The Surprising Way to Cut Back on Calories and Fat in the Kitchen

Greek yogurt is more than just a breakfast food; it also makes a healthy fat substitution in recipes. Skip oil, butter, and heavy cream, and bump up levels of calcium, protein, and probiotics with these easy swaps!

POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Perry
  1. Sour cream: Replace sour cream with Greek yogurt, and most people won't even be able to tell the difference. Use it on top of baked potatoes or serve alongside Mexican fare. You can also use yogurt as a sour-cream substitute when making chip or veggie dips like in these recipes for guacamole and onion dip.
  2. Baked goods: Greek yogurt also makes an excellent substitution for butter and oil in baked goods. Yogurt keeps cake from tasting overly sweet while also giving it a more dense and homemade feel. Instead of making cream cheese frosting, make Greek yogurt frosting; the ratio of Greek yogurt to cream cheese is 1:1.
  3. Heavy cream or milk: In stovetop dishes that call for dairy, like mashed potatoes, curries, soups, or pasta, use yogurt. (Or add yogurt to any sauce-based dish that you'd like to make rich and creamy.) To avoid curdling, stir in the yogurt once the dish has been taken off the heat, then gradually reheat if necessary. Start with this recipe for spaghetti with Greek yogurt tomato sauce.
  4. Mayonnaise: Skip the oil-based mayo in tuna, macaroni, and potato salads; same goes for salad dressings like Caesar, Russian, or ranch: just use a 1:1 ratio. The tang that yogurt brings these recipes is even tastier than mayo. You'll especially love it in our recipe for chicken salad.