8 Delicious Ways to Use Greek Yogurt in the Kitchen

Chock full of protein, loaded with calcium and potassium, Greek yogurt is, without a doubt, a great way to get more protein into your diet. Sure, you could have a cup of plain yogurt, but when it comes to nutritional bang for the buck, Greek yogurt soars to the top of the list.

Most brands contain twice the protein, half the sodium, and half the carbs of regular yogurt. It’s also is rich in probiotics, which help maintain the balance of bacteria necessary for a healthy digestive system and immune system. And it’s worth noting that Greek yogurt is a low-lactose food, so it may be a good option for folks who can’t tolerate lactose.

Okay, so now that we’ve sold you on the health benefits, how should you put it to good use? We’re glad you asked. Here are 10 ways to use Greek yogurt (besides eating it with granola on top).

1. Freeze it into bark, buttons, or nuggets.

This popular technique is well-loved by home cooks, for good reason. You can put your favorite Greek yogurt into a bag to squeeze into dots, tuck spoonfuls into fun-shaped ice trays, or simply smooth into a lined sheet pan to make a healthier bark, like this super-festive version from Eating Bird Food (featured!), or this super-summery bark from Kitchn.

Get a recipe: Strawberry and Pistachio Frozen Yogurt Bark from Kitchn

2. Bake crust-free Greek patties.

Here’s a super-simple, super-tasty summer treat: crustless Greek patties. While traditionally made with grape leaves, you can use any medium-textured leafy green with a little give. Very tough leaved greens, like collards, take a bit too long to cook, and spinach falls apart; try savoy cabbage, Lacinato kale, bitter dandelion greens or beet greens. Fill your greens with seasoned Greek yogurt, bake, and then drizzle with olive oil and toasted pine nuts. Yum!

Get a recipe: Chard-Wrapped Greek Yogurt Pies from New York Times

3. Make ranch dip.

The two mainstays of American dips are mayo and sour cream, but Greek yogurt offers a healthier alternative. It’s an especially natural fit for creamy, tangy ranch.

Get a recipe: Skinny Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip from Well Plated

4. Put it on salad.

Yogurt in dressing really isn’t anything new but sometimes in some salads, Greek yogurt makes the tastes and textures sing like no other ingredient. This recipe from Saveur is a summer and fall stunner, with layers of flavor that make it memorable. If you don’t have sumac, a squeeze of lemon will do the trick nicely.

Get a recipe: Kohlrabi and Watercress Salad with Yogurt Dressing from Saveur

5. Whip it!

Calling al Greek yogurt lovers! Did you know you can whip Greek yogurt into a fluffy mountain of yum,? Project Meal Plan has a great recipe that shows you how. It also uses small amounts of healthier sugars, (which successfully can be skipped over, if you aren’t having a sugary moment), making it a real win-win.

Get a recipe: How to Make Whipped Yogurt from Project Meal Plan

6. Blend up a crazy healthy milkshake.

Somewhere between dessert and savory, yogurt-based sweet drinks, especially from South East Asian and Indian cuisines, are a health-packed, all-natural kitchen wonder. You may be familiar with classic mango lassi from Indian restaurants, but when Greek yogurt is subbed for thin yogurt, like in this clean recipe from Skinnytaste the result is in essence, a crazily healthy milkshake.

Get a recipe: Mango Lassi from Skinnytaste

7. Experiment with your deviled eggs.

Make deviled eggs with mayo instead of yogurt, add some smoked paprika and sun-dried tomatoes, and top it all off with crispy shallots. We promise these won’t last long.

Get a recipe: Smoky Deviled Eggs from Kitchn

8. Lighten up your egg / chicken / tuna salad.

Greek yogurt can be a healthy substitute for mayo in egg, chicken or tuna salad. Our advice? Substitute no more than ⅓ of the mayo amount. It creates a better-balanced taste and texture than Greek yogurt alone.

Get a recipe: Avocado Egg Salad from Two Peas & Their Pod