My Fearless Kitchen

Quick tips and easy recipes to chase the fear out of your kitchen.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

  • mfk_utensils
  • Recipes
      • Quick and Easy
      • Slow Cooker
      • Grill
      • Freezer Friendly
      • Dips & Snacks
      • Breakfast & Breads
      • Dessert Recipes
      • Main Dish Recipes
      • Side Dish Recipes
      • Soups & Salads
  • Kitchen Tips, Tricks, & More
  • About Farming & Food
    • About GMOs
    • Antibiotics
    • Meat
    • Pigs
    • Eggs
    • Poultry
  • Disclosure, Disclaimers, & Privacy Policy
Home » What’s the Difference between Regular and Greek Yogurt?

What’s the Difference between Regular and Greek Yogurt?

By Marybeth Feutz 66 Comments

Greek yogurt and “regular” yogurt look a little different and taste a little different. But what makes them different? And is one better – or better for you – than the other?

What's the Difference Between Regular & Greek Yogurt? from My Fearless Kitchen. Greek yogurt and "regular" yogurt look a little different and taste a little different. But what makes them different? And is one better - or better for you - than the other?

What’s the Difference Between Regular & Greek Yogurt?

{Referral links are used in this post.}

Earlier this week my husband asked me what the difference is between Greek and regular yogurt. I’ve had both (in fact, there’s some Greek yogurt in my refrigerator right now), but the best answer I could come up with is that Greek yogurt has more protein and a thicker consistency than regular yogurt. But then I was stuck.

Why these differences? Is it the kind of milk that’s used? The bacterial cultures? Something in the recipe or the processing? Are there other differences?

So I did some digging.

What's the Difference Between Regular & Greek Yogurt? from My Fearless Kitchen. Greek yogurt and "regular" yogurt look a little different and taste a little different. But what makes them different? And is one better - or better for you - than the other?

It turns out that both Greek and regular yogurts start out with the same ingredients – milk and bacterial cultures. In fact, both types of yogurt even use the same bacterial cultures (Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, if you were wondering). These bacteria ferment the lactose (milk sugar) in the milk and produce lactic acid.

What’s Different About Greek Yogurt?

After fermentation, the liquid whey is strained off the solid yogurt. Regular yogurt is strained twice, so there is still some liquid left in the end product. Greek yogurt is strained three times, so most of the liquid is removed. This is what gives Greek yogurt its’ thicker consistency and stronger flavors compared to regular yogurt.

Because Greek yogurt is more “concentrated,” it has more protein than regular yogurt. The protein is left behind in the solid yogurt during the straining process. The whey contains most of the sodium, carbohydrates, and calcium, so Greek yogurts are lower in these nutrients than their regular counterparts.

In fact, so much volume is lost during the extra straining step that it typically takes 4 cups of raw milk to get 1 cup of Greek yogurt, while it only takes 1 cup of raw milk to get 1 cup of regular yogurt.

Here is a comparison of the nutritional value of Yoplait fat-free strawberry yogurts.

What's the Difference Between Regular & Greek Yogurt? from My Fearless Kitchen. Greek yogurt and "regular" yogurt look a little different and taste a little different. But what makes them different? And is one better - or better for you - than the other?

While I love that Greek yogurt is higher in protein than regular yogurt, I’m not crazy about the flavor of plain Greek yogurt. It’s too sour for my tastes. (I’m not really crazy about plain regular yogurt, either.) I think the flavored varieties, on the other hand, are pretty awesome.

What's the Difference Between Regular & Greek Yogurt? from My Fearless Kitchen. Greek yogurt and "regular" yogurt look a little different and taste a little different. But what makes them different? And is one better - or better for you - than the other?


Have you tried Greek yogurt before? What’s your favorite way to use Greek yogurt?

Enjoy!

3 Ways to Take the Fear Out of Your Kitchen

  • What’s the Difference Between Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt?
  • How to Read a Nutrition Label
  • How Much Fat is in Milk?

3 Recipes to Try

  • Summer Berry Greek Yogurt Parfait
  • Mini Lemon Bundt Cakes
  • Toffee Fruit Dip

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Dairy, Holiday Tool Box, Kitchen Tips, Tricks, & More, Where is My Food From? Tagged With: comparison, dairy, difference, food, Greek, Greek yogurt, kitchen tip, nutrition, yogurt

« Washington, DC
Time for some fly spray »

Comments

  1. farmnwife says

    09/27/2012 at 9:13 am

    Thank you for the info. I don’t eat much yogurt because of the sugar but if I do it is greek yogurt.

  2. Kerry says

    09/27/2012 at 9:44 am

    The only time I tried Greek yogurt (plain) was when I needed some plain yogurt for a recipe and the store didn’t have any standard plain yogurt. I’ve encountered the issue frequently since the popularity of Greek seems to have skyrocketed and I generally have to hunt around to different stores if I want non-Greek plain yogurt. The recipe turned out sweeter and with a different consistency with Greek yogurt than when using the standard yogurt. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t what I was used to nor what I was expecting. I can’t say I don’t like it as a product, but I do tend to be annoyed by it as it’s been displacing ingredients to which I’ve become habituated.

  3. Carla Schenk says

    09/27/2012 at 12:46 pm

    Thanks, I had wondered about the differences! I’ve never tried Greek.

  4. Dani Vello says

    09/27/2012 at 1:31 pm

    I love greek yogurt, I never really liked regular yogurt! I also really need the protein. I usually buy plan and add a little something to it. I’ve added honey and cinnamon, or just plain cinnamon. I’ve added maple syrup. I’ve added fruit and I have added jam. 🙂 And now I know the difference between regular and greek! Thanks. 🙂

  5. AgriCultured says

    09/27/2012 at 4:32 pm

    Yogurt does have a lot of sugar, especially the flavored ones. How does the plain flavor stack up in sugar for you?

  6. AgriCultured says

    09/27/2012 at 4:33 pm

    It seems like the yogurt section in our grocery store has expanded like crazy recently! We only used to be able to get regular yogurt, and now most of brands have a Greek option as well. I have heard that Greek yogurt is great to cook with, but I haven’t tried it yet. I’m glad to hear your experiences… maybe recipes need a little bit of tweaking when substituting Greek yogurt for regular yogurt or other ingredients.

  7. AgriCultured says

    09/27/2012 at 4:33 pm

    Carla, give it a try! I think you’ll like it.

  8. AgriCultured says

    09/27/2012 at 4:34 pm

    I love the higher protein content in Greek yogurt! I have tried getting plain and “doctoring” it at home, but it just seems like too much work some days! I know this is making me sound really lazy, but it’s just so much easier to only have to pop open the top of a single-serving container. 🙂

  9. Julia Bohn says

    01/21/2013 at 11:31 pm

    One of my favorite snacks is a cup of the Greek & a cup of raspberries with a stevia packet. I also use the Greek as a sour cream substitute. Fage has the best consistency.

  10. Marybeth says

    02/01/2013 at 2:28 pm

    That sounds great! I’ve not tried Stevia yet, but have heard some good things about it. I’ll have to check it out.

  11. [email protected] says

    03/15/2013 at 11:22 am

    my greek yogurt- and all the greek yogurt I have EVER seen has no fat in it. just wanted to point that out since in the chart above it says it has 4.5g of fat (vs 1.5 in regualr yogurt) which is simply not the case from my experience.

  12. kim says

    04/15/2013 at 5:45 pm

    I just tried greek yogurt for the first time and the first bite was bitter (i got blueberry flavored, but i took some yogurt off the top). I still cannot decide if I will like it. or if i will buy it. greek yogurt seems to be more expensive. idk yet

  13. Mary G Smith says

    03/13/2015 at 4:49 pm

    I love plain yogurt (not to sour for me, I eat it with granny smith apples) and I love greek yogurt, (fat free) This I eat with granola. I am not all that fond of any of the flavored or fruited yogurts. I like my fruit raw and I do the cutting up for the plain yogurt.

    But I was glad to find out what the differences were. Thanks my love.
    M

  14. Frank says

    03/17/2015 at 2:30 pm

    Thank you for sharing your research on the regular versus Greek yogurt. I’ve wondered about it for a long time, I do prefer flavored Greek yogurt, vanilla to be exact to avoid much sugars.

  15. Grace says

    03/19/2015 at 4:18 pm

    I actually stumbled upon this website while googling what the difference was. I vaguely thought it was healthier, but didn’t really have a reason why. I’ve been eating the mocha flavored Greek yogurt for breakfast, and some of the fruit flavors with a honey granola 🙂

  16. MS T says

    03/25/2015 at 11:40 am

    Just had some muller’s greek w/blackberries and raspberries, LOW FAT YOGURT. Lable says Fat Cal 20, Total Fat 2.5g, Sat Fat 1.5g,
    Trans Fat 0. Just wanted to point that out.

  17. Marybeth says

    03/25/2015 at 10:22 pm

    Thanks for sharing. When I wrote this post, I wanted to compare the nutrition from regular and Greek yogurt, in the same flavor, from the same brand. At the time, it was hard to find the same flavor, the same brand, in the same fat content (no fat, low fat, or regular). Since then, the Greek yogurt options have certainly expanded, and there are tons more options now, and many of the Greek yogurt options are fat free! I should probably re-do the nutrition information chart to reflect that. 🙂

  18. Diana says

    03/29/2015 at 10:47 pm

    True, most greek yogurts are fat free but in my opinion that’s not a great thing. Fats are an important part of a healthy diet so i get my daily quotient of fats from other food. I’m surprised to hear there is greek yogurt with fat so will be seeking it out.

  19. Marybeth says

    03/31/2015 at 8:42 pm

    Diana, I have a hard time finding Greek yogurts that aren’t fat-free. Most of the US consumers seem to want the fat-free versions, so those are what are easy to find (in my grocery store, anyway). Let me know what you can find in your store!

  20. Yogurt fan says

    05/07/2015 at 8:55 pm

    There’s no such thing as a “Greek Yogurt”. This is nothing but a very successful marketing exercise. Yogurt is yogurt. The only variations are additions to it, the so called ‘fruit yogurt’ which is loaded with lots of sugar to satisfy some tastes.

  21. Jey says

    05/23/2015 at 7:36 am

    There is no such thing as Greek yogurt. Greeks love to claim things that aren’t theirs. Yogurt is actually a Turkish invention, if the Turks hadn’t ruled over the Greeks, they wouldn’t even know what Yogurt is. The word Yogurt is Turkish as well. Do your research. Calling it Greek is just a marketing tool.

  22. shelley says

    05/25/2015 at 12:02 pm

    I’m surprised by your findings. When I moved to the US and tasted my first yogurt, I spit it out and then read the label. It was unlike any real yogurt I ever tasted. The label clearly indicated that it had a thickening agent. Perhaps you should try making your own yogurt and then compare it to the store bought one. I never heard of straining the liquid either as this would defy the whole healthy idea. The liquid contains a lot of nutrients.

  23. valerie says

    06/02/2015 at 9:48 am

    I have liked greek yogurt that is flavored for some time now. I only recently have noticed that I cannot have lactose so I was disappointed when I would eat regular yogurt and get very sick. The greek yogurts don’t produce any of the effects that regular lactose products do to my body. So I am very happy. My close friend introduced me to plain greek yogurt which she tops with sweet seedless red grapes. I absolutely adore it this way. The sweetness of the grapes counters the sour bite of the plain yogurt. Thank you for breaking down the difference between yogurts.

  24. michael franks says

    07/01/2015 at 1:09 pm

    Hi – thanks for the analysis.
    It’s interesting because the nutritionalist to whom I’ve been sent to help me deal with diabetes has ordinary yogurt in the sugar/carbohydrate categories and greek yogurt in the protein category. Seems that’s what you’re saying too.
    Anyway I just love the plain greek yogurt – I’ve always thought the fruit flavors a little “chemical”

  25. jo says

    07/11/2015 at 2:16 am

    Here in the Europe Lidl do both “Greek” & “Turkish” yoghurt with 10% fat. It is like eating double cream!

  26. Sarah says

    07/16/2015 at 10:05 pm

    I really like Fage 2%, a better taste and great substiture for sour cream! I like to stir in fresh fruit or just cinnamon, chopped walnuts, vanillavor almond flavoring and a little stevia or little raw honey!

  27. Sarah says

    07/16/2015 at 10:11 pm

    Stir in a natural almond butter for a great dip for apples! Could do peanut butter also!

  28. Hannah says

    09/08/2015 at 12:24 pm

    Just wanted to comment I know you said you weren’t crazy about the plain taste of greek yogurt! I felt the same when trying the more popular greek yogurt brands but on a strict diet I had to find some healthy yogurt options I liked and I tried Dann on because they advertised still tasting like normal yogurt. I bought plain greek vanilla dannon. And it is amazing! Also I eat every morning now … with sliced almonds and raspberries. And coconut, Chia and mango, this seriously tastes like an island! Last thought! In a mason jar it feels like that much more of luxury like you are pampering yourself every morning even if it took you minutes to prepare! 🙂

  29. Mary Margaret says

    11/02/2015 at 5:44 pm

    I have been mystified by this and other discussions about ” regular” and “greek” yogurt. I have made yogurt (easy!) for thirty- odd years. You use a quart of milk and a couple tablespoons of fresh yogurt, and you get a quart of yogurt (store brands usually have a bunch of fillers, thickeners and stabilizers; from the taste I suspect they are only about two-thirds yogurt). If you want Greek yogurt you strain off some of the whey – which is rich in protein, so I don’t understand how Greek yogurt is higher in protein, except that there you would have to add some more yogurt to make the same volume. You can strain it longer and get cream cheese. The tartness depends on the fat content of the milk you start with and how long it is cultured. You can add honey or sugar to the milk if you want it sweeter, or stir it in later, along with fruit or preserves.

  30. Darlene says

    12/16/2015 at 11:00 pm

    Hi Margaret, I would be really interested to hear how you make your yoghurt and what the whole process is. I am so over processed foods and am moving towards making as much of my own stuff as I can

  31. Lea says

    12/23/2015 at 4:25 pm

    When was this article written? It doesn’t have a date available that I can use to write a citation for a school project.

  32. Sean says

    01/14/2016 at 3:57 pm

    Dannon Oikos is not Greek Yogurt. Stonyfield Oikos was Greek Yogurt (which is strained) while Dannon is artifically thickened. Dannon bought the rights to use the Oikos name alongside Stonyfield, while the real Oikos Greek Yogurt was phased out over a couple of years.

    And Yoplait’s Greek Yogurt wasn’t even yogurt, until they got sued. It was essentially milk protein concentrate as a by product of skim milk production, and gelatin as a byproduct of cattle slaughter. It was literally made from garbage (as their flagship product continues to be).

    Fage is a good brand. Though I’ve eventually just come to make my own by putting regular milk in a sieve in my refrigerator. You can let it strain even further to make Labneh, which is similar to cream cheese.

  33. Sean says

    01/14/2016 at 3:59 pm

    ^ edit. I mean putting regular yogurt in a sieve, not just milk,…that wouldn’t quite work (-_-;)

  34. al dell says

    01/28/2016 at 8:11 pm

    to valerie,
    appreciated your comments. i like greek plain because of the low sugar content as compared to the plain whole milk variety (i tried stonyfield plain whole milk french vanilla at 30 grams of sugar per cup … just too much).
    a bit sorry to sacrifice away some of the calcium, but i am able to compensate w/additional mg, but not so easy to cut out other sources of sugar in remainder of meal !!
    God Bless and continue to eat wholesomely ever day to remain healthy. al.

  35. Brian Morr says

    01/28/2016 at 9:13 pm

    I’m a dedicated fan of Fage Greek yogurt bit I never knew the difference from regular yogurt.
    I eat it plain, with granola, honey, or even in place of sour cream.
    Thanks for the info. I’ve always been curious.

  36. Crazy greek says

    02/04/2016 at 11:36 pm

    For ones that have misinformation word “yoghurt” comes from “yogurt” which is a Turkish word there is nothing as greek yoghurt because yoghurt itself is Turkish.

  37. Sjones says

    02/17/2016 at 7:19 am

    I have allergies with milk and most diary and when eating regular yougurt I get stuffy sinuses for days after. But with greek yougurt I have none of those symtoms. I love the sour taste but eat it with fruits to sweeten and sometimes granola. Im so happy to get yougurt back into my life!!

  38. Marjie Case says

    03/06/2016 at 2:51 pm

    Stevia and greek yogurt has been recommended in “Beyond Diet” . Due to its high protein and low sugar content in Greek yogurt. Absolutely LOVE this new lifestyle eating which is simple and natural foods. From the farm to your gullet is healthy, slimming and tasty!

    Stevia and raw honey the only sweeteners allowed. You’ve gotta try Stevia Marybeth and thanks for the yogurt explanation!

  39. Angela says

    04/26/2016 at 4:48 pm

    The cuisine of ancient Greece included a dairy product known as oxygala (οξύγαλα) which direct translation is sour milk. It is believed to have been a form of yogurt. Galen (AD 129 – c. 200/c. 216) mentioned that oxygala was consumed with honey, similar to the way thickened Greek yogurt is eaten today.

  40. Rosemary says

    05/10/2016 at 10:30 am

    Yes, please do.

  41. Rosemary says

    05/10/2016 at 10:34 am

    Thank you for explaining the difference. I tried vanilla Greek yougert, added some berries and walnuts. A delicious treat.

  42. BETH S IVEY says

    06/23/2016 at 12:12 pm

    I love the Fage yogurt!

  43. Maria La Rocca says

    07/13/2016 at 7:37 am

    Yogurt is spelled yoghurt in the UK and other British speaking countries. That’s the reason for yogurt and yoghurt in European countries☺.

  44. jim cope says

    07/18/2016 at 9:07 am

    Is the lactic acid strained out of any yogurt product that you know about ?

  45. Marybeth says

    08/16/2016 at 10:12 am

    Jim, I’m not sure.

  46. Jen says

    08/19/2016 at 12:04 pm

    I use greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Also it is my daily breakfast because of the high protein content. I add stevia to sweeten and add powdered peanut butter for a low calorie flavor. I love it!

  47. Lisa says

    08/25/2016 at 5:07 pm

    Thank you for the information. I was eating some Greek yogurt and got curious. Guess it’s a common curiosity. 🙂

  48. Esther says

    09/05/2016 at 3:33 am

    I always thought Greek yoghurt was made with sheep’s milk instead of cows’. That might explain why it’s better for people with lactose intolerance?

  49. Marybeth says

    09/08/2016 at 9:17 am

    Esther, most Greek yogurt that is available at the grocery store (in the United States, anyway) is made with cow’s milk. I am not aware of any brands that use sheep’s milk, but there certainly could be one. Sheep don’t make nearly as much milk as cows, so it would be difficult to make enough yogurt for a large brand.

  50. Marybeth says

    09/08/2016 at 9:19 am

    Lots of people wonder about it!

  51. Marybeth says

    09/08/2016 at 9:20 am

    I’ve started substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream in some of my recipes, too!

  52. Bee says

    05/08/2017 at 11:00 pm

    I just took a spoonful of Greek vanilla yogart. The first thing I noticed is the neon white color. I like the firmness of it but the taste is so tart, not a fan. Luckily I plan to blend it with a protien powder and bananas.

  53. Marybeth Feutz says

    05/09/2017 at 10:48 am

    That sounds delicious!

  54. Wanda says

    08/22/2017 at 11:30 am

    Thanks for the information. I actually just tried Chobani flip because of TV commercials and flavor – Chocolate Haze Craze; however, I took one bite and then searched the internet to see if Greek Yogurt was supposed to taste this way.
    I can’t get past the sour taste so I think I will have to go back to my Yoplait staples.

  55. Marybeth Feutz says

    08/30/2017 at 4:06 pm

    Greek yogurt definitely has a different taste than regular yogurt. Go with what you like!

  56. Annette Mccaslin says

    01/20/2018 at 10:44 pm

    I love Greek yogurt because of its consistency. It seems to be smoother and have more flavor than regular yogurt.

  57. Chail says

    04/05/2018 at 9:08 am

    Hi Yoghurt/Yogurt is just not Turkish, therefore there is a bifurcation between Greek Yogurt or Regular yogurt.

  58. Cathy says

    08/17/2018 at 11:49 am

    The Banana Cream from Oikos is pretty good and I do not like yogurt.

Trackbacks

  1. Easy Weekly Meal Plan #34 - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    08/25/2017 at 12:22 pm

    […] What’s the Difference Between Regular & Greek Yogurt? […]

  2. Easy Weekly Meal Plan #37 - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    09/15/2017 at 2:33 pm

    […] What’s the Difference Between Regular & Greek Yogurt? […]

  3. What's in My Refrigerator? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    09/17/2017 at 10:51 pm

    […] bit of salad dressing? Do you remember when you opened that mayonnaise? Or that big container of Greek yogurt that you bought for that one recipe a while […]

  4. White Chocolate Lemon Cake Mix Cookies - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    02/11/2018 at 2:18 pm

    […] of following the cake mix box directions, I used Greek yogurt and eggs in these cookies (see the printable recipe card below for instructions). Toss it all in […]

  5. What is Buttermilk? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    04/11/2018 at 11:25 am

    […] buttermilk. So now buttermilk is made by adding cultured bacteria to low fat milk. (Similar to how yogurt is made.) These bacteria still ferment the natural sugars in milk and form lactic acid, which is what makes […]

  6. Episode 2 - Strawberries & Shortcakes - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    05/19/2018 at 10:36 pm

    […] What’s the Difference Between Greek Yogurt & Regular Yogurt? […]

  7. What's the Difference Between Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    06/06/2018 at 12:48 pm

    […] is actually in frozen yogurt. Frozen yogurt still includes sweeteners and other flavors. Because yogurt is cultured milk, it tends to have a bit of a sour flavor, compared to milk. Frozen yogurt can […]

  8. Why Does Yogurt Separate? - My Fearless Kitchen says:
    06/13/2018 at 7:37 am

    […] What’s the Difference Between Regular & Greek Yogurt? […]

Comment Policy

I welcome comments and conversation. All comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately. As long as you are respectful and courteous, your comment will be approved.
(Read my comment policy for more details.)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I'm Marybeth, the blogger behind My Fearless Kitchen! Jump in, and let me share what I'm learning about food, farming, quick kitchen tips, and easy recipes to chase the fear out of YOUR kitchen! Read more.
Follow Us On Pinterest

Popular Posts

Honey-BBQ Oven-Baked Ribs

Half-Sour Refrigerator Pickles

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Comment Policy — Disclosures, Disclaimers, & Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · My Fearless Kitchen

 

Loading Comments...
 

You must be logged in to post a comment.