No longer just for Mediterranean restaurants or health food junkies, Greek yogurt has gone mainstream in just a few years. According to a recent story in NPR, food industry analysts predict this year’s Greek yogurt sales will total around $1.5 billion (up from $60 million last year). Take a stroll down the dairy aisle of your supermarket and you’ll find multiple brands of the creamy white stuff – both flavored and non-flavored.
Why the sudden love for this dairy product? Many people prefer Greek yogurt for its high protein, tangy flavor and thick texture. Not to mention the fact that Greek yogurt tends to have much less sugar than conventional yogurt. What might surprise you is its versatility.
You can use Greek yogurt in so many sweet and savory recipes, way beyond the typical fruit-granola parfaits (although those are delicious). And if you opt for low-fat or fat-free Greek yogurt, you can make many of your favorite dishes much healthier.
Here are some of my favorite ways to cook with plain Greek yogurt.
Smoothies
Add up to 1 cup of Greek yogurt to your favorite fruit smoothie to add protein and creaminess. (I usually add a tablespoon of honey to cut the yogurt’s tartness.)
Sour Cream Stand-In
Top your tacos and chili with low-fat Greek yogurt, and no one will miss the sour cream. Seriously. It also works well in guacamole!
Creamy Salad Dressings and Dips
If you like ranch, onion, Greek goddess or other creamy dressings and dips, simply substitute Greek yogurt for part of all of the sour cream or mayonnaise.
Sauces
Tangy yogurt-based sauces are a nice way to cut the richness of proteins like salmon, lamb or chicken wings. Add lemon juice and shredded cucumbers for a tzatziki-style sauce, or stir in a spoonful of Dijon mustard along with some lemon juice and zest.
Mayo Replacement
You might be skeptical, but Greek yogurt really can stand in for mayonnaise in deli salads. Egg salad, potato salad and tuna salad are all great vehicles for Greek yogurt and you’ll cut much of the fat!
Homemade Pinkberry
Pinkberry, the popular frozen yogurt chain, has spread across the country like wildfire (and spawned many knock-offs). You can get the addictively tart frozen treat at home (and for much less money) by simply freezing Greek yogurt with buttermilk and a few other ingredients in an ice cream maker.
Chocolate Frosting
Greek yogurt company Chobani has a recipe for chocolate frosting on its website that looks incredible—and only requires two ingredients: yogurt and chocolate chips.
No-Bake Cheesecake
Fage, another big name in Greek yogurt, has a no-bake lemon cheesecake recipe that uses Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese.
Buttermilk Replacement
Who ever has buttermilk on hand when they need it? Not me! Instead, I use low-fat Greek yogurt in many baked goods, especially quick breads like banana or pumpkin. It works well when making biscuits too.
Pasta
Love creamy pastas? Add Greek yogurt instead of cream or cream cheese. If the yogurt is a bit too thick to coat the noodles evenly, just thin it with a little pasta water.
A version of this story originally appeared on iVillage.