Quark?? MFP, give me your thoughts!

LegalMom0928
LegalMom0928 Posts: 46 Member
edited November 23 in Food and Nutrition
I saw an ad for this, and I'm curious if anyone has tried it? I eat Greek yogurt (Yoplait 100 calorie variety) nearly every day for breakfast, and I really enjoy it. But, I'm always looking for good, healthy alternatives for when I want to switch it up. Anyone tried it?

Replies

  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,755 Member
    I have and really like it. You like greek yogurt so this may not concern you but Quark is less sour/tart than greek yogurt and that's what I like about it.

    Otherwise it's pretty comparable to greek yogurt. The only con is it's more expensive.
  • LegalMom0928
    LegalMom0928 Posts: 46 Member
    edited August 2015
    Was there a specific brand/flavor you tried and liked? This is the brand I saw the ad for: https://www.elliquark.com/
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,755 Member
    Yeah, it was the Elli brand which I saw at Target. I've tried the strawberry and salted caramel flavors. Strawberry is my favorite. The salted caramel tasted like there was alcohol or something in there but I'm not too fond of the flavor in general anyway.

    I've heard the lemon tastes bad and I'm not a blueberry person. As soon as I remember to bring a stash of protein powder to work with me, I'll try the plain. :)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited August 2015
    I've eaten it since I was a kid. Mostly used in Europe. If you like any fresh or curd crumbly cheeses like cottage cheese, ricotta, paneer..etc you will like it. There are different kinds and consistencies ranging from nearly yogurt-like to dry and crumbly. The dry kind can be particularly high in protein. It has a pleasant sour taste because it's traditionally made from soured milk, most closely mimicked by ricotta that forms curd with the help of an acidic whey, but still quark is a distinct enough to be its own (IMO tastier and much more special) product.

    It can be used in any way cottage or ricotta cheese could, so it's pretty versatile.
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
    I absolutely love it, I mix mine with fresh berries for a tasty snack, lunch or breakfast. I find it filling and versatile. The vanilla Quark is just yummy, I eat it like dessert sometimes, either on its own or with fresh berries.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I tried the Ellie quark brand. I had high hopes for it... YUCK. I'd try another brand but that one is really bland and not worth the high price tag to me at all. I tried three flavors, didn't like any of them (vanilla, strawberry and I forgot what else).
  • amwoidyla
    amwoidyla Posts: 257 Member
    I also just tried Elli Quark at Target! I got plain, mint chocolate, and salted caramel. I haven't tried the plain, but I really like the other flavors. I love that it's high protein and lower carb than some other greek yogurts.
    I'd like to try more flavors and experiment with it a bit more.
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  • KrisiAnnH
    KrisiAnnH Posts: 352 Member
    I use Quark in cooking a lot as a substitute for cream cheese, it has a similar enough texture to Philadelphia, so I use it in things like scrambled eggs, pasta sauces, on toast etc :) I love cream cheese so finding something relatively low calorie that resembles it is great
  • LegalMom0928
    LegalMom0928 Posts: 46 Member
    Thanks for all the great feedback!! I think I'm going to try it out. But, unless it is some kind of crazy delicious, I probably won't replace my yoplait with it. Because I'm cheap! ;-)

    I do like the idea of using it in place of cream cheese, though. Is it spreadable, like on a bagel? I bet it would be great as a base for alfredo!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I think i might alternate between Quark and cottage cheese. I just did a quick comparison, and the quark seems to have a lot less sodium, more protein and similar calories.
  • SquidVonBob
    SquidVonBob Posts: 290 Member
    I have the Ellie brand blueberry quark in my fridge right now. It's tangy but not sour. The red velvet flavour is good with protein powder in a smoothie.
  • lithezebra
    lithezebra Posts: 3,670 Member
    I love the stuff. Some Germans I was staying with in the French countryside had a can of dry, powdered quark that they made into pancakes, a great high protein breakfast.
  • mcmorrow33
    mcmorrow33 Posts: 34 Member
    I use Quark with an egg, onion, garlic and bacon and add it to cooked pasta for a healthy take on pasta carbonara :D x
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    LegalMom0928 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the great feedback!! I think I'm going to try it out. But, unless it is some kind of crazy delicious, I probably won't replace my yoplait with it. Because I'm cheap! ;-)

    I do like the idea of using it in place of cream cheese, though. Is it spreadable, like on a bagel? I bet it would be great as a base for alfredo!

    The Elli stuff has the same texture as a yogurt. Not spreadable at all.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
    Its really expensive, and not available in my local grocery store. I can get cottage cheese for a good price, and I love the taste, so I stick with that.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Believe it or not I've never had store bought quark. It's extremely easy to make. You don't need to buy the expensive store stuff. Decide on the consistency you like and look up a recipe for it. For the hard variety you usually try not to disturb the curd too much and for the creamy variety you do the exact opposite.
  • KrisiAnnH
    KrisiAnnH Posts: 352 Member
    LegalMom0928 wrote: »
    Thanks for all the great feedback!! I think I'm going to try it out. But, unless it is some kind of crazy delicious, I probably won't replace my yoplait with it. Because I'm cheap! ;-)

    I do like the idea of using it in place of cream cheese, though. Is it spreadable, like on a bagel? I bet it would be great as a base for alfredo!

    The stuff I buy is spreadable. Very similar texture to cream cheese (sticks to the spoon rather than dripping off like Yogurt if that makes sense) but I guess it depends where you live/shop. It's not too pricey at my local supermarket either, 90p for the own brand tub and I find a little goes a long way :)
  • LegalMom0928
    LegalMom0928 Posts: 46 Member
    So, I picked up three flavors and had the first one (sea salt caramel) today for breakfast. So far, I'm not super impressed. It is very yogurt-like in texture. But the flavor is just a little... odd. It almost tastes bitter to me. Not sour, like Greek yogurt, but sort of chemical-ish, if that makes sense. I'm wondering if it isn't the Erythritol used for sweetening, or maybe its just this flavor....?

    I'm thinking for what it costs, I'm going to stick with my usual. It was worth a try though!
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