Non Fat Greek Yogurt
Nonfat Greek yogurt, a Weight Watchers Power Food, is a great ingredient to stock in your kitchen. It's much thicker and creamier than regular plain yogurt because it has been strained to remove the excess liquid whey. It's also much higher in protein.
According to an article in the September/October issue of Weight Watchers Magazine:
- A 6-ounce serving of plain fat-free Greek yogurt offers up to 18g satiating protein compared to regular yogurt, which typically provides 8 to 11g.
- The straining process also removes excess milk sugar (lactose) so that each serving has only 7g sugar, versus the 12g sugar in regular yogurt, or about 1 teaspoon less.
- Greek yogurt has bout half the sodium of regular yogurt (70 v. 125 mg.)
I made the switch to Greek yogurt several years ago because it's so versatile. It took a little time for my taste buds to adjust to the tanginess, but now I love it for breakfast - plain, drizzled with maple syrup or honey, swirled with jam, or turned into Magical Yogurt Breakfast Cream. It'a also a healthy sour cream substitution in all kinds of foods from dips, to mashed potatoes to muffins and cheesecakes.
I usually buy whatever brand of nonfat Greek yogurt is available and/or least expensive when I shop, most often picking up the store brand at Fresh and Easy or Trader Joes. But there are many more brands of nonfat Greek yogurt to chose from these days. Is any one better than the others? I've never done a side-by-side taste test.
The answer to, "Which Greek yogurt is best?" seems to depend on which review you read. Cook's Illustrated, Cooking Light, Good Housekeeping, Consumer Reports, The Food Network Blog and The Huffington Post all have conducted independent Greek Yogurt Taste Tests, resulting in a variety of winners. (Are you surprised?)
Here's an interesting roundup and summary of the findings.
Greek Yogurt Taste Tests - A Review of the Reviews
Cooks Illustrated
In the May/June 2011 Issue, Cook’s Illustrated performed a nonfat Greek yogurt taste test, comparing 10 brands in a blind tasting, rating them on flavor, texture, tanginess and overall appeal.
CI discovered that while most Greek Yogurts were thickened by the traditional method of straining, some brands opt to skip this expensive step and, instead, fortify their yogurts with thickeners such as pectin or gelatin. It's not surprising that the two brands depending on the addition of thickeners — made by Yoplait and The Greek Gods — scored lowest in the ratings.
The winner was plain strained Olympus Traditional Greek Nonfat Yogurt. It won rave reviews for it's smooth, creamy consistency and pleasant tang. Other recommended brands included Voskos, Brown Cow, Dannon, Oikos, and Fage. Chobani was recommended with reservations. The three lowest ranking brands that were NOT recommended were Athenos, Yoplait and The Greek Gods.
The CI Test Kitchen also compared the various yogurts when used to make dips and in baking. In the baking test, they found that brand was much less important, with all producing a tasty cheesecake.
Cooking Light
In a 2010 Nonfat yogurt taste testing, Cooking Light named Fage their GRAND PRIZE WINNER, calling it "Beautifully thick, creamy, with a strong tangy kick." Chobani and Voskos Organic (described as a great swap for full-fat sour cream) came in next.
The Food Network Blog
In a The Food Network Blog Nonfat Greek Yogurt Taste Test, Fage, rated tops with Chobani a close second.
Consumer Reports
In a Consumer Reports yogurt taste-off of strawberry flavored yogurt, the Greek yogurts outscored the creamy brands, with Fage and Chobaniscoring excellent ratings.
Good Housekeeping
At Good Housekeeping's Greek Yogurt Taste Test - Athenos came in first with Fage and Olympus earning honorable mentions.
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post, put 18 different brands of Greek yogurt to a blind taste test to find the best with both Fage 2% and 0% fat tying for the number 1 spot.
Miss Metabolism
Here's a fun video with Amber of Miss Metabolism, where she gathers several of her friend for a blind taste testing of 8 plain nonfat yogurt varieties and Trader Joe's brand places first.
So, based on this completely unscientific reviews of the reviews, Fage was the clear winner, placing first or second 5 times.
I picked up containers of Fage and Greek Gods, when I was at the grocery store recently, just to do a mini assessment for myself. The Fage is incredibly richer and creamier; the Greek Gods thinner, more watery and much more sour.
Will this review significantly change my buying habits? Maybe. If I can pick up Fage on sale, I would definitely go for it. But when it's cheaper, I'm very satisfied with Fresh and Easy and Trader Joe's store brands.
Do you have a favorite nonfat Greek yogurt?
More Yogurt Recipes and Information for Weight Watchers
All About Making Yogurt at Home
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
This post contains affiliate links to products I like. When you buy something through one of my Amazon links or Craftsy links, I receive a small commission that helps support this site. Thanks for your purchase!
Subscribe to Get: Top 10 Reader Favorite Recipes
The Top 10 Most Popular Recipes (PDF) on Simple Nourished Living + Weekly Support Emails with Tips & Easy Healthy Recipes Not Found Anywhere Else!
Cammy@TippyToeDiet
How sad is it that I actually have a hierarchy of yogurt? 🙂 My picks are 1) Chobani, 2) Oikos, 3) Fage. And if I can't find one of those on sale, I can make do with Kroger-branded Greek yogurt.
Martha
I don't think that's sad at all. It's cool that you are so discriminating and know what you like:-)
Laura
My favorite is Muller Greek with Granola Crunch! How come it isn't listed here as a favorite? I LOVE, LOVE it!!!
Leta
I love Fresh & Easy brand yogurt, especially honey flavor, and am so sad they are closing their stores! Which brand tastes the most like their brand?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Leta. I'm sad Fresh and Easy is closing their stores too. I like their brand of Greek yogurt, but have never tried their honey brand. Have you tried Trader Joes brand? I like it a lot.