favorites!
FASTER
Yes! It’s faster to make! 5 hours vs 8 hours which means I haven’t been setting my alarm for midnight to put my finished yogurt into the fridge lately. I couldn’t possibly be the only one that makes that mistake over and over!
TASTE
This is debatably the most important part, right? Everything I read about Skyr said it was more mild than greek yogurt. Which quite honestly, when I first tasted store-bought Siggi’s, I found it to be very tart with a bit of a chalky aftertaste. In my opinion, this homemade version is silky, thick, and mildly tart. To get an unbiased opinion, I called upon 3 highly intelligent children and scored a 3 out of 3 on my Skyr compared to 5 other types of yogurt. And believe you me, these children have no hesitations sharing their food opinions (even after a billion discussions on how moaning, spitting, and fake gagging is not appropriate at the table). That being said, I will warn you, when eaten plain, there is still a hint of that chalky aftertaste in the homemade version. But with the addition of fruit and granola, It doesn’t bother me a bit and quite honestly, I’ve grown to prefer the taste of it.
Do I have you curious yet? Would you like to attend my next blind taste testing?
A couple of very important notes before you proceed on this new exciting yogurt adventure.
First: Some will say that Skyr yogurt isn’t Skyr yogurt unless you use a Skyr starter since the cultures are what makes it in fact, Skyr yogurt. My experience with using Siggi’s as my starter was that my yogurt turned out beautifully thick, but very tart and bitter. I went back to my go to, Fage 2%, and it worked perfectly.
Second: Ultra-pasteurized milk doesn’t work well with this yogurt. In fact, I was even having a hard time with the plain ol milk I typically buy. Then I ran into this article which talked about how even the regular pasteurized milk is sometimes heated more than it should be. I decided to try the yogurt with Winder brand milk from this list, and it was a big success! So I would suggest that if the yogurt isn’t working for you, refer back to this list.
Third: I stuck with a 5 hour incubation for this yogurt. At 8 hours it wasn’t any thicker, but it was A LOT more tart. So feel free to experiment for your ideal time.
Fourth: I favor my Instant Pot for making yogurt, but have made it in my Fagor Lux Multicooker, and it also works like a dream.
Phew! I think that covered everything! I do hope you’ll try my new obsession! I’m in love with this yogurt and am so excited to finally share it with you all. Get your rennet ordered today and give it a go. Enjoy!
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PrintInstant Pot Skyr Yogurt
Insanely thick, smooth, creamy Icelandic Skyr yogurt that can be made with skim milk! Skyr yogurt also packs more protein and contains less sugar when compared to regular yogurt.
- Yield: 6-8 cups of Skyr yogurt
Ingredients
- 1 gallon nonfat/skim milk
- ¼ cup plain yogurt with live and active cultures (I suggest Fage 2% for mild yogurt, Siggi’s for tart)
- 7 drops liquid animal rennet (single strength)
- ¼ cup cool-ish unchlorinated water
- 1-2 tablespoons vanilla (optional)
- ½ cup sweetener i.e. pure maple syrup, honey, agave, etc. (optional)
Instructions
- Add milk to a clean/sanitized pressure cooker pot.
- Secure the lid and turn pressure release knob to a sealed position. Press the yogurt function button. Press adjust until display reads “boil”. For pressure cookers that don’t have the automatic boil function, simply use the slow cook or saute function to warm the milk to 190°F.
- When boil cycle is complete (this takes about an hour), use a thermometer to check that the milk has reached 190°F. If it’s not to temperature, use the saute function to warm milk to 190°F.
- Remove pot from cooker and place on top of a cooling rack. Stir milk occasionally, until it cools to 105°F (this takes about 2 hours). To hurry along the cooling process, put the pot in a sink full of ice water. This will cool it in 10-20 minutes. (note: I feel like the end product is smoother with the gradual cool down, but in a pinch, this works). While milk cools, take the yogurt starter from the fridge and allow it to sit on the counter until ready to use.
- When milk is 105°F, ladle 2-3 scoops into a bowl, add the yogurt starter and whisk until smooth. Pour back into the pot and whisk until well incorporated.
- To a small bowl, add ¼ cup of cool-ish water and 7 drops of liquid animal rennet. Swirl to combine. Pour water/rennet mixture into the pot of milk while whisking. Stir for at least 30 seconds to make sure the rennet is well incorporated.
- Place pot back inside the base, secure the lid, press the yogurt function and adjust to incubate for 5 hours.
- After 5 hours, the yogurt will be firm and there will be a definite border of whey around the outside edge of the yogurt. Cover and place the pot of yogurt in the fridge to chill-about 6 hours or overnight.
- When chilled, spoon or scoop yogurt into 2 yogurt strainer bowls (like the Euro Cuisine Greek Yogurt Maker). Could also use 2 nut milk bags hung over a large bowl to collect the whey. Strain yogurt in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (or even overnight) until it reaches desired thickness.
- Pour yogurt into a bowl and add vanilla and sweetener, if using. Reserve whey for another use if desired. Use an electric hand mixer to whisk until smooth, this can take about a minute depending on how thick it is. If a thinner yogurt is preferred, stir in some of the leftover whey.
- Store in a yogurt strainer bowl (like the Euro Cuisine bowl) or in quart size Mason jars topped with a white Mason jar lid. The yogurt will stay good in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- Serve cold topped with fruit, honey, jam, granola, chia seeds, nuts, etc, etc. The topping possibilities are endless!
Notes
- I use the leftover whey as a buttermilk substitute in baked goods, pancakes, and waffles or as a water substitute in yeast breads. When using it in baking, I like to add a little yogurt to the whey to make it a thicker consistency like store bought buttermilk. A quick google search will reveal many other uses for that leftover whey!
- Skyr is so thick it could be used to make pipeable muffin or cupcake toppings!
- Make sure and read important notes in post!
I can’t wait to give this a try!
Barbara, Let me know if you do!
This looks wonderful. We have a hard time finding Icelandic yogurt and my husband loves it. I have a couple of questions that are beginner-level. First, how do you know a water is not chlorinated? The other is…is it possible to make a lactose free version? My daughter had had to give up anything containing lactose due to her newborn’s intolerance. Would love to be able to make an acceptable yogurt, if there is such a thing.
Anita, I’m so glad you can enjoy it again! You’ll have to tell me what he thinks in comparison to what he already loves so much. I like the homemade version much better than Siggi’s. As far as the water goes, I have some bottled water that I use sometimes. But honestly, laziness often takes over and I just use it right from the sink. It’s seemed to work perfectly well, but I’ve seen sources insist on non chlorinated, so I felt I better heed their professional advice. I don’t think this would work in a lactose free form. I could be wrong, but I’m not sure how it would work. I’ve seen many recipes for coconut yogurt around, I would try that if I were you. I hope your family loves it!
Oh my goodness, Marci, I can’t wait to try this! I have learned so much from you. As soon as my time in the kitchen starts getting a little boring, you come up with another brilliant idea. Here’s to you keeping it fun and exciting in the kitchen!
Lyn, That was the most uplifting and wonderful thing to read ever. Thank you Lyn!
My Instant Pot does not have the “yogurt” setting. Is it still possible to try this? If so, what would you suggest for the setting? I’m excited to try this!!
Kathy, I have seen recipes for making yogurt in jars inside the pressure cooker so it could potentially work. Perhaps divide the rennet between the jars? It might work great but I’m not entirely sure. Meanwhile, put “pressure cooker with a yogurt function” on your Christmas list!
Glad someone asked about the water! Is the best place to purchase rennet off of Amazon? I live in Wisconsin, so you would think it would be easy to find! Thank you for sharing this!
★★★★★
Darci, I found rennet for a dollar cheaper at a kitchen supply store in my home town. But it wasn’t easy to find. I’m pretty sure they were they only place that carried it in my entire valley!
Can you use vegetable rennet or must it be animal rennet?
Elsie, I used vegetable rennet once and for whatever reason, it turned out really grainy and off tasting. It’s very possible that there may have been another factor, but since the animal rennet had worked so well for me, I went back to it. If you try it let me know!
Can you use some of this competed skyr yogurt for the next batch like you would making regular yogurt?
Kathy, technically yes, but just as personal preference, I like the taste and texture that a fresh starter brings. I know there are a lot of people who always use their own yogurt as a starter, but I feel like mine gets a little grainy and more sour. But from what I’ve read, you can absolutely use your own skyr as a starter.
Marci, thank you. I did some googling after I posted the question and others commented on the strange aftertaste from vegetable rennet. I ordered single strength animal rennet from Amazon and received it today. It is from the New England Cheesemaking Company. I have a couple more questions:
Will the rennet keep for longer than the 8 months suggested on the bottle? Can it be frozen?
I make 1 quart, not 1 Gallon of yogurt at a time. Would I use 1 drop of rennet or two?
I have been making regular yogurt in the IP for a while now and love it but i adore Skyr and am keen to make it.
Thank you for your help.
Elsie
Elise, from what I’ve read, it’s best not to freeze rennet. As far as the use by date, I typically go by that with most foods. I would try 2 drops of rennet. Let me know how it works with the quart at a time. I love Skyr too!
I must tell you how happy i am with my sky!!
I only made 1 litre of SKIM pastruized milk and used the tablet rennet..
So..I had to use less than 1/8 of a tablet..tricky but worked perfectly when put into 1 ounce of the water and dissolved
I used the pot in pot method..
Steam heated the milk to 190C..3 minutes
Then followed your directions of letting cool to 105..and incubating for 5 hours
Over night in fridge and drained with coffee filters back in fridge
Used my immersion blender and voila..a lovey consistency..
Next time round I will try the boil cycle on Yoghurt instead of the steam for 3 minutes..
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU
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Great tips! Thank you. I’m so excited you like it. It’s my new favorite!
This looks delicious! I just ordered my Rennet from amazon, so I’ll be making this in two days when it gets here! Thank you for experimenting and creating these delicious recipes!
Yay! Let me know how it goes!