Your Guide To Adding Yogurt To Smoothies

You’ve just started getting into smoothies and discovering how incredible and tasty these healthy drinks can be. But have you wondered what you could add to give your smoothies more protein and thickness? In that case, you may have thought about whether yogurt would be good in a smoothie.

Yogurt adds protein, potassium, Vitamin b-12, and calcium to smoothies. Live yogurt is also a healthy source of bacteria that improve your digestion. A ¼ cup of Greek yogurt added to a smoothie gives a thick, creamy texture and a subtle acidic taste that pairs well with fruits.

Yogurt is often an excellent addition to smoothies that goes incredibly well with certain fruits and flavor combinations. You’ll need to add the right kind of yogurt in the correct amount to get the best result. We’ll tell you the best ways to add yogurt to turn your smoothie into a nutritious, healthy snack.

Is Yogurt Good In A Smoothie?

Yogurt is excellent in smoothies; it’s a fantastic way to increase your protein intake without chugging down artificial-tasting protein drinks. Using natural live yogurt will also ensure you’re ingesting probiotics that help keep your digestive system running smoothly.

Smoothies have become my go-to breakfast. They’re easy to make, light on the stomach, and can be made in so many flavor combinations that I never end up bored.

I love experimenting with new tastes, and one of my favorite light snacks is Greek yogurt with peaches and honey. It occurred to me that these tastes would be excellent as part of a smoothie, so my adventures in adding yogurt to smoothies began.

Unsurprisingly, yogurt pairs very well with soft fruits like bananas, mango, peaches, and strawberries. However, you can also make other unusual and exciting additions. We’ll take a look at some fabulous flavor combos you can try.

Yogurt adds a rich creaminess to your smoothie’s texture. It’s also beneficial to your overall health and can even aid in weight loss.

• Related article: 11 Smoothie Recipes With Yogurt And Frozen Fruit

Health Benefits Of Yogurt In Smoothies

Humans have been eating fermented foods for thousands of years, and yogurt has been a staple food in many cultures. Beneficial bacteria culture the milk into yogurt and this process of lacto-fermentation gives yogurt its distinctive, slightly sour taste.

Adding yogurt to your smoothie gives you all the many health benefits while making the taste sweeter due to the use of fruits and spices like cinnamon. You can get that immune system boost and better digestion by adding a 1/4-1/2 cup yogurt to your smoothie snack!

Adding 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt to your smoothie will add 8.8g of protein to your breakfast macros. You’ll also pack in nearly 180mg of calcium, about a ¼ of your daily needs.

Plain Greek yogurt also contains magnesium, potassium, and selenium, among other trace vitamins and minerals.

What Yogurt Is Best For Smoothies?

Choose unsweetened Greek-style yogurt as your base when making smoothies. This yogurt will keep the sugar content lower. You can also choose low-fat or 2% Greek yogurt if you need to follow a lower-fat diet.

You’ll likely follow a recipe with fruits, nut butter, flavorings like vanilla, and spices like cinnamon when adding yogurt to your smoothie. For this reason, there’s no need to add sweetened, flavored yogurts.

While the thickness and creaminess of Greek yogurt make it the best choice for smoothies, don’t worry if you don’t have any on hand. Greek yogurt may give you the highest protein boost and the richest texture, but that doesn’t rule out other yogurts.

You can use plain yogurt, though your smoothie may be a little thinner. You can double up the serving if you prefer. And while flavored, sweetened yogurts may not be ideal, that doesn’t mean you can’t use them too.

One thing to bear in mind when using flavored yogurts is to pair them with the same fruits. For example, I wouldn’t use a lemon-flavor yogurt if I made a strawberry-based smoothie.

Does Yogurt Make Smoothies Thicker?

Yogurt, even the thinner kinds, has more body than milk. By adding yogurt to your smoothie, you will end up with a thicker and creamier drink.

You can use this to create the smoothie texture you like best. If you prefer your smoothies a little thinner, use regular yogurt, and maybe only a ¼ cup. However, if you want a decadently thick and creamy smoothie, use ½ cup of Greek yogurt instead.

Ice is also an excellent method of adding thickness to smoothies. So if you love a thick smoothie, try adding ice and Greek yogurt. You’ll need a blender that can blend ice, and don’t take too long to drink your smoothie. The longer it sits, the thinner it will get as the ice melts.

Another trick I use when making super-thick smoothies is to keep a pack of frozen berries on hand. I add them instead of ice to my yogurt smoothies, resulting in a delicious, creamy smoothie full of intense flavor.

Can You Use Non-Dairy Yogurt in a Smoothie?

You can use non-dairy yogurts in smoothies, such as soya, coconut-based, and almond milk-based yogurts.

One of the problems I’ve encountered with making non-dairy smoothies is that many of the non-dairy milks tend to leave the smoothie with quite a thin texture.

There are ways of improving the thickness by adding soft fruits like bananas or a few tablespoons of oats, but what about non-dairy yogurts?

If you are you looking for dairy-free alternatives but want a thick and distinct yogurt taste, try using soya yogurt, coconut-based, and almond milk-based yogurts.

I’ve found that the soya and almond-based yogurts have the least conspicuous tastes and are acceptable in most smoothies. You should be able to find various unflavored non-dairy yogurts suitable to add to your smoothies.

Coconut-based vegan yogurts have a distinctive coconut flavor, which I find very pleasant. However, for this reason, I’d only use them in smoothies where you want a hint of coconut. Likewise, if you can only find vanilla-flavored non-dairy yogurt rather than plain, use them in recipes that also call for vanilla.

Can You Mix Milk And Yogurt In A Smoothie?

If you made your smoothie too thick, adding a dash of milk to thin it out will not do any harm. You can mix milk and yogurt to get the perfect blend of texture and taste in your smoothies.

Yogurt is a fermented milk product, but the fermentation process takes time and the right conditions. Adding milk to your smoothies will not change that milk to yogurt.

Some people don’t like the slightly acidic taste of unsweetened yogurt. Adding milk can also help cut some of the acidity of the yogurt taste.

You can also make smoothies without liquid by adding yogurt and ice or frozen fruit. Or even use water instead of milk or juice for a lower-calorie option.

Can You Mix Orange Juice And Yogurt In A Smoothie?

Generally, avoid mixing acidic citrus fruits like oranges, limes, or lemons with yogurt or milk products in smoothies as the acid reacts to curdle the drink.

If you’ve ever poured milk accidentally into a glass of orange juice, I’m sure you’ve seen the reaction. No one wants to drink something that looks curdled and lumpy!

Citrus juices react with dairy products by making the milk proteins curdle and stick together. This reaction is why we usually avoid mixing them.

But when it comes to smoothies, you can sometimes get away with mixing orange juice and yogurt. The trick is to blend them well and not go overboard with the amount of juice you add. Putting in too much juice will make your smoothie thinner, which you may not want, and change the texture.

Conclusion

Yogurt is great in a smoothie and is one way to add extra nutrients while creating a deliciously thick, creamy texture. The best yogurt to use in smoothies is unsweetened, full-fat Greek yogurt. Yogurt will pair well with soft fruits, berries, nut butter, and flavors like vanilla and cinnamon.