Look out Instant Pot Greek Yogurt! There's a new kid in town: Insanely thick, smooth, creamy Instant Pot Icelandic Yogurt AKA Skyr made with fat free milk! Read on to discover the secret ingredient that makes this all possible!
I've made a TON of yogurt in the past 4 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 to try: Icelandic Yogurt, otherwise known as Skyr, made in the Instant Pot. Have you heard of Skyr Yogurt? Well, let me tell you all about my new obsession.
WHAT IS SKYR?
Skyr (pronounced skeer) originated in Iceland, is made using nonfat milk, and is technically a type of cheese. Skyr is commonly made using a special ingredient called rennet (also used to make cheese) which is what helps create a thick, creamy yogurt without high fat milk.
Siggi's and Icelandic Provisions are the most common brands of Skyr you'll find at your local grocery stores, but it can be tricky to find, it's pricey, and in my opinion, is more tart and chalky than I like.
Homemade Skyr, on the other hand, is mild, thick, creamy and can be made for a fraction of the storebought price.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE ICELANDIC SKYR
- Fat free yogurt that tastes like full fat yogurt minus the thickening agents you'll find in storebought
- Single serving Icelandic Yogurt from the store can cost $2 plus. You can make 2 quarts of it for less than $4!
- More nutritious than even Greek Yogurt (more on that in a sec)
- Dare I say, this will be the thickest, creamiest yogurt you've ever had
HOW TO MAKE ICELANDIC YOGURT IN THE INSTANT POT
- Pour one gallon of skim milk into the Instant Pot
- Press YOGURT and adjust to BOIL
- Heat milk to 190 degrees Fahrenheit
- Set the pot on a cooling rack and let it cool to 105 – 110
- Scoop out and discard the skin that has formed on top of the milk
- Add 2 ladles of warm milk to a bowl with 1/4 cup of yogurt starter
- Whisk until smooth
- Pour into the pot
- Whisk well to incorporate
- Stir 7 drops of rennet into 1/4 cup cool water; stir
- Add to the pot of milk, whisk thoroughly
- Press YOGURT and adjust to incubate for 5 hours
- Place yogurt in the refrigerator overnight
- Pour yogurt into strainers
- Let strain for 1 – 2 hours (or even overnight)
- Place strained yogurt into a bowl
- Add vanilla and honey, if desired
- Use a hand mixer to beat until smooth
- Viola! Thick, creamy yogurt!
- Top it and devour!
If you've made regular Instant Pot Yogurt, you'll notice this process is quite similar. I adore both yogurt recipes and switch back and forth between the two, to keep my yogurt life interesting. Are you intrigued?
WHY YOU REALLY NEED TO MAKE YOUR OWN SKYR YOGURT
SKYR YOGURT IS FAT FREE
- I'm not against fat in my diet by any means, but if I want cheese every day, butter on my toast, lots of olive oil on my roasted veggies, and scoops of almond butter when I feel stressed – then somethings gotta give. Fat-free yogurt it is! Which means everything I use it for from dressings to smoothies, is also saving me extra fat grams
HEALTHIEST YOGURT: SKYR VS GREEK
- 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, haha!
HOMEMADE YOGURT IS CHEAPER
- Siggi's and other Skyr yogurt brands are close to the most expensive yogurt on the shelf. 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-$3 per 5 oz cup
THICK AND CREAMY, NATURALLY
- Fat free store-bought yogurt uses thickening agents to make it creamy. Not so with homemade Skyr thanks to the addition of rennet, an ingredient you typically see for cheese making. Rennet is used to achieve that thick texture without any weird additives
- 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
SKYR YOGURT IS VERSATILE
- Because of how thick it is, Skyr yogurt works perfectly for dressings, dips, and even frosting! Skyr Yogurt Cream Cheese is one of my favorite uses
ICELANDIC YOGURT IS FASTER THAN REGULAR YOGURT
- Yes! It's faster to make! 5 hours vs 8 hours to reach the perfect tartness
HOMEMADE ICELANDIC TASTES BETTER
- 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 far better than even the most expensive brands
- 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
TIP FOR MAKING THE BEST ICELANDIC SKYR YOGURT
YOGURT STARTER
- Some will say that Skyr yogurt isn't Skyr yogurt unless you use a Skyr starter since the cultures are what make 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.
BEST MILK FOR SKYR
- 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.
IDEAL YOGURT INCUBATION TIME
- I suggest 5 hours of incubation time for this yogurt. It's plenty thick at that point and minimally tart.
Phew! I think that covers everything! I do hope you'll try my new obsession! I'm in love with this yogurt and am so excited to share it with you all. Get your rennet ordered today and give it a go.
MORE YOGURT BUTTON RECIPES
TOOLS/INGREDIENTS USED TO MAKE INSTANT POT ICELANDIC YOGURT
- Instant Pot
- Euro Cuisine Yogurt Strainer (you'll need 2 for a full gallon of milk) or 2 Nut Milk Bags
- Thermometer
- Rennet
Instant Pot Icelandic 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.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 12 hours
- Yield: 6-8 cups of Skyr yogurt 1x
- Category: Yogurt
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Icelandic
Scale
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 continue warming 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.
- In a small bowl, combine 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 excess whey.
- Store in a yogurt strainer bowl (like the Euro Cuisine bowl) or in quart size Mason jars topped with white Mason jar lids. The yogurt will stay good in the fridge up to 2 weeks.
- Serve cold topped with fruit, honey, jam, granola, chia seeds, nuts, etc, etc. The topping possibilities are endless!
Notes
- Use Fage 2% yogurt as the starter for a mildly tart final product
- Do not use ultra pasteurized milk
- Incubating longer than 5 hours will not result in a thicker yogurt, but it will be more tart
- 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!
Keywords: yogurt, homemade yogurt, skyr
Thank you for this recipe! We use Skyr lactose free yogurt for our guests and it gets pretty pricey. I made your recipe using lactose free fat free milk and liquid vegetable rennet drops and it came out perfectly! Thick, and creamy. I used the Siggi’s lactose free I usually buy as my starter and didn’t Find it to be too tart at all. This is a game changer for us. Now, if you’ve got a good recipe for nut milk yogurt you could share, that would be the icing on the cake!
★★★★★
Sydney, I’m so happy to hear it worked so well for you! I love Skyr but the price tag is exactly why I decided to figure out a recipe for it. I have tried so hard to figure out a coconut and an almond milk yogurt but every attempt was a bit disappointing. Hopefully one day I’ll get it!
Marci,
What did I do wrong? Mine didn’t come out right? I used 1% milk (couldn’t find skim) and 2% Fage and the animal rennent drops. I followed the directions to a T but it didn’t thicken. I mean it thickened by more like runny yogurt. It is also very, very, mild, hardly any tang at all. I drained it over night using and then again for half the day today. It seems like much more liquid can come out. I’m using a culinary grade cheesecloth to drain it and the whey was draining. I felt like I could squeeze it and have more come out but then the yogurt/cheese was coming through, too.
1) can I reprocess it in the Instant Pot? You said a longer ferment would not thicken it but might make it tangier.
2) should I just keep draining it longer?
I only made a half recipe so I used 4 drops of rennet.
Thanks for your thoughts!
Wendy
★★
Wendy, It sounds like your starter wasn’t very strong or that it was stirred in when the milk was too hot. That’s a guess though! I can’t be sure what happened exactly! I wouldn’t reprocess it but straining it longer could help. I’ve never made a half recipe myself but have heard from others that it worked just fine.
I’ve made this twice using what I thought were the ingredients, measurements and directions, and in both cases it’s not thick. What might I be doing wrong?
Thank you
Paula, It took me getting the right milk to really make it thick. Did you check the milk list I have on this page?
I used 1/2 tablet dissolved in 1/8 cup of cooled boiled water. Seemed to work well.
Kannon, thanks for letting me know!
Thank you!
★★★★★
How important is it to let the yogurt cool IN the instant pot pot (step 10)? I’d like to make something else while the yogurt chills overnight.
Beverly, considering I didn’t even do that step until 2 years into yogurt making, I believe that will work just fine!
Great stuff!! My goat milk yogurt never seems to thicken well, but with the rennet added and after draining it came out as thick as Greek yogurt. Today I put some in a jar that had a little cajeta (goat milk caramel), fantastic, tastes almost like cheesecake with caramel sauce 😊
★★★★★
Karen, oh wow, that sounds amazing, I need to try this! And goat milk caramel sounds heavenly…mmmm.
I used my favorite starter, the Y5 “Sweet” yogurt culture from cheesemaking.com. I dropped some of both the skyr and the cajeta at my neighbor’s this morning, she has bad bloaty reactions to cow milk so she’s always thrilled to have goat milk anything. She said it was like eating ice cream for breakfast 😄
Pat’s Skyr
1 gal full-fat milk
1 pt whipping cream
Set Milk to yogurt-boil in Instant Pot, let cool. Add whipping cream to aid in cooling. Another aid to cooling is to have 1/2 L water bottle frozen. Then wash the bottle and remove the label, and use that stir the hot milk and cool it quicker. When it gets below 115°F, stir in half a pack of Icelandic skyr. set Pot to nine hours and go to bed.
Have a large tall stewpot to drain, and make “Greek” skyr Tie a big piece of cheesecloth over the top so it dips deep enough to hold all of the skyr. Dump your skyr in to let it drain for over an hour so. You can run a plastic spatula or plastic ladle across the cheesecloth to make it drain faster. You can leave it to drain for four hours or more. Ladle into containers and refrigerate. you will have about 1/2 a gallon of whey left that you can pitch or use in other recipes ( great in baking).
This should give you 1/2 gallon of great rich thick skyr. No rennet needed. Skyr last longer than yogurt. So be sure and save your last serving to make your next batch.
What do you mean when you say “stir in half a pack of Icelandic skyr”? I’m very interested in making this recipe with whole milk instead of skim so I was very happy to see your post.
I could only get vegetarian rennet tablets at my Health Food store. Do you have any idea how many I would need to use instead of the 7 drops? For cheese the instructions say, “For 2L to 4L (1Gal) batches, dissolve 1/4 tablet completely in 1/4 cup of potable water.” Nothing on how much to use for yogurt.
Trish, hmm…I’m trying to think what I would do…Maybe try googling how to substitute liquid rennet with tablets? From what I read, a quarter of a rennet tablet equals 1/4 teaspoon of liquid rennet, I would try that!