Plant-based milks that mimic dairy’s nutrient pluses aren’t hard to come by anymore (if you know what to look for). But it can still be tricky to track down a plant-based yogurt that tastes great, is low in heart-harming saturated fat, and has roughly as much protein as dairy yogurt. Here’s a rundown of the winners and losers.

This article comes from Nutrition Action. We don’t accept any paid advertising or corporate or government donations. Any products we recommend have been vetted by our staff and are not advertisements by the manufacturers. They’re just healthy foods we think you’d like to know about! 

Most coconut yogurts are high in unhealthy fat and often low in protein

It’s easy to see why plant-based yogurts like Culina, Cocojune, Siggi’s Plant-Based Coconut Blend, and Silk Greek Style are popular. The coconut base is rich and creamy, nearly duping the mouthfeel of full-fat dairy yogurt.

But the yogurts’ coconut ingredients add enough saturated fat to hit 7 to 18 grams in a 4-to-5 oz. serving. That’s a lot, considering that the daily limit for sat fat is 20 grams. And it dwarfs the roughly 2 grams you’d get in a 5 oz. low-fat dairy yogurt. Much like the sat fat in full-fat dairy milk, butter, or cream, the sat fat in coconut does your heart no favors.

Another downside: Coconut naturally contains almost no protein. Expect a mere 1 or 2 grams per serving in a plant-based coconut yogurt, unless yours adds pea protein, like Cocojune Greek-Style (8 grams of protein) or Siggi’s Plant-Based Coconut Blend or Silk Greek Style (10 grams).  

In contrast, Greek dairy yogurt has about 15 grams of protein per serving (non-Greek has about 5 grams).

The sat fat and protein in non-coconut plant-based yogurts vary

Yogurts made from soy, oat, almond, or cashew milk are typically low in saturated fat. Some brands add a bit of coconut oil, but that’s fine. Icelandic Provisions Oatmilk Skyr, for example, only adds enough to supply 2½ grams of sat fat in 5 oz.—and it’s thick and creamy like dairy skyr. Yum!

Yogurts made from soy milk have as much protein as non-Greek dairy yogurt, but many oat and nut yogurts offer only 1 to 3 grams, unless they have added (usually pea) protein.

What to look for: No more than 3 grams of saturated fat and at least 5 grams of protein in 5 oz. (If you want to match Greek dairy yogurt’s protein, aim for 10 to 15 grams.)

Flavored plant-based yogurts are often high in added sugar

Because plant-based yogurts get no sweetness from the naturally occurring milk sugar (lactose) in dairy yogurt, even many “plain” varieties add 3 to 9 grams (about 1 to 2 teaspoons) of sugar per serving. Flavored varieties typically tack on another 1 to 2 teaspoons.

Siggi’s Coconut Blend adds just 2 teaspoons or so of sugar to its flavors, which is a plus. Too bad its sat fat (7 or 8 grams) is high.

What to look for: No more than 2 teaspoons (9 grams) of added sugar in 5 oz.

Many plant-based yogurts don’t add calcium

Expecting calcium from your plant-based yogurt? Check the label. While Silk typically adds enough calcium to match dairy yogurt, Culina, Cocojune, Kite Hill, Siggi’s, Icelandic Provisions, and some other brands don’t.

How much calcium are you missing? Greek, Icelandic skyr, and ultra-filtered cultured milk dairy yogurts range from 8 percent to 15 percent of the Daily Value (DV) per serving, while most regular, non-Greek dairy yogurts hit 15 percent to 25 percent.

Calcium in yogurt may or may not matter to you, depending on how many calcium-rich foods you eat and whether you take a supplement.

What to look for: At least 8 percent of the DV for calcium in 5 oz. 

Some of the best plant-based yogurts

The good news: Some plant-based yogurts are lower in saturated fat than coconut-based ones, offer a decent dose of protein, keep a lid on added sugar…and taste great. Bravo! Among the best:

Icelandic Provisions Oatmilk Skyr (5 oz.)

Pros  

• Lower added sugar (3–9 g)
• Lower sat fat (2.5–3 g)
• Higher protein (12–13 g)  

Cons  

• Lower calcium (flavored varieties have 6 percent DV)
• Can be hard to find 

Silk Plain Soymilk Yogurt (6 oz.) 

Pros 

• Lower added sugar (4 g)
• Lower sat fat (0.5 g)
• Higher protein (7 g)
• Higher calcium (20 percent DV) 

Cons  

• Flavored varieties are higher in added sugar (11–12 g)
• Can be hard to find

Silk Plain Almondmilk Yogurt (6 oz.) 

Pros  

• Lower added sugar (6 g)
• Lower sat fat (1 g)
• Higher protein (6 g)
• Higher calcium (10 percent DV) 

Cons 

• Flavored varieties are higher in added sugar (12–16 g)

Looking for a lactose-free yogurt?

If the only reason you eat plant-based yogurt is because you’re lactose intolerant, consider trying dairy yogurt. Unlike the lactose in milk, ice cream, or cheese, yogurt’s lactose comes with a dose of live and active yogurt cultures that can help digest it for you.

That didn’t work? Some dairy yogurts—like Chobani 20g Protein and Fage BestSelf—contain added lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose.