Best yoghurt in Australia reviewed
Here we will give a hands-on, taste-tested review of some of Australia’s most popular yoghurts, including Tamar Valley, Chobani, Farmers Union, Procal, Jalna, Coles, Activia and Vaalia.
We’ll look into the benefits, ingredients, nutrition and flavour of these popular yoghurts and see where each yoghurt stands above the competition.
What is ‘pot set’ yoghurt?
A couple of the brands reviewed here (like Jalna and Coles) are ‘pot set’ - so what does that mean exactly?
Pot set yogurt is cultured (ie fermented) and set directly in the container it will be sold in. Other yoghurts which aren’t pot set are cultured in a larger vat and then stirred to create a more smooth texture.
In general, pot set yoghurts tend to be less homogenous and less creamy. They also have a more irregular texture and it feels like the yoghurt is made up of tiny lumps.
So you could say that pot set yoghurts are more traditional, however I think the texture is often not as good as other yoghurts.
Now, on with the reviews!
Best tasting yoghurt
Tamar Valley Greek style yoghurt
This is the yoghurt to choose if you want to prioritise taste above other factors.
This yoghurt has only four ingredients - milk, cream, milk solids and cultures. It is made with fresh, pasteurised Tasmanian milk.
It does have a high degree of fat compared to others (it is 9.6% fat) however this is what gives it a delicious taste in my opinion.
Tamar Valley yoghurt has a decent amount of protein with 5g per 100g.
Flavour
The texture is very thick, creamy and luxurious - more so than the competition.
The acidity is quite high, so it might not be for people who don’t like sour taste too much.
Cost and availability
I bought a 1kg tub from Coles for $7.80.
Summary
4.75 stars out of 5.
A delicious, high quality yoghurt with a strong sour kick.
Pros
great taste
thick and creamy
simple ingredients
Cons
high in fat
some information on the bacterial strains present and colony forming units would be helpful
not the cheapest
might be too sour for some
Best yoghurt for gut health
Vaalia Probiotics yoghurt
This is the choice for those who want to prioritise health benefits above taste (which is not to say it tastes bad, it doesn’t).
Along with milk and milk solids, this yoghurt also includes inulin, a dietary fibre and various strains of bacteria. This means that Vaalia gives you probiotics (ie live bacteria) as well as prebiotics (ie fibre which will feed the good bacteria in your gut).
In terms of probiotics, Vaalia includes L. acidophilus, Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus GG.
Compared to Tamar Valley is has 30% more calcium, slightly higher protein and around a fifth (!) of the fat.
Flavour
The texture is thick enough, but I wouldn’t describe it as creamy.
The taste is not very sour and quite approachable.
Overall, the taste is fine - but there is something a bit bland and underwhelming about it.
Cost and availability
The normal retail price for a 900g tub from Coles is $7.
Summary
4.75 stars out of 5.
A health-focused yoghurt with prebiotic fibre for extra health benefits. The taste might not blow you away, but the healthy factors should impress you.
Pros
low in fat
various probiotic strains
added prebiotic fibre
high in protein
good source of calcium
Cons
the low fat content prevents it from having a nice creaminess
slightly underwhelming taste (without being bad)
Best high-protein yoghurt
Chobani Greek yoghurt
This is the yoghurt to choose if you’re after high protein as well as a good taste.
Chobani has only three ingredients: skim milk, cream and live cultures.
They strain their yoghurt three times to thicken it and increase the protein content of the final product. Chobani yoghurt is 8.6% protein, whereas Tamar Valley is 5%.
It also has less than half the fat and sodium of Tamar Valley.
Chobani includes five strains of probiotics:
Streptococcus thermophilus
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Lactobacillus acidophilus
Bifidus
Lactobacillus casei
Flavour
It appears thick with an almost cottage cheese-like texture.
The texture is very thick and somewhat creamy. Although the mouthfeel is not as satisfying as Tamar Valley.
In terms of taste, the sourness is quite low for a yoghurt.
Overall, the taste is good and preferable to that of Vaalia.
Cost and availability
The normal retail price for a 907g (hmmm, is that 7g free or 93g lost??) tub from Coles or Woolworths is around $8. This puts it at the premium end of the market.
Summary
4.5 stars out of 5.
A high-protein yoghurt with a relatively low fat level and five strains of probiotics. It’s a great compromise between taste, and good protein and fat levels.
Pros
high in protein
low in fat
five probiotic strains
good taste
Cons
not as creamy as some
price is higher than others
Best value yoghurt
Farmers Union Greek style yoghurt
This is a great all-round yoghurt for a reasonable price.
Farmers Union yoghurt has only milk, cream, milk solids and live cultures. It has two strains of live cultures which are common in traditional yoghurts - Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus.
It is very high in calcium and beats many other yoghurts in this category by this measure.
Like Tamar Valley, it does have a fair amount of fat at 9.4%. But of course this provides its lovely richness and creaminess.
Flavour
The sourness is fairly low, and much below that of Tamar Valley. Some people may find this more approachable, but I would prefer a little more sourness to balance out the rich creaminess personally.
Overall, the taste is quite good though. And it definitely does come across as a natural yoghurt with clean ingredients.
Cost and availability
The normal retail price for a 1kg tub from Woolworths is $6.50
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A good value, clean and natural yoghurt. A good all rounder as long as you don’t mind the fat content.
Pros
good value
high in calcium
good taste (but I’d prefer more sourness)
Cons
high in fat
more information needed on the amount of probiotics
Runner up yoghurt for taste
Procal Greek yoghurt
Procal Greek yoghurt has simple, clean ingredients - only milk, cream, milk solids and live cultures. So this is a natural, authentic product without thickeners, sweeteners or flavourings.
Like Farmers Union, it has the two common strains of live cultures found in yoghurt - Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus. Procal gives no information on the amount of bacteria present.
Procal has high levels of protein at 6.8% - which is more than both Tamer Valley and Farmers Union, but less than Chobani.
And while still fairly high in fat (8%), it has less than Tamer Valley and Farmers Union.
Flavour
The texture is very thick and creamy - a gift from the high fat content!
The taste is a little different to other yoghurts we have reviewed. The sourness is low to moderate and there is a slight cottage cheese taste to it - and I don’t mean that in a bad way. This gives it a nice savoury characteristic.
Overall, the taste is very good with a lovely thick texture. It does feel like you are eating a natural, authentic product.
Cost and availability
The normal retail price for a 900g tub from Coles or Woolworths is $7.
Summary
4.5 stars out of 5.
An authentic, natural yoghurt with a unique taste and a good amount of protein.
Pros
delicious, unique taste
high in protein
simple, traditional ingredients with no additives
Cons
fairly high in fat, but below competitors
more information needed on the amount of probiotics
just the two strains of probiotics (as is common in authentic, traditional yoghurts)
Runner up yoghurt for gut health
Activia yoghurt
The first thing to note is that Activia has some great aspects for gut health but it does include a lot of additives like flavours, thickeners, sweeteners and colourings. Therefore it isn’t a traditional-style yoghurt.
In terms of positives, Activia has four strains of probiotics, including a unique strain which has been scientifically proven to survive well in the digestive system.
It also has a lot of actual bacteria - 3.5 billion colony forming units per 100g - which compares very well to other brands.
Activia includes lemon pulp which provides prebiotic fibre and lactase which is the enzyme your body uses to break down lactose.
It is high in calcium and low in fat compared to other brands.
Flavour
The texture is thick, but a bit different from the luxurious, creamy thickness of Tamar Valley which comes from the high fat content. In contrast, the thickness in Activia comes from the added thickener which is a modified starch.
In terms of taste, it is surprisingly low in sourness. The vanilla comes through nicely and there is a little citrus in the background.
Overall, the taste is fine and approachable but not very deep or complex. There is something about the texture which isn’t quite right if you’re used to natural yoghurts which don’t use thickeners.
Cost and availability
The normal retail price for a 500g pack (of 4x125g tubs) from Coles or Woolworths is $5.75. This makes it one of the most expensive yoghurt options in supermarkets on a per gram basis.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A gut-focused yoghurt with great probiotics and an approachable taste. It does include a lot of (not necessarily nasty) additives so it isn’t a traditional-style yoghurt.
Pros
scientifically proven probiotics
high in calcium
source of fibre
low in fat
Cons
a lot of additives including thickeners, flavourings, sweeteners and colourings
expensive
the texture isn’t luxuriously creamy like other brands (with higher fat levels)
Another good tasting yoghurt
Jalna Greek style yoghurt
This pot set yoghurt is very natural and only includes milk, cream and live cultures.
It has three strains of probiotics - Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei and Bifidobacterium lactis. In contrast to other brands which often give no information on the amount of bacteria present (ie colony forming units), Jalna specifies that it has over 1 billion CFU units per 100g.
It is quite high in fat at 9.5% and low in protein at 3.3%. It also has less calcium than other brands reviewed here.
Flavour
The texture is thick but not as creamy as you might expect. It also has the typical small lumpy texture of pot set yoghurt.
Similar to Procal, it has savoury, cottage cheese characteristics.
The aroma is quite cheesy - with mature cheddar vibes.
The taste has a low sourness with subtle cottage cheese aspects.
Overall, the taste is good but with a slightly underwhelming texture, especially considering its fairly high fat content.
Cost and availability
The normal retail price for a 1kg tub from Coles or Woolworths is around $8 - which places it on the more expensive end.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
A clean, authentic, natural yoghurt with a good, savoury taste but underwhelming texture.
Pros
nice, savoury taste
very simple, traditional ingredients with no additives
three strains of probiotics
Cons
high in fat
texture not as creamy as others
low in protein and calcium compare to others
more expensive than others
Another good value yoghurt
Coles pot set natural Greek style yoghurt
This natural pot set yoghurt only includes skimmed milk, cream, milk solids and live cultures.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t give any information on the probiotics included.
It is fairly high in fat at 8.6% and low in protein at 3.4%. It also has less calcium than other brands reviewed here.
Flavour
The texture is thick and more creamy than other pot set yoghurts. It does still have the typical lumpy texture of pot set yoghurts though.
The aroma is soured milk as you would expect but also with some savoury cheese notes.
The taste is more on the sour side than other brands (not a bad thing in my opinion) with subtle cottage cheese characteristics.
Overall, the taste is very good but with that pot set lumpy texture which I find a bit lacklustre.
Cost and availability
The normal retail price for a 1kg tub from Coles is $5.50 - which is great value.
Summary
4.25 stars out of 5.
An authentic, natural pot set yoghurt with a lovely taste. The texture is not as good as other brands which aren’t pot set though.
Pros
nice taste (provided you don’t mind a higher level of sourness)
simple natural ingredients with no additives
great value
Cons
fairly high in fat - but below some similar brands
texture doesn’t match other brands which aren’t pot set
low in protein and calcium compare to others
no information on probiotics given
Read our full review of Coles pot set natural Greek style yoghurt.
Health benefits of yoghurt
Probiotics
These are the beneficial living microbes you are ingesting when you eat yoghurt.
Probiotics offer many health benefits including:
better digestive health
better immune function
reduced inflammation
reduced allergies
better nutrient absorption
Postbiotics
In simple terms, postbiotics are essentially things probiotics produce. These include short-chain fatty acids which nourish our gut lining and may help reduce symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
Prebiotics
Not traditionally in yoghurt but some brands (like Vaalia and Activia) add prebiotics for extra health benefits.
Prebiotics are essentially fibres which feed the good bacteria in your gut and help them multiply.
Vitamins and minerals
Yoghurt is a source of various vitamins and minerals including::
calcium - which helps digestion and supports bone and teeth health
magnesium - which supports bone health, muscle function and energy production
phosphorus - which is important for bone and teeth health and energy metabolism
potassium - which supports heart, muscle, nerve and kidney health
vitamins B2 and B12 - which support immunity, energy production and cell and nerve function
vitamin A - supports vision, immune function, cell growth and healthy skin
Satiety and weight management
The high protein and low carbohydrate content in yogurt, especially Greek-style yogurt, helps you feel fuller for longer which can help control your appetite. Greek yoghurt is often recommended by dietitians for this reason.
Reduced lactose
Compared to unfermented dairy products such as milk, yoghurt has lower levels of lactose as this is partially consumed during the fermentation process by the bacteria. This makes it more digestible for people who have some degree of lactose intolerance.
Your reviewer
This article was reviewed by Travis, the founder of this website, long-time gut enthusiast and passionate kombucha maker!
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