Yogurt instead of Mayo for the win!
Apr 30, 2010, Updated Oct 03, 2017
I like to view healthy eating as a bit of a game. See, I’m a foodie and absolutely love a well-crafted, delicious meal. But I also love how I feel when I eat a healthful meal.
It becomes a fun challenge to try to combine the two into a truly great meal.
Sometimes, it’s as simple as finding a tasty and good-for-you recipe. Other times, it’s about making creative substitutions.
The best kind of substitution is one in which you can swap out a Really Bad Food™ with a Really Good Food™ and find that it tastes just as good — if not better!
As you likely know, mayonnaise is one of the most fat-laden, calorie dense foods out there.
Case in point: A good friend of mine once told me that his college roommate used to eat mayonnaise right out of the jar; he was a broke rock climber, you see, and found that mayo gave him the most calories for his buck. Yuck!
Personally, I think that low-fat mayonnaise tastes downright awful, even when it’s “hidden” in other foods. Instead, I’ve been enjoying Greek Yogurt as a spectacular substitute for mayo. It’s much thicker than regular yogurt — almost like a custard or a mascarpone cheese — and is much higher in protein.
One of my favorites is Fage Fat-Free Greek Yogurt, though unfortunately it’s not certified Organic. (It’s pronounced “Fa-Yeh,” by the way). Trader Joe’s also sells good 0% Greek Style Yogurts (both Organic and Not), but I find they’re a bit tarter than the Fage. There are a few other brands out there as well, of course, so go with whatever you find and/or prefer.
I should point out that I’m not telling you to never eat mayo. I’m just saying that when you do, make it count — don’t use it as an ingredient where it “disappears” into the recipe.
So here’s my “Hooray, it’s the weekend!” gift to you: Two recipes in which the yogurt sub works particularly well. You’ll never miss the mayo.
Wild Alaskan Salmon Salad
Ingredients
- 1 can 6 ounces Wild Alaskan Pink Salmon
- 1 stalk Celery, chopped
- 1/3 cup Fat-Free Greek-Style Yogurt
- 1/2 tsp. Mustard
- 1/4 tsp. Dill
- Pinch Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste
- Other items you can throw in for some crunch, color, and nutrients: Chopped Red Bell Pepper, Onion, Cucumber, Jalapeño... you get the idea.
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients.
- Serve half the mixture rolled up in a 100% Whole Wheat Tortilla with a leaf of lettuce and some diced tomato (or however else you like).
Nutrition
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 1 can artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained, and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked frozen spinach (thawed)
- 1/2 cup Greek-style Yogurt
- 1/4 cup low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan, romano, and/or asiago cheese
- 1 tsp. garlic powder, not garlic salt
- Pinch ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large, microwave-safe bowl, combine all ingredients.
- Heat on high in the microwave, in 30-45 second increments, stirring each time to be sure it heats evenly.
- Alternately, you can double the recipe and bake in a casserole dish at 350° for 30 minutes, covered.
- Sprinkle a little more mozzarella on top and bake uncovered at 450° for about 8 more minutes, until the cheese is browned.
Notes
Nutrition
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Do you have a great yogurt-for-mayonnaise idea? Share it in the comments below!
“Total” © 2009 chrisinplymouth, used under creative commons license.
Anyone used greek yogurt as a substitute for mayo in quiche?
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work? Give it a try and let us know how it turns out! 🙂
I went ahead and tried it with the Faje plain non-fat yogurt, and was told that it was as good as any quiche I had previously made. I don’t know if I would go that far, but it certainly worked as a healthy substitute. Thumbs up!
Nice!
I skip the yogurt all together. Add a bit of extra virgin olive oil and squirt of lemon juice and a bit of onion chopped fine rinsed then add to salmon. Toast the bread and add a bit of goat cheese. Yum!!
Hi Andrea,
That sounds great! I’ve actually started doing something even more basic — just making a simple salad and scooping half a can of (wild) salmon right on top for a bit of protein. Drizzle a little olive oil and balsamic on top, and I’m good to go. 🙂
– a.
Help! I hate mayo and recently discovered that I could substitute greek yogurt in it’s place, which I love. My question is, can I use the yogurt in a dish that is baked in the oven. I’m concerned because it’s a dairy product.
Hi Donna, I’ve tried Greek Yogurt in a couple of baked things — and I have found it does tend to curdle slightly, getting a little bit mealy. But, depending on the dish, and how much you use, you may be able to “get away” with it. I also tried it recently when we made Caramelized Figs with Crème Fraiche and Orange Flower Water (I’m hoping to share the recipe sometime in November…). The recipe calls for Crème Fraiche or Heavy Cream, to be added to the hot pan after caramelizing the figs. (It dissolves and mixes with the caramelized sugars leftover in the pan, creating a beautiful, sweet cream sauce). I tried it with Greek Yogurt, and found that it liquefied (great!) and then a few moments later curdled into tough balls of sour yogurt cheese (umm, not so great). They can’t all be winners, right? So my advice… Read more »
h,i saw a recipe on t.v usng half avacado and half plain greek yogurt
Andrew,
Tried making an aioli with the yogurt today… worked great. As its a bit thinner than the mayo you need to use a bit less olive oil, or it gets too watery, but once I got that resolved came out tasting no different than a mayo-based aioli!
Awesome! So was it just yogurt, olive oil, and garlic? What’s the recipe?
Hey John,
I haven’t tried it, but I’d imagine it would be pretty easy to do. Maybe try adding a little bit of freshly chopped garlic to your yogurt? That might do it!
Hey Andrew, have you tried using Greek yogurt to make aiolis as a mayo sub? Was thinking about this today, as I’m craving a burger with a nice aioli on it.
Yup, I find a one-to-one substitution works pretty well. Sometimes I’ll also add a little more yogurt than I would mayo, just ’cause it makes it even creamier.
French fries with real mayo is cheat meal worthy, indeed! 🙂
Sounds good. Here’s a question for ya – generally speaking, when making the yogurt/mayo substitution, is it a one-to-one swap out?
Also, as on board as I am with this, sometimes you can’t beat french fries with REAL mayo (MAJOR CHEAT MEAL). 🙂
Sounds good!! I buy the the Costco salmon too, it’s pretty good!! Will try both recipes soon!! 🙂
Mmmm spinach artichoke dip. I love this recipe!!! Thanks for sharing.