Keto Yogurt

Best keto yogurts you can buy at the store

Many yogurt brands at the store have crazy amounts of sugar in them (either from added sugar or sugar in the milk since skim or non-fat milk was used).

There are some brands starting to market low sugar or keto yogurts that you can buy at the store. The downside is that many of these are expensive and a few taste a little chalky.

Here are some low carb yogurt brands to consider:

• Ratio Keto Friendly Yogurt – Only 2 g carbs per 5 oz container. Also has 15 g protein and 15 g of fat per serving. Comes in Strawberry, Mango, Black Cherry, Vanilla and Coconut flavor. Very creamy but most flavors taste a little off except for the coconut flavor, which is my favorite flavor.
• Two Good – My favorite brand of store bought yogurt. It has 3 g carbs per container and comes in a variety of flavors (Strawberry, Strawberry Banana, Mixed Berry, Lemon, Pumpkin, Black Cherry, Peach, Blueberry, Vanilla, Raspberry, Mango Hibiscus and plain). I use the plain in many keto recipes if I don’t have a batch of homemade yogurt made up.
• CarbMaster – A Kroger brand low carb yogurt that contains around 5 g carbs per serving; however, it does contain sweeteners that some in the keto community do not approve of – sucralose, acesulfame potassium.
• Chobani Zero Sugar – Each container is 5 g carbs per serving and comes in flavors like blueberry, vanilla, mixed berry, strawberry and toasted coconut vanilla.
• Oikos Triple Zero – A great option if you need extra protein, this yogurt is available at most grocery stores and has around 7 g carbs per serving with 15 g protein.
• Kite Hill – Vegan and keto friendly yogurt, this almond milk yogurt is dairy-free as it’s made from almonds instead of cow’s milk. It has 6 g carbs per serving.
• Plain Greek Yogurt – In a pinch, just grab the lowest carb brand of Greek yogurt that you can find. They can range between 5-10 g carbs per serving.

Flavor variations

The benefit of making your own yogurt from home is that you can portion it out and flavor it however you want. Whether you feel like peach or cotton candy, it’s easy to fix those flavor cravings with keto yogurt.

Just add powdered sugar-free sweetener (like erythritol or monkfruit blends). Make sure they measure cup for cup with powdered sugar. Then add a flavoring extract and food coloring!

You could even add in your own sugar-free fruit syrups, like strawberry syrup!!

Follow these simple recipes for some more popular yogurt flavors:

• Peach – To 5 oz of yogurt, add 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar-free sweetener, 1/4 teaspoon peach flavoring, 2 drops orange food coloring.
• Vanilla – To 5 oz of yogurt, add 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar-free sweetener and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract flavoring
• Strawberry – To 5 oz of yogurt, add 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar-free sweetener, 1/4 teaspoon strawberry flavoring, 2 drops orange food coloring.
• Lemon – To 5 oz of yogurt, add 1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar-free sweetener, 1/4 teaspoon lemon flavoring, 2 drops orange food coloring.

Yogurt starter options

To make yogurt at home, you need a yogurt starter, which is just a culture of live bacteria (probiotics) that are able to turn milk into yogurt.

There are a couple of options for seeding your yogurt:

• Plain yogurt with active cultures – The easiest way to make yogurt in the Instant Pot is to use 1/4 cup of plain yogurt. Make sure the label says active cultures or live probiotics. That means it has the good bacteria for propagating yogurt.
• Heirloom starts – These can be purchased from specialty retailers and come in an envelop of freeze-dried powder. The benefit is that you can keep the heirloom starters in the freezer forever. Some starters require incubation at a lower temperature than 110 degrees F, so they wouldn’t work in the Instant Pot and will require a different method to making yogurt. You can even use fresh yogurt gifted to you by someone who has made their yogurt from an heirloom starter.

Make yogurt without an Instant Pot

Not everyone owns a pressure cooker or Instant Pot. So… how do you make yogurt without a yogurt maker?

A YouTube subscriber, Cynthia, used to make it in here food dehydrator. Here is her tip.

“I take a new quart of ultra pasteurized half-and-half. I add a dollop of yogurt (it has to have fresh live cultures) to it and stir. You don’t have to have a yogurt maker – I have put it in a bowl and covered it with plastic and put it in my dehydrator at 104°F.”

Another YouTube subscriber, Jenny, gave this helpful tip when making keto yogurt without an Instant Pot.

“One can just heat up milk in a stainless steel pot on the stove, to around 180°F. (to get rid of unwanted bacteria…) Then pour it into a CLEAN ceramic crock and let the milk cool to 110°F and then add your glob of starter yogurt. (This of course can be saved from your previous batch) I put on the ceramic lid, wrap the container in towels, and put it in a cabinet overnight. This is how my grandparents did it, I almost never purchase yogurt… Only if my starter has died.”

Jenny uses this method to make homemade keto kefir as well.

“Homemade kefir is even easier, it’s basically the same method but you don’t have to heat up the milk. And you have to use kefir grains instead of yogurt. It’s a highly stinky food though, so I think that most people will pass on it lol but once you get used to the flavor …. Your gut will thank you.”

How to make dairy free keto yogurt

To make vegan or dairy-free yogurt, simply use 1 quart of full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream and the yogurt starter. Continue with the instructions to make yogurt in the Instant Pot as shown in the recipe card.

This makes a creamy, low carb coconut yogurt to enjoy while sticking to your food parameters.

Recipes that use keto yogurt

Besides enjoying your yogurt by itself or as a parfait, there are many uses for homemade yogurt. Here are some keto recipes that call for yogurt:

• Keto rolls
• Frozen yogurt bark
• Yogurt popsicles
• Protein cheesecake
• Feta dressing
• Panna cotta

Storage information

Yogurt should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. As it sits, it can start to develop a tangier flavor as some of the cultures can continue to grow.

Homemade yogurt can also be frozen. Freeze in an air tight container for up to 1 month.