Flavoured yogurts are one of those foods that can secretly sabotage your diet. You see, when a product is fat-free, companies need to add a bunch of sugar to ensure that it doesn’t taste like cardboard, which is arguably more damaging for your body than naturally-occurring fats. Approximately half a cup of strawberry-flavoured Activia yogurt contains 17g of sugar, which is equal to the amount of sugar in half of a Milky Way chocolate bar! (NOTE: It’s hard to decipher how much of this sugar is added sugar, but trust me: a majority of that is harmful added sugar.)
As such, I always recommend plain-flavoured yogurt, whether it’s normal yogurt, Greek yogurt, or coconut yogurt. Many people, however, aren’t crazy about the bland flavour that accompanies the plain-flavoured yogurt (myself included). Here are five different “recipes” to make your plain yogurt burst with flavour without adding an unnecessary amount of calories or sugar.
Not-So-Plain Plain Yogurt Recipes
NOTE: All of the recipes below start with half a cup of plain yogurt.
Pumpkin Pie Yogurt
Pour yogurt into a bowl and add half a cup of canned natural pumpkin puree (not the sugary kind you’d make pumpkin pie with). Stir it together and add a dash of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, and one tablespoon of pumpkin seeds. If you need a little bit of extra flavour, add a teaspoon of blackstrap molasses, some raw stevia, or honey. Fall in a bowl!
2. Raspberry Swirl Yogurt
Take half a cup of frozen raspberries (or any berries!) and throw them in the microwave for 30 - 45 seconds until they’re all melted and juicy. Pour it on top of your yogurt and add 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla extract and some unsweetened coconut flakes. Delicious!
3. Protein-Packed Banana Pudding Yogurt
Add one scoop of vanilla-flavoured protein powder to your yogurt and mix thoroughly until all chunks are removed. Slice up a banana, add to yogurt, and stick it in the fridge overnight. By morning, it will taste like delicious banana pudding (it’s unbelievable)!
4. Scrumptious chocolate yogurt
Add 1 - 2 teaspoons of natural cocoa powder to your yogurt and stir together. Top with one tablespoon of raw cacao nibs and one teaspoon of natural honey, stir, and enjoy! Raw cacao nibs are high in muscle-relaxing magnesium.
5. Orange Creamsicle Yogurt
Take 1/2 cup of plain yogurt and add the zest and juice of half a fresh orange. Add a dash of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon (max) of fresh honey. Yum!
BONUS: Make a delicious yogurt veggie dip!
Take 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt and add a pinch of turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper. Add some fresh lemon juice and a bit of minced garlic and you have a delicious dip for raw veggies!
The Bottom Line
Flavoured yogurts at the grocery store are filled with added sugars. But plain yogurt certainly doesn’t have to taste so, well, plain. Many of the ingredients included in the above recipes are calorie-free (spices), packed with antioxidants (raspberries and cacao nibs), or filled with healthy phytonutrients (honey). In other words, you aren’t only getting the benefits of the natural yogurt, but the nutrients from these heathy toppings.
You Tell Me!
How do you spice up your plain yogurt? Let me know in the comments below!