The Best Whole-Milk Greek Yogurt

With a “faintly sweet,” “super-rich, fresh dairy taste,” “like cream” or “butter,” that’s “thick,” “dense,” “decadent,” “luxurious,” and “not terribly tangy, just enough to know it’s yogurt,” our winner, the thickest of the lineup, embodied “the texture I associate with Greek yogurt,” as one taster wrote. High protein and no added stabilizers or thickeners listed on the label indicate that this is traditionally strained yogurt. The rich creaminess helped this brand hold its own against the garlicky sharpness of the tzatziki sauce, where it “balances nicely and melds the other flavors.” One taster summed it up: “Just right!”

With a “yogurt taste that is more assertive” than our winner’s, this brand also was “tangier than I generally like, but the richness balances it,” as one taster observed. Its “whipped texture” offered slightly “less body than I’d expect,” but overall, the yogurt had “great, fresh dairy taste.” Its greater tanginess and thickness nudged this brand to the top spot in our tzatziki sauce tasting. And its high protein count, simple ingredient list, and lack of added stabilizers and thickeners indicate that this is traditionally strained yogurt. (Note: “Cultured milk” in this yogurt’s ingredient list is simply another way to describe the usual ingredients; it does not indicate a different processing method.)

With a “supersmooth,” “creamy,” even “velvety” texture, this yogurt won fans, especially among those who don’t like sour flavor in their yogurt. Tasters said it had a “very mild taste,” though for some it “borders on bland.” In tzatziki sauce, it was “good all around, but not very tangy” and “a little loose.”

This “stiff,” somewhat “bland” yogurt adds pectin to simulate Greek yogurt’s traditional thick, strained consistency, which explains why it has one of the lowest levels of protein per serving in our lineup. The flavor was “pretty neutral” in tzatziki sauce. It was also notably sweet, which tasters didn’t like. This is not from added sugar but is a result of not straining: Lactose, milk’s natural sugar, is normally removed with the whey if yogurt is strained. We also found it watery.

This very “pillowy,” extremely high-fat yogurt takes a shortcut to Greece: By adding whey protein concentrate and milk protein concentrate instead of straining off the whey, the manufacturer boosts protein and artificially thickens the yogurt. Tasters complained of a “weird aftertaste,” described as “chalky” and “like plaster,” and a “savory, cooked” flavor (an off-flavor that can result from adding protein concentrates). In tzatziki sauce, tasters said, it was “missing tang.” 

With the one of the tangiest tastes and one of the thinnest textures, Chobani slid toward the bottom of the pack. “I expect Greek yogurt to be thicker than this,” complained one taster; another wrote that it was “almost like regular yogurt.” While a few tasters enjoyed its “sour cream”–like tang, “like something you’d put in a mashed potato,” others just called it “very sour.” In tzatziki sauce the results were similar, with tasters noting that it was “watery—both in texture and flavor.” One taster summed it up: “It’s too loose, tangy, and lean-feeling for me. For full-fat Greek yogurt, this seems disappointingly virtuous.”

This organic yogurt made from 100 percent grass-fed cows’ milk has a strong, savory flavor and stood out as very different to our tasters. While a few loved it, most found the “barnyard funk” too challenging. As one put it: “Grassy like a smelly cheese! Not what I want in a yogurt.” It was also much thinner and looser than our preferred Greek yogurt; in tzatziki sauce, it “doesn’t hold its shape on a dollop.”