What can I substitute for Greek Yogurt

In this brief guide, we are going to answer the question “What can I substitute for Greek yogurt?” and discuss the possible alternatives to substitute greek yogurt and the benefits of each alternative.

What can I substitute for Greek Yogurt?

To substitute greek yogurt there are several alternatives, including regular yogurt and cream cheese. However, greek yogurt has a unique consistency and flavor, due to its production process, in which milk proteins are concentrated by draining the liquids after fermentation (1).

As a result, greek yogurt contains less lactose and higher amounts of solids than regular yogurt and has a thicker texture. In addition, greek yogurt, as regular yogurt, contains probiotics, which are microorganisms that act positively promoting health. 

The consumption of probiotics is known to improve the immune system and favors the function of the intestines (2).

When used in recipes, greek yogurt improves the nutritional properties, as it can add high quality proteins in the food. 

To substitute greek yogurt both as an ingredient in a recipe and as a source of proteins and probiotics, you will need alternatives with similar characteristics as greek yogurt, that is, that contain proteins and probiotics and also an improved texture.

What are possible alternatives to Greek Yogurt?

There possible alternative to be used in the place of Greek yogurt are:

Cheese cream

Cheese cream serves as a good alternative to greek yogurt as it is a good source of milk proteins and probiotics. In addition, it can be compared to greek yogurt in the texture and spreadability.

The aroma is also similar due to the acidic compounds generated during the fermentation process. The main difference between cream cheese and greek yogurt is the fat content. 

While Greek yogurt is considered to be low fat, containing about 4% of lipids in the composition, cream cheese contains over 30% of lipids, due to the addition of cream (2).

Buttermilk

Buttermilk can be used as the best alternative for Greek yogurt, although it does not have a thick texture. Buttermilk contains low-density milk fat globules, casein and whey proteins and has been investigated in several studies to be used in bakery products to improve texture.

The use of buttermilk powder to improve texture and sensory properties of regular low-fat yogurt resulted in a product with higher water holding capacity, that is, better viscosity and firmness and increased shelf life (3).  

Butter milk is easier to digest than other dairy products, supports strong bones, improves oral health, helps lower your cholesterol levels and also lowers the blood pressure.

In the case of choosing buttermilk to substitute greek yogurt in recipes, you can add buttermilk and reduce the amount of liquid ingredients.

Regular yogurt

Regular yogurt is also a good alternative to substitute greek yogurt, as it is a very similar product, except the concentration of proteins and total solids. Differences are also due to the denser texture of the greek yogurt, as it is a more concentrated yogurt.

However, regular yogurt also contains milk proteins and probiotic cultures Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, which are the main lactic acid bacteria involved in the milk fermentation to produce yogurt (4).

Regular plain yogurt has a similar flavor as greek yogurt due to the presence of lactic, acetic, butyric and pyruvic acids, which characterize the yogurt aroma.

When using regular yogurt in the place of greek yogurt in recipes, you will need to reduce the amount of liquids added to the recipe, as greek yogurt is more concentrated than regular yogurt.

Other FAQs about Yogurt which you may be interested in.

Can you get sick from eating expired yogurt?

Does Yogurt go bad?

Are there non-dairy alternatives to replace Greek yogurt?

Yes, there are non-dairy alternatives to replace greek yogurt. There are many plant-based yogurt alternatives in the market today, which are produced using plant sources, such as soy, pea, cashew, almond, coconut, oats and the mixture of these plants (5).

To be similar to the dairy yogurt and greek yogurt, plant-based yogurts are added with vitamin D, vitamin B12, calcium and other nutrients, as they naturally lack the nutritional requirements to be classified as “yogurt”.

However, although they can be successfully used to substitute greek yogurt in a recipe, they do not have the same flavor and aroma as greek yogurt.

Conclusion

In this brief guide, we answered the question  “What can I substitute for Greek yogurt?” and discussed the possible alternatives to substitute greek yogurt and the benefits of each alternative.

References

  1. Gyawali, Rabin, et al. A review of factors influencing the quality and sensory evaluation techniques applied to Greek yogurt. J Dairy Res, 2022, 89, 213-219. 
  2. Tologana, R.D., Wikandari, R., Rahayu, E.S. et al. Correlation between the chemical, microbiological and sensory characteristics of cream cheese using a mixed and single probiotic culture. J Food Sci Technol, 2023, 60, 181–189.
  3. Zhao, Lili, Ran Feng, and Xueying Mao. Addition of buttermilk powder improved the rheological and storage properties of low‐fat yogurt. Food Sci Nutr, 2020, 8, 3061-3069. 
  4. Farag, Mohamed A., et al. Dissecting yogurt: The impact of milk types, probiotics, and selected additives on yogurt quality. Food Rev Int, 2022, 38, 634-650.
  5. Craig, Winston J., and Cecilia J. Brothers. Nutritional content and health profile of non-dairy plant-based yogurt alternatives. Nutrients, 2021, 13, 4069.

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