What can I make with plain yogurt?
Plain Yogurt is what makes a sauce feel finished, as long as it does not split. Recipes using plain yogurt are below, followed by the temperature rules that keep it smooth.
12 recipes with plain yogurt
Smoothie Bowl
Thick fruit smoothie topped with granola, seeds, and fresh berries.
American5m1Overnight Oats
No-cook oats soaked overnight in milk and toppings.
American5m1
Mango Lassi
Creamy yogurt-mango smoothie with cardamom.
Indian5m2
Chicken Tikka Masala
Tender yogurt-marinated chicken in a creamy spiced tomato sauce.
Indian45m4
Shawarma
Spice-marinated chicken shaved off a vertical spit into flatbread.
Middle Eastern50m6
Chicken Biryani
Layered basmati and spiced chicken cooked with saffron.
Indian85m6
Stovetop Eggplant With Harissa, Chickpeas, and Cumin Yogurt
Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until shimmering.
United States4
Apricot & Turkish delight mess
step 1 Place the mascarpone, yogurt, sugar and orange flower water into a large bowl and whisk until thickened.
Turkish4
Blackberry Fool
For the biscuits, preheat the oven to 200C/180C (fan)/Gas 6 and line two large baking trays with baking parchment.
British4
Jajek
Place yogurt, water, garlic and salt in food processor and process for a few seconds.
4
Turkish-style lamb
step 1 Heat grill to high.
Turkish4
Kurabie Butter Cookies
1 Prepare the Dough In a large mixing bowl add all the ingredients and mix together until a dough is formed.
4
Cooking with plain yogurt without splitting or clumping
- 1Bring plain yogurt closer to room temperature before it meets heat; cold dairy in a hot pan is what curdles.
- 2Add it off the heat or on the lowest setting, stirring constantly.
- 3A teaspoon of flour or cornstarch stabilises a sauce and keeps it glossy.
- 4Salt and acid go in at the end - both encourage splitting when added early.
What goes well with plain yogurt
Plain Yogurt is at its best with garlic, herbs, lemon, flour, black pepper and nutmeg. Any two or three of those, plus plain yogurt, is already a dinner rather than an ingredient list.
Storing plain yogurt
Keep plain yogurt in the main body of the fridge, not the door, where the temperature swings most. Wrap cheese in paper rather than plastic so it can breathe. Hard cheeses freeze acceptably for cooking; fresh dairy does not freeze well.
Substituting plain yogurt
If you are out of plain yogurt, look for something that behaves the same way in the pan rather than something that tastes the same. Match the moisture level, the cooking time, and the richness, and adjust the liquid slightly if your substitute releases more water. When in doubt, describe what you actually have in the chat and Mr. Chef will rewrite the recipe around it.
Plain Yogurt recipes: common questions
- What can I make with plain yogurt and not much else?
- Plenty. With plain yogurt plus an onion, garlic, oil, and salt you already have the base of a skillet dinner, a soup, or a simple sauce. Add a starch - rice, pasta, bread, or potatoes - and it becomes a full meal. The recipes above are ordered so the ones needing the fewest extra items come first.
- What is the quickest plain yogurt recipe?
- Look for the entries above marked 20 minutes or less. As a rule, anything cut small and cooked in a hot pan beats anything roasted whole, and one-pan recipes save more time in cleanup than in cooking.
- Can I substitute plain yogurt?
- In most recipes yes, as long as the replacement plays a similar role - similar moisture, similar cooking time, similar richness. Swapping across roles (a watery vegetable for a starchy one, for instance) usually needs a change in liquid or cooking time too.
- How do I use up leftover plain yogurt?
- Fried rice, a frittata, a grain bowl, a soup, or a quesadilla will absorb almost any leftover plain yogurt without a recipe. If you want something specific, tell Mr. Chef exactly what is in the fridge and it will build a recipe around it.