Healthy Yogurt Guide

For this version of the healthiest yogurt guide, we revisited our favorite brands to make sure they still qualified as Best Stuff (and sadly discovered that some of them no longer exist–RIP Wallaby Purely Unsweetened!). We also discovered several new brands–including some vegan ones–that are making the healthiest yogurt on the market.

And of course there is no shortage of Sneaky Stuff yogurt brands–although we are pleased to note that many of the worst sugar offenders have cut back dramatically on their sweeteners.

All in, this guide covers 26 different yogurts–from Greek to almond-based, from drinkable “smoothies” to squeezy tubes. Let’s get to it!

Cheat Sheet: The Four Healthiest Yogurt Brands

1. Lavva / 2. Alexandre / 3. Harmless Harvest / 4. Bellwether Farms

Is yogurt healthy?

First things first: Do you know what makes yogurt, yogurt? Yogurt is a cultured or fermented milk product that is soured and thickened by adding specific lactic acid-producing cultures to milk. (Fun fact: Sour cream is cream with a different group of cultures added).

Yogurt has been touted as a health food for as long as I can remember. Pediatricians often recommend yogurt as a good source of calcium for babies and kids.

Indeed, if done right, yogurt can be full of probiotics, calcium, protein, and other healthful nutrients. However, dairy food in general is problematic for the environment. Moreover, yogurt can pack lots of sugar and other questionable ingredients. As with most products, you have to know how to read a label when perusing the yogurt aisle in your grocery store!

If you choose to avoid dairy, there are some healthy vegan alternatives but also some not so healthy vegan options. You’ll learn about these below.

Is vegan yogurt healthy?

In general, I try to follow a semi-vegan diet, but I’m also committed to not eating food-like substances.

I find it problematic when the “food” in question is imitating products made from animals (be it dairy or meat) and has some unrecognizable ingredients. Plant-based yogurt options can have gums and thickeners added to give them the right consistency. Because lactose in dairy is naturally sweet, yogurt made from milk often requires less added sugar than vegan yogurts do.

That said, some of the healthiest yogurt brands out there now are plant-based. Two of them even made our Best Stuff list!

Maia likes these silicone molds to make a healthier yogurt squeezy. You can use a high quality plain yogurt and just mix with fruit-sweetened jam. They are also delicious frozen!

Does all yogurt contain probiotics?

While doing the research for this guide, I came across tons of articles that claimed that if yogurt is pasteurized, it won’t contain any live/active cultures. This is technically true, but doesn’t apply to any yogurt you’ll find in the United States, because the cultures are always added AFTER the milk is pasteurized.

I couldn’t find a single brand of yogurt that didn’t contain at least two live cultures. Many contain as many as five or six, which is obviously even better.

All yogurt will have Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles. The healthiest yogurt might have Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidus, and other strains.

The big deal with probiotics is that they help maintain the balance of bacteria needed to boost the immune system and promote a healthy digestive tract.

Related: Probiotic Supplement Shopping Guide

Is the healthiest yogurt Greek yogurt?

Greek-style yogurt is everywhere these days, and some of you probably think it’s much tastier than regular yogurt. But is it the healthiest yogurt? In a word: yes.

To make yogurt “Greek,” the whey is strained off (whey is the milk’s watery component after the milk has curdled). This is why Greek yogurt is denser and richer.

Here are the key differences between Greek and regular yogurt:

• Protein: Greek yogurt has almost double the protein of regular yogurt.
• Fat: Unless you’re eating the nonfat varieties, Greek yogurt has about three times the saturated fat of regular yogurt.
• Sodium: Greek yogurt contains about half the sodium of regular yogurt.
• Carbohydrates/Sugars: Greek yogurt contains roughly half the carbohydrates (sugar) of regular yogurt. This is because much of the lactose is strained off, and lactose is where the sweetness comes from. Of course, adding sweeteners to either one will increase the carbohydrate count.

Is kefir healthier than yogurt?

Kefir is more than just “drinkable” yogurt; it has as many as three times as many probiotics as yogurt does, and up to 20 different kinds of cultures added. Of course, flavored kefir is full of sugar, so stick to plain.

One to try: Maple Hill Creamery Plain Kefir

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Is the healthiest yogurt low-fat?

When buying yogurt, you will have to choose between full-fat yogurt, low-fat yogurt, or nonfat yogurt. This is a personal choice and also depends on your philosophy on eating dairy fat.

Personally, I try to limit how much dairy I eat, and I find that I’m able to eat much less if I go for the full-fat version. When it comes to yogurt in particular, the full-fat is tastier and richer, and sometimes as little as a couple of tablespoons can be a satisfying snack!

I also find that low-fat and nonfat yogurts need sweetness to be satisfying, whereas I can enjoy plain whole milk yogurt. That said, low-fat and nonfat yogurt can be a perfectly healthful part of your diet, too.

For kids, I do think whole milk yogurt is the best way to go, unless your pediatrician tells you otherwise.

Bottom line: The healthiest yogurt will be…

1. Organic. Our milk guide explores the importance of choosing organic dairy in detail. Suffice it to say that organic yogurt will have a higher nutrient value and no pesticide residue. Even if you’re choosing a plant-based yogurt, we recommend choosing an organic variety.
2. 100% grass-fed. If you’re choosing a dairy yogurt, look for ones that come from grass-fed cows. Grass-fed cows produce yogurt richer in omega-3 fats and CLA (a cancer-fighting fatty acid).
3. Unsweetened. Cow milk contains some amount of naturally-occurring sugar from lactose, but most yogurts–including vegan–contain a TON of added sugar. The healthiest yogurt is either unsweetened or lightly sweetened with real fruit.
4. Come from A2 milk. A2 milk contains only the A2 beta-casein protein. It has been shown to cause considerably fewer gastrointestinal symptoms in sensitive individuals than milk with the the A1 beta-casein protein found in conventional cow’s milk.
5. Greek-style. Regular yogurt can certainly be good for you, but Greek is the healthiest yogurt, as it is lower in carbs and higher in protein.
6. Contain at least three active strains of cultures. When it comes to probiotics, more is better!
7. Be free of additives. Look for things like gellan gum, xantham gum, and “natural flavors.” The healthiest yogurt will just contain dairy or nut milk and probiotic cultures.

What follows are the yogurt brands that meet these criteria–plus those that definitely do not.

Best Stuff: Healthiest Yogurt Brands

Alexandre Family Farm A2 100% Grass-Fed Yogurt

You can’t get better than this in a non-Greek dairy yogurt. It’s made with 100% grass-fed, A2 milk, and comes in a variety of fat levels. In addition, Alexandre’s milk is non-homogenized, and minimally processed. The vanilla flavored yogurt does contain organic cane sugar (an added 8 grams).

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Bellwether Farms A2 Organic Whole Milk Yogurt

Bellwether only makes whole milk plain yogurt. They have an A2, organic grass-fed cow’s milk option as well as an A2 sheep’s milk option. Both are Best Stuff.

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Harmless Harvest Unsweetened Plain Organic Cultured Coconut

This is one of the healthiest yogurt brands in the vegan category. It’s composed of just a few simple ingredients in the plain flavor: Organic coconut milk (made with hand-scooped coconut meat), organic tapioca starch, and live cultures. The unsweetened version contains only 1 gram of sugar (0 grams of added sugar). When you buy the flavored versions, organic fruit and organic sugar is added, and you end up with 8 grams of added sugar.

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Lavva Dairy Free Pili Nut Yogurt

This vegan yogurt is made of coconut, pili nut (a low carb, nutrient-dense nut), and cassava. I like that they’ve created a thick, creamy texture without added gums or sugar. They also add prebiotic-rich plantains as food for their probiotics, so each cup of yogurt ends up with 50 billion probiotics. For those who enjoy fruit flavored yogurt, know that Lavva is the only vegan option with no added sugar in the fruit flavors. I feel that Llava is the very healthiest yogurt you can find without dairy.

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Good Stuff: Healthy Yogurt Brands

The yogurts listed here didn’t make our Best Stuff category because they are not made with A1 milk. That said, we buy all of these brands regularly and do still consider them very healthful.

Cocojune Organic Coconut Yogurt

Cocojune has a lot of fans—you guys asked about this brand more than any other vegan yogurt. The ingredients here are organic, and include coconuts, spring water, cassava root, and cultures. The plain flavor comes in at only 2 grams of sugar, and is therefore the healthiest. I did love the Mixed Berry flavor, which is sweetened with agave (and contains a total of 7 grams of sugar). Other flavors, like Lemon Elderflower, contain cane sugar. 

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GT’s CocoYo Living Coconut Yogurt

The ingredients of the plain are simply raw young coconut, raw young coconut water, and probiotic cultures. We love that this one comes in glass. Cocoyo’s fruit flavors are sweetened with fruit juice and stevia (so less than 5 grams of sugar per serving). 

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Maple Hill Organic Plain or Maple Yogurts (Greek or Regular)

I love Maple Hill Creamery for using milk that’s not homogenized, organic, and from cows that are 100% grass-fed. I’ll give them even more points for all the extra strains of probiotics they throw in their super yogurts (ten strains!). Your best bet is to buy the plain variety and add some fresh fruit or fruit puree.

Unfortunately, Maple Hill’s vanilla varieties of yogurt contain a lot of cane sugar, so I wouldn’t recommend them.

You can choose from Greek or regular (I’d go with Greek), but Maple Hill only comes in full-fat varieties.

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Rogers Farmstead Organic Plain Whole Milk Yogurt

Although you may not be able to find this brand of yogurt near you, I couldn’t resist including it in because it’s from Vermont!

The maple version is sweetened with only maple syrup. The cows at Rogers are grass-fed but supplemented with grains grown on their farm.

Find it at the Farm Store Vermont

Seven Stars Farm Organic Yogurt

We love this brand for clean, simple, organic ingredients, including maple syrup (instead of cane sugar) in all of their flavored yogurts. In addition to its organic certification, Seven Stars Farm is also certified biodynamic. 

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Stonyfield Organic Plain Yogurt (Greek or regular)

The healthiest yogurt in the Stonyfield line is the grass-fed plain. We’d choose the Greek whole milk variety. Note that Stonyfield’s baby and kids lines of yogurts have much less sugar than the flavored yogurts in the regular line (4-9 grams versus 11 grams per serving). We don’t consider any of these flavored versions Good Stuff, but the worst offender is the “family” line.

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Wallaby Organic Yogurt

Even though Wallaby’s dairy comes from cows that aren’t 100% grass-fed, they are “pastured-based” and organic. I do not recommend most Wallaby’s flavored yogurts because they have around 20 grams of sugar. The exception here is Wallaby’s line of No Sugar Added Greek (vanilla and strawberry), which only have 5 grams of sugar from fruit. 

Where to buy Wallaby

Okay Stuff: Sort of Healthy Yogurt Brands

Forager Organic Dairy-Free Cashewmilk Yogurt

The base for this “yogurt” is cashew milk. I have concerns about the “vegan cultured dextrose,” which is made from skim milk. Even though this yogurt is organic, Forager uses white sugar in all of the fruit varieties.

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Kite Hill Plain Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt

I’m calling this Good Stuff because of its very low sugar content (just 5 grams per serving), even though it does contain some additives like locust bean gum and agar, and nothing is organic. I recommend that anyone with digestive issues, as well as all infants, avoid food with additives like locust bean and xantham gum.

Note that the flavored varieties contain three times as much sugar as the plain, and should be avoided.

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Siggi’s Yogurt

Because they aren’t organic, Siggi’s plain yogurt is only Okay Stuff. (By the way, “Icelandic style” is strained even more than Greek yogurt, meaning it’s even thicker). Siggi’s does use milk from grass-fed cows, and their yogurts don’t contain “natural flavors” or additive gums of any kids. Siggi’s flavored drinkable yogurts have much less sugar than all other brands.

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So Delicious Coconutmilk Yogurt Alternative

The base for this yogurt is organic coconut milk. As with all vegan yogurts, So Delicious uses processed ingredients, including rice starch and dipotassium phosphate. Both substances are approved and safe but they are nonetheless highly processed foods. Avoid the flavored varieties of So Delicious as they all contain processed sugar.

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Stonyfield YoBaby flavored yogurts

I kept moving these from Sneaky Stuff to Okay Stuff and then back again! YoBaby yogurts do pack 9 grams of sugar per serving (cane sugar). That said, this is probably the healthiest yogurt marketed specifically to babies. The best idea is of course to buy plain yogurt, mix in some pure fruit jam, and feed that to your kid. My advice is to treat YoBaby as a treat rather than a breakfast food.

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Stonyfield Organic Kids Squeezers

These are the best of the Stonyfield kids’ yogurts, with 6 grams of sugar per serving (although my grandkids often want two tubes). I’m not wild about the “natural flavors” that are included in most Stonyfield flavored yogurts (along with things like gellan gum).

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Stonyfield Organic Whole Milk Yogurt Pouches

I’m torn on these, because 12 grams of sugar really is too much for something I’m calling even Okay Stuff. However, I like that these include fruit purees instead of fruit juice concentrates, and they also contain healthy fish oils. They also pack probiotics and 20% of your child’s daily calcium needs, so overall I don’t consider this a totally horrible snack.

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Bad Stuff: The Least Healthy Yogurt Brands

Dannon Yogurt

Dannon now sells a whole milk variety being marketed to moms who don’t want nonfat dairy for their kids. Despite being advertised as “made with whole milk and all natural, non-GMO ingredients,” this yogurt contains weird additives, like modified food starch. It also contains 15 grams of sugar (about 4 teaspoons) per serving. And all milk is “natural”—this term tells us nothing about the growth hormones in the milk or herbicides and pesticides on the cows’ feed. Dannon’s smoothies for kids are really gross, with modified food starch, whey mineral complex, agar, and of course lots of plain old white sugar! Finally, eating Dannon’s Light & Fit yogurt will make you neither light nor fit; while it has a moderate 7 grams of sugar, it’s packed with modified food starch, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners, maltodextrin, potassium sorbate, and a bunch of other gross stuff.

YoPlait 

This probably will come as no surprise, but YoPlait is not a health food! Not only does the kids’ variety contain white sugar, but it also has the bare minimum probiotic strains for this to even be called a yogurt. With 11 grams of sugar per serving, modified corn starch, potassium sorbate (a synthetic preservative), and artificial sweeteners (sucralose) in some varieties, YoPlait yogurt is classic Bad Stuff.

Sneaky Stuff: Secretly Unhealthy Yogurt Brands

Yogurt is widely marketed as “healthy” food, yet the majority of manufacturers add so much sugar that most yogurt is sometimes sweeter than ice cream. True yogurt should just contain milk and cultures, yet many brands market themselves as “gluten-free” and “vegetarian friendly.” This is meaningless, obviously, as no yogurt is going to contain gluten or meats!

Chobani Greek Yogurt

It seems mainstream brands like Chobani are really listening and now using non-GMO ingredients and milk not treated with hormones like rBST. This is great, but I find it a little sneaky that Chobani’s container of plain yogurt says “made with whole milk” on the front, and yet the first two ingredients are “non-fat milk, cream…” Why not just use whole milk? I imagine that it’s cheaper because they already make nonfat yogurt. Also, Chobani’s flavored yogurts contain as many as 20 grams of sugar per serving.

Fage Total Yogurt

This Greek-style yogurt is sold everywhere, including health food stores like Whole Foods. But this really isn’t a health food. Fage yogurts aren’t organic and every flavor except plain has sugar. The fruit flavors use fruit juice concentrates, so there probably isn’t much whole fruit in those versions. I know Maia does send her kids to school sometimes with the little Fage cups with honey, which is the only not-terrible one.

Kite Hill Greek Style Plant-Based Yogurt

Greek yogurt in usually healthier, but in this case it’s worse than the regular Kite Hill yogurt. It contains soy protein isolate, a hexane-extracted ingredient that is stripped of most of the nutrients during processing. This yogurt also contains gums and fillers.

Liberte flavored yogurts

These yogurts are undeniably tasty, but with 21 grams of sugar per serving, I have to call them out as sneaky. They also contain “natural flavors,” which I don’t love. Liberte’s plain organic version is fine, although it doesn’t specify which cultures are used.

Noosa Finest Yoghurt

This one is confusing to me. Noosa yogurts are sold in every health food store, but this yogurt isn’t organic and has a whopping 28 grams of sugar per serving. They even add white sugar to their honey-flavored yogurt.

Oiko’s Blended Greek Yogurt

Oiko’s is Dannon’s version of a Greek yogurt, and it’s totally sneaky thanks to lots of sugar. I also don’t like that this brand is the only one to not list any of the cultures in the yogurt, and instead just says it contains “live and active cultures.” I I assume this is because they only include the minimum required to qualify as yogurt.

Stonyfield Organic O’Soy soy yogurt  

With 22 grams of sugar, Stonyfield’s O’Soy vegan yogurt is the least healthy non-dairy yogurt option. Soy milk itself is controversial, so I see no reason for this product to be offered in natural food stores–there are better plant-based yogurts!

Stonyfield Organic Probiotic Smoothie

Stonyfield has drastically reduced the sugar in their drinkable yogurts. They are down to 9 grams and contain fruit and veggie purees. If you want to give your kid a drinkable yogurt, this would be the best bet, although kefir is even better—see above.

Whew! I know this is a lot of info. Tell me: are there brands you love that I didn’t recommend above? What are your favorite yogurts?

To your health,

Suzanne, Certified Holistic Health Coach

P.S.  Are you interested in making your own yogurt? We have made our own in past years with success, but as I’ve gotten busier with grandkids and this business, I find I just don’t have the time! If you are interested in making your own yogurt, here is the recipe we’ve used.