Easy Yogurt Recipes for Everyday Cooking

Plain yogurt, Greek yogurt, and Skyr (Icelandic-style) are three different cultured dairy products with different textures and uses. Plain yogurt is thinner, more pourable, and milder. Greek yogurt is strained to remove whey, producing thicker texture and higher protein. Skyr is even more strained, denser still, and traditionally even higher protein. Each works in different applications; recipes that call for “yogurt” without specifying usually mean plain or Greek.

For Middle Eastern and Mediterranean chicken marinades, plain or Greek yogurt is the foundational ingredient. The lactic acid tenderizes the protein gently (more so than vinegar or citrus acids that can produce mushy results), while the milk proteins coat the chicken to prevent moisture loss during cooking. The standard ratio is 1 cup yogurt + 4 cloves garlic (seen in Ground Beef and Tater Tot Casserole and The Best Sheperds Pie) + 2 tablespoons olive oil (such as in Baked Ziti with Ground Beef and Homemade Hamburger Helper) + spices per 2 pounds of chicken, marinated 2-12 hours.

For baking applications, yogurt can replace some or all of the liquid in many dough recipes. The two-ingredient bagel formula (equal parts Greek yogurt and self-rising flour) is the simple no-yeast approach. Traditional yeast (as in Homemade Focaccia Bread and Homemade Croissants)-leavened bagels use yogurt as a partial liquid replacement for richer, slightly tangier flavor. Pairing with cinnamon (used in Egg Free Cottage Cheese Muffins and Banana Bread Overnight Oats) and raisin (seen in Easy Homemade Pizza Sauce and Easy Challah Bread) in the bagel dough produces the breakfast-bakery classic.

For sauce thickening, plain yogurt stirred into hot pan sauces at the end of cooking provides creaminess without the heaviness of heavy cream (such as in The Best Cinnamon Rolls and French Toast Casserole). Stir off heat to prevent curdling; tempering with a small amount of hot liquid before adding the rest helps stabilize. Greek yogurt is more stable than plain in hot applications.

For breakfast applications, yogurt-based bowls, parfaits, and smoothies provide 8-15 grams of protein per cup. Plain unsweetened versions let you control added sugar; flavored versions often contain 15+ grams of added sugar per cup, more than ice cream in some cases.

For yogurt sauces (Indian raita, Greek tzatziki, Middle Eastern garlic sauce), the base recipe is 1 cup yogurt + acid (lemon juice (as in Lemon Raspberry Muffins and Crispy Baked Cauliflower Bites) or vinegar) + grated cucumber or chopped herbs + garlic + salt (used in The Best Ground Beef Chili and Simple Must Try Onion Boil). The variations across cuisines are minor: mint and cumin for Indian, dill and cucumber for Greek, garlic-forward for Middle Eastern.