You Need More Greek Yogurt Than You Think

I once described eating yogurt as “something that feels like a punishment.” Well, palates evolve, and I’ve unexpectedly found myself a convert when it comes to Greek yogurt. That said, I still have some very strong opinions. For one, full-fat greek yogurt is the only kind of yogurt I purchase. Not only does it taste better, but it’s incredibly versatile in the kitchen. My original aversion to yogurt mostly stemmed from buying the low-fat varieties. Low-fat and nonfat yogurt lack the creaminess and punch that makes yogurt enjoyable, and (sue me) I believe eating should be enjoyable.

We did some testing here at Milk Street to uncover the best Greek yogurt available at supermarkets, factoring in tang, texture and flavor. Because Greek yogurt is strained after processing, it should be thicker and creamier than regular yogurt. After blindly tasting and ranking 10 different options, we found Fage to be superior to all the rest. Here’s why.

More fat isn’t always better

We tested whole-milk Greek yogurts with a wide range of fat percentages. As it turns out, a higher fat percentage isn’t always better: Fage, relatively low on the fat scale at 5%, emerged as our favorite, while Cabot, at 10%, came in second. Overall, Fage was thick, “ultra-creamy,” and just tart enough without being too acidic. Cabot was still creamy, but some tasters also found it too tart. In general, our lower-ranked yogurts were too thin and pourable—they lacked richness.

It makes a great meat tenderizer

For years, Chris has preached that marinades don’t work. The larger molecules of aromatics and seasonings are large and insoluble, and they don’t effectively penetrate the meat. But salt and acid is another story. “Salt draws moisture into meat, while acids help tenderize proteins. This is where yogurt comes in. With a pH of around 4.3 thanks to the presence of lactic acid, yogurt is considered weakly acidic.” After marinating steak in yogurt for various durations, we found steak marinated for two hours to be ”tender but not mushy.“ You can read more about our research on that here, then try it for yourself by making these these pork skewers.

In addition to tenderizing, it also helps flavorings adhere, and aids in caramelization for broiled dishes, like in this broiled shrimp or this broiled salmon. You can even use it to cook vegetables; we were inspired by tandoori chicken to make yogurt-marinated carrots.

For more tender baked goods

Full-fat yogurt tenderizes much more than meat. For instance, it’s incredibly effective at tenderizing doughs. We use it in flatbreads, pizza dough, doughnuts and several of our cakes, including Greek Apple Cake and Broken Phyllo Cake. The lactic acid in the yogurt contributes to a better chew while inhibiting gluten formation, so that things remain soft. According to Harold McGee's "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen," glutenin and gliadin are the two proteins that create elasticity, while starches and carbohydrates tenderize and preserve moistness.

McGee writes, “fats and oils weaken gluten by bonding to the hydrophobic amino acids along the protein chains.” In a cake, or a baked good where you want a very small amount of gluten development, this helps keep the crumb soft and tender. McGee adds that acidity also weakens the gluten network. There’s a push-and-pull at play here. You want protein from the gluten to strengthen and toughen things in bread recipes, but sugars, acids and fats work against that. In a pizza dough or flatbreads, having those fats allows for more gluten development to occur through kneading. This gives doughs structure and elasticity while keeping them plush.

It also enriches grains and other starches; the extra fat can render them more tender, like it does with the rice in our Persian-Style Baked Saffron Rice with Chicken. It also makes a creamy sauce for pastas like our Whole-Wheat Pasta with Yogurt and Tahini or our Spaghetti with Cilantro Yogurt. My personal favorite use for Greek yogurt is as a sour cream replacement. That signature tang is why it makes a great base for dips, sauces and condiments like Tzatziki. We dollop a Greek yogurt-based sauce on our Skillet-Crisped Chickpeas and Herbed Yogurt Pilaf. And it's excellent in mashed potatoes.

It just makes things better

I could go on and on, but I'll leave you with a few favorites. Greek yogurt can be the backbone of many salad dressings, like our Zucchini and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Yogurt or the Fennel-Orange Salad with Harissa and Yogurt. It provides body and tang to soups like our Corn Bisque with Yogurt and Saffron. You can even use it in scrambled eggs for extra protein and a smoother, more velvety scramble—a great alternative breakfast application, for when you tire of the usual yogurt parfait.

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Willow Montana

Willow Montana is the Production Manager of Digital Media at Milk Street. Willow spends their days coordinating and planning video shoots, managing schedules and overseeing the execution of digital projects. They studied Baking and Pastry Arts at Johnson and Wales University and worked in restaurants while putting themself through six more years of college. They hold a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in English Literature and a Master’s of Fine Arts in Publishing and Writing. Willow is a firm believer in living a slow, quiet life and making things by hand. When they aren’t following the developers around with a camera at the Milk Street office, they may be found at home shaping loaves of sourdough, caring for dozens of houseplants and, occasionally, out in the wild at a punk rock show.