Plain Greek Yogurt Smoothies....HELP

determined2lose89
determined2lose89 Posts: 342 Member
in Recipes
Every morning, I make a smoothie with:

1/4 cup-1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt (Yoplait Brand)
1/4 cup -1/2 cup 1% milk or skim
1 cup whatever fruit I have (berries, mango, peach, pineapple, etc)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

I've noticed the alarming amount of 'fake' ingredients and sugar in the Yoplait Vanilla greek yogurt so I bought a tub of 0%m.f. plain greek yogurt. I made my smoothie with it this morning and YUCK YUCK YUCK!!! It was AWFUL. How do I make it taste better without switching back to a sugary greek yogurt?

Thank you :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • __hannah_
    __hannah_ Posts: 787 Member
    Plain greek yogurt has a taste more like sour cream, so I use it as a substitute for that. If I want it to taste more like vanilla yogurt I just mix in vanilla protein powder. Haven't made any smoothies with it, but it might work. Depending on the type of protein powder you have you might also want to add some sort of sweetener to make the taste closer.
  • carolthol
    carolthol Posts: 2
    I use almond milk plain, Peorce whey powder, frozen fruit and I also add vegies like spinach, kale, peppers, spinach or carrots. If not sweet enough you could add a little equal. With adding the veggies the smoothie has less calories.
  • lilawolf
    lilawolf Posts: 1,690 Member
    .... Add something sweet. Splenda, sugar, honey, agave, protein powder and fruit might be enough sweet etc. I like doing about a cup of plain greek yogurt, 1 cup of frozen berries, and 1 packet of splenda. So thick and delicious! I also mix pudding mix powder into my greek yogurt along with fresh strawberries which turns it into a thick mousse. Cheesecake flavor! But that is also "fake and added sugar".
  • mygnsac
    mygnsac Posts: 13,413 Member
    I'm not a big fan of yogurt in smoothies (mine are usually spinach (or some other leafy veggie), fruit, nuts, sometimes carrots or beets, and coconut water) or using artificial sweeteners, but maybe adding a few frozen cherries or some frozen grapes would help sweeten it up more for you. I usually keep a bag in the freezer and use them to sweeten things up sometimes. Maybe a 1/2 a banana would also help.

    I typically eat Fage plan Greek yogurt and use it as a sour cream subsitute, or as a parfait mixed with defrosted frozen berries (the juice from the defrosting makes it just as sweet as those presweetened varieties), honey, vanilla, ground flax seed, and a little granola.
  • AdventureFreak
    AdventureFreak Posts: 236 Member
    fage 0% plain with stevia should help
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
    I know what you mean about all the additives! I use plain 2% natural Greek Yoghurt all the time for savoury and sweet instead of sour cream.

    I use Maple Syrup sugar free (yeah I guess that is a bit silly isn't it - that's got additives)! Ah but it tastes good .... I eat it with berries which are not very sweet either so hence the maple syrup ...

    You could also use honey, vanilla etc to sweeten it?

    You might find you get used to the taste after a while, just start off with small amounts at first?
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
    Hang in there you will figure out how to make it yummy. When I started I couldn't eat plain greek yogurt without puckering up like I sucked on a lemon. Now that I de sugared myself I don't know why I thought it was so sour. SO until you get there don't be afraid to add natural sugar. I always used a teaspoon of local honey or raw sugar. Don't be afraid after you blend your smoothie to dip a spoon in and taste before you pour it into a glass. I'll add vanilla extract, cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, etc. Bananas are great for sweetening up a smoothie and adding great flavor. Most of my smoothies have 1/2 a banana.

    Go to http://simplegreensmoothies.com/recipes for ideas. Then experiment. They make smoothies that are 60% fruit and 40% veggie and they are really sweet and good. I prefer mine about 50/50 these days.
  • ChristineS_51
    ChristineS_51 Posts: 872 Member
    .... Add something sweet. Splenda, sugar, honey, agave, protein powder and fruit might be enough sweet etc. I like doing about a cup of plain greek yogurt, 1 cup of frozen berries, and 1 packet of splenda. So thick and delicious! I also mix pudding mix powder into my greek yogurt along with fresh strawberries which turns it into a thick mousse. Cheesecake flavor! But that is also "fake and added sugar".

    Ohh I like the idea of the pudding mix! Another thing I do is pour off excess runny stuff from the yoghurt, which helps it get thicker :-)
  • ananda403
    ananda403 Posts: 32 Member
    This is one of my favorite smoothies and it calls for plain greek yogurt. I also think that fage makes the best tasting plain, all the others taste really chalky to me. http://www.skinnytaste.com/2012/02/skinny-green-tropical-smoothie.html
  • aplhabetacheesecake
    aplhabetacheesecake Posts: 181 Member
    Add a few pitted dates! omg they are so naturally sweet they are ahhhmazeing!
  • ezloshead
    ezloshead Posts: 167 Member
    Vanilla extract or cocoa powder and liquid stevia. I add it to my Greek yogurt all the time. I don't miss the pre-sweetened stuff.
  • palomino698
    palomino698 Posts: 36 Member
    I love Fage 0% fat Greek Yogurt and usually use that in smoothies. Sometimes skimmed milk, recently coconut milk, whatever fruit is to hand - fresh or frozen - and sometimes a couple of scoops of whey powder for a protein boost. The one I have now is strawberry, also available in chocolate and I think there's a vanilla one but my nearest store never has it. Never needed to sweeten a smoothie but why not try a sprinkle of Stevia? A bit like giving up sugar in coffee, once you're used to it you'd never go back!
  • cathydubepenner
    cathydubepenner Posts: 159 Member
    just add a little vanilla....a touch of honey or stevia.....I make my own vanilla Greek yogurt, it's yummy :smile:
  • judychicken
    judychicken Posts: 937 Member
    Bump!
  • MonaLisaLianne
    MonaLisaLianne Posts: 398 Member
    Try using Stonyfield's plain yogurt. It's organic and has no added fructose. If you want to make it thicker, use a paper coffee filter to strain out some of the liquid. (That's all "Greek" yogurt is - regular yogurt that's been strained to make it thicker.) What I do is add about 1/2 tsp. of vanilla extract to a 1 cup serving and stir in a packet or two of Splenda (sucralose sweetener). To make it extra yummy I sometimes grate a small apple (skin and all) and add that plus a tsp. of cinnamon. Or, I add frozen strawberries that I've chopped into small pieces. (Hint: Buy a large carton of strawberries, throw them all in a ziplock bag, and freeze them Unwashed. When you want to use them, rinse in warm water, remove the stem and enjoy!). Another tasty addition is frozen cherries (in your frozen section of your grocery store).
  • MonaLisaLianne
    MonaLisaLianne Posts: 398 Member
    "I know what you mean about all the additives! I use plain 2% natural Greek Yoghurt all the time for savoury and sweet instead of sour cream.

    I use Maple Syrup sugar free (yeah I guess that is a bit silly isn't it - that's got additives)! Ah but it tastes good .... I eat it with berries which are not very sweet either so hence the maple syrup ...

    You could also use honey, vanilla etc to sweeten it?

    You might find you get used to the taste after a while, just start off with small amounts at first?"

    A little bit OT, but I love to add the sugar-free Maple Syrup to my steel-cut oatmeal porridge!
  • kittykat274
    kittykat274 Posts: 1 Member
    Fage is the way to go! It's the only brand that is actually greek. Everyone else just slaps that on their label.
    It's not available where I am, so I use Astro Balkan Yogurt, a very close second to Fage.
  • CocoaBeautiful
    CocoaBeautiful Posts: 40 Member
    .... Add something sweet. Splenda, sugar, honey, agave, protein powder and fruit might be enough sweet etc. I like doing about a cup of plain greek yogurt, 1 cup of frozen berries, and 1 packet of splenda. So thick and delicious! I also mix pudding mix powder into my greek yogurt along with fresh strawberries which turns it into a thick mousse. Cheesecake flavor! But that is also "fake and added sugar".

    Mmmm! I will try adding pudding mix that sounds like a tasty treat!
  • ValeriePlz
    ValeriePlz Posts: 517 Member
    http://themessybakerblog.com/2013/09/26/skinny-chocolate-peanut-butter-banana-shake/

    Chocolate PB banana shake - with Greek yogurt! It's delicious.
  • inthedistrict
    inthedistrict Posts: 83 Member
    Mine is 1/2 cup OJ
    1/2 banana
    1/2 cup strawberries
    1/2 cup Greek yogurt
    1/2 cup spinach
    2 scoops of webbers all natural greens powder
    Fill up bullet container with water
    Squirting of lime for zip
    Can substitute fruit for others as desired. Colouration is not appetizing but taste is delicious, filling and under 350 Cals.
    Another substation is almond milk for the OJ, if you use that then put in 1/4 tsp of cinnamon.
  • inthedistrict
    inthedistrict Posts: 83 Member
    Another good trick is when your bananas are about to go bad, I peel, halve and put in the freezer in bags. That way you always have them. The frozen fruit makes your smoothie like a slushie. I also freeze my baby spinach if I don't use it up fast enough.
  • bhdon
    bhdon Posts: 117 Member
    my morning smoothie usually looks something like this....

    1 cup almond milk ( easy to make if you don't want the store bought)
    1/4 cup plain kefir or non-fat plain yogurt ( for the live cultures) ( homemade yogurt and kefir are also easy to make)
    romaine lettuce, kale or spinach - to taste ( romaine is the milder of the 3)
    2 brazil nuts ( for the selenium)
    1/2 cup frozen strawberries, blueberries or raspberries
    a couple frozen banana pieces ( I slice up bananas ( including the skin -if they're organic) and keep the slices in the freezer)
    1 - 3 tsp ground cinnamon

    you could add protein powder to this if you want a little extra protein
  • cvillegal03
    cvillegal03 Posts: 36 Member
    I make something very similar, and also HATE artificial sweeteners, try this, is is SOOO good, trust me!

    2% plain greek yogurt- about 1 cup
    1 cup frozen CHERRIES
    1tsp cinnamon
    1 tablespoon chia seeds
    somtimes I'll add 1 tsp coca power (pure)

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