How much protein is in Greek yoghurt?
About 10 g per 100 g, so a 170 g pot is roughly 17 g. Ordinary yoghurt is about 4 g per 100 g, which makes this one of the few swaps that doubles the protein for the same amount of food, the same price bracket and the same shelf.
Key takeaways
- Greek yoghurt is about 10 g of protein per 100 g. Ordinary yoghurt is about 4 g.
- The difference is straining: whey and lactose are removed, so what is left is more concentrated.
- Greek style is not the same as Greek. It is often thickened rather than strained, and carries far less protein.
- Skyr and quark are higher again, at about 11 g per 100 g, and lower in fat.
- Flavoured pots trade protein for sugar and volume. Plain plus fruit is usually both higher in protein and cheaper.
Of everything in this library, this is the swap with the best ratio of benefit to effort. Same shelf, same size pot, roughly twice the protein.
The numbers
- 12 gQuark100 g
- 11 gSkyr100 g
- 10 gGreek yoghurt, 0 to 2 percent100 g
- 9 gGreek yoghurt, full fat100 g
- 11 gCottage cheese100 g
- 5 gGreek style yoghurt100 g
- 4 gYoghurt, plain100 g
- 4 gYoghurt, fruit, sweetened100 g
Per pot, which is how anyone actually eats it:
| Pot | Protein |
|---|---|
| Greek yoghurt, 170 g pot | 17 g |
| Skyr, 150 g pot | 17 g |
| Greek yoghurt, 450 g tub | 45 g |
| Fruit yoghurt, 170 g pot | 7 g |
Why the difference exists
Greek yoghurt is strained. The liquid whey and much of the lactose are drained off, leaving less product, more concentrated.
It takes roughly three times as much milk to produce the same weight of strained yoghurt as of ordinary yoghurt, which explains both the protein and the price. You are not paying for a marketing term; you are paying for the milk that left.
The straining also removes a good deal of the lactose, which is why some people who find ordinary yoghurt uncomfortable get on better with Greek yoghurt and skyr.
The trap on the shelf
Greek means strained. Greek style usually does not.
Greek style is normally thickened with cream, milk powder or stabilisers to imitate the texture without the process. It is a legitimate product and it is not the same food: protein commonly lands between 4 and 6 g per 100 g, which is ordinary yoghurt with a better mouthfeel.
The words on the front will not settle this. The per 100 g column on the back will, in about three seconds. How to read protein on a label has the rest of the shortcuts.
The second trap is flavour. A fruit-on-the-bottom pot replaces some of the yoghurt with sugar and fruit puree, so the protein per pot falls even when the base was strained. Plain plus your own fruit is usually higher in protein, lower in sugar and cheaper.
Where it fits in a day
Greek yoghurt earns its place at breakfast, where the shortfall usually lives. Swapping one fruit yoghurt for one Greek yoghurt is +10 g for no extra effort, and it is the change most likely to still be in place in six months, because nothing about the routine changed.
Three combinations worth knowing:
- Greek yoghurt (17 g) with 30 g almonds (6 g): 23 g, no preparation.
- Greek yoghurt (17 g) with a scoop of whey stirred in (16 g): 33 g, for mornings with no appetite.
- Cottage cheese on toast (22 g + 8 g): 30 g, the savoury version.
Quality is not a concern here in the way it can be with plant sources: dairy protein is among the highest-scoring there is on the measures used to rank it.2 The only real question with Greek yoghurt is whether you like it, and if you do not, cottage cheese and skyr do the same job.
More questions about Protein in food
Why does Greek yoghurt have more protein?
Because it is strained. Removing the liquid whey and much of the lactose leaves a smaller quantity of a more concentrated product, so the protein per 100 g roughly doubles. It takes about three times as much milk to make the same weight of it, which is also why it costs more.
Is Greek style yoghurt the same thing?
Usually not. Greek style typically means thickened with cream, milk powder or stabilisers rather than strained, which gives the texture without the concentration. Protein commonly lands between 4 and 6 g per 100 g. The label is the only way to tell, and the per 100 g column will show it immediately.
Which is better, skyr or Greek yoghurt?
Skyr is slightly higher in protein at around 11 g per 100 g and usually lower in fat, so it edges Greek yoghurt on protein per calorie. The difference is small enough that the one you will actually eat regularly is the better choice. Both beat ordinary yoghurt by a wide margin.
