Product Review: Higher Protein Yoghurt

Yoghurt continues to be a food item that adapts according to our consumer demand. So with the success of Greek Yoghurt in recent years, it is no wonder the range on our shelves has exploded!

We have taken our testing to new levels by getting the whole team involved (including kiddies!) in the blinding process for all things taste and texture. We also weighed up cost and of course the overall nutrition value of the product.

For the sake of testing like with like, we taste tested all the plain together, then for flavoured we kept it to strawberry versions, then also added in the new mix-in options to the review as well.

The plain options in all brands are absolutely awesome and you can’t really go wrong with any that you pick – so we say just pick the one on special that week and the one you enjoy! The bonus with the plain options is that you can buy in bulk, have the freedom of choosing your own flavour makers AND it turns out way cheaper.

As soon as you choose a flavoured option, the cost increases and the ingredients list becomes a little bit more extensive – but this doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  Simply scan the first few ingredients to see if sugar makes it into the top 3 ingredients, as this will give you a good hint that the sugar content is going to be on the higher side.

Superstars:

• Chobani Fit
• Danone YoPRO
• Woolworths Icelandic Skyr

Worth a Mention:

• Both Siggi’s (0.5% and 4%)
  • Although higher in sugar than some, the ingredients list of these yoghurts is ridiculously impressive and simple compared to all other options!

Improvement Needed:

• Yoguri Strawberry
  • Features a hefty 4tsp of sugar per serve – with a lot of this coming from added sugar.
• Chobani Strawberry
  • Another high sugar option (in the berry blend) with 4tsp of sugar per serve.

This is a whole new category when it comes to higher protein yoghurts, so it is worthy of a review. They really do put the ‘mix’ in ‘mix-ins’ though, as some are standouts and others simply a high sugar dessert option in disguise.

Superstars:

• Both the YoPRO options are standouts with focus on quality.
• The Chobani Fit X does really well with overall nutrition and low sugar, but just be aware that it has a lengthy ingredient list and uses sweeteners.

BS Award:

• Chobani Flip –
  • An ingredients list the length of my arm and an ‘impressive’ 4tsp of sugar per serve.
• Chobani Gimmes –
  • Still in shock over this product and it was interesting to see our kids leap for it as soon as they saw the packaging (hello marketing!). The ingredients list features an essay that includes palm oil, and it has 5 tsp of sugar per serve!

You may be wondering where some of the brands like Jalna or Farmer’s Union are in this review – both which have ‘Greek-Style’ options on the market. This is because there is a big difference between Greek Yoghurt and Greek-Style Yoghurt.

Greek Yoghurt goes through a straining process to remove the liquid acidic whey. This is what gives it that rich and velvety texture, and what makes it naturally high in protein.

Greek-Style Yoghurt on the other hand has not been strained and contains added thickeners such as gelatin or gum to give it the creamy thick texture, but without the removal of the acidic whey. Hence, this type of yoghurt doesn’t boast the high protein content unless it is added as a supplement.

Therefore, for the purpose of this review (and to keep it from getting out of control), we defined high protein as any yoghurt offering over 7g of protein per 100g.