Can Greek Yogurt and Whole-Milk Yogurt Be Used Interchangeably

Question

Can Greek and whole milk yogurt be used interchangeably? For example, in the Milk Street chicken shawarma recipe?

Rosie Gill · Accepted Answer

Hi Janet -
Whole fat Greek yogurt is strained,  which means the whey has been mostly removed, resulting in a thicker yogurt. It is also more acidic and has a higher fat content than un-strained whole milk yogurt. In baking applications these differences can be important since liquid, fat and acidity all affect baked goods quite a lot. In cooking applications, however, the differences are less important. You can simply water down strained yogurt to a consistency that is easy to stir or mix. Conversely, you can strain unstrained yogurt to make it thicker to use, for example, in dips and dressings that call for strained yogurt, like our chicken shawarma recipe. And if you like a looser dressing, just sub in un-strained yogurt for the strained yogurt and skip the straining step.
One note: I don't recommend subbing in non-fat yogurt for full-fat yogurt; this can be disastrous in baking and in cooking can result in overly lean dishes.

Can Greek Yogurt and Whole-Milk Yogurt Be Used Interchangeably

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