Brands of commercially produced yogurt we love

[patrickamory]

Biblos is not bad. I think Karoun is superior.

[phatj]

My favorite is Nancy's Organic Nonfat Plain Yogurt - great tang, great texture.

And plus you have all the great containers leftover..."Eugene Tupperware"!

OMG are we related?

I grew up in Corvallis (about an hour north of Eugene, OR), and my dad ate Nancy's by the ton, and finding the actual yogurt in the fridge was a challenge because there were so many Nancy's containers filled with assorted leftovers. Never liked it much, myself; too tart.

I like most any yogurt nowadays; I prefer the whole milk varieties which, sadly, are becoming rarer. I wish I had noted the brand (pretty sure it wasn't Chobani or Fage), but I had a little cup of some kind of flavored Greek yogurt in Connecticut recently that was absurdly decadent. Something like 1/2 of the daily allowance of fat in a 6-oz cup. It was delicious.

[chappie]

It's pricey but Noosa is a delicious non-Greek yogurt that recently appeared on our grocery shelves in Md. Most of what we eat is Greek (Chobani or Trader Joe's) style but Noosa is silky, creamy and amazing flavor.

[Headcheese]

Noosa is absolutely the best yogurt I've ever had, and I've tried most of the ones mentioned here. It has nearly ruined other brands of yogurt for me. It is kind of pricy, but I can't go back to anything else.

[GlorifiedRice]

Noosa is absolutely the best yogurt I've ever had, and I've tried most of the ones mentioned here. It has nearly ruined other brands of yogurt for me. It is kind of pricy, but I can't go back to anything else.

I agree I just wish they had more flavors.

Do you remember that "non cultured" yogurt called Kissel? Loved that stuff

[Shel_B]

I rarely buy commercial yogurt but when I do, I only buy Trader Joe's Greek Style.

It has an incredibly long life in the fridge after it's sell by date, as long as it is not opened.

I mostly buy TJ's Greek style yogurt, and prefer the fat free style. The full fat style is too heavy for my taste. I like TJ's because it's easy to come by, there are no additives or fillers, and the price is reasonable. TJ's is now carrying an organic Greek style yogurt, which I've not tried yet.

Straus Family Farms produces some nice organic yogurts, although it's probably not available nationally. I just bought a tub of their Greek style non-fat and I like the fullness of the flavor. I think it'll be nice in my panna cotta recipe. I'll have to do a side-by-side comparison with TJ's yogurt.

Nancy's has some satisfactory yogurt products as well, but I'venot purchased any for quite a while as TJ's has a good selection and their store is very convenient to me.

...Shel

Edited March 20, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[Heartsurgeon]

Bellwether Farms Sheep Milk Yogurt - far and away the best domestic yogurt I've found (most authentic taste)

Nancy's Plain - best domestic cow milk yogurt

anything with any flavoring, anything "lowfat" or "nonfat", or containing anything other than milk (like pectin, any kind of thickener, sugar, honey, fruit) - isn't yogurt.

It's some kind of abomination, but for sure, it isn't yogurt.

not sure what Activa is, but it isn't yogurt either.

Gotta have whole cow or sheep milk as the base.

Soy or almond milk - nope, not yogurt.

the BEST yogurt has a thick bubbly skin on top that you can sort of peel/scoop off and is delicous (the best part).

Haven't seen the peel? then you haven't eaten real yogurt.

[jharkins]

Chobani now has its own store in NYC where you can order it to go with all types of mix-ins, how cool!

[Baselerd]

I've enjoyed cooking with Bellwether Farms' sheep's milk yogurt as well. It's very creamy, great for sauces and dessert components. Not too cheap though.

Edited April 12, 2013 by Baselerd (log)

[patrickamory]

I don't go for flavored yogurts either, and I don't buy nonfat or lowfat yogurt.

With one, new exception, a type of yogurt that has been made with skim milk for centuries - Icelandic skyr. It's a strained cow's milk yogurt, not quite as thick as Fage. I was introduced to this by the Siggi's brand which is made in New York. It's not as sour as I usually like (the fullfat Karoun Dairies or Byblos brands for instance) - but it's unbelievably creamy and full flavored. No additives or stabilizers or anything like that.

- Actually, the skyr I had was rjóma-skyr, which is skyr with some of the cream thrown back in, so it ends up being about 2% fat. Fine by me!

[Katie Meadow]

I'm not a fan of non-fat yogurt, nor do I buy yogurt with fruit or flavor in it. My only exception to that is a local east bay yogurt called Saint Benoit. They make a full fat lemon yogurt that is pretty nice. Their product comes in a recyclable ceramic jar, is sold at some farmers' markets and several local groceries as well. I have no idea how widely this is available.

For old-fashioned Euro-style yogurt I still think Pavel's full fat is great, and the 2% is okay. I do very much like the Bellwether sheeps milk yogurt but don't buy it very often. That actually tastes a bit like the yogurt I had in Crete many years ago, which I am almost sure was sheep's milk.

My favorite Greek-style yogurt is still Fage, and I prefer the 2%; it seems richer that any other 2% yogurt. It's easy to come by and it's versatile. The Chobani selection everywhere seems limited to non-fat, and mostly flavored. I did find some non-fat plain and tried that, but didn't think it was anything special. My TJ's sells the Fage, so I buy it there. I suppose it would be worth trying the TJ Greek. Next time.

[patrickamory]

Today I bought two more containers of Siggi's 2% skyr.

Plus a large full-fat Turkish yogurt called Yörük. Have yet to try it.

Has anyone tried the goat's milk yogurt from Coach Farms?

[LindaK]

My usual yogurt is Fage (full fat, please), but when I can find it, sheep's milk yogurt from Old Chatham Sheepherding Company is fantastic.

[SylviaLovegren]

We were down in the States last week and I had Dannon's Oikos Greek yoghurt. The full fat was really good. I was impressed!

[Shel_B]

I'm not a fan of non-fat yogurt, nor do I buy yogurt with fruit or flavor in it. My only exception to that is a local east bay yogurt called Saint Benoit. They make a full fat lemon yogurt that is pretty nice. Their product comes in a recyclable ceramic jar, is sold at some farmers' markets and several local groceries as well. I have no idea how widely this is available.

[...]

My TJ's sells the Fage, so I buy it there. I suppose it would be worth trying the TJ Greek. Next time.

St Benoit is nice, but I don't buy it often, much preferring the convenience and selection at TJ's.

Do try the TJ's Greek ... a lot of people feel it's quite good - it won a Bay Area yogurt tasting a while ago. They now have an organic Greek yogurt which I've not yet tried - that's next up. Also, you might want to try Straus Family Farms organic Greek yogurt.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

It may get me banned from here, but I prefer ShopRite plain, whole milk yogurt. Also their sour cream. (I'm having ShopRite sour cream at the moment for my dessert.)

[Shel_B]

Andie, I feel the same way about the TJ's Greek yogurt. It's so superior in things like raita and other applications where you want thick and creamy. It doesn't break down and get runny, and you don't have to fool around with draining it to get that thick consistency. And the flavor is outstanding. I've noticed it stays fresher, longer, as well. It's a good product.

Another vote in favor of TJ's Greek Yogurt, although that's not the only yogurt we buy. Toots likes TJ's goat milk yogurt, and I enjoy it as well with our morning fruit. Nancy's organic is another favorite of mine.

It seems TJ's has changed their Greek yogurt. It now comes in a different container, and the yogurt seems more watery, less thick, and appears to "seep" more. I no longer buy it. However, their Organic Greek yogurt does not have those problems, and that's what I've been buying lately, as well as Straus Organic Greek yogurt.

http://strausfamilycreamery.com/products/organic-dairy-products

Edited November 5, 2013 by Shel_B (log)

[jsmeeker]

Another vote for Noosa. It's not the thick Greek style that's gotten so popular recently, but it's super smooth and creamy. Love that stuff.

Edited December 1, 2013 by jsmeeker (log)

[Jennifer02]

Chobani is also one of my favorite  but sometimes I use to buy coconut milk vegan from COYO, it  is healthier.

[Darienne]

Finally, finally, we are back in the USA and able to buy and try Fage yogurt.  One taste and I was sold.  It IS THE BEST commercial yogurt I have ever tasted, bar none.  :wub:

[Martin Fisher]

Fage Full-Fat for me!

[Deryn]

I have been on a Noosa (strawberry/rhubarb or raspberry) binge for quite a while now. Otherwise though I only buy plain Greek yogourt - and it seems it is usually Liberte most recently, although if I can't find that Oikos is ok. And always full fat, no matter what I get.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Deryn (log)

[Darienne]

DiggingDogFarm...we are in a small town in Utah and could find only 2%, but could imagine full fat would be awesome.

Still 2% is too thick for eating on granola and banana for me. Luckily one of the pups loves yogurt and could help out.

[Darienne]

Otherwise though I only buy plain Greek yogourt - and it seems it is usually Liberte most recently, although if I can't find that Oikos is ok. And always full fat, no matter what I get.

We bought Liberte for a long time from Costco in Ontario, although Ed began to complain that it was too watery for him and now it's Astro Balkan for us back home.

Edited December 22, 2014 by Darienne (log)

[cakewalk]

I love the Trader Joe's "European Style No Fat Plain" yogurt. It's very thin and smooth, almost drinkable, but I just love the tartness of it, it's so flavorful. I'm not a fan of Greek yogurts at all.