How to Eat Plain Greek Yogurt: Low Sugar Yogurt Recipes You Can Make Yourself

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If you follow us on Instagram, you might have noticed there are a lot of yogurt posts. A lot. I didn’t actually realize this was a common theme until I was explaining my ” low sugar yogurt snack” with someone recently and directed them to our Instagram page. What can I say, I love yogurt. healthy yogurt

Too often, pre-packaged yogurt can be full of added sugars. As in, 25+grams of sugar per 4 ounce container type of full. However, there are naturally occurring sugars in yogurt, which is okay, and usually accounts for 7-10 of the grams. What we want to focus on here is the amount of added sugars in the yogurt.  The easiest to way to tell how many grams of added sugar is in your yogurt choice is to compare it to the same size and same brand plain yogurt option. To make it even easier, the new food labels will be required to break down natural sugars and added sugars on all products (but the release date of these new labels has been postponed).  So how many grams of added sugar is too much? The American Heart Association recommends no more than 24 grams of added sugar per day (and less than that is better).  As I mentioned, many flavored yogurts have this much sugar or more – and I was eating it as a snack not even a dessert!

I decided it was time to transition to plain Greek yogurt and sweeten it myself to control the amount of sugar I was consuming. Now, if you have ever had plain Greek yogurt it is a STARK wake-up call to flavored yogurt. Based on my own trial and error, I recommend not going cold-turkey and instead making it a transition to plain Greek yogurt. How? Choose a juicy fruit and add a dash of pure maple syrup or honey.

How to eat plain Greek yogurt and enjoy it:

  1. Choose a creamy plain Greek yogurt. My favorites are Fage and Trader Joe’s brand, they are not watery or grainy and are always thick, smooth, and creamy. If you just cannot get used to the bitterness of the plain 0% Greek yogurt, start with plain 2% Greek yogurt, as it is usually a little sweeter and creamier. To test this low sugar snack idea, or to make it easy on-the-go, feel free to purchase the single-serve options. I prefer to buy the tubs since it is most cost-effective (especially at Costco), but that is a personal preference.
  2. Choose a juicy fruit. You need a fruit that is sweet enough and juicy enough to help mask the bitterness of plain Greek yogurt. Juicy fruits to add to your yogurt include orange slices, very ripe blackberries, very ripe strawberries, grapefruit slices, ripe peaches, and purple grapes. My two favorites are orange slices, the juice from the orange makes it all blend beautifully with perfect sweetness, and purple grapes. I know, grapes sound weird. And you don’t believe it. But I am telling you— grapes in plain Greek yogurt is a delicious combination that you have to try, just make sure every bite of yogurt has a grape in it too. I dare you to try it! With orange slices and/or grapes, no extra sugar (maple syrup or honey) is needed, as they are both juicy and sweet enough.
  3. Add a dash of honey or pure maple syrup (a dash!). You really do not need a lot, a little bit goes a long way here. Add a dash to start, and then slowly add less and less each time. That is the best way to transition out of any overly sweet food in general and is very easy to do with yogurt.
  4. Optional: top with cinnamon for added flavor, stir in a spoonful of low sugar chia seed jam, or top with toasted oats and/or a low sugar granola. I prefer to make my own granola to limit the amount of added sugar, or I will just toast some old fashioned oats (toss with a tiny bit of canola oil) for the crunch without any sugar. Not keen on making your own? Kashi Go Lean Original is low in sugar and adds crunch. Another delicious add-in? A tablespoon of almond butter or natural peanut butter – dip in crunchy apple slices for a filling snack.

Below are a few of my favorite low sugar yogurt combinations:

healthy yogurt

Plain Greek yogurt with blueberries, raspberries, and a drizzle of honey.

healthy yogurt

Plain Greek yogurt with orange slices and homemade low sugar granola – my FAV option.

healthy yogurt

Plain Greek yogurt with a tablespoon of natural creamy natural peanut butter and topped with just a few chocolate chips. Dip crisp apple slices.

healthy yogurt

Plain Greek yogurt with sliced figs, a drizzle of honey, and a sprinkle of chia seeds.

The easiest way to eat it to-go: Prepackaged plain Greek yogurt and top with grapes and low-sugar granola.

low sugar yogurt

Plain Greek yogurt with grapes and blackberries- no added sugars when you have juicy grapes!

Plain Greek yogurt with fresh strawberries and a drizzle of honey.

My go-to and favorite option again, plain Greek yogurt with orange slices – no added sugar needed!

How do you like to eat low sugar yogurt? Any flavor combinations I should try? Add them to the comments below.

You might also like:

Greek Yogurt Review

The Best Low Sugar High Protein Yogurt

Pumpkin Yogurt: The Only Pumpkin Product I Like

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30 thoughts on “How to Eat Plain Greek Yogurt: Low Sugar Yogurt Recipes You Can Make Yourself

  1. My grandmother is a diabetic patient. According to doctor, she should use low amount of sugar. Also, she love yogurt but yogurt is rich in sugar. Thank you so much for providing easy recipe of low sugar yogurt recipe.

  2. Thank you so much a couple splashes of Maple syrup and awesome I can eat Greek yogurt and it’s not maple syrupy

  3. I shall try the receipes to have with my easyjo yogurt. Seems to be a much better way to eat plain yogurt. I will tell you how I got on

  4. All these suggestions are very good. I, too only buy plain, fat -free yogurt.
    I like to add a few spoonfulls of fruit cocktail or a drizzle of chocolate
    syrup. If I have any pound cake, I cut it up and put the yogurt on top.
    It is my nightly snack. I suppose all the above can be put in the yogurt
    at the same time ! As long as it’s a small amount of each. !!!!

    1. Hi Dolores, those are good suggestions for how to have a sweet treat using yogurt!

  5. Just blended a few dried plums (costco) and plain greek yogurt for my 12 months boy. Not easy to blend them completely, i should try to add some prunes juice. Not sure if its ok to eat.

    1. Please be sure to consult your pediatrician if you have questions about introducing new foods to your toddler.

  6. Thank you for this article! I had never thought about oranges or grapes. What a great idea! I will be having this today with oranges:)

    1. Great!! They both sound a little odd to add to Greek yogurt but they are both delicious! Especially oranges this time of year when they are in their prime. Let us know what you think!

  7. It’s also economical to buy plain yogurt and make your own Greek yogurt. All you need to do is strain the yogurt (typically in the refrigerator overnight) and you end up with whey (which could be used in smoothies or homemade breads) and Greek yogurt.

    1. I like to mash banana and break up a pack of Belvita, then stir in 4 TBSP of plain Greek yogurt with some cinnamon in a bowl…voila! Taste like banana cream pie for breakfast! I ran out of banana today (panic!) and only have oranges, I Googled to see if anyone eats Greek yogurt with orange (yes, it sounds odd), that’s when I stumbled upon your post! I’m gonna try that tomorrow, I have Mandarin oranges too, I wonder if I can use them as well.

    2. Yum! That sounds delicious, thank you for sharing that recipe combo- we will have to try it. And YES oranges sound weird but it is delicious, the juiciness of the oranges really helps makes the yogurt sweeter. Let us know what you think!

    3. Are the above suggestion good for diabetic people or for any one who wants to loose weight?

    4. Hi Shaun, plain Greek yogurt is a good option for those who want to reduce their sugar intake, as it does not contain added sugar. If someone has diabetes and is looking to lose weight, it is important to consult with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and/or Certified Diabetes Educator (CDE).

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