Learn what you can use for a Greek yogurt substitute when you are in the middle of making a recipe and find out that you don't have any in the fridge.
Greek yogurt is growing in popularity and is often used in recipes.
Greek yogurt is thicker and strained more to remove the whey and lactose making a thick creamy yogurt that makes a great flavor and texture addition to many cooking applications.
Greek yogurt has become widely available at grocery stores but you may still find yourself needing a substitution for green yogurt when cooking and baking from time to time.
The good news is that there are several great substitutions for Greek yogurt.
You can use all these items as a substitute for Greek yogurt. You'll find these substitutions will work in both savory recipes as well as your favorite baking recipe.
The best substitute will have the right consistency and similar texture to Greek yogurt.
Best substitutes for greek yogurt
You'll find the following substitutes for Greek yogurt will give you the same results as if cooking with Greek yogurt and include suggested ratios.
Listed are which types of recipes the ingredient would make a good substitute for.
Sour cream
You might immediately think to replace Greek yogurt in a recipe with milk, but it's too thin.
Sour cream can give a thicker consistency than milk for your recipes.
An added bonus is that sour cream can match the acidity of Greek yogurt making it a great substitute when using it as a leveler.
Use sour cream provides a creamy, tangy flavor and texture.
Sour cream and Greek yogurt are completely interchangeable in recipes and you can use the same amount of sour cream as you would Greek yogurt in a 1:1 ratio.
When it comes to a simple option for replacing Greek yogurt this is the best choice.
Regular yogurt
The quickest and an easy substitute for Greek yogurt when cooking is regular, plain yogurt.
The flavors are similar. To make this closer to Greek yogurt choose whole fat yogurt without any added sweeteners.
You can even make the plain whole milk yogurt thicker by using a cheesecloth to allow the excess moisture to drip out and thicken it up.
You can also use yogurt in a 1 to 1 ratio with Greek yogurt in most recipes.
If you are replacing Greek yogurt in baking recipes that use batter, you might want to use less liquids in your recipe so your batter doesn't have too much moisture if you decide not to strain the plain yogurt and thicken it up.
Heavy cream
For applications where you would use Greek yogurt to add a creamy texture to dishes, heavy cream can be used in its place. This is good for sauces and soups.
You can use heavy cream in place of Greek yogurt in your baking by adding a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a glass measuring dish with a cup of heavy cream and putting it off to the side so it can sit for 5 minutes. This will be great as a buttermilk substitute that is thick and creamy and makes a great substitute for Greek yogurt as a leavening agent.
As before if you are using this to replace the Greek yogurt in a batter, you might want to reduce the amount liquids in your recipe. You can substitute the Greek yogurt with a 1:1 ratio of heavy cream.
Condensed milk
Many recipes use condensed milk. Many of these recipes have been adopted to use Greek yogurt in its place for the creamy texture with healthy cultures and higher protein.
This makes the perfect substitute for Greek yogurt in dishes and sauces that are creamy and/or cheesy.
If you want to use condensed milk instead of Greek yogurt for a baking dish you'll want to add some lemon juice or vinegar.
Just add into the can of condensed milk, a teaspoon of either lemon juice or vinegar and then let sit for 5 minutes. If it sits a bit longer that isn't a problem.
This will create a buttermilk substitute that will work in the place of Greek yogurt as a leavening agent.
You may need to reduce liquids in the recipe a bit to use condensed milk in place of Greek yogurt in baking as it has a thinner consistency.
Buttermilk
Sometimes Greek yogurt is used as a leveling agent when it reacts to baking soda. In these types of recipes, an ideal substitute is buttermilk.
You won't find the creamy texture in buttermilk, but it will give your cakes, quick bread, and muffins the fluffy moist texture you love.
You might need to use less buttermilk to avoid ending up with a batter that has too much liquid due to the thinness of the buttermilk.
In this case, add it slowly and start with no more than ½ the amount of Greek yogurt recommended in the recipe.
Cottage cheese
For recipes using Greek yogurt not necessarily the sharp tang flavor, but instead for the creamy texture, you can use cottage cheese as a substitute for Greek yogurt.
To do this, you want to first use a blender and run your cottage cheese through it to make it creamy and a smoother consistency.
This will leave you with a lighter flavor than Greek yogurt and is a great alternative for soups and sauces. And it's also good for smoothies.
Cream cheese
Like cottage cheese, cream cheese can make a great substitute for Greek yogurt.
For this one, you do not need a blender but simply warm the cream cheese to be room temperature and use a spoon to mix to make it creamy before adding to your recipes.
Coconut milk
If you want the creamy texture of Greek yogurt in your recipes but are looking for a dairy free alternative, coconut milk is a great substitution for Greek yogurt.
For those on a non-dairy or vegan diet, this is a great substitute for Greek yogurt for cooking.
If you are in need of it for leveling baked goods, just add a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar. This will add in the needed acid.
For creamy recipes, a 1 to 1 ratio works well. If you are baking with it, start by using half the amount and if needed you can always add more. You are making sure not to add too much and make the batter too thin.
Final thoughts on Greek yogurt substitutions
I hope you found a great ingredient for substituting Greek yogurt in your recipe.
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