Which Yogurt is Best?

Why have a yogurt taste test?

Well our family loves yogurt. And while we usually eat some sort of flavored yogurt, a few months ago we gave some plain yogurt to our kids, and they just stopped eating it. Odd behavior coming from kids that love yogurt. So I tried some. It was bad. Was it that all plain yogurt was this bad and we just never noticed? Or was it just this brand? The yogurt taste test was born.

I am proud to say that our taste buds are still finely tuned, as the brand that tasted so bad from that day, is the brand that came in last!

Setting up the Yogurt Taste Test

We tested 6 plain yogurts, as we’ve learned that taste tests with more than 6 contenders becomes a bit harder to choose a winner. The yogurts were simultaneously served in small paper cups to each panelist. Panelists were given only a spoon to taste the yogurt with, but could taste in any order they want. To learn more about how we keep taste tests unbiased, click here.

Also, testing plain yogurt is like testing plain pizza or vanilla ice cream. If you like the plain version, you should like the same brand when they add in the flavor (or topping) you prefer.

The Contenders

All contenders used their brands respective “Plain.” (Sorry if your favorite brand is not here, as some brands just don’t offer a plain version. Maybe that lends credence to the theory that plain -aka unflavored- yogurt is actually just bad?)

In order of least to most expensive (number is the price per ounce):

Mountain High

O Organics

Greek Gods

Fage

Chobani

Noosa

So will the more expensive prove to be worth the money? Or, as is quite often the case, will a cheaper brand win it?

Yogurt Taste Test Results

Some of our taste tests have clear winners or clear losers. Or one or two brands will separate themselves from the pack. This showdown didn’t end that way. The results were rather spread out, forming a nice even transgression from least to most favorite… though one did rack up the most votes for first place. Check out the point spread:

So who won?

The letter corresponds to the placeholder during the test.

6 – Mountain High (A)

5 – Chobani (F)

4 – O Organics (B)

3 – Greek Gods (E)

2 – Noosa (D)

And the winner is…

1 – Fage (C) (pronunciation)

Insights

Everyone was surprised by Fage, as we didn’t think it was that popular of a brand. You’d think we’d hear more about it for racking up so many first places.

We were surprised Chobani didn’t do better, as we did think it was a more popular brand.

The cheapest did come in last place, but the 2nd most expensive came in second to last place. While the most expensive came in second. So while we’ve proven that more expensive does not always mean better, this doesn’t seem like a food that you can judge by price.

Mountain High was the brand of that fateful day where my kids stopped eating yogurt. Since it came in last, perhaps it’s not the taste of plain yogurt, but just that brand. After we hold taste tests, there’s usually left overs of each brand. We try to give panelists their favorite to take with them. No one wanted Mountain High, and it sat in our fridge for so long… some say it’s still there to this day.

Comments from panelists about each yogurt brand:

Mountain High (A): needed to be mixed, sandy, soft, mealy, worst texture, nice tang, bad texture, tangy, lumpy

Chobani (F): thick but not in a good way, kinda “stinky” like stinky cheese, very creamy, not too tart, good texture, too bitter, bland (less tart than others), no flavor

O Organics (B): smooth, nice flavor, super creamy, creamy looking, bland, no texture, bitter-y tang, smooth texture (less dense), runny

Greek Gods (E): soft, decent, nothing to write home about, little tang, nice mild aftertaste, good!

Noosa (D): unique flavor, good, very tart, good, strong, thick, good tang, dense, tangy, sweet

Fage (C): thick, sticky, creamy, yum, no tang but super creamy, awesome texture, not sour, best all-around, very thick, less watery than all the others, so creamy

Do you agree with our panelists? Is there a brand we should know about? Let us know in the comments. Have a food you’d like us to test next? Hit us up!