If you want to eat a healthy, protein-rich diet, yogurt is often one of the easiest and most handy foods to find in the store. But not all yogurts are the same. Some are high in protein and bacteria, while others are high in sugar and fake ingredients. Picking the right high-protein yogurt can make all the difference, whether you want to help your muscles recover faster, feel full longer, or just enjoy a healthy snack.
This guide lists the 10 best and worst high-protein yogurts that you can buy at the store. This list has everything from smooth Icelandic Skyr to fakes that are high in sugar. It will help you shop smarter and eat better. Get ready to learn which yogurts you should keep in your fridge and which ones you should avoid if you want to stay healthy and fit!
1. Best: Siggi’s Icelandic Skyr Yogurt
People love Siggi’s Icelandic Skyr because it’s a high-protein, low-sugar yogurt that tastes great and is good for you. Skyr is officially cheese in Iceland, but people in the U.S. buy it and eat it as thick, smooth yogurt. Siggi’s is great for people who are watching how much protein they eat and how much extra sugar they eat.
A single-serving cup usually has between 15 and 19 grams of protein, which is a lot for its size. Even better, Siggi’s is made with only milk and live active bacteria. It doesn’t have any added colors, tastes, or preservatives. It tastes slightly sour, which makes it feel less like a sweet treat and more like a healthy breakfast or lunch. Also, this yogurt has a thick, filling texture that makes you feel full without any extra sugar or carbs.
Also, the milk comes from cows that are fed grass, which is great for people who care about how dairy is handled. If you want to eat more protein without giving in to highly sweet foods, Siggi’s has a variety of healthy, well-balanced options that can be used for meals or snacks.
2. Best: FAGE Total 0% Greek Yogurt
Another great option for people who want something high in protein and low in fat is FAGE Total 0% Greek Yogurt. This Greek yogurt is a favorite among athletes, gym-goers, and anyone else who wants to stay lean and strong because it has 18 grams of protein per 170-gram serving.
FAGE is a great choice for breakfast, a snack after a workout, or even a healthy treat when mixed with nuts and fruits because it is high in protein, which helps fix muscles and make you feel full. One thing that makes FAGE Total stand out is its ultra-thick, creamy texture, which gives it a rich mouthfeel without the need for extra thickeners or stabilizers. It tastes clean and a little sour, which makes it great for both sweet and spicy recipes.
One more benefit is that it doesn’t have any extra sugar, so you can change how sweet it is by adding other things. This yogurt can be used in a lot of different ways, like in smoothies, sauces, or parfaits. Its high protein content makes it a must-have in health-conscious homes.
3. Best: Chobani Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
Chobani is one of the most well-known yogurt brands in the U.S. for a good reason. Their non-fat Greek yogurt packs a lot of protein—each 150–170 gram amount has about 14–17 grams of protein. A lot of the whey is squeezed out of Chobani’s Greek yogurt, giving it a thick taste that many people like.
Chobani stands out because it is both affordable and high-quality. The brand gives a range of tastes without using any artificial ingredients and only uses natural, non-GMO ingredients. Plain varieties are especially healthy because they don’t have any extra sugars. Fruit-flavored varieties, on the other hand, use real fruit and only a small amount of sugar. Also, Chobani uses live, active bacteria that help keep your gut healthy and your stomach working well.
Their yogurts are great for snacks and meals, and the plain kind can be used in place of sour cream or mayonnaise in recipes for a better fix. Chobani’s Greek yogurt is a reliable, protein-rich choice that can work with most plans, whether you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or just eat better.
4. Best: Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt
Oikos Triple Zero by Danone is a game-changer for people who want a protein-rich yogurt that doesn’t have any of the normal problems, like extra sugar or artificial sweeteners. It’s a great choice for fitness fans and people who are watching their food intake because each dose usually has 15 grams of protein, no added sugars, and no fat. Stevia is added to Oikos to make it sweet without adding a lot of calories.
This makes it a good choice for people who are trying to avoid refined sugar. With flavors like vanilla and mixed berries, you can enjoy a variety of tastes without feeling bad about your nutrition. The texture is smooth and not too thick, but it’s still satisfying.
One thing that makes this yogurt stand out is that it has fiber, which is about 3 grams per serving and is good for digestion and feeling full. Oikos Triple Zero also has live, active cultures in it, which are good for gut health. This yogurt is a high-protein snack that doesn’t skimp on taste or texture. It’s great if you’re trying to lose weight, build muscle, or just eat healthier.
5. Best: Two Good Greek Low-Fat Yogurt
Two Good Greek Yogurt lives up to its name by providing both taste and nutrition in a tasty and healthy way. Each 150-gram serving of this yogurt has only 2 grams of sugar and 12 grams of protein, which is a lot less than most sweetened yogurts on the market.
The brand gets this low sugar level by slowly squeezing the ingredients, which naturally lowers the sugar level. They don’t use any fake sweeteners or a lot of other ingredients. Finally, you have a smooth, frothy yogurt that tastes great and is good for you in terms of both macro- and micronutrients.
Two Good also gets its milk from cows that haven’t been given growth hormones, which is a big plus for people who care about their health. The light taste of this yogurt goes well with granola, fruit, or even savory toppings like seeds and herbs. It’s great for people who are watching their blood sugar or just want to cut back on sugar without giving up the thick goodness of Greek yogurt.
6. Worst: Yoplait Original Yogurt
An old favorite for many, especially those who grew up in the 1990s, Yoplait Original is not at all the best choice if you’re looking for something healthy and high in protein. Greek or Icelandic-style yogurts have a lot more protein than Yoplait Original, which only has about 5 grams of protein per serving.
What’s even scarier is how much sugar is in it. A single cup usually has 15 to 19 grams of extra sugar, which can quickly throw anyone off track with their nutrition goals. The high amount of sugar can cause insulin levels to rise, which can cause energy crashes soon after eating.
Yoplait Original also uses a lot of fake colors and tastes, which may not fit with a healthy eating plan. However, this yogurt doesn’t have the right mix of nutrients for most people in a protein-rich snack or meal. The texture is nice, and the taste is sweet. Yoplait Original doesn’t live up to your hopes if you want to eat it as a healthy food instead of a treat.
7. Worst: Dannon Fruit on the Bottom
Another favorite is Dannon’s Fruit on the Bottom yogurt, but it doesn’t hold up when it comes to protein or sugar balance. This yogurt tastes like fruit, which makes it tempting for people who like sweets. However, each serving only has about 5 grams of protein, which is not much for people who are trying to meet their daily protein goals.
Even worse, the amount of sugar in it can be shockingly high—up to 20 grams per cup—with most of it coming from added sugars instead of lactose that occurs naturally. In addition to having too much sugar compared to protein, Dannon’s Fruit on the Bottom yogurts often have fake flavors and chemicals that don’t belong in a whole-foods diet.
The fruit layer gives it a burst of flavor, and the texture is light and smooth. However, it’s more like a dessert than a healthy snack in terms of nutrients. This yogurt is one that you should leave on the shelf if you’re serious about eating more protein or less sugar.
8. Worst: Noosa Yoghurt
People love Noosa Yogurt because it tastes and feels like a rich treat, but that comes at the cost of being healthy. There are about 7 to 9 grams of protein in each jar, which is less than Greek or Icelandic choices. But the big red flag is the amount of sugar in it.
Depending on the taste, it can have up to 30 grams of sugar per serving. That has more sugar than most candy bars! Noosa uses high-quality whole milk and real fruit purées, but it has too much sugar for people who are watching their blood sugar or calories.
Even though the rich texture and delicious flavor make it look like a good treat, it’s not a good choice if you’re trying to eat healthy foods that are high in protein and low in sugar. Noosa can be a nice alternative to cake in small amounts, but it’s not a healthy yogurt that you should eat every day.
9. Worst: Activia Probiotic Yogurt
For its probiotic content, Danone’s Activia Probiotic Yogurt is marketed as a gut health aid. However, it lacks nutrition and does not live up to its claims. Not even close to the amount of protein found in Greek or Icelandic yogurt brands—about 4 grams per serving is the most usual amount.
Also, many of Activia’s flavored types have 12 to 16 grams of sugar per dose, which could make any digestive effects less useful by causing blood sugar levels to rise. There are some good probiotics in the yogurt, like Bifidobacterium, but generally, the nutrition profile is more for fun than for health.
If you want to eat more protein and keep your gut healthy at the same time, there are other yogurts that do both without having a lot of sugar. Activia might be good as a snack once in a while or for people who are only interested in probiotics, but it’s not a good high-protein choice.
10. Worst: Yoplait Whips! Yogurt
Yogurt Yoplait Whips! is more of a treat than a healthy food, even though it’s sold as yogurt. While being beaten makes it light and airy, it also makes it less rich in nutrients like protein. About 4 to 5 grams of protein are in each jar, which is way too little to be called a high-protein snack or meal part.
On the other hand, there is usually a lot of sugar in them—about 18 to 20 grams per dose. This can throw your body out of balance, making you hungry right after eating and possibly giving you bad urges later on. Besides that, Yoplait Whips! often has fake tastes and preservatives, which make it even less healthy.
It might be fun to treat yourself to it once in a while because of its unique texture and sweet taste, but you shouldn’t count on it if you want to build muscle, stay full longer, or keep your energy level steady all day.
Conclusion:
Picking the right high-protein yogurt can have a big effect on your health goals, whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or just eat well. The best yogurts have a clean list of ingredients, a lot of protein, and not much extra sugar.
The worst yogurts, on the other hand, are often sneaky sugar bombs that look like healthy foods. This list will help you make better choices and snack smarter the next time you go shopping. Reading labels can help a lot!
FAQs:
What makes high-protein yogurt better than regular yogurt?
In general, high-protein yogurt has fewer added sugars than regular yogurt and helps you feel full longer. It also helps your muscles heal.
What about Greek yogurt? Is it always high in protein?
There is more protein in most Greek yogurts than in plain yogurt, but always read the label because some sweetened yogurts may have more sugar and less protein.
Q3: Can yogurt with a lot of protein help me lose weight?
Yes! High-protein yogurts are great for weight control because they make you feel fuller, which can make you feel less hungry and less likely to overeat.
Q4: What should I not do when I buy yogurt?
Stay away from yogurts that have a lot of extra sugar, artificial tastes, or not much protein. You should look for foods that have few chemicals and at least 10 grams of protein per serving.