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The Greek Yogurt Taste Off

August 7, 2014   84 Comments

Which of these Greek yogurts is your favorite? I decided to taste them all and try to determine which one is the best.

Greek Yogurt Taste Off

I stayed away from brands that you cannot find nationwide (and I am sure I will hear about that choice in the comment section).

I bought these yogurts because they didn’t have artificial sweetener (which I can’t stand) and they were all strawberry. Also, they are all non-fat because they are the easiest to find. I prefer 2% (because I think it tastes better) but I can never find it.

When I brought these six yogurts home, my children went bananas and asked to be taste testers (as did my husband).

My husband, 7 year old, and 10 year old tasted these without knowing the brands (blind). I was in charge – so I knew the brands. We did “clear our palates” after tasting each yogurt.

In order of worst to best:

6. Chobani $1.29 – 120 calories – This had a really strange aftertaste and a slightly chalky texture. My husband said it reminding him of snot (sorry Chobani lovers ☹)

5. Dannon Oikos $1.19 – 120 calories – This one tasted like cough medicine and had a good texture but not as thick as Greek yogurt should be.

4. FAGE fruyo $1.79 – 140 calories – Very chalky and had a strange flavor but it was thick (like a real Greek yogurt).

3. Stonyfield Organic Greek $1.99 – 120 calories – This one is pretty good. It has a good texture and is slightly chalky. The strawberry taste was a little strange.

TIE:

1. Yoplait Greek $1.00 (on sale) – 140 calories – I couldn’t find strawberry so this was a blend of strawberry and raspberry. This had a very good flavor but isn’t very thick. It does have 11 grams of protein and the ingredient list is clean. This was my son’s favorite.

1. Newman’s Own Greek $1.49 – 120 calories – This was my favorite because it had a good strawberry flavor and nice texture – again – not as thick as you would like. The ingredient list was the cleanest of the bunch: Nonfat milk, strawberries, sugar, corn starch, natural flavor, pectin

I hate to say it but NONE of these could hold a candle to plain yogurt (or plain Greek yogurt) with some jam mixed in or FAGE (the regular one).

They all had a chemical aftertaste and my husband decided he hated them all. If you stop eating these types of processed yogurts (as he has) – you notice the strange flavors.

Which is your favorite? Please share your ideas on good yogurt.

Other posts you might like:

The Best Brand of Yogurt You Can Buy

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Stop Buying Frozen Yogurt and Make Your Own

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84 Comments:

I love Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt, Toasted Coconut and Vanilla flavor. It's 80 calories, 12 gms protein, 7 gms sugar. Good stats and flavor. I can't eat plain yogurt yet and this give me benefits I need. The only downside is that it does leave me hungry for more.

I still love Chobani - I have tried many - not all of these you have listed, but some if these and others. Chobani does mot taste chalky to me. Several of the Greek yogurts are good to me. I may try some of these as well- it must be a personal taste preference kind of thing!

Fage ("Total") 2%. Plain. I don't worry about the small amount of fat and it tastes so much better than the 0%. And no chemicals or nasty ingredients.

I don't eat the flavored ones anymore, but when I used to, I would buy the Fage 2% with strawberry or honey. You can also just buy the plain and mix in your own.

I prefer plain yogurt with fresh fruit mixed in and sometimes honey. I very rarely eat flavored yogurt because of the strange tastes you mentioned. I'm glad to see there are several options with natural ingredients though for people who still like the flavored yogurt.

I like Yoplait light strawberry cheesecake. I love the flavor. I'm going to try plain with jam, as you suggested. Love that idea.

I agree with you that plain with jam is the best. I like fig jelly in mine. I did taste tests with all the lemon yogurts I could find and liked Stonyfield the best. The others were chemical tasting or too sweet.

Here in Ontario we have SOURCE Greek Yogurt 2x Protein by Yoplait - 50 Calories and endorsed by Weight Watchers. It's thick and creamy, maybe from gelatin, but not from cornstarch!

I hate flavored yogurt! I'm not sure when that happened - and every once in a while I forget or think "this flavor will be different" (like the blood orange Chobani), but no. I'm a plain Fage girl, all the way. Used to do plain Chobani but once I tried Fage (usually 2%, occasionally full fat), I never went back. It's so rich and delicious. I don't even sweeten it that often, just add fruit or oats (and sometimes use it as a sour cream sub, although I do buy sour cream on occasion).

I loved your idea in the book to use jam in plain yogurt, so I recently made a phenomenal bowl of PB & J oats: cooked my oats, swirled in a tbsp or so of creamy PB, then topped it with cherry preserve-laced Fage. OMG, delicious!!!! I don't usually even like PB & J sandwiches or that combo in general, but this was divine.

Chobani, hands down, non-fat plain

Love the comments from your family.

My favourite is silhouette greek yogurt. I find it is like eating pudding (which is a great) I like to semi freeze it and than it is like ice-cream, but a lot less calories.

With so many choices, and new greek yogurts coming out I appreciate the feed back. I will try some of the ones mentioned and have a little test tasting of my own.

Keep up the great work you do!

By the way, love your book too!!!!

I would have to say Dannon Light&Fit GREEK with 80 calories and 12 grams of Protein is by far the best tasting Yogurt on the Market.I like it for low Sugar and double the Protein. A cup of this Greek yogurt with ground up raw Almonds, Pistachios,Walnuts, and Cashews sprinkled on top really make a great breakfast or filling snack at any time.

I'm a Yoplait Greek 100 girl because it is the only one approved by Weight Watcher's and i just rejoined a week ago

I ALWAYS get Fage 0%. That way I can do whatever I want with it.I LOVE it!

I love Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt! Their flavors are sooooo good and I used to not light Yogurt because when I ate a few bites I felt like gagging. However, these are so good!!!!

Yoplait greek is my favorite -in lemon..and it is WW approved..

I like Taste of Inspirations Greek yogurt. The blueberry is my favorite but nothing beats plain Greek yogurt with fresh fruit.

Another Light & Fit Greek fan here. It does contain a small amount of sucralose, but it doesn't taste suspect. (I too detest artificial sweeteners and gag at the thought of a diet coke) I'm pretty sure it's the only product I consume with artificial sugar, so I'm not too concerned.

I buy the plain Oikos Greek yogurt. I have it with honey and cinnamon. Or fresh fruit mixed in. It's nice and creamy.

Dannon Light & Fit coconut vanilla. The BEST!It is rich and creamy and tastes like a decadent treat.

I buy fage o fat greek yogurt and add my own things like jams or crushed gluten free Graham crackers or cut up fruit

I don't like the non fat varieties at all. I buy whole milk plain or vanilla yoghurt from Trader Joe's (or my regular supermarket) and mix it with chopped up fruit. Whole milk is only 4% fat anyway. We don't have it that often as it triggers our kids' eczema but that is what we prefer when we do have it.

I enjoy Fage plain with 1 Tbls. of Natural Peanut Butter. Yum....and it lasts forever.

Fage 0% flavored is my ultimate favorite yogurt. I love being able to add as much or as little of the "jam" as I want. I can't eat anything else because the rest taste chemically!

I eat greek yogurt every morning and for the most part I buy Fage but to be real honest if something is on sale I will almost always switch and buy that instead. I add fruit and granola to mine so taste isn't always such a big deal.

I too am a big fan of Dannon Fit & Light Greek yogurt. Toasted Coconut Vanilla and I LOVE the limited edition Mango Lemonade YUM. I had pineapple to the first one and a peach to the second one. Hands down the best greek yogurt and only 80 calories.

I buy the Fage 0% and just mix in our own jams/preserves. For me there is no taste difference between the 0% and the regular (plain versions). In fact I've switched every recipe I have (including my homemade potato salad) that calls for sour cream using Greek Yogurt instead.

So glad you did this comparison as I live on the stuff. I use Yoplait Greek 100 as I love every flavor. I am supposed to consume at least 60-70 grams protein a day after gastric bypass surgery. I add 3/4 cup Special K protein cereal flakes in 1 container Greek yogurt and it gives me a 20 gram protein punch! I can always find Yoplait Greek 100 at $1 per container and love Mixed Fruit and Strawberry Cheesecake.

I like any plain yogurt and add a little honey, any type of nuts, and any berry - delicious!

Fage, 2%, with no sugar added jam from the farmer's market. Delicious!

I put frozen blueberries in a pint mason jar and top with plain FAGE and bring to work. In a couple hours shake and eat! The best!! Sometimes I add other things like oats, milk, seeds, honey, cereal from the bottom of the box (crumbs).

I make my own easiyo yoghurt. It is healthy and delicious, more so than shop bought yoghurt. I feed it to my boxers as well.

I like Iogo. Regular and Greek yogurt. I live in Nova Scotia, so don't know if you can get it in the States. I choose that one because it does not have gelatin in it. :) I will eat Oikos in a pinch. :)

I am with you. Nothing compares to plain FAGE with preserves or other fruit mixed in. Easy to prepare at home, but when I return to teaching in the fall I will be trying Newman's Own Greek for the sake of lunch box convenience :-)

Another fan of Dannon Light & Fit here! I've tried them all and by far the best to me.

Siggi's is considered Icelandic, but MUCH better than "greek" varieties. Still thick, high in protein, but CLEANER than the greeks.

Fage 0% and I add my own fruit. Hands down better than any of the others. Healthier as well. And Fage is amongst the lowest in sodium as well

When I pack a lunch, I put frozen berries I the bottom of my container (and I have tried strawberries, mixed berries, blueberries, blackberries and all were good) and topped it off with one full serving of non-fat plain yogurt. (I use Nancee's from Oregon because it has no additives and more calcium than most brands.) By lunch, the berries have mostly melted and can be easily stirred into the yogurt. Talk about yummy. Plus you get a full serving of nutrtious berries (which we call big vitamin pills.)

I'm with your husband on this one, and that's just one more reason I love your book; I've found dozens of recipes that use real foods and taste wonderful! I'm thrilled that I don't need to buy packaged foods, particularly yogurt, to eat healthy. I don't like any of the brands of Greek yogurt that I've tried (except for Greek Gods, which, I noticed after consuming a 32 oz. tub, only states that it's Greek-STYLE yogurt & has about the same nutrition as ice cream!), nor do I like protein bars or any other packaged "health" food that I can think of.

Dannon Light n Fit. I add my Fiber One cereal to it and it is great!

I love FAGE 2%. I think the little bit of extra fat is worth it. It's still only 140 calories with the fruit. I'm partial to the blueberry, strawberry and peach.

It's funny that this is todays topic. After I had eaten my FF greek yogurt sweetened with a bit of agave and vanilla extract with some chopped fresh cherries this morning I looked at your latest email. It is true, now that I am used to plain yogurt I don't bother to buy the flavoured ones anymore.

I actually prefer Shoprite Plain 0%. No sugar or artificial anything. Trying to eat cleaner so I avoid anything with sugar added.

Target store brand yogurt, it comes in a blue container. Its creamy, a low sugar. And the price is right too.

I use plain ol Fage 2% for everything.....as a sour cream substitute, mixed with my homemade cherry jam, in baking.....why buy anything else when it's the real deal?

I started making my own yogurt with a recipe I got from a Greek women. It is so much better than store bought.

I prefer Fage non-fat plain yogurt (best buy is at Costco for a large container!) and add my own fresh or frozen fruit. I've found myself appreciating the tast of yogurt more and more as I walk away from the sweetened versions. :-)

Yoplait is my favorite. I have a hard time choking down really thick yogurt, so that texture works the best for me.

I love siggi yogurt it only have 9 grams of sugar and is very thick it comes in different flavors it is totally AWESOME !!!! Please let me know if any one else has tried it....

Another Dannon Light & Fit Greek Yogurt, Toasted Coconut and Vanilla flavor fan here. Love the flavor, great for a snack and I fill full. Plus I can find at my local Wal-Mart pretty regularly.

I'm a Fage, 0%, add a little Kashi cereal, a tsp of local honey and some fruit. Delicious. I don't like all the crap that they throw in there when they put the flavoring in.

I buy value-sized tubs of Fage 0% (Weight Watchers 1pt for a half cup/119 grams) at Costco and will only try others if they're on sale and don't exceed 2pts per individual small tub. Yoplait meets my 2pt WW criteria, but I hate the narrow opening of the tub - makes it hard to get out every bit at the bottom! (Does that bother anyone else out there?!) Dannon Light & Fit Greek nonfat has some new desserty flavors at 2pts per small tub, but for value, creaminess, purity, & versatility (add fruit or preferred sweetener; use in recipes to replace sour cream; etc), there's nothing better than Fage 0%, IMHO. =)

I like DNnon Oikos black cherry - I mix All Bran or other high fiber low fat cereal with it for the crunchy taste

Seriously, make your own! I use Fage to make my yogurt. You will love it completely. It may not be as thick as Fage itself, but the texture and flavor are so creamy and delicious. If you want it thicker, just strain it. It is easy to make using your slow cooker or the light in your oven to culture it. Pure yogurt that you can flavor how you want and no additives. It is so easy and takes so little time. I think Lisa, Lisa's hubby and kids would love it. : )

Oh, BTW, save the whey for your smoothies it has a lot of protein. Or, mix it in the pet food, stews or soups only don't put it down the drain because it can compromise the environment. It has very little taste so it won't ruin your food. Body builders pay good money for whey protein products so use it as food somewhere, please.

my local store only sells the okios brand. I can't handle the ones with fruit - I find them too sweet. I always get the coconut flavored and add my own fruits to it. I find it a nice treat, not an everyday yogurt person here.

My how times have changed, huh?:

https://snack-girl.com/snack/yoplait-greek-yogurt-healthy/

Granted, it appears Yoplait has straightened up it's act a bit and has begun producing real Greek yogurt as opposed to the Greek "Style" they manufactured a couple years ago. Perhaps your article linked to above helped make that positive change! Regardless, it appears to be of benefit since you now list it as number 1 rather than "don't eat Yoplait!".

Bummed they still have to add cornstarch to thicken rather than simply extracting more whey (along with more carbs, which results in higher protein)....

I have tried many different kinds of Greek Yogurt and I always come back to Chobani. I like a custard-like consistancy and I usually get the vanilla and put some blueberries in it.

I buy a large container of plain non fat yogurt (there is a yogurt variety, but it does have more calories per cup), which has 100 calories per cup (8oz). Each night I prepare 1 cup of yogurt to bring to work the next day for breakfast. I admit I do use and like Splenda. I add Splenda and either 1/4 cup of fresh fruit or an 1/8 of a teaspoon of orange extract (made from oil of orange). If I am adding fresh fruit I muddle the fruit and sugar together, then stir in the yogurt. For 135-140 calories I get a fresh tasting, home made yogurt to enjoy tha this larger than any of the single serving varieties.

To Ellen D - Would you share the recipe for making your own Greek yogurt that you got from a Greek woman?

Thank you! I didn't know "Newmans" made a yogurt! I love "Newmans" products and I love that they give the money to charity. I'm going be on the lookout for that!

Costco's Kirkland Greek yogurt (now available in 142g containers and in fruit flavours) is awesome! 120kcal, 12g protein and just the right size. Their plain yogurt is also great.

Plain Fage with sliced strawberries, a teaspoon of raw oats and a drizzle or more of honey. Fage (plain) makes a great smoothie base.

For those on Weight Watchers, Costco Greek yogurt may cost less, but Fage is lower on points per half cup.

I don't like to buy yogurt with anything in it but milk and yogurt culture. Plain, nonfat Dannon; then I line the colander with cheesecloth, dump in the yogurt, and let it drain. Yup, it drains off the whey. And the Greek yogurt in stores is always adding cornstarch, food starch, gelatin: if you strain the liquid off regular yogurt you get Greek yogurt.

Of all the yogurts the lowest in sugar is Yoplait Greek 100 and that is my favorite.Only has 7-9grams. The apple pie flavor is amazing!! Little pieces of fruit mixed in. Same great taste with strawberry banana.I found some other new flavors such as peach and key lime but haven't tried them yet. Also approved by Weight Watchers for 2 points.

I've never seen Newman's Own Greek Yogurt. Not that kind of Fage either. (I live in Georgia, for the record.) I REALLY like Liberte's NF greek, but right after I decided that, Publix stopped carrying it. They also only have a few flavors. Now I like Oikos Black Cherry. Oikos seems a lot thicker to me than the other brands. I add chia seeds too to make it even thicker. I don't like Fage at all. And I thought Yoplait had artificial sweeteners. Am I mixing them up? The one that has the Weight Watchers P+ on them definitely does. It's awful. The new Chobani 100 also does and it is equally awful. Ug.

I have tried all of the above yogurts for many years. Recently I have discovered a yogurt named Liberte. This is the best tasting yogurt I have ever consumed and I have to state that I have no affliation to this company. I have replaced my after dinner desserts such as cake, ice cream, pudding, etc with Liberte. Liberte Mediterranee features flavors; lime, orange mango, bluberry, lemon (my favorite) and more. The company also make a greek version with flavors; blackberry, cocomut, lemon and more. I checked out their website for more info on the company and it was established in 1936 and they consider the product to be crafted with the best wholesome ingrediants. I sure hope that our local grocer will continue to carry this brand. You've got to check out this brand. Check out their facebook page.

Liberte yogurt = 7pts Weight Watchers

I bought a little yogurt maker and make my own using 2% milk and one Fage 2% plain Greek yogurt as the starter yogurt. It is fast, easy, cheaper than purchased yogurt and tastes great! You can add any flavorings later, as described in comments above.

When I first started eating healthier I would go for the flavored yogurts, then converted to flavored greek and now I only eat the 2% Fage plain. I do not know if it is because of being used to eating plain, but when I eat the flavored now it doesn't taste right to me, I prefer to add in my own taste with fruit, honey, etc. However, for someone just starting out and or like my husband who doesn't like plain, the flavored are a good start.

I too do not like any of these really. I like fage 2% with berries mixed into it. My oldest who is 11 just took my fage and mixed in jelly to make her own. She hates the pieces if fruit etc. she loved the taste and based on how little jam she added it seems healthier. I like that she can adjust the level of sweetness and much more protein and healthy fat.

I prefer greek gods brand myself. But I seem to be in the minority with that.

I absolutely love Oikos Black Cherry. I open it pour out the excess liquid add a travel pack of flax seed and dig in. Don't even need to stir it. Yum...

Hi Snack Girl! Thanks for all of your info -- I always find it interesting. Thought you'd appreciate this blog by a nutritionist about the makeups of some Greek and "Greek-style" yogurts.... seems they're not all they pretend to be.

http://www.accordingtoelle.com/2012/10/greek-yogurt-whats-r…

Would love to hear your thoughts.

I like plain Greek the best and tend to buy whatever is on sale, though Fage and Chobani are favorites. Haven't tried Newman's will look for it. Love siggis too but it's on the pricey side.

Are all these true Greek yogurts or are they Greek-style with additives to make them thicker? Makes a huge difference!

GREEK GODS. PLAIN.FULL FAT. HEAVEN!

The best yogurt I have ever had is Ellenos Greek Yogurt! They only sell it at Pike Place Market in Seattle and you can also buy it on-line. It truly is the ultimate premium yogurt you will ever taste!!!!

I make my own in a thermos - it tastes beautiful and i know what's in it. All you need to do is put some boiling water in the thermos to heat it up while you are heating up your milk (whole or 2%) to near boiling, then cool the milk until luke-warm. Whisk in a tablespoon or so of live yogurt, empty out the water from your thermos, and pour in your milk mixture. Wrap the thermos in a towel and keep in a warm place for at least 4 hours. You can strain the resulting yogurt through muslin into a bowl for delicious Greek yogurt if you wish.

I tried Wallaby Plain yogurt since the grocery store was out of plain Fage. Boy do I like it! No funny taste or aftertaste! I think I am going to have an alternative! It is higher in calories but I am willing to deal since it taste so good!

I have never had Newman's but the others yes and I do not like any of them! I used to love Chobani but then I learned they have GMOs and dang now that I know...just can't.

I really like Stonyfield Organic Greek yogurt and I think Yoplait and Chobani are the worst .. esp Chobani .. it's so chalky and my grocery store (Vons here in SoCal) shelves are full of it .. bleck.

Monica.

I cut down on processed foods recently. I was never a big fan of flavored yogurts or yogurt generally. I mostly use it for cooking. Anyway, I recently bought some cottage cheese from a reputable company who claims it's 100% gras fed and also some yogurt, again from an organic expensive brand. None of them has any weird ingredients, just milk and probiotic cultures. Yet they both have a very strong chemical aftertaste. I just cant figure out whats wrong.

I googled "Why does greek yogurt taste chalky" and found this page. Well, this helped alot. I'm sitting here eating Chobani and it's the grossest, chalky yogurt I've ever eaten. I was about to ask my wife WTF was wrong with regular normal tasting yogurt, but I'll tell her to try yoplait and Newman before I write Greek yogurt off for good.

Siggi's zero fat. The container doesn't indicate it's greek yogurt but it's thicker than some of greek yogurt I've tried.

I like the Dannon(purple and white container) 80 calories and it's only 2spts

Banana is my favorite, strawberry banana is good too!

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