Who is this guide for?

Anyone creating their own Christmas dessert

Whether you’re making a cake, cream, cheesecake or layered dessert, plain yoghurt lets you choose the spices, fruit and sugar yourself.

Anyone preparing several portions

If your recipe calls for a lot of Greek-style yoghurt, compare 850 g or 1 kg tubs with smaller packs. Take into account how much you’ll actually use and the storage instructions.

Anyone who pays close attention to ingredients

If milk, cream, fat content or organic ingredients matter to you, check the label on the specific product you’re buying rather than relying on its name alone.

What should you look for before buying?

If your recipe is already sweetened or flavoured, first decide between plain and flavoured yoghurt. Then check the ingredients and pack size to make sure they suit your recipe.

What to consider What to check Who is it for?
Sugar and flavourings Look for ‘plain’ on the label and check the ingredients if your recipe already includes sugar, chocolate, spices or fruit. When I flavour my dessert myself, I don’t want to add a topping or flavouring I haven’t chosen. Around 36% of consumers would make this their top priority.
Ingredients and texture Check whether it contains cream and the fat content per 100 g for the specific product. For a cream or chilled dessert, I look for a consistency that suits my recipe, rather than assuming all ‘Greek-style’ products are the same. Around 29% of consumers would make this their top priority.
Quantity Work out the total quantity your recipes call for, then check the tub size and storage instructions. If I’m preparing several portions, I want to buy enough yoghurt without leaving a large, half-used tub. Around 21% of consumers would put getting the right quantity first.
Ingredients and buying preferences Check the allergens and ingredients on the packaging, and look for an organic label if that’s one of your criteria. Before choosing a pack size or texture, I need to know whether the ingredients are suitable for the people eating the dessert. Around 14% of consumers would make this their top priority.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming ‘Greek-style’ means traditional Greek yoghurt

    Danone describes its ‘à la Grecque’ range as inspired by Greek yoghurt and made with additional ingredients. The name alone therefore doesn’t tell you how a particular product is made or what it contains.

    Read the product description and ingredients. Don’t assume that words such as ‘mature’ or ‘ripened’ tell you enough about its taste, either.

  • Swapping plain yoghurt for a flavoured version

    A fruit topping or flavouring already in the product could change a dessert whose flavours have been carefully planned in the recipe.

    Choose plain yoghurt if you want to control the ingredients in your baking. Save flavoured versions for recipes that call for that particular flavour.

  • Choosing a large tub without working out how much you need

    An 850 g or 1 kg tub could be handy for making several recipes, but you may have some left over if your recipe only uses a small amount.

    Add up the quantities needed for your desserts and check the storage instructions before choosing a pack size.

    If you open a tub, you’ll also need a plan for using up the rest.

  • Overlooking the ingredients and storage instructions

    The Carrefour Extra, Auchan and Danone plain products described here contain milk and cream. Check the storage instructions on the product you buy.

    If you need to avoid milk, check the ingredients and choose a product that meets this requirement. Also follow the storage instructions and use-by date on the packaging.

Brands to compare

Danone

The ‘à la Grecque’ range includes a plain option as well as flavoured and topped versions.

  • The plain product described by Carrefour France contains skimmed milk, cream and lactic cultures, among other ingredients.
  • Danone distinguishes this Greek yoghurt-inspired speciality from traditional Greek yoghurt, so check the specific product before using it in a recipe.

Carrefour Extra

The plain range is available in packs of four 150 g pots and in a 1 kg tub.

  • According to Carrefour France, both pack sizes contain whole milk, cream and lactic cultures.
  • The 1 kg tub is best suited to recipes that use most or all of its contents.

Auchan

The plain product described by Auchan France comes in a pack of four 150 g pots.

  • Its ingredients list includes whole milk, cream, milk proteins and lactic cultures.
  • Check the packaging of the product you actually buy for its ingredients and storage instructions.

E.Leclerc : Eco+ et Bio Village

These two plain products have different ingredients lists, including an option made with organic ingredients.

  • E.Leclerc lists skimmed milk, cream and cultures for Eco+. Bio Village contains whole milk, cream and organic milk powder.
  • Choosing organic ingredients won’t determine the result of your baking on its own. Check the product ingredients and pack size, too.

Lidl : Eridanous

Lidl says its Eridanous Greek-style yoghurt can be used in sweet or savoury dishes.

  • This usage suggestion could help you identify a product for a sweet recipe.
  • Before using it in your baking, check the ingredients, allergens and nutritional information on the packaging.

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Frequently asked questions

Plain or flavoured: which should you choose for a Christmas cake?

Choose plain yoghurt if your recipe already includes the sugar and flavourings. A flavoured or topped version contains extra ingredients, so check they’ll work with the dessert you’re making.

Can you use Greek-style yoghurt in a sweet recipe?

Yes, if the recipe calls for this type of product and its other ingredients are suitable for the one you’ve chosen. Lidl recommends Eridanous for sweet or savoury dishes, while Yaos lists yoghurt cake as one of its suggested uses. These brand recommendations won’t apply to every recipe.

Are these products suitable if you need to avoid milk?

Not the Carrefour Extra, Auchan and Danone plain products described here: their ingredients include milk and cream. The term ‘Greek-style’ doesn’t tell you whether a product contains lactose, either, so check the label of the specific product.

What should you check on the packaging before buying?

Start with the product description, ingredients and allergens, then check the nutritional information, quantity and storage instructions relevant to your recipe. The DGCCRF, France’s consumer and fraud authority, notes in particular that allergens must be highlighted in the ingredients list on prepacked foods.