Dear Friends,
I hope you know that I’m writing this blog for you and your families as much as I am writing it for me and my family! Many of the topics that come up here are ones that come up in my life, whether it’s a question that I have or one that a friend has asked. (By the way, that’s often the way I come up with an idea for a new post, so keep your questions coming!)
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.
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).
The bacteria ferment the lactose (milk sugar) in the milk and produce lactic acid. Different strains of bacteria have slightly different fermentation processes, and have slightly different fermentation products, but the end result is primarily lactic acid. So some strains of bacteria might produce a fermented yogurt that is more acidic, or more bitter, or more sour.
(PS, think of a strain of bacteria like a breed of dog. The bacteria is still Streptococcus thermophilus, just like all dogs are Canis familiaris, but some dogs are golden retreivers and some are Chihuahuas. Bacteria have similar breeds, or strains.)
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 Dannon strawberry yogurts.
| Nutritional Information | Dannon Fruit-on-the-Bottom | Dannon Oikos (Greek) |
| Size | 170 g | 150 g |
| Calories | 150 | 160 |
| Total fat | 1.5 g | 4.5 g |
| Cholesterol | 5 mg | 15 mg |
| Sodium | 110 mg | 55 mg |
| Potassium | 290 mg | 170 mg |
| Total Carbohydrates | 28 g | 18 g |
| Dietary Fiber | < 1 g | 0 g |
| Sugars | 26 g | 17 g |
| Protein | 6 g | 11 g |
| Calcium | 25% DV | 15% DV |
Here’s a refresher on how to read a nutrition label.
(It’s pretty difficult to find the same flavors, in “regular” or “fat-free” from the same brand!)
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.
While we’re on the topic of yogurt, have you ever wondered about frozen yogurt? It’s similar to ice cream, but it’s not quite the same thing!
Have you tried Greek yogurt before? Will you try it now? Let me know how you like it!
Thank you for the info. I don’t eat much yogurt because of the sugar but if I do it is greek yogurt.
Yogurt does have a lot of sugar, especially the flavored ones. How does the plain flavor stack up in sugar for you?
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.
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.
Yogurt is spelled yoghurt in the UK and other British speaking countries. That’s the reason for yogurt and yoghurt in European countries☺.
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.
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.
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!
I’ve started substituting Greek yogurt for sour cream in some of my recipes, too!
Thanks, I had wondered about the differences! I’ve never tried Greek.
Carla, give it a try! I think you’ll like it.
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. 🙂
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. 🙂
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.
That sounds great! I’ve not tried Stevia yet, but have heard some good things about it. I’ll have to check it out.
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!
I love the Fage yogurt!
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.
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.
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. 🙂
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.
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!
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!
Yes, please do.
Here in the Europe Lidl do both “Greek” & “Turkish” yoghurt with 10% fat. It is like eating double cream!
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
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
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.
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 🙂
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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”
Stir in a natural almond butter for a great dip for apples! Could do peanut butter also!
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! 🙂
When was this article written? It doesn’t have a date available that I can use to write a citation for a school project.
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.
^ edit. I mean putting regular yogurt in a sieve, not just milk,…that wouldn’t quite work (-_-;)
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.
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.
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!!
Thank you for explaining the difference. I tried vanilla Greek yougert, added some berries and walnuts. A delicious treat.
Is the lactic acid strained out of any yogurt product that you know about ?
Jim, I’m not sure.
Thank you for the information. I was eating some Greek yogurt and got curious. Guess it’s a common curiosity. 🙂
Lots of people wonder about it!
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?
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.
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.
That sounds delicious!