Open any one among our editors’ fridges and also you’ll virtually at all times discover a tub of Greek yogurt staring again at you. (If not, it’s on subsequent week’s buying listing!) After arriving stateside within the late ’90s, the creamy and thicker-textured yogurt “completely modified American tastes,” in accordance with Statista; right this moment it accounts for greater than 50% of all U.S. yogurt gross sales.
Its rise in recognition introduced an inflow of manufacturers. Have you ever ever felt just a little overwhelmed standing in entrance of all these Greek yogurt choices? Similar! Which is why we had been decided to suss out which tastemaker is price its weight in liquid whey.
We caught to plain whole-milk Greek yogurts, avoiding any which have added flavors. Many of the Greek yogurts we selected are made with non-organic milk and had been priced between $5 to $7 for 32 ounces. We prioritized title manufacturers which are available and several other retailer manufacturers offered at retailers with places throughout the nation. We additionally requested The Kitchn editors for suggestions and checked out latest gross sales information, new launches, and previous style assessments to spherical out the choice.
After a day of tasting and tallying, that is the Greek yogurt we’ll be stocking in our fridge from right here on out (plus, a really worthy and iconic runner-up).
Finest Greek Yogurt: Merely Nature Natural Complete Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
After securing a strong second place in our canned pumpkin style take a look at, Aldi has lastly outdone itself (and the 9 different manufacturers vying for the highest spot right here). Merely Nature — one of many low cost grocer’s well-liked retailer manufacturers — Natural Complete Milk Plain Greek Yogurt is the one contender to attain threes or larger, incomes principally fours and fives throughout all standards. Merely Nature is, in a phrase, balanced.
Made with natural milk and reside lively cultures, the “shiny” trying Greek Yogurt has a extra gentle odor than different manufacturers we tasted, a lot of which had a scent extra paying homage to bitter cream. Tasters, like Raquel, our account supervisor and “Large Greek Yogurt Lover,” additionally rewarded Aldi’s Merely Nature for its “nice tang” and “clean, however thick [and] creamy, however gentle” texture (though some assume it could possibly be a bit firmer). A number of, together with our Social Media Supervisor, Sam, assume it’s a superb base for mix-ins like granola, fruit, and honey.
Runner-Up: Fage Complete 5% Complete Milk Plain Greek Yogurt
What for those who don’t reside close to an Aldi? Effectively, Fage Complete 5% Complete Milk Plain Greek Yogurt isn’t any slouch both — plus it’s the OG import and obtainable at a number of retailers in all 50 states! 5 tasters ranked this very formidable runner-up of their prime three. Past its accessibility, although, this tub greater than held its personal.
Like Aldi, Fage’s Greek yogurt has a gentle “milky scent” that every one tasters discover “pleasing” and a “tremendous refined tang,” which Raquel likens to labneh. The place the 2 diverge is texture: In a sea of sameness, Fage’s “Thick!” (capital T, exclamation level!) consistency stands out simply by the seems of it. Along with these beauty, the “fluffy, ethereal texture, but creamy style,” says Raquel wins practically each taster over (two discover it to be just a little too thick). Greg, our office expertise supervisor, calls it “wealthy” and even offers it a ⭐ (and he could be a robust critic).
How We Examined the Greek Yogurts
We held a style take a look at of 10 completely different plain whole-milk Greek yogurts and recruited eight “BIG followers!” (so you already know they’re certified), who work in our workplace to take part on this one-day take a look at.
Tasters had been concerned about a Greek yogurt they might eat straight from the bathtub and likewise use as a dip or in any variety of recipes that characteristic it as an ingredient. Thickness was crucial, as was a “little bit of zing/chew” as Greg places it. A number of tasters had been weary of a bitter harshness that may overwhelm some store-bought manufacturers. Steadiness is vital!
Every Greek yogurt was scooped into plain white ceramic serving bowls by Maya, our studio assistant, and positioned in bigger metallic or glass bowls crammed with ice to protect freshness. The Greek yogurts had been assigned letters to hide every manufacturers’ identities forward of the tasting. We additionally had sample-sized cups of granola and pitchers of chilly water available for palate cleaning.
Tasters rated every of the Greek yogurts on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = No, thanks; 2 = Meh; 3 = Fairly good; 4 = Actually like; 5 = Sure, Please!) throughout 4 standards — look, odor, texture, and taste — and included any particular observations, tasting notes, and common opinions price mentioning. They had been additionally requested to reply, arguably, a very powerful query of all: Would you purchase this Greek yogurt?
This was a blind style take a look at, which suggests tasters had no data of the manufacturers being evaluated forward of or on the time of the tasting. It was held over sooner or later and tasters had been instructed to pattern the Greek yogurts in random order (to stave off palate fatigue and never give anyone combine an unfair benefit). The group of tasters included a mixture of meals professionals and a few very enthusiastic Greek yogurt lovers who work at The Kitchn and/or Condo Remedy Media (The Kitchn’s guardian firm). All participated within the style take a look at voluntarily, and we thank them for being so beneficiant with their time and suggestions.
Talking of, every taster crammed out a rating sheet (with out dialogue or affect) rating the Greek yogurts throughout a number of standards (listed above). The outcomes had been additionally tabulated with none visibility into the manufacturers. Solely after the numbers had been finalized did we reveal which manufacturers corresponded to the winners.
Did your favourite Greek Yogurt make the listing? Inform us about it within the feedback under.