YOGURTS — CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE®

Information updated December 2023

Yogurt has such a wholesome reputation and it can indeed be a good-for-you food to eat. But yogurt is a category that now spans the spectrum from healthy food to junk food.

Some of the indulgent yogurt taste profiles shift certain products into the realm of being a treat like pudding. The good news is there are a few yogurt brands which are Closest To Homemade and delicious.

STRAWBERRY IS THE #1 FLAVOR: According to Statista 2023, Strawberry blended yogurts was the #1 yogurt flavor in the U.S. in 2020, so we'll look at Strawberry fruit yogurts.

As a starting point, let's look at the ingredients we would use to make Strawberry yogurt at home:

We can use this homemade yogurt recipe as a guideline as we look at the ingredients in these commercial yogurts.

Chobani is #1 in the branded yogurt category followed by #2 Dannon.  (Source: Statista 2023). Chobani is independently owned and Dannon is owned by Danone.

So, let’s take a look at #1 Chobani’s Strawberry Blended Greek Yogurt ingredients: Chobani uses three Thickening Agents in the form of Fruit Pectin, Locust Bean Gum and Guar Gum. Chobani also adds Water, Flavorings and Colorings >> these are ingredients which would not be in our kitchens if we were making strawberry yogurt from scratch; we designate these ingredients as being Not In Kitchen™. (Source for ingredients: Chobani Web site 12/23

Cane Sugar is the #2 ingredient in Chobani Strawberry Blended Greek Yogurt.

Below is another Chobani Strawberry Greek Yogurt —not Blended like the one above — with fruit on the bottom and less Added Sugar:

PLAIN YOGURT: If possible, choose organic grass-fed dairy which contains no added sweeteners.

CLOSEST TO HOMEMADE PLAIN YOGURTS Whole Milk and Nonfat: The Closest To Homemade Plain Yogurts shown below have no added Sweeteners, Flavors, Colors, Water, Gums or Chemical Preservatives (Sources: Brand Web sites 12/23)

Consider adding your favorite spices or fresh herbs to fabulous plain yogurt. Add a bit of organic honey if you want more sweetness. Perhaps try some new additions like grated coconut, cinnamon or freshly chopped dill and grated lemon zest.

FRUIT YOGURT: The majority of fruity yogurts have sugar from the fruit plus additional added sugars which make many fruit yogurts more dessert-like. 

Seen below are some fruit yogurts which are Closest To Homemade with no Added Gums, Flavors, Water, Artificial Sweeteners or Chemical Preservatives:

Non-Fat FRUIT YOGURT: Siggi’s 0% sweetened with real fruit + Cane Sugar.

Whole Milk FRUIT YOGURT: Siggi’s 4% whole milk yogurt sweetened with real fruit and Cane Sugar.

Following are some Dairy-Free Coconut based Yogurts which are Closest To Homemade®:

Discover more food + beverages whose ingredients are Closest To Homemade in 275+ categories.

REDUCED FAT AND LIGHT YOGURTS: Reduced fat and light versions of yogurt tend to have more ingredients Not In Kitchen >> more things are added to compensate for the flavor of whatever may be missing. 

DANONE’S DANNON LIGHT + FIT YOGURT: Seen below, Dannon Light + Fit Greek Strawberry yogurt contains Water plus numerous artificial ingredients which are Not In Kitchen when making Strawberry yogurt >> Fructose, Modified Food Starch, Natural Flavors, Artificial Flavors, Carmine for color, Malic Acid, Sucralose, Potassium Sorbate, Acesulfame Potassium and Sodium Citrate. (Source for ingredients: Danone Dannon Lightandfit.com Web site 12/23)

FIVE OF THE INGREDIENTS IN DANONE’S DANNON LIGHT + FIT GREEK YOGURT ARE BANNED AT WHOLE FOODS MARKET: Potassium Sorbate, Artificial Colors, Carmine (cochineal), Sucralose and Acesulfame Potassium are banned at Whole Foods who cites them as "Unacceptable in food." (Source: Amazon Whole Foods Web site 12/23)

Q: Through a homemade filter, do you think the Dannon yogurt below is "Light + Fit"?

HIGH TASTE PROFILE YOGURTS: It takes a lot of ingredients to meet consumer expectations for decadent flavors >> the more “elaborate” a flavor is, the more likely it is to contain more ingredients Not In Kitchen. 

General Mills’ Yoplait Whips! Chocolate yogurt (seen below) contains Far From Homemade™ ingredients which are Not In Kitchen including (among other things) Fructose, Dextrose, Modified Corn Starch, Caramel Color, Potassium Sorbate, Artificial Flavor, Red #40, Yellow #6, Blue #1, Lactic Acid Esters of Monoglycerides and Diglycerides and Nitrogen. (Source for ingredients: General Mills Yoplait Web site 12/23)

This General Mills’ Yoplait Chocolate yogurt is banned at Whole Foods Market because it contains the chemical preservative Potassium Sorbate, Artificial Flavor and 3 Artificial Colors, all of which Whole Foods cites as “Unacceptable in food”. (Source: Amazon Whole Foods Market Web site 12/23)

Yoplait Whips! Chocolate contains 22 grams of Total Sugars in one 4oz. container.

For perspective, a ‘four finger’ Kit Kat bar also has 22 grams of Total Sugars. (Source: Hersheyland Web site 12/23)

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And for your viewing pleasure, here are some old images from Dannon . . .