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Plain yogurt is a good cheap eat that you can enjoy plain as well as in cooking and baking. It’s a must-have in our kitchen.
It wasn’t until we found ourselves buried in debt that I really gave plain yogurt a chance. Previously, I bought the more expensive sugared varieties in individual packaging.
Once I started to drastically cut my grocery budget, I became a little more cut-throat in my yogurt buying: I only bought store brand on sale or a name brand on sale with a coupon.
Now that I’m trying to clean up our family’s diet, I prefer the plain variety without all the added junk.
Buy Plain Yogurt
As it turned out the store brand’s flavored varieties were pretty gross and they were filled with ingredients and fillers I didn’t want my family to eat. So, I started buying plain yogurt which had the great price, but without all the additives I wanted us to avoid.
Yogurt as a main dish
I doctor it up with fresh fruit or jam or even maple syrup or honey. My older children were slow to catch on at first, but the younger ones were totally on board from the start. In fact, they love it with maple syrup as does my husband. He makes it a regular lunch or afternoon snack.
As for me, I love to make parfaits with berries and granola.
Yogurt in recipes
I’ve also used plain yogurt as a substitute for sour cream in dressings and in baking. It’s a key ingredient in Mix and Match Muffins and Chocolate Banana Marble Cake as well as our favorite topping for fish tacos, Yogurt-Dill Dressing. My kids love the Yogurt Pancakes that are in the Good Cheap Eats cookbook. (affiliate link)
Yogurt makes Fish Tacos into Happiness on a Plate. Plain yogurt is also a fantastic base for marinades like this Buttermilk-Yogurt Marinade or Tandoori Chicken.
My target price is $0.50 per individual cup or $2-2.50 for a large carton of regular yogurt, $3-3.50 for Greek. Costco tends to have the best price on the latter.
The full fat version from Mountain High is divine in parfaits, but I typically opt for the nonfat Fage for the extra boost of protein. I’ve also learned how to make yogurt myself!
I don’t clip as many coupons as I once did, but I’m sure to stock up when I see sales and especially when I have coupons for our favorite brands, like Fage or Mountain High.
Either way, plain yogurt is a healthy and economical ingredient. Most definitely a good cheap eat.
Do you use plain yogurt in your cooking?
This post was originally published on July 19, 2010. Pricing information has been updated.
Monica
You should read The Schwarzbein Principle written by a doctor who has done lots of research on diabetic patients. It completely changed the way I looked at fats!
Alex Hall
I still have a hard time with plain yogurt, as do my kids, but I think it’s mainly due to what we are used to – sugared yogurt! As for the fat, I know that with milk, the fat makes it easier to digest and makes it so you absorb more of the vitamins (that are fat soluble). I’m not sure if the same is true for yogurt, as it usually has the live cultures that aid in digestion.
Mikki
I just finished licking the inside of my Vanilla yogurt container!! LOL!
Seriously! Yogurt has become my go to snack. Some chocolate chips, some walnuts.. and I’m a happy girl!
Great post!
Jennie
About Full Fat Items – not just yogurt! Add this to your bookin it list! I know you would like it
Eat Fat, Lose Fat
by Dr. Mary Enig and Sally Fallon
Liz
I agree with Jennie. Eat full fat. I stopped doing low-fat/no-fat a year ago.
teresa
i use the all natural nonfat plain yogurt and add about 2 T of fruit (mashed banana, fresh pears or cooked cinnamon apples) to lightly sweeten a portion of yogurt. i mix this in with fiber one cereal and top with frozen blueberries. add a cup of coffee and it’s my favorite breakfast. yum.
mary
We are making the transition to full fat dairy and it is a bit daunting. After hearing my whole life that fat makes you fat, it is hard to wrap my head around the fact that it is healthier for me. But I must say, the whole milk plain yogurt tastes much better than the fat-free. It is creamier and smoother. Not at boingy tasting. I make my own using a good quality whole milk yogurt and some yummy non-homogenized whole milk. Even with the cost of the milk ( about $5 a gallon) it is a bargain to make my own.
We use the yogurt in smoothies, just to eat, or even as a remedy for umm… feminine yeast problems.
My favorite way to enjoy the homemade plain yogurt is in a bowl, topped with my homemade coconut granola. The granola is sweet, just enough, and it balances out the tanginess of the yogurt perfectly without making it sicky sweet. Let me know if you would like the recipe….
Liz
I, too, was scared to go full fat because all the food authorities say otherwise, and that’s all I knew. I made the switch a year ago, and I have been happy with that move.
TSandy
We went back full fat about three years ago on the advice of a weight loss specialist. Fat helps signal satiety in the brain and when you eat higher full fat food you eat less. Most of the lower fat food items have extra sugar in order to do the same thing.
jan
over 30 years ago (back in the day) we lived in a co-op and made our own yogurt. Plain mixed with jam can be wonderful. I bet it could be nice paired with homemade apple butter.
I noticed that the Yoplait cobbler and shortcake flavors are basically vanilla yogurt with some fruit. (hey, I can do that, and crumble in some muffin to give the cobbler/cake rif that’s ignored by yoplait)
Meg
I second making yougurt. I actually do it in my crockpot and it is super easy and super inexpensive. It is also really yummy!
If you google “make yogurt in a crockpot” you should be able to find the directions.
DarcyLee
I just bought some full fat plain yogurt and the only ingredient is milk compared to the fat free version with a whole list of ingredients. I’m all about simplifying my food and making it with the least amount of added ingredients as possible. The full fat version tastes better, too.
Trixie
I love plain yogurt too! I prefer the greek because it’s nice and thick. My favorite way to eat it is to spoon some in a dish and add 1/2 of berries and a 1/4 cup of granola or some kind of grain cereal. I’ve also had very good luck in cooking with it.
Emily
Foodrenegade.com has a lot of great info on why saturated fat isn’t bad for you! Here’s one post to get you started: http://www.foodrenegade.com/does-saturated-fat-cause-heart-disease/
Anne
So true! I buy the small cups of plain yogurt and make more yogurt with them. (1 6oz cup of yogurt, 2 cups milk, heat the milk, mix in the yogurt and place in yogurt machine. I get 6 ind. cups of yogurt, and can use one of them to make the next batch and reduce the cost even further.) Unfortunately, my DH hates “real” yogurt, but he has to eat it every day b/c of his digestive system, so I still buy him the individually packaged not-really-. One of these days, though, I’ll convert him;). In the meantime, I use my plain yogurt in cooking and baking, which he doesn’t mind. I also use it as a base for tuna/chicken/’egg salad.
Shelah
Have you ever drained your plain yogurt to get it to a thicker consistency?….makes it even more like sour cream.
COleen
We love plain yogurt… it is great in cucumber salad and the like. We also experiment with the Greek yogurt and the Australian yogurt…so different yet perfect in different recipes! It amazes us the amount of shelf space that is taken up by the yogurt cups in the stores and one usually has to search out the plain ones.
Kelly Hassenzahl
I have been told that making your own homemade yogurt is both economical and easy as well as healthier. Does anyone else have experience with this. I’d love to try it, but I’ve been a bit chicken to just jump into it. Thanks!
Kristen@TheFrugalGirl
I make my own yogurt every week, actually! My recipe is here: http://www.thefrugalgirl.com/2009/10/how-to-make-homemade-yogurt-2/
It’s super simple and doesn’t require any weird contraptions or equipment.
Nancy
I make my own yogurt in the crock pot all the time. It’s super easy and inexpensive. Check out instructions on the internet. Here’s how I do it and I’ve never had a failure:
Ingredients: 1/2 gallon milk (2% works) and 1/2 cup plain unflavored yogurt with live active cultures. (Then save a half cup of homemade yogurt for the starter next time.)
1. Warm the milk crock pot on low for 2 hours and 30 minutes
2. Turn off the crock pot, unplug it, and let it sit for 3 hours
3. Add the half cup of yogurt to the warm milk. Mix together thoroughly with a whisk.
4. Put the lid back on crock pot and wrap the crock pot with a large beach towel or blanket. MAKE SURE THE POT IS UNPLUGGED.
5. Let stand for 8-12 hours.
Voila, yogurt.
TSandy
I make yogurt every week in my crockpot. If you are on a budget or want healthier food to feed your family making your own yogurt is the way to go.
1. I heat my milk for 3.5 hours (I know from experience that it takes my crockpot this long for the milk to reach 180 degrees and hold for 30 minutes.) This helps the yogurt thicken without adding powdered milk or other thickeners.
2. Add any sugar or sweetener you want to use
3. Pour milk into bowl and with ice water bath reduce temperature to 112-114 degrees (I put the lid back on my crockpot and stick the crock in the oven to keep it warm).
4. I temper in one container of Fage greek yogurt as starter in a separate small bowl gradually adding about two cups of the warm milk. MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THIS SMOOTH AND CREAMY OR YOU WILL HAVE LUMPS IN YOUR YOGURT. I pour the tempered yogurt/milk mixture back into the milk and stir.
5. Pour milk/yogurt mixture back into the warm crock. Put lid on and stick crock in the oven. I warm the oven just until it reaches 115 degrees which is about 3 minutes. Turn it off. Set timer for 4 hours. (We like sweet creamy yogurt thus the shorter incubation period. If you like it tangier then increase your incubation time to 8-10 hours which an overnight incubation would be ideal so you don’t tie up your oven all day.)
6. Next day I put the yogurt into individual quilted jelly jars leaving an extra inch space to add fruit et. I use the reusable plastic canning lids for the jars because my husband takes it to work everyday for a snack. Then you have yogurt as portable as those little containers from the store. When I make preserves I always make an additional batch of no sugar fruit preserves which my husband then adds a heaping spoonful to the yogurt every day before he packs it in his lunch. Currently I have peach, cherry, and triple berry so he always has a variety. I do want to recommend- The Book Of Yogurt by Sonia Uvezian. She has some great recipes in how to use yogurt in dishes.
Tina
I made a quart and a half of yogurt last night from milk that was on its last few days. All you need is a double broiler (and I devise my own), a candy thermometer, dry milk, a half packet of unflavored gelatin, a starter (which can be your homemade yogurt after the first time you make it) and your oven (with the light on for incubation.) I was afraid to do this at first, but it turns out every time and cost less than $1.00 per quart. Better yet, it’s healthy and taste better than any yogurt I’ve ever bought. It taste most like the Breyer’s fruit on the bottom – but better! I follow the instructions here: http://chetday.com/howtomakeyogurt.htm The only change I make is I add 1 T vanilla to the hot yogurt before incubating. I do method A for thick yogurt and I don’t add sweetener. I like to add just a little homemade (could certainly use store bought) jam to sweeten it. So good! Don’t be intimidated by the directions. Read through them and just do it! It’s very simple and so worth it. I used to ration yogurt and only buy it on sale. Now I allow the children to eat it for snacks, dessert or breakfast whenever! They love it!
Darcy
We’ve been learning the joys of plain yogurt, as well. I still won’t eat it (I dislike yogurt..it tastes like spoiled milk to me), but my kids love it, I cook with it tons now, and it’s wonderful stuff. I also mix in applesauce.
To me, non-fat yogurt isn’t much different than the flavored stuff you buy. It still is loaded with sugar to make it taste good since the fat has been removed. Here’s a great website on fat and why it’s good for you in it’s natural forms in case you want to read a bit on it:
http://westonaprice.org/know-your-fats.html
Ginger
I have used it in smoothies, and Saturday I made your fish tacos. My son loved it and called it “ranch dressing.” But, it’s expensive here; the only ones I can find are close to $4 a carton.
Ginger
I do now! I have used it in smoothies for a long time, but Saturday I made your fish taco recipe, and my son loved it. He called it “ranch dressing”, and I did not tell him any differently. But, I can’t get it cheap around here. The only ones available are almost $4 a carton!
Denise.C
I love using plain yogurt in cooking! When my kids want yogurt, I will add a wee bit of vanilla extract and boost the flavor. It’s easier on my wallet to buy one big container, rather than a bunch of small flavored ones.