food
By Katherine Gillen
•
Published Aug 2, 2022
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We could spend hours perusing the yogurt aisle at our grocery store—so many flavors, so many textures and don’t even get us started on the ones in cute little glass jars. While we’re all for a dessert-like treat, sometimes we don’t want a sugar bomb for breakfast (or a snack).
But when it comes to low-sugar yogurt, it can be tricky to know where to start. Are all the flavors off-limits? Is Greek better than regular? What about sugar substitutes? To make matters more confusing, there’s no industry standard for what constitutes “low sugar.” But a “reduced sugar” yogurt is required to have 25 percent less sugar than its full-sugar counterpart. Gah.
To make the selection easier, we’ve settled on these 16 low-sugar yogurt options as the best of the best—based on our own tastes, our coworker’s recommendations and a few rave reviews. (And FYI, for this list, we stuck to yogurts with less than 10 grams of sugar per serving.)
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1. Oikos Triple Zero Greek Yogurt
Best High Protein
Oiko’s Triple Zero contains no fat, no added sugar and no artificial sweeteners—hence the name. It has 5 grams of sugar and 15 grams of protein and is sweetened with stevia. “I love the Oikos Triple Zero yogurt,” says PureWow editor Olivia Dubyak. “I like to opt for a high-protein choice because I'm working on my hormone health, which includes keeping my blood sugar balanced. I like to load it up with some pumpkin seeds and blueberries, for some extra texture, too!”
2. Oatly Oatgurt Plain
Best Oat Based
PureWow editor Abby Hepworth recommends Oatly’s oat-based yogurt. “The fruit flavors have the regular amount of sugar,” she says, “but the plain is low sugar and is just as delicious. Sometimes plain yogurt tastes just bleh, but because Oatly is made with oat milk, I find it has more flavor overall. And it’s the prefect base for adding mix-ins like almonds, berries or granola.” We couldn’t agree more. The texture is somewhere between a thick Greek-style and a thinner European-style yogurt, and each serving contains 130 calories, 7 grams of sugar and 4 grams of protein, plus vegan cultures for those avoiding animal products.
3. Siggi’s Plain 0-percent Strained Nonfat Yogurt
Most Creamy
PureWow executive editor Alexia Dellner loves Siggi’s yogurt regardless of its low-sugar status—it’s that good. “I’m not sure if this qualifies as ‘low sugar,’ she says, “but I love Siggi’s yogurts. They’re creamy and just the right amount of tart.” Lucky for her (and you), many of the brand’s flavors are low-sugar yogurt. The nonfat plain variety contains just 4 grams of sugar and 90 calories, plus 16 grams of protein to keep you full. The texture is super smooth and rich, and it even manages to avoid being too tart.
4. Dannon Light & Fit Vanilla Greek Yogurt
Most Dessert-Like Flavor
“In college, I loved Dannon’s Light & Fit Greek Yogurt in vanilla,” says PureWow executive editor Candace Davison, “because it tasted like ice cream, though its consistency is a bit thinner than traditional Greek yogurt. It's definitely the sort of thing you eat when you want dessert but are trying to be virtuous.” The nonfat yogurt contains 80 calories, 12 grams of protein and 7 grams of sugar, and it’s sweetened with sucralose (aka Splenda).
5. Trader Joe’s 2-percent Low Fat Plain Greek Yogurt
Best Plain
PureWow managing editor Catrina Yohay is a fan of Trader Joe’s plain, low-fat Greek yogurt. “I prefer 2 percent since it's a little thicker and creamier,” she says, “plus it usually has a bit more healthy fat and protein to keep me fuller longer. It tastes like nothing, so I jazz it up with granola and honey or fruit, or even a teaspoon of jam if I don't have fresh fruit on hand. That way I can control the sugar content and it's still tasty!” One serving contains 130 calories, 5 grams of sugar and 16 grams of protein.
6. Chobani Greek Yogurt Low Fat Plain
Most Versatile
Yohay also recommends Chobani’s low-fat plain variety. The triple-strained yogurt has a thick, creamy texture, and each serving contains 130 calories, 4 grams of sugar and a whopping 17 grams of protein. (Bonus, it’s also great for cooking and baking.)
7. fa*ge Total 2-percent Greek Yogurt
Most Creamy
For a plain Greek yogurt option, fa*ge’s low-fat version is impossibly rich and luxurious. It contains 100 calories and 5 grams of sugar per serving (with zero added sugars), plus 15 grams of protein. We find it strikes the right balance of tangy and creamy compared to fa*ge’s non-fat and whole milk options, which can sometimes be too tart and rich, respectively.
8. Oikos Plain Blended Nonfat Greek Yogurt
Best Nonfat Plain
If you’re looking for a nonfat Greek yogurt, Oikos’s contains just 6 grams of sugar (and zero added sugars), with 90 calories and 16 grams of protein. It’s ultra-creamy and rich, and even though it’s nonfat, we like that it doesn’t have the too-tart, almost astringent taste of some other fat-free Greek yogurts.
9. Chobani Less Sugar Greek Yogurt
Best Lightly Sweetened
“Chobani's Less Sugar Greek yogurt has a great texture and flavor, without being overly sweet,” Davison says. Per the brand, it’s made with 40 percent less sugar than similar yogurts—that comes out to 9 grams per serving. With 120 calories and 12 grams of protein, it’s a smart swap for the sugar protein bars hiding in your pantry. Bonus: It’s sweetened with cane sugar instead of sugar substitutes, so it doesn’t have any off aftertastes.
10. Wallaby No Sugar Added Aussie Greek Style Yogurt
Best Fruit-Sweetened
If you’re not a fan of the way some sugar substitutes taste, this Australian style whole milk Greek yogurt contains no added sugar or sweeteners—instead, it’s subtly sweetened with fruit purees. The vanilla variety contains 7 grams of sugar, 11 grams of protein and 130 calories per serving.
11. Kite Hill Plain Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt
Best Almond Milk Based
In our experience, Kite Hill’s dairy free almond milk yogurts have a smooth and silky texture that’s virtually indistinguishable from the normal dairy kind. Plus, the brand’s unsweetened variety contains just 1 gram of sugar, 0 grams added sugars, 4 grams of protein and 140 calories per serving.
12. Lavva Dairy Free Pili Nut Yogurt
Best Plant Based
This plant-based yogurt doesn’t contain dairy, soy, gluten or artificial sugar. Instead, it’s made with an eight-ingredient blend including coconut, plantains, cassava, lime and the star ingredient, pili—a buttery nut native to Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands. All of its five deliciously creamy flavors are no-sugar-added, and the plain variety contains just 7 grams per serving. We also like that these yogurts contain a blend of seven live vegan probiotic cultures (which translates to 50 billion probiotics per serving).
13. Forager Project Dairy-free Cashew Yogurt
Best Cashew Based
Made from—you guessed it—cashews, Forager Project’s plant-based yogurt is gluten and soy free and kosher, in addition to being vegan-friendly. The plain, unsweetened variety contains just 1 gram of sugar. There’s also an unsweetened vanilla and a lightly sweetened maple option (which contains just 8 grams of sugar).
14. So Delicious Coconutmilk Unsweetened Yogurt Alternative
Best Coconut Milk Based
This coconut-based option is plant-based and totally dairy free…yet it’s also unbelievably thick and creamy. Since it’s unsweetened, it contains less than 1 gram of sugar per serving, along with 80 calories per serving. (There’s also an unsweetened vanilla option, yum.)
15. Chobani Zero Sugar Yogurt
Best Sugar-Substitute Sweetened
Chobani’s sugar-free option is sweetened with stevia, monk fruit and allulose, so it contains 0 grams of sugar per serving (along with 11 grams of protein and 70 calories or less, depending on the flavor). Says one reviewer: “[It] has the Chobani quality and texture but without the super sweet taste. You can’t expect allulose to taste like sugar because…it isn’t sugar, but it does fine to give this yogurt what it needs. I like to mix the vanilla with whole mixed berries for a quick breakfast.” It also happens to be lactose free, a win-win.
16. Siggi’s Vanilla Whole Milk Strained Yogurt
Most Indulgent
For how indulgent it tastes, it’s hard to believe Siggi’s whole milk vanilla yogurt contains just 8 grams of sugar per serving (plus 12 grams of protein and 130 calories). It’s extra thick and creamy with just the right amount of sweetness—more of a treat than plain Greek yogurt, but not so cloying that it tastes like dessert.
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Katherine Gillen is a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City restaurants. She used to sling sugary desserts in a pastry kitchen, but now she's an avid home cook and fanatic baker.
Katherine Gillen
Senior Food Editor
Katherine Gillenis PureWow’s senior food editor. She’s a writer, recipe developer and food stylist with a degree in culinary arts and professional experience in New York City...
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