Savory Yogurt Three Ways
Not a fan of fruity yogurt? Try savory yogurt one of three different ways. Or, try all three: Everything Bagel, Greek and Caprese.
For years now, when I’ve eaten yogurt, I’ve only eaten it in private. Since I work from home now, this is really no big deal.
Why do I do this? Because I eat savory yogurt, and the few times I’ve done this in public (at an old office job) I just got weird stares and turned up noses.
Never a fan of sweet yogurt, I’ve long wondered why the only flavored yogurt available at the grocery store is fruit-on-the-bottom or blended with fruit. Not all yogurt bar ideas need to be sweet!
Once in awhile, I’ve been known to enjoy a blueberry lemon smoothie with yogurt in it, but most of the time, savory yogurt is the way to go for me (or, used as an ingredient in a savory recipe like Greek yogurt mashed potatoes or Greek yogurt pasta sauce).
Where is “beets on the bottom” or “basil pesto blended” yogurt? Am I the only one that creates these concoctions at home?
This all changed a few months ago when I was watching an episode of “Next Food Network Star” (don’t laugh, TV was a wasteland on Sunday nights this summer), and they happened to be filming a challenge at Sohha Savory Yogurt in New York.
I quite literally jumped out of my chair in excitement. Other people were doing this! It’s a thing! I don’t have to hide!
Since seeing this segment, I’ve actually noticed savory versions pop up in various magazines and even restaurant menus. Stand tall, fellow savory lovers. This post is for you.
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I’m so glad that I’ve finally found a way to enjoy yogurt, because not only does it taste great (when it’s savory), but it provides us with bone-building calcium, as well as eight other nutrients essential for good health.
Enjoying dairy foods as part of a healthy diet is associated with all kinds of health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
I decided to make three types of savory yogurt for you. I started with plain Greek yogurt (plain regular yogurt works great, too) from locally-produced milk.
These Everything Bagel, Greek and Caprese yogurt ideas are just starting points for your voyage into the world of savory yogurt. Set out all of them as part of brunch ideas for a crowd and introduce your friends and family to savory yogurt!
Psst – the Greek flavor is great alongside homemade beef kafta and my turkey meatball air fryer recipe, included as a layer in Greek layer dip, or dolloped on top of gyro pizza.
And if you like savory yogurt, perhaps you’ll also like a cottage cheese bowl.
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Savory Yogurt Three Ways
Ingredients
- 1 container plain Greek yogurt 7 ounces
For the Everything Bagel Savory Yogurt:
- 1 teaspoon Everything Bagel Seasoning Mix
- ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
For the Greek Savory Yogurt:
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped cucumber
- 2 tablespoons halved kalamata olives
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
For the Caprese Savory Yogurt:
- 2 tablespoons chopped tomato
- 1 tablespoon basil pesto
- 1 teaspoon pine nuts
Instructions
- For each 7 ounce container plain Greek yogurt (or regular plain yogurt), choose one flavor above and top yogurt with corresponding toppings.
- Stir and enjoy.
Notes
- Nutrition facts are for Everything Bagel style yogurt.
I am definitely late to the comments. But I love savory yogurt. As a Greek I always make tzatziki and can literally eat it right from the bowl. So I tried to switch things up a bit when I ate yogurt with or as a meal. I usually buy plain Greek yogurt and add what I want, even sweet. Fresh fruit, jelly, marmalades, syrups whatever I am working with. So I do the same with savory. Load with veggies, some salt and pepper. I love adding fresh tomatoes, jalepenos, scallion and a little everything bagel seasoning. I feel like I am eating something bad and the veggies give it a crunch too. Yum! I do the same with cottage cheese as well.
Hi Nicole! Yes, eating tzatziki right from the bowl is the best! I think it’s really more of a side dish than a condiment. haha.
A simple way to enjoy yoghurt is to add salt and minced or paste garlic. Delicious if you like savoury yoghurt – use it as you wish, as topping or an accompaniment to your spicy food
I agree, Jan, that’s one of my favorites, too!
Try pan roasting some pumpkin seeds, pistachios, sunflowers seeds, sesame seeds, and seasonings (cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, whatever). Sprinkle over yogurt with olive oil.
Come winter, try savory oatmeal.
Sounds so good, Mary Jo. And yep, I love savory oatmeal, too: https://foxeslovelemons.com/savory-mushroom-and-herb-steel-cut-oat-risotto/
I am so happy to finally read about someone else who also enjoys savoury yoghurt… I thought it was just me! Thank you so much for sharing these recipes, I can’t wait to try them. I usually eat my savoury yoghurt with a little spiced couscous and maybe some wilted spinach thrown in, but that’s sometimes a pain to make in a college dorm room and so I must try these without delay!
Yesssss! I love couscous with yogurt, too! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
I’m Indian, so for us, yogurt is usually savory. While I haven’t tried savory yogurt in other ways beside
typical Indian styles, I’m excited to try the everything bagel one. My go to yogurt is usually either made with shredded and strained cucumber, salt, chili powder and black pepper, or with boodni which are these crisp fried gram flour balls that are usually seasoned. I add the same seasoning mentioned before and typically eat a large mason jars worth for lunch. Some of the other seasonings have a sulfuric smell to them, but they make it all taste better.
I love all things tart(I used to peel and eat lemons like oranges until my dentist told me to stop!)So these savory yogurts call to me! I usually eat Icelandic skyrr….thicker and tarter than Greek yogurt,with even more protein)
Please share MORE versions!!!!!
Thanks for stopping by, Kim! You’ve piqued my interest aboout skyrr . . .
I never comment on these things but I felt compelled to here. OMG thank you! I am more of a savory girl and these recipes make my Fage 0% a total treat. Amazing and delicious.
So glad you like these ideas, Laura!
Hi Lori, I’ve been hearing a lot about savory yogurt, and your recipes seem simple and delicious, (something about those kalamata olives and everything bagel seasoning). But just wondering, is savory yogurt eaten warm or cold? Somehow, warms sounds good.
Thanks!
Hi Sibongile! I eat it cold. I’ve actually never tried warm yogurt, but if it sounds good to you, I say go for it!
I didn’t grow up eating yogurt at all, and my unsophisticated palate, when I was younger, couldn’t take the tartness of it, savory or sweet. But once, years ago, someone I knew from Iraq, made plain, homemade yogurt, and it was amazing. I’ve never been able to duplicate that taste in a commercial/packaged yogurt.
Oh, I totally hear you. I don’t think I ate much yogurt as a kid, either. I definitely thought it was too tart. My tastes have definitely changed a bit, but I still prefer plain, more savory yogurt. I need to try my hand at homemade yogurt, because it sounds amazing!
I have recently made dips with yogurt mixed with either horseradish or tartare sauce, The tartare sauce one has become a real favourite and eaten with mixed veges to dip is utterly delicious. I’m about to try red pesto and yogurt and see how that works, I imagine it will be delicious ! I’m not a great fan of the sweet yogurt at all and wish there was a niche in the market that I could fill with savoury yogurts here in the UK
The tartare sauce sound wonderful, Judith! Can you tell me what red pesto is, please? I’ve never heard of it, but I’m intrigued!
I never would have thought to make yoghurt savoury before.. definitely curious to know what these three different flavour toppings taste like with yoghurt!
Thanks for stopping by, Thalia!
Sweet or savoury, I love yogurts! And all three recipes you have here are all worth trying. Yum!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Thanks Julie!
This is an interesting concept. We generally eat Greek yogurt (plain, non-fat) for snacks, sometimes mixed with cocoa & Stevia or evaporated cane juice, sometimes mixed with frozen mixed berries for our snacks. I really like Greek yogurt for a snack and if I were to do it for a daytime snack, a savory option would be very nice. I always buy plain yogurt because too many fruit yogurts are sweetened with Sucralose (if you eat Sucralose you might want to read this article: http://foodrevolution.org/blog/sucraloses-dioxin/#fbSEO) which I can’t eat. Also I don’t like too much sugar. I would also recommend that if anyone wants to do yogurt as a snack to use the Greek yogurt because it has a really good level of protein. Since I found Greek yogurt I have found regular yogurt to be pretty much useless… the Greek is far more nutritious. I will probably try to figure out my own savory mixes. Thanks for a great idea.
I agree, Susan – Greek yogurt is the way to go! It’s just a little *too* tangy for me when I try to pair it with fruit. It’s probably an acquired taste, but I just can’t get on board with that level of tartness. But I guess there’s no real harm with just sticking with the savory versions I enjoy 🙂
I think that level of tartness is an acquired taste. That’s why my husband always puts some evaporated cane juice with his. My ability to tolerate the tartness might be understandable when you know that my favorite style of beer is IPA…
It all makes perfect sense now, Susan 🙂
PS- the photos look GREAT!
OMG I LOOOOVE the idea of savory yogurt, I tried savory oatmeal once and failed. The everything bagel sounds fabulous! must try!
Haha, why was it a fail? What’d you put in it? It should come as no surprise, but I’m a fan of savory oatmeal, too. Here’s my attempt at it:
https://foxeslovelemons.com/savory-mushroom-and-herb-steel-cut-oat-risotto-sundaysupper
I think I added cheese and baked eggs on top of it… it just tasted off, Maybe it was tooooo much oatmeal, it was like 3 inches of oatmeal and not tooo much cheese with some eggs and arugula on top.
Ahhhh, got ya. Yeah, I’ve found that you need to season/flavor savory oatmeal pretty aggressively, otherwise it just sort of tastes…like weird oatmeal. haha.
I can’t stand the fruit on the bottom yogurts, it’s too sweet and fake tasting for me. Give me plain Greek yogurt and let me customize it anyway I want. Now I haven’t done savory yogurt for breakfast but I like these as ideas to have with lunch or dinner!
Yes! That’s the problem with that sweet yogurt – it never tastes like real fruit. I’m *sometimes* OK with plain yogurt topped with real fruit that I cut up myself. But most of the time, I would really just prefer savory, especially around lunchtime.
I always ate savory yoghurt, and I do not like prepackaged sweet yogurt. If you’re middle eastern you will be used to eating yoghurt in everything from salads, savory puddings, sauces for meat/chicken cooking, to even yogurt marinades. It is such an essential ingredient in the kitchen, I will not go without plain yoghurt because it’s so versatile.
I must be middle eastern at heart, as I always have a huge tub of yogurt in the fridge, and I use it in all the ways you described, Doris 🙂 It’s definitely a kitchen staple for me. I get twitchy when I run out of it.