Ten ways to cook with Greek yogurt

Cooking with Greek yogurt goes well beyond breakfast. Its thickness and gentle acidity make it a marinade that keeps chicken juicy, a base for cooling sauces and dips, a two-ingredient flatbread dough, a lighter stand-in for soured cream or mayonnaise, and a set dessert. The one rule to remember is heat: stir it into hot dishes off the boil, or stabilise it first, and it won't split. Here are ten ways to cook with Greek yogurt, with quantities, timings and the mistakes to avoid.

First, choose the right yogurt

True Greek yogurt is strained, which removes some of the whey and leaves it thick, tangy and relatively high in protein, at about 9–10 g per 100 g (values vary by brand). "Greek-style" yogurt is often thickened instead of strained and can be thinner and lower in protein, so check the label. Fat matters in the kitchen too:

• Full-fat (around 10% fat) is the most forgiving in hot dishes and the richest in dips.
• Low-fat and fat-free work well in marinades, dressings, doughs and cold dishes, but split more easily when heated.

1. A marinade for tender, juicy meat

Yogurt's mild acidity works more gently than a marinade of straight lemon juice, so chicken stays tender without turning mushy, and the milk solids help it brown and char. Mix 250 g Greek yogurt with 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 crushed garlic cloves, spices and a little oil for about 450 g of chicken. Marinate for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the fridge. The Greek Yogurt Marinated Chicken Skewers in High-Protein Fat Loss use exactly this approach, with smoked paprika and cumin. Scrape off the excess before cooking so the chicken chars rather than steams.

2. Tandoori-style roasting

For a spiced version, add garam masala, ground cumin, ground coriander, chilli, grated ginger and garlic to the yogurt, and coat chicken thighs or cauliflower florets. Roast at 220°C (200°C fan) until charred at the edges. The book's Tandoori Yogurt Chicken is a good weeknight example.

3. Two-ingredient flatbread dough

Mix equal weights of self-raising flour and Greek yogurt with a pinch of salt; 150 g of each makes two bases. Knead briefly into a soft dough, roll thin, and cook in a hot dry pan for 2–3 minutes each side, or bake as a pizza base. No yeast and no rising time. The Greek-Yogurt Flatbread Pizza in the book is built on exactly this dough. If it's sticky, add flour a spoonful at a time.

4. Cooling sauces and tzatziki

Grate half a cucumber, salt it lightly, then squeeze out as much water as you can before stirring it into 150–200 g Greek yogurt with garlic, lemon and dried or fresh mint. That squeeze is the difference between a thick sauce and a watery puddle. Serve with grilled meat, falafel or roast vegetables. The book's Beef Koftas with Cucumber Yogurt pair spiced lean beef with a sauce made this way.

5. Stirring into curries and stews without splitting

Yogurt curdles when it hits a boiling sauce. To avoid it:

• Take the pan off the heat before adding the yogurt.
• Temper it first: stir a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce into the yogurt, then add the mixture to the pan.
• Stabilise it with 1 tsp cornflour per 150 g yogurt if the dish will simmer again.
• Use full-fat yogurt for anything that stays hot for long.

6. A lighter swap for soured cream, crème fraîche and mayonnaise

Greek yogurt stands in for soured cream on chilli or jacket potatoes. In coleslaw, potato salad and creamy dressings, try replacing half the mayonnaise with yogurt; you'll keep the richness but it tastes brighter. For a quick dressing, whisk 3 tbsp yogurt with 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp olive oil, a little garlic, salt and chopped herbs, and loosen with water.

7. Moist baking

Yogurt makes cakes, muffins and quick breads tender, and its acidity reacts with bicarbonate of soda to help them rise. Use it where a recipe calls for buttermilk or soured cream. As a rough buttermilk substitute, thin Greek yogurt with milk to a pourable consistency, about 3 parts yogurt to 1 part milk.

8. Home-made labneh

Stir half a teaspoon of salt into 500 g Greek yogurt, spoon it into a sieve lined with muslin or a clean cloth, set it over a bowl and leave it in the fridge for 12–24 hours. The longer it drains, the thicker it gets. Serve spread on a plate with olive oil, za'atar and warm bread, or roll it into small balls and store them under olive oil in the fridge.

9. Better breakfasts

Stir yogurt through porridge off the heat so it stays creamy. Mix it with oats and milk for overnight oats, or blend it into smoothies for body without ice cream. A plain bowl topped with fruit, seeds and a few toasted oats is one of the simplest breakfasts there is. For more on breakfast protein, see how much protein is in everyday foods.

10. Set and frozen desserts

Beat Greek yogurt with light cream cheese and a little sweetener, set it with a small amount of dissolved gelatine, and spoon it over a crumb base in jars for an easy no-bake cheesecake. The book's No-Bake Greek Yogurt Cheesecake Jars use that yogurt-and-cream-cheese base. For frozen yogurt bark, spread yogurt about 1 cm thick on a lined tray, scatter over berries and a few chopped nuts, freeze until firm and break into pieces.

To find more recipes that use it, search the recipe finder for yogurt recipes. A big tub is also one of the staples on our healthy pantry checklist.

Common mistakes

• Boiling it. Yogurt added to a bubbling sauce splits into grainy curds. Add it off the heat or stabilise it first.
• Using fat-free yogurt in hot dishes. It's the most likely to curdle. Save it for marinades, dressings and cold dishes.
• Skipping the cucumber squeeze. Watery tzatziki is almost always wet cucumber.
• Leaving the marinade too thick. A heavy coat of yogurt steams instead of charring. Wipe off the excess.
• Buying sweetened yogurt for savoury cooking. Vanilla or honey yogurt makes an odd curry. Buy plain.

Questions people ask

How do you cook with Greek yogurt without it curdling?

Add it off the heat, temper it with a little of the hot sauce first, use full-fat yogurt, or stir in 1 tsp cornflour per 150 g yogurt before it goes into anything that will simmer.

Can I use Greek yogurt instead of soured cream?

Yes, in most cold uses and as a topping it swaps one for one. In hot sauces, treat it more gently than soured cream, as it splits more easily.

Can you freeze Greek yogurt?

You can, but the texture turns grainy once thawed. It's fine for baking, smoothies and marinades, less good for eating from the pot.

How long does Greek yogurt keep once opened?

Follow the guidance on the pot, keep it in the fridge, and use a clean spoon each time. If it smells unpleasant or shows mould, throw it away.