Instant pot/yogurt virgin

So I am finally the proud owner of the highly talked about Instant Pot. Yeah me, I'm so excited! Gotta love Mother's Day! I have made some steel cut oatmeal and a beef stroganoff recipe that I got from Happyteacher, thank you so much! I am already in love and it really is amazing how quick it cooks once it heats up.
Anyway enough rambling. My main question is for those of you that make yogurt with yours. Do you always make greek? Do you add flavor/sweeteners and if so when do you do that? What is your process? I would greatly appreciate any tips and tricks you have found along the way. I truly am a virgin to this so want to be as prepared as possible :)
Second if you have any favorite recipes you would like to share I would love to have them to add to my collection.

Thanks so much and have a terrific Tuesday!
Aleyna

Welcome to the world of 'Pot heads!  I make yogurt weekly and love it!  I don't sweeten it until I eat it because I also use it for savory cooking and I do make it Greek style by straining it after it's done.  Sometimes I'll even strain it longer and make a spreadable cheese out of it.  Mix with Hidden Valley mix for yogurt and some fresh herbs, it makes a great veggie dip.

My yogurt making process:

1 gallon of milk heated to 180 degrees

2 tablespoons of starter 

8 hours to ferment 

Heat the milk to 180 - either in the microwave, stove top, or Instant Pot.  (I have found that my pot won't heat a gallon of milk to 180 on one boil cycle - it could take up to 4 - especially if the milk is JUST out of the fridge)

Once the milk reaches 180, cool to 110 degrees (I put the liner pot in the sink and fill the sink with cold water - it cools down in about 15 mins) and stir in the starter.

The longer you let it ferment after 8 hours, the tangier it will be.

If desired, strain the yogurt so it's thicker.  If I've left it to strain for too long, I'll mix some of the whey back in to get the consistency I want.

for one gallon of milk, I'll normally get a yield of 1 1/2 quarts.  Not bad for $2 and a little time :)

Edit to add:  I'll add sugar free jam to my serving before I eat it - or apple sauce or a sugar free flavoring

Thank you so much for the detailed response I really appreciate it.  One question though,  how do you strain it?

By the way I love your updated avatar picture, you look terrific!

I line a colander with cheese cloth or a thin, non terry dish towel and place a bowl under it.  I normally strain for 8 hours (while I'm at work).  I thought about getting a yogurt strainer but I have very limited storage space and wanted to make do with what I had.

Thanks!  The new pic was taken on a day I was feeling good about myself.  It's amazing how that translates to a smile in the pic :)

Like alouisa above, I heat the milk to 180 degrees and then let it cool to below 110 degrees. If you add the starter to the milk before it's below 110 degrees the bacteria that ferment the milk will die and you'll end up with warm milk at the end of 8 hours. 

I also do not use packaged starter. I buy a small yogurt (whatever is on sale) that has at least 5 bacteria in it doing the work - makes for a better probiotic blend. I spoon in about 1 TBS of yogurt in a bit of the cooled milk and keep adding mil****il the milk yogurt mix is smooth and pourable. Stir it into the milk and set your IP to the yogurt setting, put the lid on and walk away. 

I can heat the milk in my IP in one saute cycle, but the bottom of the pan does burn the milk a bit and is a royal pain to clean. My last batch I heated the milk separately and the clean up was easier, though I lost a bit of milk in the transfer from pot to pot. Your choice. 

I strain the heck out of my yogurt because I like it thick. I get no satiety from thinner yogurt. I usually strain mine for 8 hours. I get a good and thick consistency that way. 

I always add flavorings AFTER the yogurt is made. Do not add berries or jams to the milk when making the yogurt. The fruit can turn during fermentation - think pickled blueberries! 

Pickled blueberries....     

Just a side note:  my first few attempts at yogurt making were hit and miss.  Sometimes it was good, other times if was really watery and loose and never set up.  It seems 180 degrees is the sweet spot for breaking down the milk.  Directions tell you to cool to below 115 (I think??) but I went to 110 to be safe.  I've even added starter in the 90's and it was fine.   For starter I've been using my own yogurt.  Some people say it starts to taste funny after a few generations but I'm on the 15th or 20th generation and it's still good.  I started with Fage!

I also use Fage for my starter, or I use my own yogurt.  I also add a tablespoon of vanilla bean paste to the milk when I add the starter.  It's delicious.

Where did you get the vanilla bean paste?  I've been thinking about trying that but then I would have to make two batches... one unflavored and one vanilla

I get my vanilla bean paste from Amazon, this one:  http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81zCkG0zy6L._SY679_.jpg

Thanks so much for your input, I would hate to end up with pickled fruit in my yogurt...blech!!  I really appreciate all the tips.