Greek yogurt – it’s been hugely popular in this country for the past four or five years. It’s about time we find out the difference between yogurt and Greek yogurt.
Yogurt by definition is a prepared food having the consistency of custard, made from milk, curdled by the action of cultures, sometimes sweetened or flavored.
Greek yogurt is yogurt that has been triple strained; regular yogurt is double strained – that’s the short answer to the difference between, but let’s dig a bit deeper.
While yogurt has a formal definition, the FDA and the National Yogurt Association do not have clear, set regulations for Greek yogurt. Therefore, Greek yogurt really could be anything.
But, traditionally, Greek yogurt is made by straining regular yogurt to remove the whey (liquid after milk is curdled) leaving a thicker, creamier yogurt. Some brands may cheat, skipping this intense straining process and instead adding a thickening agent like corn starch.
Also, Greek yogurt (typically) has about:
- Double the protein of regular.
- Half the carbohydrates as regular.
- Half the sodium of regular.
- Triple the amount of saturated fat of regular.
Truth be told, I am not a huge fan of Greek yogurt. I don’t like yogurt super thick.
I have used plain Greek yogurt in dips and dressings though, including with a turkey burger recipe I still need to post about!
Comments
2 responses to “Difference between: yogurt and Greek yogurt”
As someone who has been making my own yogurt and Greek yogurt for years, I was curious to see what new I could learn from you, and you didn’t disappoint.
I strain my homemade yogurt to make thick, creamy Greek-style yogurt (I believe authentic Greek yogurt is made of either Sheep’s milk or goat’s milk), but had never seen a recipe or how-to that advised straining regular yogurt after incubation.
Perhaps some do it because homemade yogurt, without the addition of gelatin and other thickeners so many commercial makers use, tends to be a little thinner than many people are used to. I’d love to know what reason your source gave for the straining.
Thanks for an interesting article!
Thanks Kathryn!
I had not found that authentic Greek yogurt is sheep’s or goat’s milk, thank you for adding that. 🙂