Can You Eat Yogurt on a Keto Diet?

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If you’re planning on getting on a keto diet, you’re probably wondering if you’re going to have to ditch all of your favourite foods, including the deliciously creamy yoghurt. Most food products tend to accommodate to anyone’s dietary needs, whether they are vegan, vegetarian, low-carb or doing keto, there’s always an alternative to a full fat, creamy yoghurt. It’s always about checking the nutrition labels, does the product contain carbs, if so how much? Without the drastic need to get rid of yoghurt completely, let’s take a look at the keto-friendly options out there.

What is Keto?

Under normal circumstances our bodies use glucose from carbohydrate foods for energy. In the absence of glucose, a process called ketosis occurs. This is a state in which the body burns fats instead of carbohydrates as its main fuel source. When we eliminate carbs from out diets, the liver breaks down fat stores to produce energy. Foods that are generally allowed on a ketogenic diet include high-fat meats, fish, oils, nuts, high-fat dairy, such as cheese, and low-carb vegetables like leafy greens.

Can You Eat Yoghurt on Keto?

As long as you stick to plain, lower-carb varieties and keep an eye on your daily carb count, then yes you can eat yoghurt on keto. Yoghurt – mainly Greek yoghurt, is considered a healthy and high-protein food that contains a moderate number of carbohydrates, allowing it to be added to your keto diet, in moderation.

Being on a keto diet means that you would be consuming between 20-50g of carbs per day, Which is why if you want to eat yoghurt you’d most likely want to opt for the low-carb options. While that might seem like the obvious choice, there are other options available, which involve yoghurts that use different milk, like coconut milk. With such low-carbs, it really is the perfect and delicious alternative.

Straining Yoghurt

Strained yoghurt is yoghurt that has been strained to remove most of its whey, which would result in a thicker consistency, compared to unstrained yoghurt. Like many types of yoghurt, strained yoghurt is often made from milk enriched by boiling off some water content, or piling extra butterfat and powdered milk. Strained yoghurt is often used in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Central Asian and South Asian cuisines, where it is often used in cooking, as it curdles less, when cooked for raw, sweet or savoury dishes.

Amount of Carbs in Yoghurt

Different brands of yoghurts contain different amounts of carbs and sugar. When looking at the most popular varieties of plain yoghurt, here’s what you might find:

Yoghurt	Amount of Carbs
Full-fat Greek yoghurt	7.75 grams
Non-fat Greek yoghurt	8.82 grams
Full-fat regular yoghurt	11.4 grams
Non-fat regular yoghurt	18.8 grams

What is Plant-Based Yoghurt?

Plant-based yoghurt is made from plants, its typically made from nuts like almonds, cashews, coconuts and even other foods like soybeans, plantains, oats and peas. Vegan yoghurt is a great way to stack up on fiber, calcium, and protein in your diet, which are great for digestive health.

Greek Yoghurt vs Regular Yoghurt

Regular yoghurt is made by heating milk, adding bacteria, and leaving it to ferment until it reaches an acidic PH of about 4.5. After it cools, other ingredients like fruit can be added. The final product has a smooth consistency, but can vary in thickness. Most yoghurts are either drinkable, or can be eaten with a spoon. Due to its acidic nature, plain yoghurt can have a sour punch to it, but its still considerably sweeter than Greek yoghurt.

Greek yoghurt, also known as concentrated or strained yoghurt, is made by eliminating the whey and other liquids from regular yoghurt. Because the straining process reduces the overall volume, Greek yoghurt would acquire more milk than regular yoghurt to make a batch of the same size.

Traditionally the yoghurt is strained, in cloth bags up to three times until it reaches the perfect texture. Some companies might choose to use thickening agents or other dry ingredients, in which case the final product is referred to as fortified or Greek-style yoghurt. As most of the liquid has been removed, Greek yoghurt is much thicker and tangier than regular yoghurt, and generally more expensive as it requires more milk.

Is Greek Yoghurt Keto?

The simplified answer is – yes it certainly can be. This is because plain Greek yoghurt tends to have about half the carbs and two times the amount of protein compared to regular yoghurt. However, if you choose a flavoured Greek yoghurt, then the amount of sugar in the yoghurt would be a lot higher, so essentially to be able to slot yoghurt into your keto diet, you’re going to have to stick with plain Greek yoghurt.

Best Keto-Friendly Yoghurt

The pleasant smooth, thick consistency of Greek yoghurt is simply delightful, but when you’re craving a light snack, with that little pinch of sweetness, when spooning mouthfuls of yoghurt in your mouth, then you might want to look out for these keto-friendly yoghurts:

Ratio Keto Friendly Dairy Snack Strawberry
Two Good Low-fat Greek Yoghurt, Strawberry Lower Sugar
Kite Hill Vanilla Greek Style Almond Milk Yoghurt
CarbMaster, Low Fat Yoghurt Strawberry
Fage, Non Fat Plain Greek Yoghurt
Oikos Triple Zero Greek Non Fat Yoghurt Peach

Ratio Keto Friendly Dairy Snack Strawberry

With 2 grams of carbs and 1 gram if sugar in serving, this keto friendly yoghurt has a smooth and silky texture with a hint of strawberry flavour. It’s actually quite high in protein (15g) for a keto snack, and because its a keto snack, its very high in fat, so therefore high in calories compared to other low-carb yoghurts, so if you’re trying to lower your calorie intake keep in mind, that after just one spoonful of this decadent dairy snack, you’ll be back for more!

Two Good Low-fat Greek Yoghurt, Strawberry Lower Sugar

The texture of this strawberry flavoured yoghurt, is pleasantly creamy, sweetened with stevia and natural flavours but does not have bits of fruit in it. Which is amazing since the amount of carbs in this low-fat Greek yoghurt is at 3 grams. With a total of 80 calories, 2 grams of fat and 12 grams of protein, this is a great alternative to full fat yoghurts, and a delicious snack that can be added to your keto diet, without the fear of piling unnecessary carbs to your daily limit.

Kite Hill Vanilla Greek Style Almond Milk Yoghurt

This vanilla flavoured Greek yoghurt contains 4 grams of carbs, and is a low-carb non-dairy yoghurt. Made with almond milk, which means that it is higher in calories and fat, than majority of other low-carb yoghurt options.

CarbMaster, Low Fat Yoghurt Strawberry

A Lactose-free, pleasantly creamy yoghurt is suitable for anyone who’s looking to lower their carb intake, with a total of 5g of carbs, this sweet, and satisfying yoghurt is the best when looking to incorporate some low-carb dairy in your diet.

Fage, Non Fat Plain Greek Yoghurt

Plain Greek Yoghurts like these, are a great candidate for fresh fruits to be plopped into their creamy depth. Some freshy slices strawberries, blueberries or any other fruit might do the trick. This yoghurt has a high protein content with 18 grams per serving, and the much needed low-carb and low-calorie profile. Plain yoghurts are a great candidate when it comes to adding your desired flavourings, providing that they’re all low-carb.

Oikos Triple Zero Greek Non Fat Yoghurt Peach

The triple zero refers to the yoghurt having 0% added sugar, 0% artificial sweeteners. and 0% fat. With a nice velvety smooth consistency, this peach flavoured orange, has an orange tinge to it, tasting a lot like peach, with minimal sweetness. This might be disappointing for some, especially if you’re looking to satisfy the insistent nagging of your sweet tooth.

Other Keto-Friendly yoghurt

A keto diet usually means that your daily intake of carbs should not exceed over 20 to 50 grams, and when it comes to your favourite, full fat flavoured yoghurt you might find yourself in a sticky situation. Do you eliminate yogurt from your diet entirely? As you’ve seen the options of sweet Greek yoghurt, which are also great for people with low-blood sugar, let’s take a look at some other options of low fat, keto friendly yoghurt:

Ratio Keto Yoghurt Snack
Chobani Zero Mixed Sugar Yoghurt
Coyo Natural Coconut Yoghurt
Siggi’s Icelandic Strained Non-fat Yoghurt
Two Good Plain Low Fat Greek Yoghurt
Maple Hill Yoghurt
FAGE Low-Fat Plain Yoghurt

Ratio Keto Yoghurt Snack

This high-fat, low-carb yoghurt literally exists for keto diets, as the nutritional ratio makes it a perfect fit to meet your keto percentage requirements. More importantly, its exceptionally creamy, with impeccable flavours, sprinkle your favourite oats over it and have that beautifully textured breakfast.

Chobani Zero Mixed Sugar Yoghurt

For the yoghurt with fewer carbs you might want to gravitate towards the Chobani zero mixed sugar yoghurt. This is mainly due to the fact that the yoghurt is sweetened with allulose – a natural low calorie sweetener, not forgetting the little nips of stevia and monk fruit extract, included in the mix.

Coyo Natural Coconut Yoghurt

Coyo natural coconut yoghurt, is low in carbs and protein with 36 grams of fat per serving which is a great choice for keto diets. With fat being an essential component in your energy intake it will fit in to your keto diet perfectly.

Siggi’s Icelandic Strained Non-fat Yoghurt

Siggi’s is a skyr-style yoghurt which means that it is thick and high in protein. Skyr-style yoghurt is often compared to Greek yoghurt because the formulation process is similar. Though skyr is not as tangy and has a thicker texture, with a slightly higher protein content, when compared to most Greek yoghurts. This yoghurt is fairly low in carbohydrates, but you could opt for the lactose free one, if you’d choose to go even lower.

Two Good Plain Low Fat Greek Yoghurt

Two good is made with 80% less sugar than your average carton of yoghurt which is automatically a win, if you’re on a keto diet, with 12 grams of of protein per cup. As well as this, Two Good comes in a number of different flavours, to accommodate each and every keto-dieters cravings. Choose from lemon, strawberry, mixed berry and more!

Maple Hill Yoghurt

Maple Hill’s yoghurt is made with milk from grass-fed cows, containing no elements of added sugar, limiting overall carb intake. With 7 grams of carb per serving, this is the perfect candidate for a quick light snack with your favourite fruits buried amongst the thick, creamy yoghurt.

Fage Low Fat Plain Greek Yoghurt

This FAGE Yoghurt has no added sugar and is lower in fat, making it a great option for anyone who is hesitant about carb content in whole milk, it’s also quite high in protein.

How to Keep Your Low-Carb Yoghurt, Low

Once you’ve found your match in low-carb yoghurts, it’s very easy to wack on a lot of toppings that could sabotage your lower-sugar goals. Making your yoghurt more satisfying with tasty additions like chia seeds, or ground flax, which add fiber to help fill you up. If you crave a touch of sweetness, add a thin drizzle of maple syrup or honey. You can also mix in some berries, which provide fruity flavours, fiber and sweetness of their own. If you’re feeling particularly creative you might want to use yoghurt to thicken up soups, marinate fish, or make tomato sauce creamier.

Benefits of Eating Yoghurt

Whether you’re on a low-carb/keto diet or not, eating low-carb yoghurt every day can be beneficial to your overall health. You might find yourself experiencing improvements in your digestion, bones, and blood pressure. Yoghurt with active probiotics has been linked to improving digestion with less symptoms of digestive issues like constipation and diarrhea. Due to its high calcium and protein content, consuming dairy can help protect against brittle bones. It can lower blood pressure levels for those who experience high blood pressure.

Eating Yoghurt

With a daily plan of how many carbs you plan to consume whilst on your keto diet, its great to incorporate some dairy in your diet, especially with the multiple health benefits. Consuming one small carton of keto-friendly yoghurt that is below 25-50 grams of carbs, or just scrapes that amount, is perfect as you can enjoy the creamy, velvety textures of your favourite snack, or ingredient that you like to add to your favourite dishes.

FAQs

What Kind of Yoghurt Can You Eat on Keto?

The best kinds of yoghurt to have on a keto diet are: Ratio keto friendly yoghurt, Two good plain Greek Yoghurt, FAGE total 5%, Chobani whole milk, and Yoplait plain yoghurt.

What Dairy Can You Have on keto?

As long as you don’t have any allergies or sensitivity to these products, then whipped or sour cream, rich cheeses, full fat and thick yoghurts can all be part of your nutritional ketogenic diet.

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