You may have heard of some of the benefits of Greek yogurt, but did you know you can use it as a substitute ingredient in a wide variety of dishes?
It can replace everything from buttermilk to cream cheese, sour cream to mayonnaise. It’s great for use in baked goods, savoury sauces, and dips. Take a look at these details about Greek yogurt and how to use it as a substitute ingredient in your weekly meal plan.
What is Yogurt?
Yogurt is fermented milk. Two specific lactic acid bacteria create the fermentation, and these are the “live cultures” you see advertised on your yogurt containers. These cultures benefit gut health and make yogurt easier to digest than milk or cheese.
Yogurt is a good source of:
- Protein
- Calcium
- Potassium
- Vitamin D
The benefits of yogurt as a substitute include reducing the fat and upping the protein content of your dish. The protein in yogurt helps keep you full and provides a good source of vitamins and minerals. Yogurt is also recommended for growing children and older adults to get a good serving of calcium and vitamin D (which helps you absorb the calcium) for bone health.
What is Greek Yogurt?
Greek yogurt is yogurt that has been strained of some of its liquid, leaving behind a thick, creamy version of itself. The texture of Greek yogurt makes it ideal for use in dips and as a replacement for creamy ingredients like sour cream, cream cheese, and mayonnaise. Plain Greek yogurt is slightly tangy and easily flavoured, which is the perfect complement to savoury dishes and many baked goods, and it’s easily sweetened for desserts and snacks.
Greek Yogurt Can Be a Substitute For:
- Sour cream: This one might be the most obvious based on its similar texture and slightly “sour” or tangy flavour. Drop a dollop of Greek yogurt onto your baked potatoes or on top of a Mexican dish for a rich, creamy garnish.
- Cream cheese: Use it plain or whip in some herbs or fruit and spread Greek yogurt on your morning bagel or toast. It has far less fat and much more protein per serving. You can strain the yogurt even further to ensure you have the thickest consistency as a cream cheese replacement.
- Mayonnaise: Before you cringe at the thought of spreading a layer of yogurt on your ham sandwich, think about all the ways you might incorporate mayonnaise into a recipe. It’s often the base of sauces, dips, and spreads--for which Greek yogurt makes a great substitute! Try blending two tablespoons of Greek yogurt with sriracha or sweet chili sauce, then use it as a dip, dressing, or drizzle.
- Buttermilk: Thin your Greek yogurt with water to the consistency of heavy cream and use it to replace buttermilk in your baked goods. With a similar flavour and half the fat, this substitution works great for everything from biscuits to tea cakes to banana bread.
- Salad dressings: Greek yogurt makes the perfect base for every creamy salad dressing. Try it for your caesar, honey mustard, ranch, and blue cheese dressings and get the added benefit of extra protein, calcium, and reduced-fat.
- Desserts: Yes, frozen Greek yogurt is top of the list here (and it’s delicious!), but Greek yogurt makes a great replacement in other desserts, as well. Here’s a cheesecake recipe that subs out half the cream cheese for Greek yogurt! And here are recipes for chocolate mousse, chocolate chip cookies, and skinny cake pops using Greek yogurt!
