What Do I Do With Yogurt?

We’re all familiar with pairing yogurt with fruit, yogurt parfaits and adding yogurt to smoothies, but yogurt can play in the savory sandbox as well. Share these tips and recipes with your participants and they may just say “yogurt to be kidding me, this is great!” Read on for more information or jump to the recipes.

Counseling Corner

Yogurt is a good source of calcium, vitamin D, and many other nutrients like potassium, which can help in maintaining healthy blood pressure. Not all yogurts are fortified with Vitamin D. Read the Nutrition Facts Label to verify.

The good bacteria in yogurt (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus) help keep digestive systems healthy. Some yogurts contain additional live probiotic bacteria that is added to help increase the benefits to the digestive and immune systems.

Buying unsweetened, plain yogurt allows for flexibility in controlling the sugar and calories. You can add fruit for sweetness at home.

What’s the difference between regular yogurt and Greek yogurt?

Both regular and Greek yogurt are made from the same ingredients but vary in nutrients.
Greek yogurt is thicker, creamier, and isn’t as sweet in comparison to regular yogurt.
Plain Greek yogurt has less sugar and more protein.
Regular yogurt tends to have more calcium than Greek yogurt.
Both types of yogurts are a great source of probiotics.

Tips & Ideas to Share

Yogurt is a versatile food that can stand on its own or partner with other foods, both sweet and savory, adding a creaminess to recipes and helping to cool some spicier dishes. It can even be used as a full or partial substitute for other ingredients when preparing food.

Tips for cooking and substituting with yogurt:

Replace plain yogurt for mayonnaise on sandwiches and in cold salads (e.g., egg salad, tuna salad, potato salad, coleslaw) and other side dishes, such as elote.
Blend a creamy, low fat salad dressing using yogurt.
Substitute plain yogurt for sour cream in or when topping foods like soups, burritos, and nachos.
Create a dip for fruit or coat fruit in yogurt and freeze it for a frozen treat.
Replace for butter in baking. It is best to follow a 1:1 ratio.
Use yogurt-based sauces or marinades for meats.