How much protein is in Greek yogurt?
A 5.3 oz cup of plain nonfat Greek yogurt has about 15 g of protein, in 88 calories. Ounce for ounce, that’s about three times as much as regular yogurt (10.2 g against 3.5 g per 100 g, USDA). A cup of plain whole milk Greek yogurt has about 13.5 g, in 146 calories.
The yogurt aisle makes this harder than it should be. There’s Greek, regular, skyr, “protein” yogurt, whole milk, low-fat and nonfat, in plain and a dozen flavors. They look alike in the cup, and their protein runs from about 5 g to about 18 g a serving. Most people buy by flavor and assume yogurt is yogurt.
We’d keep plain Greek yogurt in the fridge as a default protein food. It’s one of the few things you can eat with a spoon in 30 seconds that carries 15 g. Pick nonfat when calories are tight and whole milk when they aren’t, since the 2025 to 2030 US guidelines now suggest full-fat dairy with no added sugars.
Greek yogurt is to regular yogurt what espresso is to drip coffee. It’s the same stuff with a lot less water.
The yogurt aisle, by the number
| Yogurt | Serving | Protein | Calories | Per 100 calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greek, plain, nonfat | 5.3 oz cup | 15.3 g | 88 | 17.3 g |
| Greek, plain, whole milk | 5.3 oz cup | 13.5 g | 146 | 9.3 g |
| Skyr, plain lowfat (siggi’s) | 3/4 cup | 18 g | 139 | 12.9 g |
| Regular, plain, whole milk | 6 oz | 5.9 g | 104 | 5.7 g |
From USDA FoodData Central. The skyr is a branded record, so check your own label.
Greek yogurt is strained, so more of the liquid is gone and the protein is packed tighter. That’s why the protein per 100 g triples.
How it fits your meals
One cup on its own falls short of most people’s meal line, which is about 0.4 g per kg of body weight. It’s a great base to build on.
| Breakfast | Protein | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| One 5.3 oz nonfat Greek yogurt | 15 g | 88 |
| Two cups | 31 g | 176 |
| A Greek yogurt and 2 large eggs | 28 g | 232 |
| A plain bagel, for comparison | 11 g | 277 |
Two cups of nonfat Greek yogurt have nearly three times the protein of a bagel in fewer calories. Tap your own breakfast together in the meal line calculator.
Greek yogurt or cottage cheese?
They’re nearly tied. Nonfat Greek yogurt has 17.3 g of protein per 100 calories, and 1% cottage cheese has 17.2 g. Half a cup of cottage cheese has 14 g, about the same as a cup of yogurt. If you like one more than the other, that’s the one to buy.
On a GLP-1 with a small appetite, Greek yogurt is one of the easiest ways to get protein in. See what to eat on Ozempic when you’re not hungry. For the whole ranking, see which foods have the most protein for the fewest calories or try the Higher or Lower game in the per-calorie calculator, which includes a round on Greek against regular yogurt.
3 sources
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy records 170894 (Greek yogurt, plain, nonfat), 171304 (Greek yogurt, plain, whole milk), 171284 (yogurt, plain, whole milk), 173417 (1% cottage cheese) and 171287 (egg)fdc.nal.usda.gov
- siggi's plain lowfat skyr, branded record 2384986, USDA FoodData Centralfdc.nal.usda.gov
- US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025 to 2030, January 2026cdn.realfood.gov
