For all the hype around plant-based “dairy,” Americans have not abandoned real milk yet. True, we’re not drinking as much milk as we used to, but sales of cultured dairy products are soaring. You might think “cultured dairy products” includes cheese, but it’s industry terminology for the fermented dairy foods in your supermarket’s refrigerated reach-ins, like cottage cheese, yogurt, kefir, buttermilk, sour cream and cream cheese. In that group, cottage cheese is the breakout star—thank you, TikTok—but yogurt (including yogurt drinks) is a phenom, too, approaching $12 billion in annual sales in the U.S. Astonishing, no? Greek-style yogurt accounts for more than half of that.
I spent three weeks in Greece last year, and yogurt from a vendor in the Athens airport was the first thing I ate when we landed. That first silky spoonful reminded me of the vast chasm between yogurt in Greece and most Greek-style yogurt in the U.S.
The Kostarelos yogurt I had in the airport was made entirely from rich sheep’s milk, and it was thick because it was drained in cotton bags. Greeks make yogurt from cow’s and goat’s milk, too, but it’s the sheep yogurt that makes the indelible impression. Sheep’s milk has at least twice the fat and protein of cow’s and goat’s milk, and sometimes more. No wonder the yogurt is so luscious.
Photo: Eva Kolenko
Most U.S. manufacturers of Greek-style yogurt use cow’s milk, so they’re already at a disadvantage. And they don’t drain the product in bags, the old-fashioned way. That’s too slow and therefore too costly. Instead, they use filtration to concentrate the milk before they culture it, or they centrifuge the yogurt to remove whey. Some add starch or powdered milk protein or whey protein to thicken it and don’t drain the yogurt at all. Some add pectin to stabilize it, especially if they are using reduced-fat milk.
As a result, even the best Greek-style yogurt can’t match the texture of the sheep’s milk yogurt you find in Greece. At least that’s my experience. It’s too thick, too stiff, too much like sour cream. The American product that comes closest to the Greek ideal is, for me, Straus Whole Milk Greek Yogurt (sold at Sprouts stores nationwide).
Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta with Strawberry-Rhubarb Sauce
Photo: Eva Kolenko
When I wrote my book on yogurt, I did a lot of product tasting and testing. New Greek-style yogurts have debuted since then, but I still haven’t found one that equals my Greek memories. The closest I’ve come is by draining yogurt myself. Here’s how:
Choose a plain full-fat yogurt with no stabilizers—just milk and live active cultures. Line a sieve with three layers of cheesecloth or two layers of Plyban and set it over a bowl to collect the whey. (I like Plyban because it’s almost infinitely reuseable.) Spoon in the yogurt. Top with a plate or cloth—as a cover, not a weight—and refrigerate. When the yogurt has lost about half its volume (say, from 1 quart to 2 cups), it should have the thick yet supple texture of Greek yogurt. Depending on the yogurt you start with, draining might take 3 to 4 hours. Drain it for 12 hours or so and you’ll have labneh.
A few tips when buying Greek-style yogurt:
Read the ingredient list. Avoid any with stabilizers such as pectin, gelatin, starch or gum.
Choose full-fat yogurt for the best flavor and mouthfeel. Reduced-fat yogurt tends to be tangier and less voluptuous, and on a per-serving basis, you save so few calories. Plus, full-fat yogurt performs better in recipes, especially if you’re heating it.
Shop around. Manufacturers use different techniques to produce Greek-style yogurt, so sample the available brands to find the one you prefer.
Yogurt with Blueberries, Hazelnuts and Maple Syrup
Photo: Eva Kolenko
Is it breakfast or is it dessert? You decide. Adapted from Yogurt: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner by Janet Fletcher (Ten Speed Press). The recipe for the warm baked figs with yogurt, pictured at the top of this post, is also in the book.
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1 dry pint (12 ounces) fresh blueberries
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 cups plain Greek-style yogurt
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat and add the hazelnuts. Boil for 30 seconds, then drain. Immediately wrap the hot hazelnuts in a dish towel and rub them in the folds of the towel to remove the brown skin. Some bits of skin may cling to the nuts but remove as much as you can. Put the skinned hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and fragrant, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then chop very coarsely.
Set aside 2/3 cup blueberries. Put the remaining blueberries in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons maple syrup. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the berries collapse completely and release their dark purple juice, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved blueberries. The mixture will be thin. Transfer to a small bowl, cover and chill.
At serving time, divide the yogurt among 4 parfait glasses or wine glasses. Top each portion with some of the chilled blueberries and hazelnuts, dividing them evenly, and with 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Serve immediately.
Serves 4