Savory Yogurt Recipes

I enjoy Greek yogurt and have been eating a lot of it lately. But I’ve also been cutting back on sugar. While fruit, granola, jam or honey are classic toppings for yogurt, I’ve been wanting to take yogurt in another direction. Since I tend to favor savory breaktasts rather than sweet ones I decided to try some savory Greek yogurt toppings, something I've seen around the web recently. 

I brainstormed some ideas and was inspired by flavors from Korea, the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Morocco--and everything I tried turned out really well. I imagine that the variations are really endless, I just stopped at four. That said, a little flaky salt really helps to marry the flavors. Use kosher salt or your favorite flaky sea salt for added crunch. While I choose to eat these for breakfast, they are also very good as an afternoon snack or as part of a light lunch. I recommend using 1/2 cup of yogurt as the base, but you could use more if you prefer. Greek yogurt is thicker than regular yogurt so it holds the toppings particularly well. I use 2% but any Greek yogurt should be fine so you use whichever you prefer. I also suggest not serving the yogurt straight from the fridge, but letting it warm up slightly and approach room temperature. 

The recipes I’ve created are really just guidelines, try one out and then experiment! Consider shredded raw or roasted vegetables, nuts or seeds and any favorite condiments to be fair game. I'm thinking raw or cooked beets, thinly sliced celery, cooked greens and roasted winter squash would all be tasty with yogurt. If you come up with your own variation, please do leave a comment and share it. 

Yogurt with Kimchi & Sesame 

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 Tablespoon roughly chopped kimchi, mild or spicy
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon sesame seeds

Flaky salt

Top the yogurt with the kimchi, drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds and a pinch of salt. 

Yogurt with Peppers, Olives & Capers

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 sliced peppadew or roasted peppers

4 sliced kalamata olives (or other olive of your choosing)

1/4 teaspoon capers

1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

Place the peppers, olives and capers on top of the yogurt. Drizzle with olive oil.

Yogurt with Carrot Salad

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

2 Tablespoons shredded carrots

1/4 teaspoon harissa 

1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 slice or wedge lemon

Flaky salt

Mix the carrots, harissa and olive oil and spoon onto the yogurt. Top with a squeeze of lemon and pinch of salt.  

Yogurt with Cucumber, Radish & Dill

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1 Tablespoon diced cucumber

1 Tablespoon diced radish 

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh dill 

Flaky salt

1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil 

Top the yogurt with the cucumber and radish. Sprinkle with dill, a pinch of flaky salt and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Enjoy!