December 29, 2017Van
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Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 12 hours
Serves: 18 (4 oz Jars)
This has to be my favorite type of yogurt, French Style Potted Yogurt is individually cultured in clay or glass pots to preserve the thick creamy texture. If you’ve ever had Philadelphia-style soft serve ice cream, this is like the yogurt version of that!
It’s very delicious plain, but you can top with your favorite berries, fruit curd or granola. I think this tastes more like dessert than it doesn’t yogurt because it’s so creamy.
I also have a Copycat Recipe for Oui French Vanilla Yogurt here that you might enjoy.
Only 4 Ingredients are needed for this recipe
Be sure to click on the accessories list below to get the most out of your Instant Pot.
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Creamy French Style Potted Yogurt Recipe
December 29, 2017Van
- Prep time: 5 minutes
- Cook time: 12 hours
- Serves: 18 (4 oz Jars)
www.foodisafourletterword.com
Ingredients
- ½ Gallon Ultra-Pasteurized Half and Half, (8 Cups)
- 4 Tablespoons Plain Yogurt with active cultures
- 14 Oz Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Paste or Extract, (optional)
Method
- 1)
Pour the condensed milk into a large bowl, then add two cups of the half and half. Using a whisk, mix until the everything is completely combined, this step is important because it insures that you’ll end up with smooth yogurt.
- 2)
Place the 4 Tablespoons of yogurt into a small bowl and add ½ Cup of the Half and Half and mix well with a whisk until the yogurt is completely smooth.
- 3)
Pour the yogurt mixture and the rest of the half and half into the large bowl (add 1 Teaspoon of vanilla paste or extract if you want to make vanilla yogurt). Whisk well so the mixture it’s evenly combined. Ladle the mixture into small glass jars / pots and seal with the lids.
- 4)
INSTAN POT: Stack your jars in the liner and seal the Instant Pot lid. Use the “Yogurt” setting on Normal for 12 hours (if you like your yogurt more tart, incubate anywhere from 12-24 hours). If you have two rows of jars, add a cup of water to the pot so the top row sets. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Enjoy!
***This recipe will work with any Yogurt Maker as well
Notes
*If you wanted to make plain yogurt, just leave out any sweeteners. In place of condensed milk you can use ½ cup of honey, maple or agave.
*If you prefer to use granulated sugar as your sweetener, heat ¾ Cup of Sugar and 1 Cup of the half and half in a sauce pan, as soon as all the sugar has disolved add it to the rest of your half and half and stir well. In a separate bowl Mix a ½ Cup of the Half and Half and yogurt starter and whisk well. Combine the yogurt with the rest of the half and half and stir well and place into jars.
*If you are using twelve 4 oz jars, use 5 cups of half and half, about ¾ can of condensed milk and 3 Tablespoons Plain Yogurt with live active cultures. Or you can easily make half of the original recipe.
⬇ Supplies to make this recipe ⬇
125 Comments
Brooke
December 30, 2017 at 11:52 am
Can you make this without adding the simple syrup if you are looking for a lower carb option? I assume it will be very tangy but I could sweeten individual servings to taste.
Reply
Van
December 30, 2017 at 6:27 pm
Hi Brooke, you can definitely make this without the sugar/simple syrup. Hope you enjoy it!
Reply
Andi
May 23, 2018 at 10:48 am
Hi, I just had French style for the first time yesterday and I’m hooked, I’d pick it over a dessert anytime, I had Oui so I was wondering which of your two copy cats you prefer? Also could I use agave syrup instead of sugar in either recipe?
Reply
Van
May 23, 2018 at 7:19 pm
Hi Andi, the copycat of La Fermiere is the most popular yogurt recipe on my blog – I don’t make it as often as the Oui version because of the fat content, but it’s definitely more of a treat. You could use agave instead of sugar in either recipes.
Reply
Leslie
May 12, 2019 at 8:39 pm
How much agave would you suggest?
Van
May 14, 2019 at 9:01 am
Hi Leslie, about 1/3 – 1/2 Cup of agave should work nicely.
Nicole Koch
October 3, 2019 at 9:04 pm
Every time I make this my top row doesn’t set up and the bottom row does. So I just cook the top row again, by itself, and then it works which I am happy to do because this recipe is so divine, but also it is a pain to do. I have 14 jars that fit perfectly in my 6 at. Instant pot and fit this recipe perfectly. So I want it to work so badly. I put the jars right in with no water and no insert. Could this be my problem? Any suggestions? Thank you for sharing this heaven sent recipe.
Reply
Van
October 6, 2019 at 5:13 pm
Hi Nicole, if you have two rows, add a cup of water to the pot and that should fix your issue.
Reply
Juni
January 6, 2018 at 6:57 am
Hello Van,
Last week I was looking at your post I could have sworn I read the recipe using sugar as the sweetener (?) I’d prefer not using condensed milk for the yogurt. Would you send me your previous recipe? ThanksReply
Van
January 7, 2018 at 5:09 am
Hi Juni, I updated it again with the option to use granulated sugar, just look under the Method section.
Reply
Laura
January 6, 2018 at 11:51 pm
Van, did you change the recipe? When I first read the recipe I thought it mentioned using a simple syrup of sugar and water. Now it says sweetened condensed milk. I thought I was going nuts until I noticed the simple syrup mentioned in one of the comments. Could you send me the amounts of sugar and water to make the syrup since it is no longer in the recipe?
Reply
Van
January 7, 2018 at 5:11 am
Hi Laura, yes I did – I wanted to streamline it so there was no need for a stovetop. I updated it again, just look under Method, there are measurements and instructions for using granulated sugar.
Reply
Ashley
January 8, 2018 at 2:09 am
I know in my area you can’t find ultra pasterurized cream. Would I need to boil?
Reply
Van
January 8, 2018 at 3:51 am
Hi Ashley, yes you’d have to do the boil method. Heat it up
to 180F, then let it cool to 110F before adding your yogurt starter. You really need a thermometer for this methodReply
Van
January 8, 2018 at 3:55 am
Hi Vickie, did the pot feel warm? The only other thing I can think of is the starter, was it a brand new container of yogurt?
Reply
Stephanie
January 8, 2018 at 2:34 pm
This was the best tasting and creamist Yogurt! My 18month old eats a full serving and asks for more! I am now making another recipe you have linked here but am wondering of you have the nutritional analysis for this or the Vietnamese potted yogurt. Thank you. And thank you for sharing. Absolutely wonderful!
Reply
Van
January 10, 2018 at 9:33 pm
I’m so glad you love it! It’s really good for babies and kids, I know that it’s higher fat than regular yogurt, but that’s great for them. The nutritional value for the yogurt would depend on which milk you are using. Do you plan to use Fairlife milk? With Fairlife a cup of yogurt would have 13g of Protein, with regular Organic Milk a cup of yogurt would have 8g of Protein.
Reply
Cissy
May 30, 2018 at 8:02 am
What about the sugar/carb content? This is the only yogurt my husband will eat, but he’s diabetic.
Reply
Van
May 30, 2018 at 8:15 am
Hi Cissy, sorry I don’t know what the carb content is. Does he need to avoid sugar? You can leave out the sugar in this recipe or replace it with stevia.
Reply
Vickie Fowler
January 12, 2018 at 1:30 am
Turns out the 4 jars on the bottom set up just fine but the jars on top were barely warm. I took out the ones that st up and put the others in with more water. Set the time for an additional 5 hours and they were perfect. I don’t know if stacking is a bad idea or to just add more water next time.
Reply
Van
January 13, 2018 at 5:02 pm
I make yogurt weekly and always stack my jars. I think you’re right, adding more water might make a difference. I’m glad they set up with the additional time.
Reply
suyin
January 13, 2018 at 8:16 pm
Can I make the yogurt directly in the inner pot without putting them in small jars?
Reply
Van
January 14, 2018 at 4:27 am
Hi Suyin, yes you can make this directly in the inner pot, the texture will be a little different, it’s not as thick. Just be sure to refrigerate it for at least 4 hours in the pot before transferring the yogurt to another container.
Reply
Lee
January 16, 2018 at 6:45 pm
I do not have an instant pot, would this no-boil recipe work in the oven with lights on plus adding a pot of hot/boiling water (next to them) in the oven for 8 hours? Or, since i’m without an instant pot, i must boil before executing the oven method? Thanks!
Reply
Van
January 17, 2018 at 12:00 am
Hi Lee, have you had success with using the oven method for other yogurt recipes in the past? If you have, then this should work in the oven as well. Do you also keep the oven light on to keep it warm?
If you think you’ll make yogurt often, it might be worth it to invest in a yogurt maker. This one works well and will give you consistent results.
Reply
Michelle
January 17, 2018 at 7:46 pm
What size jars did you use? Brand? Thank you!
Reply
Van
January 18, 2018 at 3:09 am
I use 6 oz jars made by Euro Cuisine and 4 oz jars made by Ball
Reply
Heather
January 29, 2018 at 7:41 pm
I wanted to say how much I enjoyed this recipe: I have been majorly jonesing for La Fermiere, and this recipe really hit the spot! Also I figured that I’d share how I simplified it in two ways: 1) rather than dirtying two bowls, I used only one bowl. I mixed the condensed milk with some of the h&h until smooth. Then I added in my yoghurt starter to the same bowl, and mixed again until smooth. Last, I added in the rest of the h&h. 2) The recipe calls for vanilla paste, which I didn’t have and couldn’t acquire in time yesterday to start the recipe. I used the same amount of vanilla extract, and it worked perfectly.
Thank you for developing and sharing this recipe!
Reply
Van
January 29, 2018 at 9:20 pm
Hi Heather, I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you for sharing your tips!
Reply
Cara
February 2, 2018 at 1:32 pm
So I had an epic fail or at least I thought so…my instapot was not on when I woke up. Think my stinker cat bumped the plug. I started it at 11:pm and when I woke this am it was off. I put it in the fridge as it seemed pretty solid. I did reluctantly try a taste and it was great. Just wondering if I should save it or pitch it as I don’t know how long it sat with out the pot being on? Thanks for your help in advance!
Reply
Van
February 2, 2018 at 1:38 pm
Hi Cara, it’s totally fine. There’s actually a method for people who don’t have the yogurt function on their IP, where they leave the yogurt in the pot and wrap a towel around it without the pot being on for 8 hours. And some people actually just make yogurt at room temp when it’s hot or in the oven with the oven light on.
Reply
Cara
February 2, 2018 at 3:54 pm
Thank you so much! My son and I split one this afternoon and it was the very best yogurt we have ever had! A million thanks!!
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Van
February 2, 2018 at 5:42 pm
You’re welcome Cara! So awesome to hear that you and your son love the yogurt!
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- Lorie
February 4, 2018 at 6:52 am
Could you use low fat or no fat sweetened condensed milk?
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Van
March 5, 2018 at 9:15 pm
Hi Lorie, yes you could. You can also leave out sweeteners if you prefer.
Reply
- Lorie
February 4, 2018 at 6:52 am
Could you use low fat or no fat sweetened condensed milk?
Reply
Van
February 4, 2018 at 7:01 am
Hi Lori, yes low fat or no fat sweetened condensed milk would work great in this recipe.
Reply
j
February 6, 2018 at 12:31 am
I dont like very tart yogurt. What is the shortest time to incubate for the least amount of tart?
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