Is Greek yogurt the same as strained yogurt?

Yes. "Greek" describes the straining method, which Greece codified. Skyr and labneh are also strained, with different cultures or salt; see Greek yogurt vs skyr vs labneh.

Does Greek yogurt have probiotics?

It contains live cultures by definition; whether they count as "probiotic" is a stricter question answered in Greek yogurt and probiotics.

Can I make it at home?

Yes, with a pot, a thermometer and a cloth. See How to make Greek yogurt at home.

Which brands are actually Greek?

Our Greek producers guide and the product directory list them.

What Is Greek Yogurt? The Complete Guide to Strained Yogurt

Vangelis Pallis

2 days ago

5 min read

Updated: 24 hours ago

Greek yogurt is not a flavour, a brand or a marketing term. It is a method. Milk is fermented into yogurt with two specific bacteria, and then part of the liquid whey is drained away. What remains is denser, higher in protein, lower in sugar and lactose, and noticeably tangier than the yogurt it started as. In Greece the product is simply called straggisto (στραγγιστό), which means "strained".

That single step explains almost everything people notice about Greek yogurt: why a 170 g cup can carry 15–18 g of protein, why it holds a spoon upright, why it costs more per kilo than ordinary yogurt, and why the name has been fought over in courts from London to Prague.

The short definition

Greek yogurt is strained yogurt: cultured milk from which whey has been removed after fermentation, without adding thickeners. In Greece the term has a legal definition in the national Food and Beverages Code (Article 82): strained yogurt must contain at least 5.6% protein when made from cow's or goat's milk and at least 8% when made from sheep's milk, and it must reach that concentration by draining, not by adding milk powder, starch or gelatin.

Outside Greece the word is loosely regulated. In the United States there is no federal standard for "Greek" yogurt at all, and in most of Europe a product labelled "Greek-style" may be thickened rather than strained. We cover the naming disputes in detail in Who owns the name "Greek yogurt"?.

How it is made, in one paragraph

Fresh milk is heated, cooled to roughly 42–45 °C and inoculated with Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus. Over several hours the bacteria convert lactose to lactic acid, the milk proteins coagulate and the milk sets into yogurt. The set yogurt is then drained: traditionally in cloth bags hung for hours, industrially in centrifugal separators or ultrafiltration plants. Roughly three kilograms of milk give one kilogram of strained yogurt and two kilograms of acid whey. A longer walkthrough is in How Greek yogurt is made.

What straining changes

The table shows typical values per 100 g from the USDA FoodData Central database (April 2026 release). Brands vary, so treat these as reference points, not label values.

Yogurt (plain)	Energy	Protein	Fat	Carbohydrate	Lactose	Calcium
Greek, nonfat	61 kcal	10.3 g	0.4 g	3.6 g	2.6 g	111 mg
Greek, whole milk	95 kcal	8.8 g	4.4 g	4.8 g	2.6 g	111 mg
Regular, whole milk	77 kcal	3.8 g	4.5 g	5.6 g	3.4 g	127 mg
Regular, low fat	63 kcal	5.3 g	1.6 g	7.0 g	n/a	183 mg

Three things stand out:

Protein roughly doubles. Casein stays in the curd while water drains away, so strained yogurt concentrates protein to 9–10 g per 100 g.
Lactose and sugar fall. Lactose is dissolved in the whey, so draining removes a share of it. This is why many people with mild lactose intolerance tolerate Greek yogurt better; see Is Greek yogurt lactose-free?.
Calcium drops slightly. Minerals also leave with the whey, so Greek yogurt has somewhat less calcium per 100 g than regular yogurt. It is still a meaningful source.

Fat levels: 0%, 2%, 5% and 10%

Greek supermarkets sell strained yogurt at four standard fat levels. The percentage refers to milk fat in the finished product and must appear next to the product name under Greek law.

0% — nonfat. Highest protein per calorie; firm, chalky, very tangy.
2% — low fat. The compromise most households buy for everyday use.
5% — whole milk. Creamy, round flavour; the classic "yogurt with honey" grade and the one most exported brands built their reputation on.
10% — extra-rich. Dessert-like; often sheep's milk or cream-enriched. Rare outside Greece.

Full-fat strained yogurt is not a health hazard in normal portions, and the fat carries flavour, but the calorie difference between 0% and 10% is roughly threefold. Choose by what you will do with it: 0% or 2% for high-protein breakfasts and cooking, 5% for eating as is.

Sheep, goat or cow

Village yogurt in Greece was historically made from sheep's or goat's milk, set in clay pots and eaten with the skin that formed on top. Industrial Greek yogurt today is overwhelmingly cow's milk; sheep-milk yogurt is a premium niche. Sheep's milk is naturally richer in protein and fat, which is why the Greek code demands higher protein minimums for sheep yogurt (5.5% unstrained, 8% strained). If a label says "sheep's milk strained yogurt", expect a denser, sweeter, slightly gamey product and a higher price.

Authentic vs "Greek-style"

Because straining discards two-thirds of the milk, it is expensive. Some manufacturers skip it and thicken ordinary yogurt instead with milk protein concentrate, whey protein, pectin, starch or gelatin. The result looks similar in the cup but behaves differently: it typically has half the protein, more carbohydrate, and it breaks down when heated. In an independent tasting, Cook's Illustrated found strained brands delivering around 20 g protein per cup against 9 g for a pectin-thickened "Greek" yogurt.

How to tell in ten seconds:

Ingredients. Authentic strained yogurt lists milk (possibly cream) and live cultures. Nothing else.
Protein. Look for 9 g or more per 100 g (about 15 g per 170 g cup). Below 7 g, it was not strained.
Origin. "Product of Greece" tells you it falls under the Greek code. "Greek-style" or "Greek recipe" tells you it does not.

The detailed label guide is Authentic Greek yogurt vs Greek-style.

Why it became a global category

Strained yogurt was a regional staple until FAGE, an Athens dairy founded in 1926, launched FAGE Total in 1975 and began exporting in the 1980s. The decisive moment came in the United States. FAGE's first import order reached a grocer in Astoria, Queens in 1998; in 2007 a start-up called Chobani launched its own strained yogurt in upstate New York. Greek yogurt's share of the US yogurt market went from under 1% in 2007 to roughly half by 2015. In 2025, Greece exported about 240,000 tonnes of yogurt worth €559 million, and the UK's authentic-Greek segment grew by more than 50% in a year. The full story is in A history of Greek yogurt and the numbers in The Greek yogurt market in numbers.

Where it fits in a diet

Strained yogurt is a convenient, dense source of protein and calcium with live cultures. Observational studies associate regular yogurt consumption with modestly lower risk of type 2 diabetes and hip fracture, and short trials show high-protein yogurt snacks reduce afternoon hunger. None of this makes it a medicine, and flavoured versions can carry as much added sugar as a dessert. The evidence is reviewed, with its limits, in Is Greek yogurt good for you?.

Quick answers

Is Greek yogurt the same as strained yogurt? Yes. "Greek" describes the straining method, which Greece codified. Skyr and labneh are also strained, with different cultures or salt; see Greek yogurt vs skyr vs labneh.
Does Greek yogurt have probiotics? It contains live cultures by definition; whether they count as "probiotic" is a stricter question answered in Greek yogurt and probiotics.
Can I make it at home? Yes, with a pot, a thermometer and a cloth. See How to make Greek yogurt at home.
Which brands are actually Greek? Our Greek producers guide and the product directory list them.

Disclaimer. This article is general information, not medical or dietary advice. Nutrition values are typical figures from the cited databases and vary by brand and batch; always read the label. Talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before changing your diet if you have a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or manage an allergy or intolerance.

Sources

Greek Food and Beverages Code, Article 82 (Yogurt), consolidated text: aade.gr (PDF)
USDA FoodData Central entries: Greek nonfat (FDC 330137), Greek whole milk (FDC 2259794), plain whole milk (FDC 2259793), plain low fat (FDC 170886)
Cook's Illustrated, full-fat Greek yogurt taste test: cooksillustrated.com
Dairy (MDPI) 2025, 6, 21 — strained yogurt production and acid whey: mdpi-res.com (PDF)
To Vima, Greek yogurt exports 2025: tovima.com
FoodNavigator, Greek yogurt share of US market (Nielsen 2015): foodnavigator.com
Enterprise Greece, Greek yogurt export profile: enterprisegreece.gov.gr