Yogurt, especially the Gold Standard Plain or Greek-style, has a whole repertoire of uses beyond the berry, honey and granola parfait (that is, nonetheless, delicious.)
You might already know you can swap it for sour cream, mayonnaise, or buttermilk in most recipes. Here are some more of our favorite not-your-average-uses for yogurt.
Yogurt: Marinade
Try marinading poultry, fish or even red meat in a combination of yogurt, citrus, herbs and some salt for a few hours to impart a juicy, and rich flavor to your meats. Check out this all-purpose Spicy Yogurt Marinade recipe, or our recipe for Yogurt Fried Chicken.
Curious how marinades actually work? Basically, a marinade usually has three main components that help boost flavor and retain/add moisture in meats: acids, fats, and herbs. The acids break down some of the exterior proteins on the cut of meat, so that the fat and flavor from the herbs/oils/yogurt can get into the cut.
Yogurt: Salad Dressing
This is probably the simplest yogurt trick in the book– just whisk a little yogurt together with lemon juice, a little oil, some fresh herbs and voila, a lightened-up creamy dressing. Check out this recipe for a Cauliflower Salad with a Garlicky Yogurt Dressing, and here is another for Beets and Greens with a Yogurt-Lemon Sauce. And maybe for a summery treat, here is a recipe for a Spelt Berry Waldorf Salad with Yogurt Dressing.
Yogurt: Baking
Substitute yogurt for some of the oil, eggs, or as a direct swap for buttermilk the next time you bake. Check out this recipe for a French-Style Yogurt Cake from the wonderful blog, Orangette.
Yogurt: Pasta Sauce
Yogurt and onions sounds very unlikely, but this dairy hero can actually make a delicious base for a pasta sauce. Check out this recipe for Pasta with Yogurt and Caramelized Onions.
Have any other favorite uses for yogurt? Please send them our way– we’d love to try ’em!