As yogurt is gaining popularity in the world of nutrition, it is becoming increasingly difficult for a consumer to understand the different options available for the types of yogurt. Yogurt is a highly nutritious food choice. It is filled with protein and is loaded with probiotics. Moreover, it’s an excellent choice for a bioavailable source of calcium.
This article covers the 7 major types of yogurt available:
Traditional yogurt, the most common out of all yogurt types
The Traditional American-style yogurt is the most common yogurt type. It is unstrained and is made from whole, low-fat, or non-fat milk. Because it’s unstrained, it’s lower in protein in comparison to the strained varieties such as Greek yogurt. Traditional yogurt has a smooth and creamy texture. It has a tangy, sour flavor. Since it is unstrained, it’s not as thick as other yogurt options, but it’s still too thick to drink.
Popular brands: Yoplait, Stonyfield, and Dannon.
Nutrition information: One 3/4 cup (6 ounces) of Dannon plain yogurt contains
| Calories | 80 Kcal |
| Fat | 0 |
| Saturated Fat | 0 |
| Carbs | 13g |
| Sugar | 10g |
| Protein | 8g |
| Added sugar | 0 |
Ingredients: (Dannon) Cultured Grade A non-fat milk, food starch, and active yogurt cultures, including L.Acidophilus.
Greek yogurt
Greek yogurt is a thick and creamy yogurt. Greek yogurt is thicker and higher in protein because it is prepared by the straining process. This process removes the liquid and whey. As a result, most Greek yogurts have twice the amount of protein content than that of regular low-fat yogurt. It is available in several forms, full-fat, low-fat, and fat-free Greek yogurt.
The popularity of this yogurt type is gaining momentum, owing to its high protein content. It works as an excellent protein source for weight loss.
Popular brands: Chobani, Fage, and Dannon Oikos.
Nutrition information: One 3/4 cup (6 ounces) of Dannon Oikos plain Greek yogurt contains:
| Calories | 100 Kcal |
| Fat | 0 |
| Saturated Fat | 0 |
| Carbs | 7g |
| Sugars | 7g |
| Added sugars | 0 |
| Protein | 18g |
Common ingredients (Dannon Oikos): Cultured Grade A milk and active yogurt cultures.
Icelandic yogurt
Icelandic yogurt type is also known as skyr. It is also a strained yogurt just like Greek yogurt. However, it is creamier and thicker than Greek yogurt. In fact, it takes nearly four cups of milk to make a single cup of Icelandic yogurt, which is why it contains more protein than regular yogurts.
Popular brands: Smári, Ísey Skyr, and siggi’s.
Nutrition information: One ¾ (5.3-oz) cup of siggi’s plain skyr yogurt contains
| Calories | 100 Kcal |
| Fat | 0 |
| Saturated Fat | 0 |
| Carbs | 7g |
| Sugars | 5g |
| Added Sugars | 0 |
| Protein | 19g |
Common ingredients (siggi’s): Pasteurized skimmed milk, live and active cultures (S. thermophilus, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, B. lactis, L. acidophilus, L. delbrueckii subsp. Lactis).
Australian yogurt
Australian yogurt is unstrained like the traditional American yogurt. It’s made with whole milk and is typically sweetened with honey. It has a velvety and creamy texture. Australian yogurt is kind of in between the Greek-style and traditional-style yogurts. The protein content of this yogurt is less than that of Greek yogurt but higher than traditional yogurt.
Popular brands: Noosa and Wallaby.
Nutrition information: One ¾ (5.3-oz) cup of Wallaby plain yogurt contains
| Calories | 160 Kcal |
| Fat | 8g |
| Saturated Fat | 5g |
| Carbs | 8g |
| Sugars | 5g |
| Added sugar | 0 |
| Protein | 15g |
Common ingredients (Wallaby): Cultured Pasteurized whole milk, live active cultures (L. acidophilus, L. bulgaricus, S. thermophilus, Bifidus, and L. Paracasei).
French yogurt
It is similar to Australian type of yogurt. It is unstrained but full fat yogurt which makes it just as creamy as Greek or Icelandic options. However, French yogurt has less protein content than Greek and sometimes contains more sugar.
Popular brands: Oui by Yoplait, la fermière, and St. Benoit.
Nutrition information: One 5.6-oz (160 g) container of la fermière plain yogurt contains:
| Calories | 160 Kcal |
| Fat | 13g |
| Saturated Fat | 8g |
| Carbs | 7g |
| Sugars | 7g |
| Added sugars | 0g |
| Protein | 5g |
Common ingredients (la fermière): Grade A Pasteurized Whole Milk. Grade A Pasteurized Cream, Live Active Cultures (S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus).
Plant-based yogurt types
Plant-based yogurt types can be made from soy, almond, cashew, hemp, flax, or coconut milk.
Popular brands: Silk, Stonyfield Organics, and Kite Hill.
Nutrition information: One 3/4 cup (170 g) of Silk plain soy yogurt contains:
| Calories | 110 Kcal |
| Fat | 4g |
| Saturated Fat | 0.5g |
| Carbs | 10g |
| Sugars | 5g |
| Added sugars | 4g |
| Protein | 9g |
The nutrient profiles of plant-based yogurts vary widely as they’re made from different foods and companies have different fortification processes. For example, Almond and coconut milk-based yogurts have less protein content whereas soy-based yogurts have similar protein amounts as that of dairy.
Common ingredients (Silk plain soy): Soymilk (filtered water, soybeans), cane sugar, live and active cultures, corn starch, natural flavor, pectin, tricalcium phosphate, citric acid, dipotassium phosphate, sea salt, mixed tocopherols (to protect flavor), vitamin C and vitamin D2.
Kefir
kefir is a fermented milk drink. It is produced when milk and kefir grains (cultures of bacteria and yeast) interact. It has a tart, tangy taste. Strained kefir has a creamy texture similar to Greek yogurt and contains twice the amount of probiotics. kefir is available in full-fat or non-fat and plain or flavored varieties.
Popular brands: Lifeway, The Greek Gods, and Ludwig Dairy.
Nutrition information: One cup (8 oz) of Lifeway plain kefir contains
110 kcal; 2 g fat; 1.5 g sat fat; 9 g carbohydrate; 9 g sugars; 0 g added sugars; and 13 g protein.
| Calories | 110 Kcal |
| Fat | 2g |
| Saturated Fat | 1.5g |
| Carbs | 9g |
| Sugars | 9g |
| Added Sugar | 0g |
| Protein | 13g |
Common Ingredients (Lifeway): Pasteurized low-fat milk or non-fat milk, pectin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3 and cultures.
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