This is the recipe that we regularly use to make a thick, greek yogurt with raw goat milk from our Nigerian Dwarfs. Nigerians have high butterfat, so it makes really yummy yogurt. Our favorite way to eat it is topped with fresh berries and sometimes a handful of granola. Comment and let us know how you like to spice up your yogurt.

If you like to use plain greek yogurt as a substitute for sour cream, use this recipe and simply skip sweetener or any flavor additives.

Details

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 8 hour 15 mins
Total time: 8 hour 30 mins
Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

8 cups raw or pasteurized goat milk, reserve 1 cup for gelatin
2 Tablespoons of yogurt with live cultures or powdered yogurt starter*
2 Tablespoons unflavored gelatin
*If using powdered yogurt starter, follow directions on the package

Instructions

1. Start with a very clean pot and utensils.
2. Pour your 7 cups of goat milk into the pot. Reserve 1 cup of milk for step 4.
3. Heat your milk by using the SAUTE setting or BOIL cycle or as directed by your Instant Pot model, to your desired temperature. 165°F is recommended for a clean taste. 180°F will give you a more ‘cooked’ taste. Test your temperature with an accurate thermometer.
4. While your milk is heating, sprinkle 2 Tablespoons of unflavored gelatin into the cold, reserved milk. Allow it to sit and soften (bloom) for at least 10 minutes. It will look like mashed potatoes. *If you try to put the gelatin in warm milk, it will clump up and not work right.
5. After your milk has heated to your desired temperature, whisk your bloomed gelatin into the hot milk. Mix well.
6. Cool your milk to 100°-110°F by setting your pot of hot milk over a large bowl of ice water or sink filled with cold water. Whisk and take the temperature every couple of minutes. It should take less than 5 minutes.
7. When you have reached your cool down temperature, take a cup of your cooled milk and stir in your 2 Tablespoons of yogurt starter or powdered starter, and mix well. Pour this mixture into your pot of cooled milk and stir well to combine.
8. Incubate your yogurt by setting your Instant Pot on the Yogurt Normal cycle (based on your model), which defaults to 8 hours. Push the +/- buttons to increase or decrease the incubation time. A longer incubation will result in a yogurt that is more tart. If you’re using plain yogurt to make a sour cream, we suggest setting it to incubate for 12 hours.
9. When the cycle is complete, your Instant Pot will beep and display YOGT.
10. If you’d like, you can flavor your yogurt with 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and your choice of sweetener to taste. 2-4 Tablespoons of warmed honey or granulated sugar works well. You can also mix in some jam if you’d like to make a fruit flavored yogurt. Mix well.
11. Put yogurt into a container or individual containers with a well fitting lid and place in the refrigerator for 4-6 hours. Yogurt will look thin, but will set up once chilled.
    *You can cut this recipe in half, using 4 cups of milk, 1 Tablespoons of yogurt starter and 1 Tablespoon of unflavored gelatin. Likewise, you can double it if you want to use a gallon of milk. Keep the same incubation times.