Greek yogurt has become the go-to yogurt for its many health benefits. Greek yogurt is, as you probably already know, a great source of protein, but also vitamin B12, selenium, zinc, and probiotics (1).
To get the most health benefits from your Greek yogurt, many experts recommend purchasing unsweetened, unflavored Greek yogurt. However, if you’re more accustomed to eating your standard blueberry or strawberry cup of yogurt, you may taste plain Greek yogurt and recoil. It’s certainly a flavor to get used to, with a sharp, almost sour taste that not everyone is going to love immediately.
So, if you’re trying to make your Greek yogurt taste better, what can you do? Here are a few ideas.
Stir in a little honey.
While you don’t necessarily want to buy sweetened Greek yogurt, you can still get the yogurt’s full health benefits without needing to cut sweetness altogether. Combining a moderate amount of honey with your Greek yogurt is delicious, slightly sweet, and provides you with all of honey’s health benefits as well, such as amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, minerals, iron, zinc, and inflammatory properties (2).
Add in maple syrup.
An equally quick way to flavor your Greek yogurt, while adding sweetness and extra health benefits? Add maple syrup. According to the Maine Maple Producers Association, maple syrup contains 24 natural antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals such as manganese, zinc, iron, and potassium.
Top it with fruit.
Of course, one of the easiest and most straightforward methods of improving your Greek yogurt’s taste is to add in a little fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, and other berries, bananas — whatever your go-to yogurt flavor — add that fruit to your Greek yogurt. If you still find the Greek yogurt flavor a little too strong for your liking, maybe start out with more fruit then yogurt, then work your way up.
Add it to your overnight oats.
Greek yogurt is often added to overnight oats as a thickening agent. If you already have a favorite overnight oats recipe, but have been relying only on your favorite dairy or dairy replacement as the oats’ soaking liquid, add in some Greek yogurt.
Pair it with savory foods.
Maybe it’ll help if you stop thinking of Greek yogurt as a breakfast food and start thinking of it more as like a sour cream alternative. In fact, you can actually use Greek yogurt in place of sour cream in many recipes, as Greek yogurt makes a lower-calorie, lower-fat, higher-protein alternative to sour cream (3).
Add it to your stuffed baked potato, add a dollop to your favorite soup or stew, or mix it into your mashed potatoes.
Add it to your baked dishes.
If you want to completely mask the flavor of Greek yogurt, though, consider adding it to a baked good, where it can add moisture, fat, and healthy protein, without impacting the overall taste. Greek yogurt brand Oikos recommends trying it in a vanilla pound cake or spice cake.
