In our Taste Test series, BA editors conduct blind comparisons to discover the best supermarket staples (like vanilla ice cream or frozen pizza). Today, which Greek yogurt should you reach for in the dairy aisle?
Greek yogurt is beloved for its custardy texture, high protein content, and ultimate versatility. One moment it’s the base of a breakfast with granola, the next it’s playing a starring role in a marinade, and the next it’s the foundation of a tangy-creamy dip.
What we have come to know as Greek yogurt actually has culinary roots in the Middle East, but many cultures have a version of strained yogurt, from Icelandic skyr to Turkish süzme yoğurt. Most varieties are made by straining out excess whey from yogurt, which renders a thicker consistency while retaining the same zing of bright sourness.
Today Greek yogurt is a multibillion dollar industry in the US, but with so many brands to choose from, which is best? We judged on flavor and texture to find the Greek yogurt that successfully balances puckery sharpness with a velvety rich texture.
Just the Absolute Worst: Cabot Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
The ingredients: pasteurized milk, cream, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, and live active yogurt cultures (acidophilus, Bifidus, L. bulgaricus, and S. thermophilus, vitamin A palmitate, and vitamin D3).
The flavor: Cabot’s Greek yogurt couldn’t have been further from what we were looking for. As digital production assistant Li Goldstein put it, the taste was more akin to “Cottage cheese, if cottage cheese were, I don’t know, bad?” When editorial director Serena Dai took a bite, her eyes darted around the room before a frown bloomed on her face. “It tastes like if vanilla went bad,” she said. The texture here was akin to a thick mousse (perhaps because of a whopping 10% milk fat), and the flavor somehow resembled Parmesan. I wouldn’t ask my worst enemy to taste this yogurt.
The Disappointment: Trader Joe’s Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
The ingredients: pasteurized milk and live active cultures (Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. paracasei, Streptococcus thermophilus).
The flavor: Trader Joe’s does a lot of things well, but Greek yogurt appears to be a weak spot. While the taste was pretty excellent (senior cooking editor Emma Laperruque called it “bright and tangy”), the consistency was all wrong. Associate cooking editor Antara Sinha noticed that it was thinner and more watery than other options, as if it were plain old unstrained regular yogurt. What a let down.
The Famous Flop: Chobani Whole Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
The ingredients: The only ingredient mentioned in Chobani’s ingredient list is “cultured milk,” but elsewhere on the packaging also listed L. rhamnosus, S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidus and L. casei as active cultures that are included.
The flavor: Chobani is among the most recognizable Greek yogurt brands, but this option was a no thank you from our team. Laperruque noted a cheesy, cheddar-like smell and also declared that it had a “chunky” texture. Goldstein wondered aloud if the yogurt had gone rancid. Unlike its competitors, Chobani boasts that it’s “triple strained.” Despite that—and its 5% milkfat—we felt it lacked the fatty richness we expect from a whole-milk yogurt.
Less than Noteworthy: Wallaby Organic Aussie Greek Whole Milk Plain Yogurt
The ingredients: cultured pasteurized whole organic milk, and live and active cultures (L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, Bifidus, L. paracasei).
The flavor: Wallaby touts itself as “Aussie inspired” yogurt, which in theory means that it's processed at a lower temp for a longer time and then strained. Our tasters found this option to be particularly light—perhaps too light. “Thin” was the word many staffers used to describe the dab of Wallaby Greek yogurt on their spoon. Goldstein noted that the taste was mild too. Overall, Wallaby was quite a neutral option, which would be great in recipes that don’t need the pronounced tang of other Greek yogurts, like these Sfenj or these Crunchy Coconut-Sesame Shrimp with Spicy Lime Mayo.
The Wallflower: Stonyfield Organic Plain Whole Milk Greek Yogurt
The ingredients: cultured pasteurized organic whole milk and live active cultures (S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidus, L. paracasei And L. rhamnosus).
The yogurt: Stonyfield’s Greek yogurt was rather thin as well. Its flavor was also quite mild. All in all, this was a pretty unremarkable, if not inoffensive, Greek yogurt. Sinha noted that it had a “blank slate vibe,” which could be ideal for recipes that use Greek yogurt as a supporting actor like this Key Lime Pie. Although it wasn’t the worst of the bunch, we prefer our Greek yogurt to have a bit more character and backbone.
Impressively Tangy: Whole Foods Organic Plain Greek Yogurt
The ingredients: cultured pasteurized organic whole milk and live active cultures (S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, Bifidus, L. paracasei, L. rhamnosus).
The flavor: Whole Foods’ 365 brand Greek yogurt was one of the best we tasted. “This is the tang I’ve been looking for!” exclaimed Goldstein. Laperruque said the texture was “silky,” and Sinha added that it tasted much fresher than some of the other yogurts we tried. Notably, it only contained 3.5% milk fat. This lower fat content allowed more of the tartness to shine through and ensured the texture had enough weight without feeling cloying.
The Uncontested Champ: Fage Total 5% Greek Yogurt
The ingredients: pasteurized skimmed milk and cream and live active cultures (L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, L. acidophilus, Bifidus, L. casei).
The flavor: Fage was one of the original companies that brought Greek yogurt to a global audience in the late ’90s, and it’s obvious why the brand has had such staying power. The clear winner of our taste test, this yogurt’s texture was creamy and deeply rich but not stifling, and its flavor was crisply tart but luxuriously creamy. As a nice touch: The layer of parchment on top of the yogurt inside the container prevents it from separating in the refrigerator. “This is what Greek yogurt is supposed to taste like,” declared Goldstein.