Written by: Hana Hsu
The scenario: You’re at your local supermarket, deciding to find out what the fuss is about these new Greek yogurt. You like honey. You reach for a honey-flavored one. But wait, there are five different types! Which one do you reach for?
The solution: You could try them all. But instead of spending seven dollars on five cups of yogurt, I’d recommend you try Fage’s Total 0% Greek Strained Yogurt with Honey for one of the best honey-flavored Greek yogurts out there.
To be fair, Fage’s version of honey yogurt is actually yogurt with honey on the side, whereas the other versions have honey flavoring mixed in already. But the beauty of Fage’s yogurt is that it leaves the pristine taste of the Greek yogurt in all its unspoiled creamy, slightly tart glory, allowing you to choose how much honey you want to add yourself. The yogurt has just enough creaminess and body to it, helping you become full, but not the extra fat from whole milkfat.
Also, the yogurt is very natural in its ingredients. The honey in the package is just that, real honey, not some artificial flavoring posing as honey (surprisingly, Yoplait’s honey vanilla yogurt doesn’t even have honey listed in the ingredients). As Fage’s Web site states, its strained yogurt is “Made from an authentic recipe that dates back to 1926 and using 100% natural ingredients, it contains no added sweeteners, thickeners or preservatives and no powdered milk, powdered cream or powdered protein.”On the other hand, all other Greek-style yogurts, except for Chobani, have added sugar, fructose, pectin, or other ingredients besides milk, cream, and live active cultures. Fage’s Total 0% yogurt with honey comes in 5.3 oz containers and 40 grams of sugar (if you decide to use all of the honey, which I never do).
Pros:
- Fresh, natural taste
- Creamy
- Filling
- All natural
- Good source of protein and calcium (more than normal yogurt)
- Honey comes on the side, so you can choose how much sweetness you want
- You can choose the honey flavor in 100% milkfat, 2%, and 0%
Cons:
- It is a bit expensive, at $1.79 a pop
Of course, Fage has other varieties, such as the Total classic (100% milkfat) and 0% versions, with flavors including cherry-pomegranate, blueberry acai, mango guanabana, and strawberry goji.
Other alternative Greek-style yogurts include Chobani, which comes in as a close second. It is a 0% fat yogurt, with a very mild, subtle honey taste that does not overpower the natural yogurt flavor. I was surprised that it had 20 grams of sugar, as it doesn’t taste that sweet. The Greek Gods’ honey yogurt is tasty, but overly sweet, with no lowfat or nonfat options. Also, it tastes like maple syrup rather than honey.
As for Danon’s Oikos and Yoplait’s Greek yogurts, I wouldn’t recommend them, although they are cheaper. Yoplait’s honey vanilla does not taste like honey and has a sour taste from the lemon concentrate that masks any unique Greek yogurt flavor. Dannon’s Oikos honey yogurt has a strong honey taste but is too sweet, with added cane sugar and fructose in its ingredients, also overpowering the taste of natural Greek yogurt. Since Dannon’s and Yoplait’s are only a few cents cheaper ($1.25), you might as well go for the real stuff and enjoy Fage’s honey yogurt instead.