We started this rewrite expecting to report that the dedicated yogurt maker was dead, killed off by the Instant Pot. That turned out to be wrong in an interesting way.
The Instant Pot didn’t kill the category by dropping the yogurt function — it killed it by including one on nearly every pressure cooker it sells. If you own an Instant Pot, you very likely already own a yogurt maker. So the honest version of this guide answers a narrower question: when is a dedicated machine still worth buying?
Our Top Yogurt Makers
Check Your Instant Pot First
The dividing line isn’t model age — it’s body style. Every pressure-cooker-shaped Instant Pot we checked has a yogurt button: Duo, Duo Plus, Pro, Pro Plus, Pro Max, Rio, Rio Wide, Rio Wide Plus and Rio Mini. The current Rio’s own product page lists yogurt among its seven cooking functions.
The exceptions are the air-fryer-lid models — the Duo Crisp and Pro Crisp — which don’t have it. And the Duo Nova has been discontinued, replaced by the Rio.
So before buying anything: look at your pressure cooker. If it has the button, make a batch and see whether you need more than that.
(A note since people ask: Instant Brands filed Chapter 11 in June 2023. The appliance business was sold to a private equity firm for around $351 million and approved by the court that October, while the housewares side — Pyrex, Corelle, CorningWare — separated as Corelle Brands in early 2024. Both continue in active production. Your Instant Pot isn’t orphaned.)
So When Is a Dedicated Machine Worth It?
Three genuine reasons remain, and only three:
1. Individual jars. A yogurt maker sets seven or eight portions in their own glass jars, ready to grab. A pressure cooker gives you one large pot to portion out later. For lunchboxes and household routines, that’s a real difference.
2. Low and adjustable temperatures. This is the strongest argument. The Instant Pot’s yogurt program runs at a fixed temperature around 110 °F — right for standard yogurt cultures, wrong for others. A dedicated machine like the Euro Cuisine YM260 is adjustable from 78 to 132 °F. Mesophilic cultures such as viili and piima ferment at room-ish temperatures and simply won’t work at 110. If you’re culturing anything beyond supermarket-style yogurt, that range matters.
3. Cost. A yogurt maker is $40 to $70. If you don’t own a pressure cooker and don’t want one, that’s a far cheaper route than buying a $100-plus appliance for one function.
If none of those apply and you own an Instant Pot, save your money. That’s the honest answer.
The Best Yogurt Makers in 2026
1. Euro Cuisine YM260 / YM360 — Best Overall
$69.99, and the one machine here that does something an Instant Pot genuinely can’t. A 2-quart glass jar, a 99-hour timer with automatic shut-off, and temperature adjustable from 78 to 132 °F — the feature that opens up mesophilic cultures, long ferments and drinking yogurts.
The 99-hour timer sounds absurd until you’re culturing something slow. Standard yogurt takes 6 to 10 hours; some traditional cultures take considerably longer, and a machine that shuts off at 12 hours can’t do them.
It ships with a cotton straining bag and a thermometer, so Greek yogurt needs no extra purchase. Three-year warranty.
Specifications:
- Capacity: 2-quart glass jar
- Temperature: adjustable 78-132 °F
- Timer: 99 hours with auto shut-off
- Included: straining bag, thermometer
PROS:
- Temperature range no multicooker matches
- Timer long enough for slow cultures
- Straining kit included
CONS:
- One large jar, not individual portions
- $70 for a single-purpose appliance
Conclusion
The buy if you’re serious about culturing. If you only want standard yogurt and own an Instant Pot, you don’t need it.
2. Euro Cuisine YM80 — Best Budget and Best for Jars
$39.99 for seven 6-ounce glass jars with lids — the classic yogurt-maker format, and the reason many people still buy one despite owning a pressure cooker.
Set it in the evening, wake up to seven individual portions. No decanting, no washing a big pot, no plastic. The jars go straight into the fridge with their lids and into a lunchbox in the morning.
It’s a simple machine: no temperature control, no digital timer, just a switch and a gentle warm plate. For everyday supermarket-style yogurt, which is what most people make, that’s all it needs to be.
Specifications:
- Capacity: 7 × 6 oz glass jars
- Controls: on/off with warming plate
PROS:
- Individual glass portions, ready to grab
- Cheapest way into homemade yogurt
CONS:
- No temperature adjustment or timer
- You’ll need to time it yourself
Conclusion
The best forty dollars in this guide, and the format the multicooker can’t replicate.
3. Euro Cuisine YMX650 — Best Digital
$59.99: the same seven-jar format with a digital timer and automatic shut-off, so the machine stops on its own instead of relying on you to remember. Twenty dollars over the YM80 for not ruining a batch by oversleeping.
Worth it if you culture regularly. If you’re making yogurt occasionally on a weekend, the manual version and a phone alarm do the same job.
Specifications:
- Capacity: 7 × 6 oz glass jars
- Digital timer with auto shut-off
PROS:
- Shuts itself off — no over-fermenting
- Same convenient jar format
CONS:
- Still no temperature control
Conclusion
The sensible middle option for regular yogurt makers.
4. Instant Pot Rio Wide Plus — Best If You’d Rather Buy One Appliance
$189.95 for a 7.5-quart multicooker with yogurt among its functions — the pragmatic answer for anyone who doesn’t want a dedicated machine cluttering a cupboard eleven months a year.
It makes a large batch in one pot, and the boil-then-incubate workflow is genuinely convenient: you scald the milk in the same vessel you culture in, so there’s one thing to wash. The limitation is the one we described above — a fixed incubation temperature and a single large batch instead of jars.
If you already own any pressure-cooker-style Instant Pot, you have this capability already. Don’t buy a second appliance for it.
Specifications:
- Capacity: 7.5 quarts, single pot
- Yogurt function plus 8 other cooking modes
PROS:
- One appliance, many jobs
- Scald and culture in the same pot
CONS:
- Fixed incubation temperature
- Large batch, no individual portions
Conclusion
The right choice if you’re buying one appliance. Redundant if you already own an Instant Pot of any kind.
Making Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is simply strained yogurt — you make a normal batch and drain the whey through cloth or a fine mesh. Two to four hours gives a thick spoonable result; overnight gives something close to cream cheese.
How much volume you lose is widely reported as “about half,” and while that’s roughly right, we couldn’t verify a measured figure to our standards. What we can point at is the international food standard: strained yogurt must contain at least 5.6% milk protein against 2.7% for regular yogurt. Roughly doubling the protein concentration implies roughly halving the volume — which is the honest way to arrive at the number.
Don’t pour the whey away. It’s usable in bread dough, smoothies and soups, and it’s the same protein you strained out.
Yogurt Maker FAQ
What milk works best?
Whole milk gives the thickest result. Ultra-pasteurized works but sets softer. Raw milk needs scalding to about 180 °F first — otherwise its native bacteria compete with your culture.
Can I use store-bought yogurt as a starter?
Yes, and it’s the cheapest route. Use plain yogurt with live active cultures and no thickeners, two tablespoons per quart. It works for several generations before the culture weakens and you need a fresh start.
Why is my yogurt runny?
Usually the incubation temperature was too low, the culture was old, or you didn’t scald the milk. Scalding to 180 °F and cooling to 110 before adding the starter denatures the whey proteins and is the single biggest factor in thickness.
How long does homemade yogurt keep?
About two weeks refrigerated. It gets tangier over time as fermentation continues slowly in the cold.
Do the jars need sterilizing?
Clean and dry is enough for ordinary yogurt — you’re introducing a large, healthy culture that outcompetes stray bacteria. Boiling the jars does no harm if you’d rather.
Summary
Check your Instant Pot first. If it’s a pressure-cooker-style model, it has a yogurt button, and for standard yogurt that’s all you need.
Buy a dedicated machine for one of three reasons: you want individual jars (the Euro Cuisine YM80 at $40), you want a machine that shuts itself off (the YMX650 at $60), or you’re culturing something that needs temperatures the Instant Pot can’t reach — which is where the YM260 at $70, adjustable from 78 to 132 °F, earns its place.
And if you don’t own a multicooker at all, the Instant Pot Rio Wide Plus does yogurt plus everything else for $190.
