The Best And Worst High-Protein Yogurt To Buy At The Grocery Store

Protein consumption has been a trending topic in the nutrition and fitness world for a few years now, with goals of muscle "gains" driving strength-seekers to up their consumption. But protein isn't just for the bodybuilding crowd. This macronutrient provides a wide range of other benefits, from helping us feel full to contributing to bone mass and faster metabolism.

The yogurt market has responded to the protein-seeking consumer with higher-protein versions of this popular cultured (fermented) dairy product. In particular, the past decade has seen a huge rise in the sale of Greek yogurt. Unlike regular yogurt, Greek yogurt is strained. This removes the whey, creating a thicker, more tangy product with almost two times the protein of regular yogurt. So, shoppers interested in protein may tend to gravitate to products labeled "Greek yogurt" in addition to non-Greek "high-protein" yogurts.

I began eating Greek yogurt and high-protein regular yogurts only about a year and a half ago, drawn by their protein content, their probiotics' potential to support gut health, and their usefulness in smoothies, dips, soups, sauces, and marinades. Over time, I've grown less adventurous and have stuck with Fage's nonfat Greek yogurt. I'm content there, but I'm also getting bored and acquiring a curious roving eye every time I pick up my familiar purple-and-white container. It was time to test out these other intriguing high-protein yogurts to see which provided the best tang, taste, and protein for their buck.

The Greek Gods is a Seattle-based company that claims to use "old-world methods" to make their Greek-style yogurt. I paid $5.18 for my 32-ounce container of the honey flavor, which comes to $0.16 per ounce. That's a fair price for a Greek yogurt — the fifth-cheapest I reviewed. The container of this Greek yogurt proudly states that it's "All taste and no tang" (a little confusing since tang is a taste), so I assume this is marketed for the folks who don't like the tang that the Greek yogurt straining process produces. This didn't bother me. The key thing was the flavor, texture, and protein content.

There was a sheen to the surface when unstirred. I see that more in regular yogurts; Greek typically looks almost matte. Likewise, on the texture front, stirring revealed a more gelatinous "regular yogurt" texture rather than the thickness of Greek yogurts. The flavor was fine; this honey yogurt tasted like any honey yogurt, and, no, there was no tang. But when I saw the nutrition label, I did a double-take. Zeus-ton, we have a problem.

There are 7 grams of protein in 170 grams (⅔ a cup) of this Greek yogurt. If you think in terms of 5.3-ounce-cup sizes (150 grams), that's 6 grams of protein. That's not a high-protein yogurt; that's old-school regular yogurt territory. I'm not rating these based on sugar content, but if I'm rolling with 23 grams of sugar per serving like this yogurt has, I'd rather get it in Greek yogurt with actual protein and more flavor.

In terms of price and flavor, this Bettergoods Honey Vanilla Greek Yogurt outranked many other yogurts in this review, but it suffered from a fatal flaw that bumped it down to second-to-last place. A glance at the nutrition label reveals the same failing as The Greek Gods product, providing only 7 grams of protein per 170-gram serving. So, don't buy this thinking you're getting high-protein yogurt. If you buy this, do it for the flavor, because it is incredibly delicious. It's also incredibly affordable. At $3.97 for 32 ounces ($0.12 cents an ounce), you'll find no cheaper Greek yogurt.

Containing sugar, brown sugar, and honey, this yogurt's flavor is smooth and grows to a crescendo of delightful sweetness and complexity on the tongue. Like The Greek Gods yogurt, there are 23 grams of sugar per serving in this, but it actually tastes like it in this case. If it's sweetness you're seeking, this is the one to grab. Texture-wise, I found no complaint. It's a medium-low thickness after stirring, no lumps or wateriness. If this had actual "Greek yogurt" levels of protein, it would be ranked exponentially higher.

Siggi's is a bit of an anomaly among the other yogurts in this review, since skyr (a traditional Icelandic dairy product), isn't technically yogurt. However, it's sold with the yogurt and is known for its protein content, so I thought it vital to review one to get the most well-rounded picture of the high-protein "yogurt" world at this time. Skyr is typically made with skim milk rather than whole, so it contains less fat than yogurt. It's also thicker than Greek yogurt, being strained longer and including the enzyme rennet, and it contains different cultures that provide a subtly different flavor.

My 5.3-ounce container of Siggi's had a cute little tab you pull off to read the product's "story" — A+ for packaging! When I opened the container, the skyr looked thick and delicious, with real vanilla bean specks. When stirred, though, it was more like a medium-thick Greek yogurt. The taste was where things went wrong. With the vanilla bean specks and the inclusion of Madagascar bourbon vanilla, I expected, well, vanilla, but I could barely detect it. The skyr was also a bit sour, and there was a chalky aftertaste. I'd have to top it with granola or muesli to enjoy it.

There are 16 grams of protein in the skyr, which is quite good, but the typical price could be prohibitive. I got it for $1 on sale, but it's usually $1.79 ($.34 an ounce), making it the most expensive.

The Friendly Farms brand is owned by Aldi, a store known for its affordable prices compared to standard supermarkets. I'd tried Friendly Farms' low-sodium cottage cheese before and found it okay flavor-wise and excellently priced, so I was curious about the Greek yogurt selection. I opted for the 5.3-ounce fruit-on-the-bottom cup, which provides a nice 12 grams of protein for only $.69 ($0.13/ounce), the second-cheapest I reviewed.

It took a bit of stirring to dredge up the strawberries; they were all congregating on one end of the container. Once mixed, the yogurt itself was moderately thick, but it just wasn't very tasty at all. Now, I wasn't expecting a bushel's worth of fresh, juicy fruit, but the strawberries tasted muted, and their texture was a little gloopy and chunky in a bad way.

It's nice to have the option for a high-protein fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt if that's what you need, but I found this underwhelming. With that price, though, I might try a different flavor from the brand or even their plain Greek yogurt variety.

In the early 1940s, Dannon brought yogurt into the American consciousness. In the late 20th century, the brand brought out its Light & Fit line for the health-conscious crowd. I first tried one around that time, didn't like it, and didn't give the brand another try. But in 2012, Dannon added Greek yogurt to the Light & Fit product lineup, and with 12 grams of protein per 5.3-ounce cup, it certainly belongs in this review. I paid $1.18, making it $0.22 per ounce, right in the middle price-wise.

The first feature I noticed was that the container's plastic sleeve was loose and slid off as I was pulling open the seal. I almost dropped the container. On opening, I was met with a super-strong sweet aroma, and the flavor was just as intense. I'd chosen it because it sounded delicious, which it was, but if I didn't know it was toasted marshmallow, I wouldn't be able to identify it. The texture was slightly thinner than some of the other yogurts I reviewed, but it wasn't watery or unpleasant by any means. In the end, this was too sweet for me, but if you're looking for a dessert yogurt, this could be perfect.

Too Good & Co. offers low- and zero-sugar yogurts in quite a range of exciting flavors (there is also a mix-ins line that contains 6 grams of sugar). I went with the low-fat, lower-sugar coconut to compare it to another coconut-flavored high-protein yogurt I reviewed.

On opening, I found the sheen and gelatinous consistency of regular yogurt. The product is called "Greek yogurt" on many retail sites like Walmart, but the brand itself does not use the phrase on its packaging. When I stirred the yogurt, I saw that it's definitely on the thinner side, though not watery. However, the coconut flavor was nice but too faint for my tastes.

It does contain 12 grams of protein per cup, but you could get that or more with other yogurts that have a more standout flavor and texture. For $1.25 ($.24 per ounce), this is neither bad nor amazing. The mere 2 grams of sugar would be the biggest draw for this yogurt if you're looking for less sugar but don't require zero-sugar products.

Oikos offers a wide range of Greek yogurt products and drinks. The brand's "Pro" line caught my attention for its 20 grams of protein per 5.3-ounce cup. If you review the protein content of the yogurts above, you'll see that's a lot of protein for this serving size, and it's achieved through the addition of whey protein concentrate. Oikos Pro products also offer only 3 to 4 grams of total sugar per serving, with zero grams of added sugar. So, if you're trying to cut added sugar and up your protein, this could be a great option. But how about the flavor and texture?

Like any typical standard yogurt, this had a gelatinous sheen to it, and after stirring, there was a smooth, medium-light consistency. The strawberry flavor is pleasant but nothing special, and my final consensus was that this is perfectly okay: I don't love it, but it's pretty good. The price, $1.48 or $0.28 per ounce, was the third most expensive, but with 20 grams of protein, that's not excessive.

I always noticed Stonyfield's kid-friendly yogurt drinks in the grocery store, but completely overlooked the large containers of plain organic Greek yogurt at the "grownup" end of the aisle. This review remedied that oversight. The brand started off in the early 1980s as a non-profit organic farming school in New England, and it was the first brand in the U.S. to make organic Greek yogurt. It was undoubtedly worth a try.

This Greek yogurt looked nice and smooth in the container, and it stirred easily and with no wateriness. It had a good tang, along with a touch of natural sweetness that I don't usually detect in fat-free plain yogurts. Its 16 grams of protein per 170 grams (about 14 grams per 5.3 ounces) is quite good, and the price was right in the middle of the review group at $6.84, or $0.21 per ounce. Overall, this is a nice nonfat Greek yogurt with what I'd call a medium-thick consistency that would make a great yogurt sauce or tzatziki (which is different from tahini).

Dannon brought yogurt to the U.S., but it was Chobani that introduced most people to Greek yogurt. Chobani's range of yogurt products is quite large, from its drinks to its "Flip" line — a snack that has you flip half the container over to blend a sweet mix with Greek yogurt. Chobani is a common sight in the yogurt aisle of supermarkets, and I was curious how the most consumed yogurt brand in the U.S. fared among the rest. I opted for the nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt with zero sugar, which cost $1.22 ($0.23 an ounce)– a high to mid-range price compared to the rest of the yogurts I tried — and contained a typical 12 grams of protein per serving.

There was a light vanilla aroma when I opened the container, but the flavor was vibrant, much more so than Too Good and Co's. It wasn't strong enough to verge on cloying, like the Dannon Light & Fit, but this isn't something you'd pick if you don't want vanilla. The yogurt had a good medium-thick consistency that reminded me of Stonyfield's. Not bad at all.

The Great Value brand didn't fare well in my review of cottage cheese brands, but this was a new product and a new day. Maybe Walmart's store brand would nail its Greek yogurt offering in terms of flavor and texture. I wasn't optimistic, but I was hopeful. This nonfat vanilla yogurt contained 13 grams of protein in 5.3 ounces — that's 1 gram more than some of the more prestigious brands I reviewed — and it was one of the cheapest at only $0.72, or $0.13 an ounce.

To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. The texture is fairly thick; it's not exactly rich, but it's the furthest thing in the world from the watery disaster that was Great Value 1% cottage cheese. Second to price, the vanilla flavor was my favorite thing about this, being bright and tasty. If you like vanilla yogurt, want protein, and don't mind 7 grams of sugar, do try this! It's (wait for it)... a great value.

Cabot Creamery offers a robust range of cheeses and other dairy products, and from its small selection of 2% or 10% milkfat Greek yogurts, I chose the plain 10% version. The 32 ounces cost only $4.12 at Walmart; at $0.13 an ounce, that ties it with Friendly Farms for second-cheapest.

You could never forget this yogurt is 10% milkfat. It was so thick it actually required a little elbow grease to stir — not that it needed stirring. That fat content would make it work well as one of the two ingredients in yogurt pizza dough if you could keep yourself from eating it all. The flavor was wonderful: a hint of tang and a delightful natural sweetness.

There are a couple of caveats, though. If you're limiting saturated fat, be aware that this contains 10 grams per serving. It's also only available in 32-ounce sizes — no small cups. If it would take your household over two weeks to finish this, it may not be for you, since yogurt lasts one to two weeks in the fridge. Finally, Cabot Creamery is Greek-style rather than Greek yogurt. Its 12 grams of protein (per 5.3 ounces) come from milk protein concentrate and whey protein concentrate.

Ratio's focus is on delivering products with a certain ratio of net carbohydrates, fat, and protein, all of which are clearly labeled on the front of most of its products. That's great news if you count macros — no need to total up net carbs yourself. A number of Ratio's offerings are keto-friendly, too, though the yogurt I reviewed is not. Rather, it's part of the "Protein" line, providing a whopping 25 grams per 5.3-ounce cup. Like Oikos Pro, whey protein concentrate is how this cultured dairy snack hits that number. In other words, this isn't pretending to be Greek yogurt.

This yogurt had a phenomenally nice coconut flavor: bright, sweet, and tropical. The texture was slightly thicker than other non-Greek yogurts but with a distinct velvety smoothness. I loved everything about it except the price. I got it for $1.66, $0.31 an ounce, making it the most expensive if you don't get Siggi's on a sale day.

Fage started in Athens, Greece and made its way to the United States in the 1990s.The brand offers a more limited line of products than Chobani and Oikos, but the authentic blended Greek yogurt has won Fage (pronounced fah-YEH, per its containers) quite a following in the U.S. Since the brand's fat-free variety is my usual go-to, I was eager to see how its 2% yogurt compared.

All Fage Greek yogurt comes with a thin paper over the contents that absorbs the whey, preserving the yogurt's textual integrity. When removed, you're met with a thick, almost matte product. While stirring this 2% yogurt, I realized it was in second-place for thickness among the contenders, right after the 10% milkfat Cabot Creamery. Think about that: 2% versus 10%, and the texture between the two is comparable.

This yogurt had a nice tartness that would make it a good substitute for sour cream. There was also a hint of sweetness that I don't pick up in the fat-free version. At $1.36 ($0.25 per ounce) per cup and 15 grams of protein, this pick's unbeatable balance of taste, protein, and texture won it the top place overall.

Taste, protein content, price, and texture were my top concerns when ranking these high-protein yogurts. I'm fairly flexible on texture; I enjoy thick, rich yogurts as well as lighter, thinner ones, but a velvety smoothness is ideal — nothing gummy, gooey, lumpy, or watery, please. For flavor, my ideal plain yogurt has a medium tang with some natural sweetness, and the best flavored yogurts don't taste bland or artificial, no matter what they're flavored with.

Looking at protein, I expect a yogurt labeled "high-protein" or "Greek yogurt" to have at least double the amount of protein in a standard regular yogurt product. That comes to about 12 grams per 5.3 ounces (150 grams). I have not rated products labeled "Greek yogurt" lower if they aren't traditional strained Greek yogurt. One might argue that "traditional" Greek yogurt is made of sheep's milk and not cow's milk, anyway. I've noted it, however, along with other features like high fat or sugar contents, since this is important to many readers.