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Healthy dairy free yogurt that tastes good is hard to find. I went to two stores and spent $50 trying dairy-free yogurt so that you don’t have to!
I know a lot of families either have to do dairy-free or choose to do dairy-free. And the yogurt options are all over the board. Some of them are nutritionally similar to yogurt, some of them are really not.
I evaluated the yogurt on nutrition criteria before choosing 12 to buy and taste test.
Read through to see my top dietitian recommendations for healthy dairy free yogurt! Or watch the full YouTube review to see my full notes and reactions to each yogurt I tried.
Related: Check out this Health.com article on dairy free yogurt where Mama Knows Nutrition is featured!
Right off the bat, I excluded several of the dairy free yogurts that are in many grocery stores. I excluded these because the nutrition is not where I want it. I like to see at least 4 to 5g of protein for fullness, and for your little one’s growth. And I like to see less than 12g of added sugar. Ideally, it would be even lower, but that’s hard to come by with nondairy yogurts that don’t taste like glue. These are the ones that fell short of my nutrition standards for yogurt:
Don’t freak out if your favorite is on this list. Just think of it more as a treat than as a replacement for traditional yogurt.
I ranked from best tasting (to worst tasting…like glue…eeek!) here. I wasn’t able to test every flavor for each brand because I was limited by what was in store. If you’ve tried one that I didn’t include here, leave a comment to share if you liked it or not!
Nutrition: 160 calories / 7g fat / 3g protein / 12g sugar / 11g added sugar
Ingredients: Oatmilk (water, oats), peach fruit jam (water, peaches, cane sugar, tapioca starch, pectin, natural flavor, lemon juice concentrate, beta carotene (color), annatto (color), citric acid), low erucic acid rapeseed oil, potato starch. Contains 2% or less of: dextrose, pea protein, potato protein, calcin carbonate, guar gum, tricalcium phosphate, locust bean gum, live active cultures (S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. acidophilus, and B. lactis)
Smell: faint peach smell
Taste: Very thin with some little bits of peach throughout. Nice smooth texture and good flavor! This is my favorite! I would actually eat a whole container of this. The sugar is on the higher side but I’m okay with this amount, given how hard it is to find good tasting dairy free yogurt that is low in sugar! I haven’t tried their other flavors yet since my store didn’t carry them, but you can check them out here.
Nutrition: 180 calories / 7g fat / 10g protein / 8g sugar / 7g added sugar
Ingredients: Coconut Milk (Water, Coconut Cream), Pea Protein, Raspberries, Cane Sugar, Coconut Oil, Macadamia Nuts, Tapioca Flour, Fruit Pectin, Natural Flavor, Live Active Cultures(S. thermophilus, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, L. plantarum, L. acidophilus, B. lactis)
Allergens: Tree Nuts (Coconut, Macadamia)
Smell: Not much of a smell
Taste: It’s not completely smooth, it has tiny bits but it doesn’t feel sandy, if that makes sense. I can taste the macadamia nuts, but I like it. It gives it a fuller flavor. There’s not a strong coconut taste. There’s a bit of texture, with what I think are raspberry seeds, just FYI if your little one gets weird about texture differences. It doesn’t leave as much of a dry feeling in my mouth as most of the others. Pretty good.
Nutrition: 190 calories / 7g fat / 10g protein / 9g sugar / 8g added sugar
Ingredients: Coconut Milk (Water, Coconut Cream), Pea Protein, Cane Sugar, Coconut Oil, Macadamia Nuts, Tapioca Flour, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla, Fruit Pectin, Natural Flavor, Cinnamon, Live Active Cultures (S. thermophilus, L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, L. plantarum, L. acidophilus, B. lactis)
Allergens: Tree Nuts (Coconut, Macadamia)
Smell: solid cinnamon aroma
Taste: Pretty good! Tastes like what you expect it to. Still not quite the same as regular yogurt, but I would willingly eat this one.
Nutrition: 100 calories / 1.5g fat / 6g protein / 7g sugar / 6g added sugar
Ingredients: Oatmilk(Water, Whole Oat Flour), Faba Bean Protein, Organic Cane Sugar, Tapioca Flour, Coconut Oil, Vanilla Natural Flavor, Vanilla Extract, Agar, Citric Acid, Live Non-Dairy Yogurt Cultures(S. thermophilus, L. bulgaricus)
Smell: just smells like vanilla
Taste: It tastes very sweet, which was surprising because it doesn’t have much added sugar. Very vanilla-y. A little bit of an aftertaste but nothing major. It’s good! The texture is a little funny, when you stir it up it looks a little lumpy but it’s smooth in your mouth. Not a reason to avoid it, just something I noticed!
Nutrition: 190 calories / 11g fat / 10g protein / 9g sugar / 9g added sugar
Ingredients: Coconutmilk (Filtered Water, Coconut Cream), Pea Protein, Cane Sugar, Water, Blueberries, Blueberry Puree Concentrate, Natural Flavor, Pectin, Starch, Fruit and Vegetable Juice (For Color), Calcium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Live and Active Cultures, Vitamin D2.
Allergens: Contains Coconut
Smell: smells like blueberries
Taste: Very thick, like a thick frosting. It tastes very sweet, and sort of artificial with the blueberry taste, but I’m sensitive to that kind of thing. It gives a bit of a dry cottonmouth feeling but it’s not bad. There is an aftertaste too. Marginally better than the vanilla.
Nutrition: 200 calories / 11g fat / 10g protein / 12g sugar / 12g added sugar
Ingredients: Coconutmilk (Filtered Water, Coconut Cream), Cane Sugar, Pea Protein, Water, Pectin, Natural Flavor, Calcium Phosphate, Citric Acid, Live and Active Cultures, Vitamin D2.
Allergens: Contains Coconut
Smell: Smells like regular vanilla yogurt!
Taste: It does have some coconut flavor, along with the vanilla. Smooth and thick, no lumps. A bit of an aftertaste, and a little bit thick and pasty feeling in my mouth. It’s not bad. I can’t say I’d exactly look forward to it but it’s decent.
Nutrition: 170 calories / 8g fat / 6g protein / 10g sugar / 9g added sugar
Ingredients: Coconutmilk (Filtered Water, Coconut Cream*), Cashewmilk (Filtered Water, Cashews*), Cane Sugar*, Protein Blend (Watermelon Seed Protein*, Pumpkin Seed Protein*, Brown Rice Protein*), Tapioca Starch*, Locust Bean Gum*, Pectin, Natural Flavor*, Lemon Juice Concentrate*, Vanilla Beans*, Agar, Live Active Cultures (S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidus, L. Lactis, L. Plantarum). *Organic
Allergens: Cashews & Coconut
Smell: it smells like vanilla but also a little chalky
Taste: I tasted vanilla and lemon, but it felt gritty and dry on my tongue, almost like there’s bits of sand. It’s okay but not great.
Nutrition: 130 calories / 3g fat / 6g protein / 12g sugar / 11g added sugar
Ingredients: Oat Blend (Organic Ingredients) (Water, Whole Grain Oats (Organic Ingredients)), Water, Cane Sugar (Organic Ingredients), Tapioca Flour, Coconut (Organic Ingredients), Less than 2% of: Vanilla Extract, Pea Protein (Organic Ingredients), Tapioca Flour (Organic Ingredients), Sunflower Oil (Organic Ingredients), Lemon Juice Concentrate (Organic Ingredients), Fruit Pectin, Locust Bean Gum, Natural Flavors, Cultures. 6 Live and Active Cultures: L. Acidophilus, S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Casei, L, Helveticus, and Bifidus.
Smell: smells like vanilla
Taste: Nice and smooth, very thin, I notice the aftertaste the most. Still can’t figure out why most of these all have a bad aftertaste! I’m not that into it. It kind of tastes like vanilla on top of oat with that funky aftertaste. Some people might like it more than me but I’m just not that into it.
Nutrition: 9g fat / 13g protein / 3g added sugar / 2g fiber / 15g carbohydrates
Ingredients: oatmilk, grapeseed oil, natural flavors, live and active cultures
Smell: none detected
Taste: It tastes like oats, it’s not terrible, but I’m not a fan of the aftertaste. I could see maybe using this in a recipe that calls for plain yogurt but wouldn’t eat it on its own.
Nutrition: 180 calories / 9g fat / 4g protein / 7g sugar / 7g added sugar
Ingredients: Oatmilk (Water, Oats), Low Erucic Acid Rapeseed Oil, Potato Starch, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Dextrose, Pea Protein, Potato Protein, Calcium Carbonate, Guar Gum, Tricalcium Phosphate, Locust Bean Gum, Live Active Cultures (S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Casei, L. Acidophilus, And B. Lactis).
Smell: mild
Taste: very runny texture, and taste reminded me of Elmer’s Glue. No bitter aftertaste. You could probably mix this into something that calls for yogurt but the taste is not fantastic.
Nutrition: 110 calories / 1.5g fat / 6g protein / 10g sugar
Ingredients: Oatmilk (Water, Whole Oat Flour), Faba Bean Protein, Apple Puree, Organic Cane Sugar, Tapioca Flour, Coconut Oil, Cinnamon Natural Flavor, Agar, Citric Acid, Live Non-dairy Yogurt Cultures: S. Thermophilus, L., Bulgaricas., Live Nondairy Probiotic Cultures: Bifidobacterium Lactis Bb-12, L. Acidophilus, L. Rhamnosus Lgg
Allergens: Tree Nuts (Coconut Oil)
Smell: smells like plastic and vomit
Taste: Like baby food gone wrong. Don’t know how I even tasted it after smelling it. Wondering if I got a bad container?? If I were you I’d try the vanilla but NOT this one.
Nutrition: 160 calories / 10g fat / 11g protein / 2g sugar / 0g added sugar
Ingredients: Almond Milk (Water, Almonds), Tapioca Starch, Pectin, Locust Bean Gum, Agar, Live Active Cultures: S. Thermophilus, L. Bulgaricus, L. Acidophilus, Bifidobacteria.
Smell: just smells like almonds
Taste: A touch thicker than regular yogurt, not as thick as traditional Greek yogurt. It tastes like wood flavored glue. Actively bad. Do not recommend.
Although many dairy free yogurts come up significantly short in protein when compared to their dairy counterparts, there are ways you can fortify your favorite dairy free yogurt to help your child meet the protein needs for their age group.
If you take a plain dairy free yogurt base like Culina plain & simple, which has 200 calories and 2 grams of protein per serving, and mix in a tablespoon of cashew butter (2.8 grams protein) and 2 teaspoons of hemp seeds (2.1 grams protein), then you up the protein content to almost 7 grams, boost the calorie content, and add some additional high quality fats for brain and central nervous system development.
The addition of mix-ins such as hemp seeds, chia seeds, ground flax seeds, and different kinds of nut butter to some dairy free yogurts might help them pack a little more of a complete nutritional punch and taste great while steering clear of too much added sugar.
How to Choose Healthy Yogurt for Your Toddler
6 Ways to Serve Yogurt to Babies
Healthy Greek Yogurt Popsicles for Kids
Check out 18 Healthy Toddler Breakfast Ideas from a Registered Dietitian!
5 Comments
Ccgreem · July 16, 2022 at 9:39 am
Looking for a FAGE NON-SWEETENED non-dairy alternative. These mostly seem to be flavored and sugared. Estrogen+ Breast Cancer – need to go non-dairy. Thank you all.
Stacie · September 25, 2021 at 5:47 pm
I noticed really only one plain yogurt which you said was bad. Is there anything out there that is like fage or chobani plain greek yogurt? My kid loves this but is showing some dairy intolerances. We use this a lot and would love an equivalent.
Mama Knows Nutrition · September 26, 2021 at 2:04 pm
Hi Stacie! Yes, I would try a coconutmilk plain one like so delicious and then you can add in an unflavored collagen peptide powder for protein! I should add that to this post, because someone else asked me about this too- a good plain option. The problem is that they are lacking protein, but you can add that in with a protein powder! I like vital proteins unflavored collagen peptides – https://rstyle.me/+Jr9NUYg5ID8y6-yESP4M3w (affiliate link <3)
Kelly Powers · September 22, 2021 at 4:52 am
I love that you shared this and that you highlighted the amount of sugar in each! There’s so much added sugar in so many items, including yogurt, that most people don’t know to look for.
Mama Knows Nutrition · September 22, 2021 at 10:58 am
You’re so right. It’s frustrating on many levels. It’s tough for yogurt companies, because from what I hear, the higher sugar products sell so much better. So it’s like they obviously want to be profitable, but it’s at odds with people getting better nutrition…but it’s not their fault that’s what people buy more of!